Modie Williams was born on July 27, 1894 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to Pattie Bates  of Endfield, North Carolina and Spencer Williams of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He was an Baptist. He attended Norfolk Mission College and was a member of the White Ring of the Knights of Pythias.  He was a cook at C&O Dining Car Service in Norfolk, Virginia before the war, and he supported his widowed mother. In 1917, he married Martha White.

He joined the Army on October 27, 1917 in Norfolk, Virginia as a private in the infantry.  While he was in the army he received his training at Camp Lee , Virginia. He then transferred to the M.Company in the 369 regiment 93rd division. While in the National Army Modie was gassed in Champagne , France on July 26. He then went on to receive an award in New York on February 14 , 1919 at Armory Hall by city authority for soldiers. He was discharged from the army on February 9 ,1919 at Camp Lee, Virginia.

After the war he returned to Norfolk, Virginia. He and Martha had three children, Bernard and Lucille, and a daughter born after 1940. The family were comfortable and in 1930, Martha and the children were able to take a trip north. He worked as a cook on a steamship to support his wife and three children, and several members of his extended family, including a nephew, James Reid, and Martha’s niece, Arlove Tynes. He died on March 26, 1959 while on a ship in Baltimore, Maryland, and is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

Sources:

“Modie Williams,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.

“Modie Williams,” United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, National Archives and Records Administration.

“Modie S. Williams,” Findagrave.org Available online: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=102611082 Dec. 8, 2016.

“Norfolk Area Deaths” The New Journal and Guide. April 4, 1959.

“The Social World” The New Journal and Guide. Sept. 13, 1930.

United States Census, 1910-1940.

Krysta Crawford is a history major at Norfolk State University.

 

William Augustus Stuart (or Steuart) was born March 3, 1874 in Charleston, West Virginia to Lucy Payne and Thomas S Swann. William Stuart was an African American, part French and Indian, as well as being an active member of the Catholic church. Prior to enlisting in the United States Navy, William Stuart was a Cook and Steward during his civilian career. He married Genelva “Jinnie” Fields. The Stuart family lived on Hale street in the Lindenwood neighborhood of Norfolk Virginia before joining the U.S. Navy and following his time in service. William Stuart was far from illiterate able to both read and write, he attended public school and then moved on to Hampton Institute, now known as Hampton University.

At the outbreak of World War One, William Stuart enlisted on April 26^th 1917 in Norfolk Virginia following basic training Stuart received on the job training (OJT) serving as a First Class Cook in the Naval Auxiliary. Before arriving in France in 1918, William Stuart continued serving as a cook was eventually assigned to Scout Patrol Duty, at Virginia capes, 5^th Naval district in addition he was transferred to the USS Bulgaria Legonia Teresa, also known as simply the USS Teresa (Id. No. 4478) when his service was no longer needed in the 5^th Naval district.  Due to his character and work ethic William Stuart was eventually promoted to 1^st Class Cook Instructor of Cooks. William Stuart served his Nation honorably and believed all should have military experience because it was beneficial to him over the years both mentally and physically. During the peak of the war German U-boats or submarines began to destroy ships along European borders cutting supply routes off and causing much devastating damage as well and interrupting operations. and eventually forcing the United States to declare war on Germany in 1917. During his time in service abroad, he was a firsthand witness to being attacked by German Submarines, witnessing multiple ships sinking in the convoy. U.S. convoy ships were armed with torpedoes to counter German U-boat attacks and fortunately for William Stuart he did not become a causality at sea.  The mission aboard convoy ships became a daily routine of convoy operations, patrolling the sea as well as reporting German submarine intel. Living conditions on the ships were harsh, many sailors became prone to influenza and the mumps, eventually becoming infected with the diseases and many even died.

William Stuart received medical treatment in the Norfolk Naval Yard and was permanently disabled for heart leakage and hardening of the arteries. William Stuart believed the war was justifiable, by witnessing the ships sinking while in the line of duty, and the honor of War. Following his release from service William Stuart was under medical care in for heart leakage, and hardening of the arteries, this unfortunate experience making him a disabled American veteran.

Sources:

“Teresa (Id. No. 4478)” Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Available Online: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. Dec. 8, 2016.

“The USS Navy in WW1” World War I Vets.com Available Online: http://www.wwvets.com/Navy.html,  Dec. 6, 2016.

United States Census, 1920.

William Augustus Stuart,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.

Jourdan Bethea is an ROTC cadet at Norfolk State University.

William Elwood Boone was a United States soldier who fought on behalf of this nation in World War I. He was born on September 21, 1890 in  Norfolk, Virginia to a Mary Hollow and Luke Washington Boone. This African American soldier, known as “Willie” before his professional military service, attended public school in Norfolk and worked as a longshoreman prior to enlisting.

He enlisted in the Army on July 30, 1918 and served with Company 35, 9 B.N., 154 D.B. He completed his training at Camp Meade, Maryland and was transferred to 701 En. Stu Bn. on September 21, 1918, which later became the 861st Transportation Company. He embarked from Newport News, VA on the USS Mercury to Brest, France on October 13, 1918, and went Marseilles, France on November 5, 1918. He transferred to 862nd the Transportation Company on February 25, 1919. He finally arrived home from his overseas service on June 30, 1919. He was discharged with the rank of private at Camp Lee, VA on July 07, 1919.

After being discharged, he married Hattie Boone and they relocated to North Carolina. Mr. Boone never voted, as he still lived in a time where institutional racism was prevalent in the US. He fathered seven children with his wife, named Clarence, Robert, Fannie, Mattie, Nora Lee, Ida, and Joseph. He died on July 23, 1937 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Norfolk.  Mr. Boone’s legacy lives on through his strong lineage and his valiant service as a black man in World War I.

Sources:

United States Census, 1900-1930.

“William Elwood Boone,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.

“William E. Boone,” United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1949.

Brier Clear is a history major and NROTC cadet at Norfolk State University.

Arthur Little was born on March, 4, 1896 in Plymouth Washington, North Carolina to Martha and Anthony Little. He had six siblings, 4 brothers and 2 sisters. He lived in North Carolina until he was about 14 years old. He moved to Norfolk, Virginia sometime between 1910 and 1917. Prior to the war, Little was a longshoreman for a company in New York where he enlisted.

Little enlisted at Camp Upton, New York (1917) in the National Guard as a mechanic at the age of  21. Little was assigned to Company A of the 367 Regiment 92nd division and he was stationed at Camp Upton from October 1917 until June 1918. In June he deployed to Brest, France where he participated in a number of engagements. As a mechanic, Little most likely did not actually see much combat despite being involved in major battles, such as the battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Argonne Offensive which resulted in Allied victories. Little arrived back in the states in early March 1919 and was discharged a few weeks later. According to Little’s service record, he did not mind fighting on the behalf of the United States and felt that his time in the military was quite nice.

After the war, Little resumed his longshoreman job while living with his aunt. Not much is documented on Little’s life after the war as he was very much an average guy. Little did not marry. Arthur Little passed away on April 9, 1944. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

 

 

Sources:

“Arthur Little,” Findagrave.org Available online: http://findagrave.org/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=150308220, Dec. 9, 2016.

“Arthur Little,” The New Journal and Guide, April 22, 1944.

“Arthur Little,” United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1949, National Archives and Records Administration.

United States Census, 1910-1920.

Xavier Mitchell is a history major at Norfolk State University.

 

 

Dudley Allen Payton was born July 24, 1895 in Middlesex, VA to Albert Payton and Juillie Burrell. He was raised as a Baptist. Mr. Payton’s highest level education completed was finishing school. He was a registered voter but he did not vote. He was an unemployed student before he joined the war effort. He joined Navy as a Mess Attendant on Oct. 20, 1913 on Norfolk, Va. Mr. Payton was single when he joined the military.

His first duty station was on the USS Mississippi in 1913. The Mississippi was built in 1913 and decommissioned in August 1956. The ship’s main purpose, during World War I, was training. The Navy used the training exercises to help work up the troops. The training was only held in North American waters. By the beginning of 1914, Mr. Payton was stationed on the USS Franklin. The Franklin was also a training ship built in 1867 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia and it was decommissioned in 1916. After not even a year on board ship, he was transferred to the USS North Carolina in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The North Carolina was built in 1905 and decommissioned in 1922. On 5 November 1915, it became the first ship in US Naval history to launch an aircraft by catapult while underway. This experimental launch led to the use of catapults on battleships and cruisers through War World I and to the steam catapults on present-day aircraft carriers. After his transfer to Plymouth, Mr. Payton would move around Europe quite a bit. From Plymouth, his ship sailed to Cherbourg, France. During his time in France, he would learn how to read and write French. He left France and headed to Brindisi, Italy. There is no record of his duties while in Italy. He would later travel to Alexandria, Egypt to receive more training. After Egypt, Mr. Payton moved to Constantinople, Turkey on the USS Scorpion, a gunboat.

While in Turkey, Mr. Payton, along with fifty-five other enlisted and three officers, were captured and taken prisoner in April 1917. They were taken prisoner because they did not clear Turkish waters in the time they were allotted. After his release, he received a ribbon for Prisoner of War from General Hamilton in 1918. In 1919, he wrote a short letter detailing some of his experience while being a prisoner of war. He felt like they were treated pretty well for POWs. Three of the crew members were allowed to go to ashore every four days. As a group, they were allowed to go ashore once every ten weeks, with three guards and an interpreter. The crew was also allowed to have football games and took visits to the dentist. They were also allowed to have daily newspapers and books. After his release, Mr. Payton transfered to the AM 38 Auk.

The Auk was a mine sweeping vessel. The Auk, along with several other mine sweepers, had the task of sweeping the coast of Scotland to Norway. There were an estimated 55,000 mines in the waters they patrolled. During his tour on the Auk, he received a ribbon from Captain G. C. Cullen. Ironically, in 1937, the Auk struck a mine in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, where it sunk. On November 18, 1919, the AM 38 Auk arrived in the New York harbor.

Just under a month later, Mr. Payton was discharged from the Navy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on December 6, 1919. He was discharged from the Navy with the rank and rate of a 1^st Class Wardroom Steward. He returned to military service and continued to serve for thirty-two years. He eventually moved to U’rbanna, Virginia, which is close to his place of birth, where he died at the age of 87 on September 17, 1982. He is buried in Hermitage Memorial Park. He was married to Mrs. Geneva Payton and they had no children.

 

Source material:

Bauer, Jack K. and Roberts, Stephens S.. Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy 1775-1990: Major Combatants. New York: Greenwood Press. 1991.

Breyer, Siegfried . Battleships and Battle Cruisers 1905-1970. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1973.

Davis, Noel. Sweeping the North Sea Mine Barrage. United States Navy, 1919.

“Dudley Allen Payton,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.

“Obituaries,” Virginia Chronicle. September 23, 1982.

Terrell Floyd is a history major at Norfolk State University.

Paul Washington Alexander was born on January 16, 1889 in Norfolk, Virginia to Alice Ward and Washington Alexander. Paul Alexander  received up to a 7th grade education. Before the war began Alexander’s occupation was a longshoreman and he lived at 739 St. Paul Street, Norfolk, VA.

Paul Alexander enlisted in the Army as a private in the infantry on June 20, 1918 to C Co. 304 Engineers regiment and went to train at Camp Alexander, Newport News, VA. He was promoted to Private 1st class on August 14,1918. Alexander did not experience any tours oversea or receive any action. 

After being discharged from service on May 19, 1919 at Camp Lee, he return to Norfolk, VA. Before being discharged from service, Paul and his wife Louisa Bridges had their first son Leon W. Alexander, on February 18, 1919. He returned to his job as a longshoreman stationed out of Norfolk Naval base. Paul Alexander believed we must be ready at all times in order to have peace. 

On September 11, 1948 Paul remarried to Olivia Viola Scaife in North Carolina. Paul Washington passed away on June 16, 1951 at the age of 62 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Norfolk, VA.

Sources:

North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741-2011

“Paul W. Alexander,” U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963, National Archives and Records Administration.

“Paul Washington Alexander,” Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014.

“Paul Washington Alexander,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.

United States Census, 1900-1940.

 Willie Thompson was born on January 18th 1890 to Richard Thompson and Elizabeth Garrison. He was an African American man  from Norfolk, Va. He grew up on 835 Washington Ave, in Norfolk, Virginia’s Huntersville neighborhood. Thompson was not listed as belonging to any religious background or church. Before Thompson served in the U.S. Army he worked as a clerk. He is said to have had an ordinary education but there is no evidence of him graduating from any school. He was also was not a registered voter as many African American men at this time were denied such freedoms.

Thompson was a married man before joining the army, marrying a woman named Annie White. At twenty-eight years old he enlisted at Camp-Lee Virginia as a corporal on July 18, 1918. He was part of the 4th company 155 Depot Brigade in the Laboring Battalion. However he saw no action . He was discharged on August 30, 1918 only a month after being drafted.

After his discharge he worked as a janitor. He married again, this time to a woman named Lillian and they had a daughter named Bernice Hunter. He lived on 861 Avenue A until his death on October 20, 1969. He died at age 79 at  Norfolk General Hospital due to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Norfolk, VA, and was survived by his daughter Bernice and cousin Mrs. Blanche Jones.

Sources:          

The New Norfolk Journal and Guide

“Obituary News – The Virginian Pilot.” The Virginian Pilot.

United States Census, 1910-1940.

“Willie Thompson,” Findagrave.org. Available online: http://findagrave.org/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=102607647 Dec. 9, 2016.

 “Willie Thompson,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.         

Roger Brown is a history major at Norfolk State University.

Robert Thomas Bullock was born June 30, 1891 in Tarboro, Edgecombe County, North Carolina to Mary Eliza Brown and William Bullock. William Bullock was a book keeper and Mary was had no occupation. Robert has an older sister named Cora Bullock, who was just four years older than him. They were both raised in Tarboro, Edgecombe County, North Carolina and as Baptists. Robert Thomas attended Grammar school but he had no drive to further his education. He worked at the Oceanic W. Beach Hotel as a Head-Bellman for several years. He joined the Fraternal Order of Orion L&B Assn.

Before entering the service, he moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where he resided at 522 Bank Street. At age 25, Robert enlisted into the Army National Guard at the Hampton Institute, Virginia and started as a private on August 15, 1918. He was in the infantry. Robert’s training establishment was located at Hampton, Virginia. He was assigned originally to the Battery “C” 19th, Reg. F.A.R.D. at Camp Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Bullock’s rank was mainly a private but at times he would act as Corporal. Shortly after, he got transferred to Camp Lee in Virginia in Mid-January where he resided momentarily in the base hospital from catching the Spanish Influenza. He was on bed rest for seventeen days. On January 30, 1919 Robert Bullock was discharged from the service due to his illness.

In late 1919, he returned to civilian life and became a checker “police officer” at the Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia. Shortly after, Robert Thomas Bullock left the Navy Yard and moved to Salisbury, North Carolina. He never married nor had children. On October 5, 1937 Robert Bullock died in Asheville, NC due to tuberculosis and he was buried Salisbury National Cemetery, NC.

 

Sources:

“Robert Thomas Bullock” Find a Grave.com. Available Online: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=81550774&ref=acom Accessed: December 7, 2016

“Robert Thomas Bullock,” U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962, National Archives and Records Administration.

“Robert Thomas Bullock,” United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, National Archives and Records Administration.

“Robert Thomas Bullock,” World War I History Commission Questionnaires, Library of Virginia.

United States Census, 1900-1940.

Cynthia Aponte is a history major at Norfolk State University.

 

John “Bern” Bernard Brewer was born March 13, 1889/1890 in Norfolk, Virginia to Georgette (or Georgia) Lewis and David L. Brewer.  David Brewer was a house painter and Georgette was a seamstress. The Brewers lived on Lexington Street in the Old Huntersville neighborhood of Norfolk and were active members of the community.  John Brewer attended Norfolk Mission College for a few years and then transferred to Howard Academy (1907-1910). After matriculating from Howard Academy, he enrolled Howard University’s Dental College in 1912.  At some point between 1913 and 1917, he transferred to Northwestern University. He worked at the Boston Dental Parlors in Chicago, Illinois as a dental laboratory technician before enlisting in the United States Army on March 19, 1917. He served as a private in the Medical Department of the 8th Illinois Infantry of the 33rd Division of the National Guard. He was promoted to sergeant in November 1917.

While in the service, he was stationed at Camp Logan, Texas from October 1917 to March 1918 and then Camp Stuart, Virginia for one month before shipping out to France. He rose in the ranks quickly while in training camp, and was promoted to Private First Class and then Sergeant in the fall of  1917. He served in France for eight months, and saw action at the battle of St. Mihiel Maison and at Argonne Forest. St. Mihiel was the first major American offensive in World War I, and Brewer and his fellow soldiers fought under General Pershing and liberated the town from German control. He was cited for bravery at the Ailette River on September 27, 1918 for continuing to fight while wounded. He returned to the United States in February 1919 and was discharged at Camp Grant, Illinois as a Sergeant First Class in the Detached Medical Department of the 370th Infantry.

After being discharged from service, he returned to Northwestern and finished his degree in accountancy. While a student at Northwestern, he was a member of the Theta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. According to the 1930 Census, he owned his own accounting firm in Chicago and lived in a large boarding house. In September 1930, he was in a serious automobile accident which prompted his mother to travel to Chicago to care for him. His health problems continued, and by 1940, he was a patient at the Main Hospital of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He transferred to the soldier’s hospital in Hampton, Virginia to be closer to his mother and aunt, who still lived in Norfolk.

John Bernard Brewer died on April 13, 1943 at age fifty-three and he is buried in West Point Cemetery, Norfolk, Virginia.

Sources:

Annual Announcement and Catalog of the Medical Department of Howard University, 1912-1913. Washington, DC, 1913.

“Bernard Brewer Dies at Hospital,” New [Norfolk] Journal and Guide, April 17, 1943.

Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Howard University, Washington, DC., 1909-1910.

“John Bernard Brewer,” Find a Grave.com. Available Online: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=73560902. Accessed October 18, 2016.

“Personal Mention,” New [Norfolk] Journal and Guide, September 27, 1930.

“Today in History-September 12” Library of Congress. Available Online: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/september-12. Accessed October 19, 2016.

United States Census, 1900-1940.

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Stephanie J. Richmond is an assistant professor of history at Norfolk State University.