In Honor of George W. Hillman, World War I Army Veteran

As I watched a portion of the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Armistace Day ceremony in France yesterday morning, my mind kept wandering to a man I never had the chance to meet.

George Washington Hillman
(Source: family photo)

George Washington Hillman was born in 1893 to Thomas Jefferson Hillman and Anna Moore. By 1917, he had already learned the blacksmithing trade as an apprentice in Moores Hill, Indiana.

With the United States entering World War I in 1917, it looked like he would be putting away his blacksmithing tools to enter the army.

But, that is not what happened.  As I quote from Batesville's local newspaper,the Herald-Tribune (date unknown), "Uncle Sam also made good use of Mr. Hillman's skill as a blacksmith and his Army duties consisted of -- you guessed it -- shoeing horses for the cavalry. This was a full-time job as horses were used extensively in those days."

According to the newspaper article, he enlisted in the Army on 8  April 1917. The draft registration card below shows a date of 5 June 1917. 

"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-L1HN-ZTT?cc=1968530&wc=9FCR-4WG%3A928312201%2C928821401 : 14 May 2014), Indiana > Ripley County; A-Z > image 1358 of 3446; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

The newspaper article also stated that he served overseas in France and Germany during the war. He was not mustered out until the spring of 1920 as he was a member of the occupation forces in Germany following the war.

In addition to the information that I was able to glean from the local newspaper, I have also always heard that he was a part of the famous Rainbow Division.

Since I am not that familiar with the Rainbow Division, I did a little research on it. I found a wonderful article on the Army website that describes it well.

The article, ~ " 'Rainbow Division' that represented the United States formed in New York in August 1917" by Eric Durr (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs) written July 24, 2017 ~ is very well written and should be read in its entirety.

But, I would like to offer the following quote that best explains the purpose of the Rainbow Division. He states:

 ~ "So Major Douglas MacArthur-later to be five-star general Douglas MacArthur during World War II and the Korean War-- had a good idea. Take National Guard units from across the country and combine them into one division. That division could then be deployed to France without slighting any particular state or region.

In describing the division, ... MacArthur said the division would stretch across the United States "like a rainbow." ~

George Washington Hillman was the only brother to my great-grandmother, Carrie (Hillman) Haessig. As I said earlier, I wish that I had gotten to know this interesting  man. He passed away in March 1967. I was born the previous spring of 1966. If I had met him, I was much too young to remember! 

From all that I am discovering about this man, I am not only proud, but honored to be a part of his extended family.

George, thank you very much for the service that you gave to our country. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Sources:

https://www.army.mil/article/191270/rainbow_division_that_represented_the_united_states_formed_in_new_york_in_august_1917

My contribution to The Honor Roll Project

     I have discovered a wonderful historical project that will help honor the brave veterans throughout our country. I would love to share it with you, also.

     It is called The Honor Roll Project, and it is "an effort to transcribe and photograph military honor rolls. The transcribed names make the soldiers available for search engines, so that descendants and family members can find them on the internet." This description was taken straight from The Honor Roll website (http://honorrollproject.weebly.com), and is exactly the reason that I am so enthused about doing what I can.

     When I explained to my husband about this project, he was on board also for helping me as much as possible. He immediately reminded me of a such an Honor Roll monument on our local courthouse grounds.

Honor Roll memorial in Bloomfield, IN

     This monument is near the northwest corner of the Greene County Courthouse grounds.

     The front center panel has an outline of the Liberty Bell near the top, and the emblems of the Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard etched near the bottom. Under the Liberty Bell, the following words have been etched:  "Dedicated to the the Veterans of Greene County who served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States and in honored memory of those who gave their lives in the service of our country."

     And now on to the Honor Roll itself... I know that this will be an extremely long post, if i included everyone tonight. So, I will start with just World War I tonight, and try to finish the rest of the Honor Roll in the next post.

World War I

World War I

Hall, Perry
Roth, Charles E.
Mullis, Myrel
Vest, Clarence W.
Custer, Claude
Johnson, Helmer H.
Talbot, Howard R.
Ruth, William
Miller, Hiram
Cross, George E.
Hout, Herman
Mason, Joseph
Dixon, Charles E.
Pearcy, Henry A.
Allen, Alva
Wingate, Richard H.
Johnson, Gleason
Bashaw, Clarence
Hauser, Lewis
Miller, Warden D.
Strauser, Ernest F.
Courtney, Frank O.
Holder, Fred L.
Beasley, George C.
Terhune, Charles W.
Huffman, Frederick R.
Ridenbark, Oscar L.
Bradley, Joseph W.
Strietelmeier, Herman H.
Phillips, Van C.
   
 
To Be continued, in my next post...you can find that post at:
http://thishoosiersheritage.blogspot.com/2017/07/honor-roll-projectcontinued.html

Thomas and Anna: Through the Years

     Growing up in a world where we are photographed from Day One, it is hard for many of us to fathom a time when our families had no pictures at all.  For many of my ancestors, I am sorry to say that this is generally the case.

     But not for Thomas and Anna (Moore) Hillman...just check out all of these photos I have for a couple married in 1881. 

     The first picture was taken in the early 1880's.  Between talking to relatives, and some detective work of my own, it has been guessed at being taken very close to their wedding. It is encased in a wooden frame with gold leaf trim. My grandmother kept it hung at her house, and I have now been given possession of this wonderful keepsake. 

Thomas and Anna:  the Early Years

     Many of you have seen this next photo in a previous post.  It was taken circa 1899,  when my grandmother's Aunt Edna was still just a baby.  My Great-grandma Carrie is the oldest, and she was born in 1882.  I have been told that it was taken in their yard in Dearborn County, Indiana.  I was privileged to be able to spend time with my great-grandmother, and one of her sisters, before they passed away.

Thomas and Anna: the Turn of the Century

     I would love to have seen photos from the time period between the last one and these below. I know that Thomas passed away in 1920, and Anna in 1932. Judging by the aging between the previous photo and these, I would assume these might have been taken in the last few years before his death in January 1920.

     You can tell that the years had taken a toll on the two of them. Their son, George,  had spent three years in Europe, as part of the Rainbow Division in World War I. One if the daughters,  Lillian, had past away in 1918 in the flu epidemic. 

Thomas: the Later Years

Anna: the Later Years

     I am forever grateful for the advent of photography. My Grandma, and my Great-grandma, were good Christian woman that I cherish with all my heart. This couple shaped their daughter, and granddaughter, into the wonderful women that I knew and loved. To have these photographs that bring this precious couple to life are priceless! 

Tell me about some of your most prized old photographs! I would love to hear your stories!

The Hillmans of Moores Hill

Thomas J. and Anna (Moore) Hillman. Children (Clockwise from top left): Grace, Carrie, Edna, Lillian, Maude, George

     Can any of you name the family that most interested you when you started your journey into family history?  I can.  I was eleven years old and had just finished watching the "Roots" miniseries on TV.  I became fascinated with this idea of finding out more about my family tree, also.

     I was luckier than some, when I began my search.  I not only still had my two grandmothers, but I was blessed to also still have one of my great-grandmothers to visit.  She can be found as a young woman behind her mother in the above picture.

     Carrie's daughter (my paternal grandmother) also wrote names and dates in the family Bible, going back to her grandparents. She also did the same for my grandfather's family.

     Judging from the age of the children, this picture was taken near the turn of the century. I am also in the possession of a large photo of Thomas and Anna in an original frame taken approximately around 1880 or so.  These are treasures that I am so blessed to have.

    I love having the photographs, but I wanted to learn so much more about these people than just names and dates.  Great-grandma Carrie's sister, Maude, was still alive when I was eleven, and I actually have a picture somewhere of Carrie and Maude at our family reunion in 1977 or '78.  But, I haven't learned much about Maude yet. Or Edna and Grace.

     The only boy, George, had a career as a blacksmith well into the 1960's.  He also served in World War I in the Rainbow Division.

     Lillian, sitting on the ground in front of her mother, was not fortunate enough to have a long life, as were her siblings.  She grew into a young woman, fell in love, and got married.  However, according to her death certificate, she was a victim of the flu epidemic that gripped the nation around the time of the war. She died within a year or two of her wedding date.

     I have not learned much about Thomas Hillman's family, but Anna Moore has quite a few interesting ancestors and relatives. Her family's story includes an Indiana governor, a territorial judge, the founding of a small town and college, Mennonites, Methodists and the migration from Maryland and Virginia. I told you a little about the migration of Adam Moore in a previous post.

     So, I can tell you without a doubt when, and with what great-grandparent, my journey began. But, as you all know too well, the journey will never end! I hope you enjoyed getting to know my great-grandmother's family. I look forward to telling you more about Anna's family soon.

Welcome to This Hoosier's Heritage

     Welcome to my new blog!  As I've been researching my family tree, I have discovered so much more about history and my heritage in general, also.  As you might have guessed from the picture above, I have a fair amount of German heritage in my family.

     This sign means so much more to me than just decoration at a local German festival near my hometown. My great-great grandfather came from the New Alsace (Elsass) area of Germany in 1871.  Although he was born into a very German heritage, he actually was a French citizen when he left for the New Country.

     I discovered that I needed to brush up on my history a little to understand what was happening at that time.  The Alsace-Lorraine area sat on the border of France and Germany. It changed hands several times. When Germany became one unified country in 1870, the area belonged to France. It stayed in French possession until World War I.

     As I research further into my other German ancestors, I have discovered that I have to keep my Germany timeline cheat sheet near me to look at the years. What years did my other ancestors leave the Old Country for America? What was happening in Germany at that time?

     So, as you look further back into your ancestors' lives, don't forget to look a little closer at your history books, also.  This might just give you a few clues into why they chose to come to a whole new country.