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

Blacksmithing ~ A Lost Art

I am aware that I am getting this post about an old occupation in a little late for Labor Day, but at least it is still in the month of September.

I recently rediscovered this article from the Herald-Tribune, the local paper for the Batesville, Indiana area.  Although, I could not find a specific date that it was published, I can say that it is somewhere in the year 1964.

George Washington Hillman is my great-grandmother's brother. I never knew him, because he passed away before I was born. After reading this article, I really wish that I had gotten the chance to meet him!

He was the only brother to several sisters.  As my great-grandmother recieved training in a typical female occupation at the time, teaching; her brother also recieved training in a typically male profession.  

He learned the trade of blacksmithing as a young man of 20, and worked for the next four years, in Moores Hill, Indiana.  When the United States entered World War I, he did not abandon his occupation.

He joined the U.S. Army as part of the Rainbow Division, where they put his blacksmithing skills to good use. He not only shod horses himself for the cavalry, but he was also a supervisor of four other men.

Returning home from the war, he didn't break stride in his chosen career path. Although, within a 20 year time period, he moved his shop from Moores Hill, to Sunman, and finally to Negangard's Corner, he never stopped blacksmithing.

Through the 1920-30's, shoeing horses was the main income in his blacksmithing shop. However, there were still wagon wheels to be repaired, and tools and plowshares to be sharpened.

He spent many years in the 1940's at some of the major racetracks in the U.S. Not for the betting, but for shoeing horses.  Although it was the same work that he had been doing for decades, racehorses provided a new challenge to him.  Racehorses and workhorses both put a lot of wear on the shoes, but in completely different ways.

When this article was written, Uncle George was already 71 years old.  He estimated that he had shod about 100 animals in the previous year.

My husband has taken up learning the art of blacksmithing, and I think he would have really enjoyed meeting my great-uncle George, also.  I could just see them now, sitting and talking about the tricks of the trade!