Hospital Corps Returns for David Nemetzky: 1906-1912

I recently received the Bi-monthly Returns for the Hospital Corps for David Nemetzky from 1906-1912 that are housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from my researcher that I hired. These returns list the individuals that served at the different forts, camps and stations as well as notes on their service. They were able to find the following returns:

Fort Moultrie, South Carolina: Nov/Dec 1906 - Mar/Apr 1907

The returns that were found show when he arrived at Fort Moultire (Nov. 12, 1906) from Fort Morgan, Alabama, as well as being held over to make up time for his desertion (Jan. 21 - May 28, 1907). The notes from Mar/Apr 1907 and the return for May/June 1907 was not copied.

Fort Porter, New York: Mar/Apr 1909

This return shows his promotion to Private First Class (April 19, 1909). He served at Fort Porter from February 20, 1909 through June 1909. The returns for Jan/Feb 1909 & May/Jun 1909 were not copied.

Fort Howard, Maryland: July/Aug & Sept/Oct 1909

These returns show when he served at Fort Howard, Maryland. The notes for these returns were not copied.

Fort Wadsworth, New York: Mar/Apr - Nov/Dec 1911

The returns for his entire time at Fort Wadsworth in 1911 were found, but only notes from Sep/Oct & Nov/Dec 1911 were the only notes that were copied. Sep/Oct 1911 shows his promotion to Private First Class (Oct. 14, 1911) and his transfer to Manila, Philippines (Nov. 1911)

They didn't get the returns for Fort Morgan, Alabama (Mar/Apr - Nov-Dec 1906); Division Hospital, Manila, Philippines (Jan/Feb - May/Jun 1912) or Fort Wadsworth, New York (1909).

In addition to hiring a researcher and finding the above-listed returns (as well as showing that these - and other - returns are accessible at the National Archives in person), I also found the Hospital Corps returns for David Nemetzky at Tientsin, China in 1912. These returns are actually housed at College Park, Maryland. I reached out to the National Archives in Maryland and asked about these returns for David Nemetzky. They responded by providing me copies of the Hospital Corps returns for Tientsin, China for Jan/Feb through Sep/Oct 1912 (the return for Nov/Dec 1912 is available on Family Search).

I am planning to go out to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. next year to find the remaining Bi-Monthly Returns for the Hospital Corps for David Nemetzky, as well as the Bi-Monthly Returns for Company B, 12th Infantry Regiment. He served in this Regiment between June 1907 & February 1909. There is almost no information available online for this part of his military service and I am hoping that I can fill in the details of this part of his military service. 

Origin of Fogalsang's Pru-Nut Creams

I cannot believe what I just found. From time to time, I will google an ancestor's name to see what will reveal itself. I will check the results in internet articles, images, and google books. 

Today, I googled 'T E Fogalsang' and found the How To Sell magazine from April 1926. This magazine issue contains an article of how Thomas & Frances Fogalsang began their business, Fogalsang's Pru-Nut Creams. They began their operations out of their home in April of 1923, and overcoming challenges and obstacles, grew their business. The article is titled 'The Fogalsangs' is written by Edward Mott Wooley. The article reads:

'Recently I crossed the continent by automobile, and more than once we spoke of the universality of the commonplace, prosaic prune. Every hotel and restaurant in the United States apparently has prunes, fresh or dried, of its menu. In the Santa Clara Valley, in California, where they raise half of all the prunes in the world, we ate the fresh fruit, right off the trees. Purple and juicy, it bears slight resemblance to the wrinkled black objects we have for breakfast at home.'

'This, however, is not a story of breakfast prunes, but of a glorified, candified prune originated out in San Francisco by Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Fogalsang. I was familiar with stuffed dates, but stuffed prunes were a new one on me. So when I heard about this unique business I wrote to Mr. Fogalsang and asked him to tell me about it.'

"My wife and I," he says in response to my inquiry, "originated a process for working the prunes and for making the cream. Prunes are a valuable health food, and we saw no reason why they should not be eaten as candy as well as other fruits.

"In April, 1923, we started to make these prune-creams in our home. Very soon the business became too large for the house and we opened a store. We tried at the start to put it on sale in the stores and to have the jobbers handle it. The stores, however, insisted that before they took it we would have to create a demand. The jobbers asked forty per cent for handling the candy.

"In view of these obstacles we decided to operate along new lines. We could not afford to advertise, so I started out to sell our new product myself. 

"I canvassed office buildings, industrial plants, and homes, and gradually worked up a parcel post business. At first it was a little difficult, of course. People had never heard of prunes made into candy. We gave away samples, and each sample generally meant a sale. As soon as people found out it was a good candy, and the price right, they began to boost for it, and our sales increased.

"We have done no advertising; our customers do that for us. We steadily employ four persons besides my wife and myself. And now we are making pineapple and cherry creams, as well as the prunes. Last year we used ten thousand pounds of prunes.

"There was a great deal of hard work for us at the start. Last Christmas-time we worked from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m., often. What we have done besides putting out a new article is to make a high-grade candy at a popular price. Now we would not think of putting it in the hands of stores or jobbers.

"We have had many chances to sell a half-interest, and recently we refused a nice offer for the whole business, with our recipes. Our next year's contract will be for twelve thousand pounds of prunes and fifty thousand folding boxes."

Below is a copy of the article as it appears in the How to Sell magazine from April 1926. I never imagined I would come across the origin story of Fogalsang's Pru-Nut Creams. What a find!

Happy Veteran's Day - 20th Century Military Research

Top row: My grandpa, B.J. Siemens, SSgt., USAF; Korea & Vietnam (1950-1970)
My great-grandpa, Fred C. Feller, Pvt. US Army; WWI (1918-1919)
My grandpa, Bob Dodge, Cpl., USMC; Korea (1951-1953)
My great-grandpa, Jim Dodge Pvt. US Army; WWI (1918-1919)

Bottom row: My great-uncle, Alfred Dodge, Cpl., US Army; Korea (1953-1955)
My grandpa Dodge's cousin, Berenice Newitt, 2nd Lt., US Army Nurse Corps (1921-1937)
My 3rd great-grandfather, John B. Stevens, Pvt.; Civil War - Co. H, 21st Maine Volunteers (1862-1863) & Co. C, 31st Maine Volunteers (1864-1865)
My great-great uncle, David Nemetzky, SSgt., US Army Med. Dept., (1904-1931) 

Happy Veteran’s Day. This day was originally called Armistice Day and marked the end of armed hostilities in World War I. Today, it is a day where we honor all our military veterans who have served our country. Thanks to everyone who has served our country. 

Nearly 50 years ago, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed or damaged millions of Official Military Personnel Files (also known as 201 Files) for Army enlisted personnel who were discharged between 1912 and 1960. 201 Files for Army Commissioned Officers, as well as Navy and Marine 201 Files, were undamaged and still exist today. Recently, secondary records for Army enlisted personnel from this time period (primarily between 1912 and 1939) have been digitized and published online. This has allowed for military records to be (at least partially) reconstructed. These secondary records include: 

-          Veterans Affairs Master Index, 1917-1940 (available on Family Search)

-          Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939 (Available on Family Search)

-          Army Transport Service Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 (available on Ancestry)

-          Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 (available on Ancestry)

-          Morning Reports 1912-1939 (available on fold3.com) 

I haven’t included the World War One Draft Cards on this list (they are available on multiple websites). The Draft Cards from World War One only indicate whether an individual registered for the military draft and do not indicate whether they were inducted into military service. However, the World War One Classification Ledgers are available through the National Archives. These Classification Ledgers do indicate whether an individual who registered for the draft was later inducted, or enlisted, into military service. The World War One Draft Cards do ask the registrant if they have previously served in the military prior to the date of draft registration. However, if an individual was presently serving in the military at the time of draft registration, they would not have registered for the Draft. 

The Veterans Affairs Master Index Cards were made available to the public in 2019. The information on the Veterans Affairs Master Index is available here: 

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_Veterans_Administration_Master_Index_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records 

These cards are an index of veterans (primarily from World War I, but also from the Civil War and Spanish-American War) who filed for benefits after their service. These index cards contain the following information: 

-          Name of the Veteran

-          Date of Birth

-          Rank and Unit at the time of discharge from military service

-          Address at the time of application for benefits

-          Date of Enlistment & Date of Discharge

-          Claim Number (C); (XC – indicates deceased veteran)

-          Life Insurance Number (K)

-          Adjusted Compensation (A) – for WWI Veterans

-          War Risk Insurance Number (T) – for WWI Veterans

-          Rehabilitation Number (R)

-          WWI Certificate Number (Ct) – for WWI Veterans

-          Permanent Disability (I) 

The Adjusted Compensation (A) & WWI Certificate Number (Ct) numbers were issued to World War I Veterans who applied for Adjusted Service Compensation in 1924 and 1925. The War Risk Insurance (T) number was issued when a service member applied for insurance during World War I so that their families could be compensated for their loss of life in combat. 

Many of the VA Index Cards appear to have been created during the 1920’s as World War I Veterans applied for Adjusted Compensation. For example, My great-grandpa, James Robert Dodge, was living in Rawlins, Wyoming when he applied for the Adjusted Compensation in 1924. My great-grandpa, Fred Feller, was living at Sage, Wyoming. Clarence Keith Newitt was living at 59 Collins Street in San Francisco; and David Nemetzky was serving in the Army and was serving at the Station Hospital, American Barracks, Tientsin, China.

The Index cards appear to have been maintained until the early 1970’s, as the dates of death for many of the veterans were written in after the cards were created. For example, my great-grandpa, James Robert Dodge, and my great-great uncle, David Nemetzky, both passed away during the 1940's. Their dates of death are recorded on the VA Index Cards. My great-grandpa, Fred C. Feller, passed away in 1981. His death is not recorded on the VA Index Card.

The Index Cards also indicate the existence of Claims Files for these veterans. The Claims Files are currently maintained by the Veteran’s Administration. The Claims Files contain many records, including application for War Risk Insurance, Adjusted Compensation for Combat Service from 1924 and 1936, VA Records, and Death and Pension Benefits received by the veteran and their dependents. 

I have several veterans in my family who served during World War One. The first VA Claims File I received was for Clarence Keith Newitt, which I received in 2019. He served in the US Navy from April 1917 until his honorable discharge in July of 1920. He died in August of 1974 (his death date is not recorded on the VA Index Card). His Claims File contains death and burial benefits that he received for his funeral, including a small reimbursement to his widow for funeral expenses, in addition to disclosing the funeral expenses. The documentation that was filled out contained information on his birth, military service and marriages. He was married twice; first to Mary Losacco (more on her later), and then to Arlene Christensen. His VA Claims File also contained a copy of his certificate of honorable discharge from the Navy as well as his death certificate. In addition, I have a copy of his 201 File from the National Archives in St. Louis. 

After three years of repeated requests, I finally received the VA Claims file for my great-grandpa, James Robert Dodge. His Claims File contains records and documents from the time of his enlistment in 1918 to the death of his widow (my great-grandma), Alice Laura Dodge in 1989. I have covered the contents of his Claims File at length in previous posts. I am still amazed that his Claims File still exists (the Claims Files are housed at the Kansas City VA and not the St. Louis National Archives, which is why many of them still exist) and the breadth of information contained in his file. 

However, receiving the Claims File depends on how astute the government employees at the VA are. I have sent in several requests for the VA Claims File of David Nemetzky (my great-great uncle who served from 1904 to 1931). All I have received from the VA over past several years are copy after copy of my correspondence and information I have provided to the VA to show that he is a deceased veteran. I have received confirmation from the National Archives that his VA Claims File was transferred to the VA in 2013, but the VA has been unable to locate his file. In addition, the VA has written me and explained that they are unable to locate the VA Claims file for my great-grandpa, Fred C. Feller. I received confirmation from the National archives that his VA Claims File was transferred to the VA in 1984. Short of traveling to where the files are housed and searching for them in person, I am at a loss as to what to do. 

The Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters became available on Family Search in 2019, and as of 2022, are mostly indexed (I took the time to index these files and indexed several for David Nemetzky). The Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters are bi-monthly (Nov-Dec 1912 through May-Jun 1918) and monthly rosters (July 1918 – Dec 1939) of Cavalry, Infantry, Artillery, Battery, Quartermaster, Coast Artillery, Engineer, Hospital, Medical and other Army units. These rosters contain both enlisted Army personnel (such as my family) and Commissioned Officers who served in the Army between 1912 and 1939. 

The information on the Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters is available here: 

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_Enlisted_and_Officer_Muster_Rolls_and_Rosters_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records 

These records were transferred to the National Archives following the 1973 fire and are a great aid and resource to reconstructing the military personnel files that were destroyed or otherwise damaged. I would like to note that the digital images are only as good as the microfilm images they were copied from. Many of the digital images are crystal clear and are readable. Other images vary as to their legibility and ability to be read by the viewer, and some of the images are flat out unreadable (adding insult to the injury of the loss of these service members’ 201 files).

I found my great-grandpas, James Robert Dodge and Fred C. Feller, in these rosters and have been able to recreate their service records with these monthly rosters. As I mentioned earlier, David Nemetzky served in the Army from 1904 through 1931. He served primarily in the Hospital Corps and Medical Department. There are bi-monthly rosters from 1912 and earlier, but these are housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and there are no plans to digitally preserve these records. For the bi-monthly and monthly rosters from November/December 1912 and onward, I was able to trace David Nemetzky through the course of his military career and recreate much of his military service record using the information that is available in these rosters. 

I did find that a few of the monthly rosters were not digitized (which means they were likely not microfilmed). I didn’t find a bi-monthly roster from January/February 1917 for Fort Bliss, Texas. I also didn’t find a monthly roster from February 1919 for Camp Lewis, Washington. In addition, there is no monthly roster from November 1919 for USA General Hospital #2 at Fort McHenry, Maryland. Some of these gaps are covered in the Morning Reports 1912-1939 (I will talk about these later). 

Another family member, Berenice Elizabeth Newitt, was a Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps from 1921 to 1937. As a Commissioned Officer, her 201 File still exists. I was able to obtain a copy of her 201 File in 2019 (which included a photo of her – a gem of a find). The Monthly Rosters have been a great supplement to her 201 File (I also got to index several of the Monthly Rosters for Berenice as well). However, I have not been able to locate the Monthly Rosters for the Army Nurse Corps from November 1921 through October 1925 for Fitzsimmons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado. It appears that many of the Monthly Rosters for the Army Nurse Corps during the early 1920’s were kept separately from the other Commissioned Officers Monthly Rosters and are not published digitally. Fitzsimmons General Hospital did not consolidate the Nurses with the other Commissioned Officers until 1926, after Berenice was transferred to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco, California. 

The Army Transport Service Passenger Lists are published on Ancestry (they are also published on fold3.com). These are ship manifests that list soldiers and service members who are traveling to and from overseas. The Passenger Lists record the name, service number and unit of the soldiers. I found my great-grandpa, James Robert Dodge, in these records 2017. He sailed to France aboard the USAT President Grant in September of 1918 and returned to the United States in August of 1919 aboard the USAT Princess Matoika. Knowing when he sailed overseas and returned home was a big step to piecing together my great-grandpa’s service record. 

In addition, I also found the Passenger Lists for Fred C. Feller (1918 & 1919), David Nemetzky (1914, 1924, 1925 & 1927), and Berenice Newitt (1927 & 1930). Prior to finding this information, I knew that David Nemetzky had served in the Army, but I did not have his service number, and my requests to the National Archives at St. Louis for any information on him were returned unfilled. One of the Passenger Lists listed his service number, and when I submitted another request to the National Archives at St. Louis (with his service number), I received several final payment statements for him. These final payment statements are from 1922, 1924, 1927, 1930 and 1931 and had survived the 1973 fire. The final payment statements list his dates of and places enlistment, dates and places of discharge and reasons for discharge for the latter part of his military career. The final payment statement from 1931 lists all his dates of military service. However, the Passenger Lists are not all available online. David Nemetzky sailed from San Francisco, California to Manila in the Philippine Islands in December of 1911 (arriving January 7, 1912). I have been unable to locate this particular Passenger List and it is likely that it was either not digitized or it no longer exists. 

The Passenger Lists also list family of Army personnel who traveled with them. One example of this is the wife of Clarence Keith Newitt. She was born Marina Ermachenko in Russia in 1896. She married an American soldier, Michael Losacco, in Vladivostok in December of 1919. He was on temporary assignment to Vladivostok from the Philippines. When he returned to the United States in July of 1920, she returned with him. She is listed on the Passenger List as Mrs. M. Losacco, Wife, Supply Sgt., 31^st Infantry. After arriving in San Francisco, she was known as Mary Losacco. They divorced in 1922 and she married Clarence Keith Newitt in 1925. 

The Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 are the first record I found when I started piecing together the military record for my great-grandpa, James Robert Dodge. These are published on Ancestry. These records indicate that the deceased veteran received a military gravestone. The Headstone Applications list the following information for a deceased veteran: 

-          Name, Date of Birth and Date of Death

-          Date of Enlistment and Date of Discharge

-          Serial Number

-          Unit Information

-          Location of Cemetery 

The Headstone Applications would have been compared to the information contained in the deceased veterans 201 File (many of which - again - are either damaged or destroyed). The Headstone Application for my great-grandpa is marked in red pencil with either a checkmark (verifying the information) or the missing information being filled in. This was a good starting place for gathering information on my great-grandpa’s military service. I should mention that our family also has a copy of his Certificate of Honorable Discharge and Enlistment Record that has been handed down over the years. He had his Certificate of Honorable Discharge and Enlistment Record recorded with both Chaffee County, Colorado and Albany County, Wyoming. Many counties across the United States will record military discharge records free of charge. Wyoming does not consider recorded military records as public record, so any attempt at trying to obtain a copy of a military discharge record that may be recorded in any county in Wyoming will be met with refusal. I reached out to Carbon County, Wyoming earlier this year to see if a copy of my great-uncle Alfred Dodge’s military discharge was on file. I was told that it is not public record, and they would not even tell me if one was on file there. 

Other places, such as California, will provide you with a copy of a recorded military discharge. Earlier this year, I decided to write the City and County of San Francisco to see if they had a military discharge record on file for David Nemetzky. They responded and sent me a copy of his military discharge record from 1919. This particular military discharge record that was on file with the City and County of San Francisco covers his military service from his date of re-enlistment in 1914 to his discharge in 1919 and includes important information from his military service, including his promotions from Private all the way through Master Hospital Sergeant. It also lists his date of reenlistment in 1919. 

The Morning Reports 1912-1939 were recently published on fold3.com. They cover the same Army units as the Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters. They are partially indexed and are partially searchable by name. However, the best way to search the Morning Reports is by knowing which unit your family member served in. I found my great-grandpa, James Robert Dodge, in the Morning Reports and found the exact date he was assigned to his military unit. I also found several entries for him with his military unit, which added some additional color to his service record that I have pieced together. One feature of fold3.com is that you can tag the document with the name of your ancestor and add their name to their index. I have done this with the records I found for my great-grandpa. 

I also found several entries for David Nemetzky in the Morning Reports as well. The Morning Reports have served to fill a couple of gaps in the Monthly Reports. I found him in the Morning Reports for February 1919 at Camp Lewis, Washington, indicating when he transferred from Camp Lewis. I also found the Morning Reports from November 1919, when he transferred from the Hospital at Fort McHenry, Maryland to the Hospital at Staten Island, New York. It should be noted that the Morning Reports are not chronologically complete. There are gaps in the Morning Reports that have been published online. For example, there are no Morning Reports for the Medical Department at Camp Lewis, Washington (November 1925 – January 1927) or Fort Hancock, New Jersey (March – December 1927) when David Nemetzky served at those locations. Also, there are no morning reports available online for David Nemetzky at the locations where he served prior to 1917. 

Overall, the Morning Reports are legible and readable, but it is important to take your time and read through these documents. Most of these documents only contain the rank, last name and service number of the soldiers who served in these units that are recorded in the Morning Reports, so it can be easy to miss names and service numbers if you are simply skimming through these documents. 

Finally, doing military research has become easier with the easing of COVID and the reopening of the National Archives in both St. Louis and Washington, D.C. This year, I have been able to make up for the research time that I have lost over the past two years from COVID. Right before the National Archives closed in March of 2020, I received the 1918 Court Martial transcript for David Nemetzky, minus one very important page of his testimony. After two years of waiting, I finally received the missing page. I also received several records from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., including the 1904 and 1912 Court Martials for David Nemetzky as well as much from the correspondence file for him from 1904-1916. 

The National Archives in Washington, D.C. has the bi-monthly rosters for the Hospital Corps from the 1880’s to 1912 (I would imagine September/October 1912 as the bi-monthly roster for November-December 1912 is at the National Archives at St. Louis and it available online). These bi-monthly rosters are not digitized and are not available online. I have hired a researcher to search for David Nemetzky in these bi-monthly rosters from 1912 and earlier. From what I have found, he served in the Hospital Corps at the following locations: 

-          Fort Morgan, Alabama (March – November 1906)

-          Fort Moultrie, South Carolina (November 1906 – May 1907)

-          Fort Porter, New York (February – March 1909)

-        Fort Wadsworth, New York (March – August 1909; March – November 1911)

-          Fort Howard, Maryland (August – September 1909)

-          Division Hospital; Manila, Philippines (January – June 1912)

-          Tientsin, China (June – October 1912)

 The dates of service at these locations are approximate and based on what I have already found in my research. I am hoping that the researcher I have hired will be able to find these bi-monthly rosters and provide exact dates of service at these locations, as well as dates of promotion, in addition to any other information that may be available in these bi-monthly rosters.

Morning Reports for James Robert Dodge: August - November 1918

This post is more of an update and clarification of the first few months of Grandpa Jim's military service. Thanks to the morning reports that continue to be published on fold3.com, I now have a clearer picture of my great-grandpa's first few months in the Army following his induction on August 6, 1918.

As I have covered in earlier posts, he was inducted at Salida, Colorado on August 6, 1918, and sent to Fort Logan, Colorado, arriving there the next day. He was assigned to 19th Company, General Service Infantry, given his serial number issued his uniform and equipment, and filled out paperwork for enlistment and insurance. 

He then left Fort Logan on August 9th for Camp MacArthur, Texas, arriving there on the 11th. Upon arrival, he was assigned to Co. K, 3rd Replacement Battalion. The morning report indicates that he was one of 132 enlisted men who were assigned to this company on the 11th. The morning report even gives the hour - 10:00 am. Below is the morning report from the 11th and 12th of August, 1918.

While there is no specific mention of Grandpa Jim in the morning reports, they do give some detail as to the the activities of the unit and changes in status of individual solders assigned to each unit. The morning reports do list individual soldiers who were promoted, demoted, disciplined, transferred, AWOL, deserted, died, etc. Right now, not all of the morning reports are searchable by index on fold3.com. You need to know the unit that the soldier you are looking for belonged to.

Grandpa Jim was assigned to Co. K, 3rd Replacement Battalion until September 16th, when he, along with 249 other soldiers, were transferred to Camp MacArthur September Automatic Replacement Draft Company #16. They left Camp MacArthur at 2:00 pm and arrived at Camp Merritt, New Jersey at 12:30 am on September 20th, after a train ride of nearly four days. Below are the morning reports for Co. K, 3rd Replacement Battalion & Camp MacArthur September Automatic Replacement Draft Company #16.

I can't imagine what the train rides must have been like. Being stuck in close, cramped quarters for four days riding across the country probably wasn't the most pleasant experience (think of the opening scene from the movie Biloxi Blues). This is the only entry for Camp MacArthur September Automatic Replacement Draft Company #16 that is available on fold3.com. Camp MacArthur September Automatic Replacement Draft Company #15 gives some additional details for the journey from Camp Merritt to their destination in France. According to Company #15, they left Camp Merritt on September 22nd at 3:45 am and were sent to the Port of Embarkation at Hoboken, approximately 20 miles to the South. For some geographical context, Camp Merritt is across the Hudson River from Yonkers, New York, and the Port of Embarkation at Hoboken is across the Hudson River from mid-town Manhattan.

Upon arriving in Hoboken, Camp MacArthur September Automatic Replacement Draft Company #16 boarded the US Army Transport President Grant, which set sail the next day, September 23rd at 4:30 am, for St. Nazaire, France. ancestry.com (as well as fold3.com) have published the troopship manifests from WWI. They not only list the names, ranks and service numbers of the troops that were transported to and from the war front, they also give the shipping details of each voyage. On this particular trip, there were a total of nearly 5,500 troops sailing to France. Also, the ship had just returned to the US six days earlier, on the 17th of September. To have that kind of turnaround to disembark and unload the ship and to embark and load again is pretty remarkable.

After a journey of 15 days, the USAT President Grant arrived at St. Nazaire, France on October 7, 1918 at 4:30 am. Disembarkation of the ship began that evening at 7pm and continued until the 10th. According to the morning reports for Co. #15 (Co. #16 are not published for October 1918), the troops remained at Base #1 and did their usual duties until the 28th (I would imagine including continuing basic training), when they were transferred to the 162nd Infantry Regiment and Co. #15 disbanded.

According to the morning reports for Co. #15, if the company Grandpa Jim was in (Co. #16) followed the same timeline, he would have remained attached to Co. #16 through most of October. According to the monthly reports (which are on Family Search) he was assigned to Co. C, 162nd Infantry Regiment in October of 1918. Reading through the morning reports for October 1918 for this Company, it is very likely that he was attached on October 28, 1918. The morning report for October 29, 1918 reads: '170 Privates attached this Co. for Qrs. duty and rations for supper 10-28-18.' The next day, October 30, 1918, the report was amended and reads: '146 Privates assigned to Co. per S.O. #288 H.Q. Int. D.D. Oct. 29, 1918' Below is the morning report for Co. C, 162nd Infantry Regiment for October 28-30, 1918.

Grandpa Jim was with Co. C, 162nd Infantry Regiment until November 16, 1918, when '200 Privates transferred to 2nd Division per Par. 40, S.O. #315, H.Q. Int. D.D. Nov. 15, 1918' This meant that Grandpa Jim was attached to the 2nd Division on November 16, 1918, although he wasn't assigned to Co. F, 9th Infantry Regiment until November 28, 1918. This means that he (and many others) did participate in the March to the Rhine as a member of the 2nd Infantry Division, and was assigned to his Company and Regiment following completion of the march. The March to the Rhine began on November 17, 1918 and crossed France, through Belgium and Luxembourg to Germany, a distance of some sixty miles. The distance was covered in six days. This meant that he had one day to make sure he had his gear ready to go for the march.

Below is the morning report for Co. C, 162nd Infantry Regiment for November 1918.

In one of my earlier posts, I listed Grandpa Jim's complete military service. I've gone back and updated that post to reflect the updates that I have recently found. This definitely has been very interesting to piece together my great-grandpa's service record. With the morning reports and his VA Claims File to add to the information from the troopship manifests and monthly reports, this definitely helps add clarity and understanding to his military service in the absence of his official military personnel file.

Morning Reports for David Nemetzky

The finds just keep coming this year...fold3.com continues to publish the US Army morning reports from 1912 through 1939. They have just published the morning reports for much of the Medical Department, and I have found numerous references for David Nemetzky from 1917 through 1931 (so far). The morning reports were kept in (mostly) handwritten booklets that recorded the daily activities of the soldiers who were either transferred, attached for duty, sent out on detached service, furloughed, discharged, enlisted, or court-martialed. I'm finding that not every morning report that would have ever been kept is being published. There are gaps in some of the places where he served (Nogales, Arizona and Vancouver Barracks, for example). Some of the places where he served don't have any morning reports available (Camp Lewis, Washington & Fort Hancock, New Jersey from 1925 through 1927). Other places where he served are published and contain a complete record of the morning reports that were kept (such as Letterman General Hospital). I was surprised to find a couple of the morning reports where he served, as they helped fill in some of the remaining gaps in his military service (such as USA General Hospitals #2 & #41 from 1919). There are too many images to publish here, so I have put together an extracted list of the morning reports I have found for David Nemetzky.

1917

April 25 – Station Hospital, Nogales, Arizona: Sgt. Nemetzky transferred to Presidio of San Francisco, Cal., per tel. H.S.D. April 22, 1917.

1918

January 23 – Prison Mess, Presidio of San Francisco, California: Confined-Nemetzky, David, Sgt. 1st Cl. M.D.

February 22 – Prison Mess, Presidio of San Francisco, California: Released-Sgt. 1st Cl. Nemetzky, Med. Dept.

March 10 – Station Hospital, Vancouver Barracks, Washington: 1 Sgt. 1st Class joined for duty this date from Presidio of San Francisco, California per Tel. West Dept. Mar. 5, 1918.

September 12 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Hospital Sergeant David Nemetzky D/S to enroute to join.

September 17 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Hospital Sergeant David Nemetzky from D/S, enroute to join, to duty.

November 13 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Hospital Sergeant David Nemetzky transferred to Camp Lewis, Washington. Left for new station.

November 15 – Base Hospital 162, Camp Lewis, Washington: Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky, joined for duty from Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California per Par. 41, S.O. 224, Headquarters Camp Lewis, Washington.

December 23 – Base Hospital 162, Camp Lewis, Washington: Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky transferred USA Base Hospital, Camp Lewis, Washington per Par. 15, S.O. 64, Headquarters Camp Lewis, Washington.

December 24 – USA Base Hospital, Camp Lewis, Washington: Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky joined for duty by transfer from Base Hospital 162, Par. 15, S.O. 64, Headquarters, Camp Lewis, Washington.

1919

January 8 – USA Base Hospital, Camp Lewis, Washington: Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky Duty to Absent with Leave

January 26 – USA Base Hospital, Camp Lewis, Washington: Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky furlough extended 10 days per soldier’s tele.

January 27 – USA Base Hospital, Camp Lewis, Washington: Master Hospital Sergeant David Nemetzky promoted from Hospital Sergeant warrant Surgeon General Office dated 12/19/18 to rank from 12/16/8.

February – USA Base Hospital, Camp Lewis, Washington: Master Hospital Sergeant David Nemetzky, carried as AWOL thru error in not receiving authority from War Dept. for transfer, transferred to Port of Embarkation Hoboken, New Jersey for duty per W.D. Special order No. 30-E, dated 2/5/19.

May 17 – Embarkation Hospital #4, New York City: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky reported for duty.

June 13 – Embarkation Hospital #4, New York City: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky furloughed to reserve.

September 13 – USA General Hospital #2, Fort McHenry, Maryland: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky joined by transfer from Fort Slocum, per authorization Par. 22, S.O. 240 dated September 10, 1919.

October 7 – USA General Hospital #2, Fort McHenry, Maryland: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky, duty to hospital.

October 19 – USA General Hospital #2, Fort McHenry, Maryland: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky, hospital to duty.

November 1 – USA General Hospital #2, Fort McHenry, Maryland: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetzky transferred to Fox Hills Hospital per authorization Par. 1, S.O. 303 dated October 30, 1919.

November 3 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Master Hospital Sergeant David Nemetzky joined per Par. 1, S.O. 303, USA General Hospital #2, 10/30/19.

1920

April 19 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetsky, David (R8504221) from duty to Detached Service.

April 21 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Master Hospital Sergeant Nemetsky, David (R850422) from detached service to duty.

July 1 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Nemetsky, David (R-850422) from Master Hospital Sergeant to Sergeant First Class.

July 19 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David (850422), from duty to detached service.

August 11 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Staff Sergeant Nametszky, David (850422) from detached service to duty.

August 13 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Sergeant Nemetsky, David (R-850422) erroneously carried on morning report since July 1, 1920 as Staff Sergeant, should be carried as Sergeant effective July 1, 1920.

October 21 – General Hospital #41, Staten Island, New York: Sergeant Nemetzky, David (R850422) transferred to Attending Surgeon’s Office, New York, New York.

October 22 – Attending Surgeons Office, New York City, New York: Sergeant David Nemetzky (R-850422) Med. Dept., joined for duty, this date, from Hoff General Hospital, Staten Island, New York, in compliance with Tel. Instructions, W.D. A.G.O., dated October 7, 1920.

December 28 – Attending Surgeon’s Office, New York City, New York: Sergeant David Nemetzky (R-850422) Med. Dept., appointed Staff Sergeant Med. Dept., to rank December 15, 1920, per warrant S.G.O., dated December 15, 1920.

1921

May 6 – Attending Surgeon’s Office, New York City, New York: Staff Sergeant David Nemetzky, from duty to furlough for two months per 2nd Ind., Hq., 2nd Corps Area, dated May 3, 1921.

August 8 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, transferred from the Attending Surgeon’s Office, 2nd C.A., New York City, N.Y., Med. Dept. Command for duty. Not yet joined (on furlough).

August 17 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, furloughed to duty.

August 30 – Attending Surgeon’s Office, New York City, New York: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky transferred.

September 10 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, D.S. at Fort Steilacoom, Washington, 5 pm.

September 16 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, at Fort Steilacoom, Washington, to duty, 6 am.

December 1 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, duty to hospital, 9 am.

December 6 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, hospital to duty, 1 pm.

1922

June 24 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, D.S. at Plattsburg, N.Y., 6 pm.

July 13 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, D.S. at Plattsburg, N.Y., to duty, 7 am.

July 24 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, duty to hospital, 4 pm.

August 9 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, hospital to duty, 1 pm.

September 8 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, honorable discharge ETS. Cha. Exc. 5 pm.

September 9 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, Reenlisted at post and joined 7 am.

October 18 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California:Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, duty to furlough 10 days, 6 am.

October 27 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, furlough to duty, 9 pm.

1923

January 16 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, duty to furlough 2 months, 6 am.

February 27 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, furlough to duty, 6 pm.

March 22 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, D.S. at Salt Lake City, Utah, 10 am.

May 16 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, D.S. Recruiting Service at Salt Lake City, Utah, to duty, 6 am.

July 16 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky, David, transferred to William Beaumont General Hospital, El Paso, Texas for duty, 6pm.

July 18 – William Beaumont General Hospital, El Paso, Texas: Staff Sergeant David Nemetzky R-850422, joined for duty at 8:30 am from Letterman General Hospital, per S.O. 153, Headquarters, Letterman General Hospital, Presidio of San Francisco, California, July 12, 1923.

1924

January 21 – William Beaumont General Hospital, El Paso, Texas: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky honorably discharged under Provision A.R. 615-210, Letter W.D., January 7, 1924 and S.O. 14, Headquarters 8th Corps Area January 17, 1924, at 1:00 pm.

January 22 – William Beaumont General Hospital, El Paso, Texas: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky reenlisted for three years.

January 26 – William Beaumont General Hospital, El Paso, Texas: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky from duty at hospital to Overseas Discharge and Replacement Depot, Fort McDowell, California, per S.O. 14, Headquarters 8th Corps Area January 17, 1924.

March 31 – Medical Department, Tientsin, China: Staff Sgt. Nemidski Jd. for duty pp 7 S.O. 14 Hq. 8th Corp Area Jan. 17, 24 and par. 1 S.O. 35 HQ A.F.C. Mar. 30, 24.

July 4 – Medical Department, Tientsin, China: S. Sgt. Nemetzky authorized to mess separately, per 3rd Ind., C.O. Am. Bks.

November 21 – Medical Department, Tientsin, China: Staff Sgt Nemetzky D/S at Chinwangtao left station 10 a.m.

November 23 – Medical Department, Tientsin, China: Staff Sgt. Nemetzky D/S to Duty 1:15 a.m.

1925

October 12 – Medical Department, Tientsin, China: Staff Sgt. D. Nemetzky trsfd to Letter Gen’l Hosp. Left this station at 11pm.

1928

January 9 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky joined for duty from Fort McDowell, California; January 9, 1928, 4:00 pm.

January 11 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky from rationed with detachment to rationed separately.

August 4, 1928 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky from duty to furlough 10 days.

August 13 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky from furlough to duty.

1930

January 5 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky duty to hospital, 10:00 pm.

January 8 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky hospital to duty, 1:00 pm

January 21 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky duty to discharge, 6:00 pm.

January 22 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky reenlisted at Post in grade and joined Detachment for duty 10:00 am.

February 10 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky duty to sick in quarters.

February 24 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky sick in quarters to duty.

October 6 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky duty to furlough 90 days

1931

January 6 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky furlough to duty.

January 27 – Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California: Staff Sergeant Nemetzky duty to discharge 6:00 pm.

***UPDATE DECEMBER 2022***

I have gone back through the Morning Reports and found six additional entries for David Nemetzky. I found two for him at the Post Hospital, Army Supply Base, Brooklyn and the Medical Department at the Presidio of San Francisco. Below are the entries that I found.

1917

April 27 – Presidio of San Francisco: Sgt. Nemetzky joined a.m. 26th

1918

January 24 – Presidio of San Francisco: Sgt. Nemetzki from duty to confinement Jan. 23, 1918 p.m.

February 23 – Presidio of San Francisco: Sgt. 1st Class Nemetski from confinement to duty Feb. 22, 1918 a.m.

March 8 – Presidio of San Francisco: 1 Sgt. transferred to Vancouver Barracks, Washington March 7, 1918 p.m. per telegraphic instructions West. Dept. dated March 5, 1918.

1919

Feb 10 – Post Hospital, Army Supply Base, Brooklyn: Master Hosp. Sgt. David Nemetzka assigned to and joined for duty 2 p.m.

May 17 – Post Hospital, Army Supply Base, Brooklyn: 1 Master Hosp. Sgt. transferred to USA Embarkation Hospital #4, N.Y.C., per V.O. Surg. P. of E., Hoboken, N.J., May 16, 1919.

I also looked through the Morning Reports from the Presidio of San Francisco for the other soldiers that were involved in his General Court Martial while he was stationed there in 1918. These other soldiers, all subordinates (including a subordinate non-commissioned officer) conspired to frame him for misappropriation of military property; namely: turkeys, eggs and butter. David Nemetzky was acquitted of the charges. According to the Morning Reports, the ringleader of this conspiracy, a subordinate NCO named Charles W. Adamson, faced his own General Court Martial in early 1919 and was imprisoned on March 10, 1919. The monthly reports for April & May of 1919 indicate that Adamson was busted all the way from Master Hospital Sergeant down to Private. I have just reached out to the National Archives in St. Louis for a copy of the General Court Martial record so I can find out what Adamson was convicted for at his General Court Martial.

VA Claims File for James Robert Dodge - Applying for a Widow's Pension in 1950

Following Grandpa Jim's death in 1949, and in addition to being awarded funeral benefits, my great-grandma, Alice Lemoine Dodge also applied for a pension. In order to apply for a pension, she had to provide several pieces of information, including proof of death of the veteran, proof of his military service, proof that she was not presently married to anyone else (including proof she was divorced from her first husband - I have another blog that details her divorce from her first husband), proof of income and expenses, and information on her children. Below is a copy of her initial pension application from 1950.

Based on all the information she provided, great-grandma was awarded a monthly pension of $54.00 per month for being the widow of a veteran. This certainly was not much income, but it was enough to help her get by. In reviewing the information that she provided, I was surprised to learn that my grandpa paid $40 per month for room and board. It also appears that in addition to attending high school, uncle Alfred also helped support great-grandma by working as well. During the 1950's, both her sons were drafted into military service. Robert (my grandpa) was drafted in November of 1951 and served in the Marine Corps. Grandpa did not see combat, but was stationed in Haiti & Jamaica. Alfred was drafted in 1953 and served in the Army. Both were honorably discharged following completion of their military service. Following their military service, both sons married and moved away. Grandpa met my grandma in Evanston, married in Randolph in 1954, and lived in Clearfield, Utah. Uncle Alfred married his wife, Donna, in North Dakota in 1955 and lived in Minot, North Dakota. They would later live in Marietta, Georgia.

Great-grandma continued to live in Rawlins. She maintained her pension by providing annual statements of her income to the VA. According to this information, she began receiving social security in 1959, which was a small addition to her income. In 1976, great-grandma sold her home in Rawlins and moved to Clearfield, Utah. Even though she lived in a small apartment, she gave the VA grandpa's address, so her mail and pension checks from the VA wouldn't get lost or misplaced (so I assume, but that idea makes sense). When great-grandma passed away on April 21, 1989, her monthly pension was $121 per month (in addition to her social security). The last forms in the Claims File are a letter from my grandpa informing them of my great-grandma's death and processing forms closing the Claims File.

I remember visiting my great-grandma in her apartment in Clearfield when I was a little kid. She loved having me and my sister over and would give us each a sugar cookie every time we were over. Being a little kid, I was oblivious to personal finances and had no idea how much, or how little, money she had. I also had no idea of the life she had lived and the things she had been through. I just remember that she loved having us over and enjoyed spending time with her great-grandkids. She was always there for birthdays and family get togethers (I have a picture of her with my other two great-grandmas at one of our birthdays when I was a kid). I remember when she passed away and being sad thinking about how she wouldn't be there anymore. The viewing was in Clearfield and we were all there. I even signed the funeral book. I didn't know what to expect at the viewing, but mom reassured us that there was nothing to be afraid of, and even encouraged us to touch her hand, which we did. She was buried in Rawlins.

These last several posts have been very interesting to go through. 70 years of family history, giving additional information and insights to my great-grandpa's life and what he went through after serving in the Army in WWI as well as giving additional information on my great grandma's life. I would like to finish with a few pictures of my great-grandma from the 1950's through the 1980's, as well as a few more pics of the home they built in Rawlins.

Great-grandma with Grandpa - 1946

Grandpa in the Marines - outside the home in Rawlins

Uncle Alfred - outside the home in Rawlins

Great-grandma - outside the home in Rawlins

Great-grandma with her sons - 1950's

Great-grandma - 1950's

633 Davis Street - 1949

1950

2010

Great-grandma in 1976, when she moved to Clearfield

Her 90th Birthday - 1987

Great-grandma at one of our family get togethers - the little tow-headed boy is me.

My great-grandma.