SNGF -- An Ancestor Who Lived Through a Major Historical Event

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

It's Saturday Night again - 

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, is to:

1)  An Ancestor Who Lived Through a Major Historical Event — Pick one ancestor who was alive during a war, pandemic, natural disaster, or economic upheaval. 

2)  What do the records tell you about how it affected them?

Thank you to Linda Stufflebean for this SNGF challenge.

Here's mine:
I have been working on the Sullivan family this month, so I’ll shall choose John Cyril “Jack” Sullivan (1887-1978).

The day before the first draft registration, Jack C. Sullivan, enlisted in the regular army at Fort George Wright in Washington on 4 June 1917. Because of that, he does not have a draft registration card. He was assigned to the Vancouver Barracks on 8 June 1917, joining Company E of the 4th Engineers as a Private. They trained at the Vancouver Barracks and then at Camp Greene in North Carolina. They departed Hoboken, New Jersey, aboard the Martha Washington on 30 April 1918 and arrived in France on 13 May 1918.

Jack’s and many other soldiers’ service records were lost in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Jack is only mentioned a couple of times in morning reports. On 17 August 1918, he was mentioned as being from absent sick to dropped. On 11 Feb 1919, he was mentioned as “asagd per RO#28, 2/11/19.”

He received two promotions: to corporal on 20 September 1917 and to sergeant on 21 February 1918. So, the whole time he was in France, he was a sergeant. When he returned home, he filed a service card with the state of Montana. He said he was part of the Aisne-Marne offensive and was gassed on 5 Aug 1918.

The general duties of the engineers were to clear and construct roads, remove barbed wire fencing and obstructions that the enemy left, dig trenches and lay out wire, and build emergency bridges. Often, they were doing this while being shot at.

His unit remained in France after Armistice and returned to New Jersey on 29 Jul 1919.

Not much is known about the effects the war had on him. He entered the veteran’s home, Sawtell, in 1933 with some disabilities: Central Nervous System syphilis (neurosyphilis), moderate cardiac arrhythmia, moderate chronic myocarditis, and moderate draining sinus region left hip. Before antibiotics, the first and last ailment were serious conditions. Unfortunately, I only have the admitted papers. His complete file was not kept.

He might have been there at least two years, as he did not appear in the 1933 nor 1935 city directory with his wife, Effa. They are enumerated together in 1940 with his wife and her father, Benjamin Wilson. Jack was unable to work and had not worked any week in 1939. He did have other income, so perhaps he received a pension. I have tried the VA but they claim there are no records of him. I'll try again sometime.

When I met him in 1969, he limped badly. Family told me he was injured in the war. Perhaps it was the problem with his hip that never healed properly. He died 9 Aug 1978 from a heart attack.

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