My Trails into the Past

My great-uncle, Jack C. Sullivan (born John Cyril Sullivan), enlisted in the Army on 4 June 1917 into an engineering corps at Vancouver, Washington. [1] The 4th Engineers trained there and then at Camp Green in Charlotte, North Carolina. [2] They were assigned to the 4th Division in 1918. The regiment saw battle at Aisne-Marne (summer 1918), Battle of Saint-Mihiel (September 1918), Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Fall 1918), and in Alsace-Lorraine (November 1918). [3] Jack served in Company E, and according to a discharge record, Jack was gassed on August 5. [4] I have been collecting information about his service. His service record was one of many that burned in the fire at the National Archives in St. Louis in 1973, so I have to find substitute records to fill out his story. A book was written by members of the 4th Engineers and printed in Germany at war’s end. It is Columbia to the Rhine: Being a Brief History of the Fourth Engineers, and their trip from the Columbia River, in the St...

On 12 July 1973, a fire broke out at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, destroying 80 percent of Army personnel files and 75 percent of Air Force files. [1] I submitted an order for my great-uncle, Jack C. Sullivan’s file in 2017, and received the dreaded letter that there was no record for him. I have, since that time, worked at discovering substitute records to tell the story of his military service during World War I. [2] What You Can Get from the NPRC Although there was no personnel file for Jack, I did receive the final pay voucher for ten men who were discharged at Fort D. A. Russell in Wyoming on 6 August 1919, and he was included. He was listed as: Jack C. Sullivan, Sergeant, 568973, enlisted 4 June 1917, from Anaconda, Montana. He was part of Detachment 4th Engineers. He received $153.41. The net pay was $112.76 plus a $7.00 insurance premium allotment, plus $40.65 for travel pay. It included his signature. [3] Later, I visited the NPRC and viewe...

My paternal great-uncle, Jack C. Sullivan, left for France aboard the Martha Washington from Hoboken, New Jersey. He held the rank of sergeant in the 4 th Engineers, Co. E of the Fourth Division (Regular). [1]  Now I have a new question. When was he promoted? He had to have been promoted while still in the United States. Unfortunately, his service record was part of those records destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. [2] When I requested his file, I was offered a copy of the final pay voucher for his unit. I learned he enlisted on 4 June 1917. [3] The 4 th Engineers were formed at Camp Lewis in Washington. Jack sent home a letter to his sister reporting he had enlisted. [4] FamilySearch has a wonderful database, “United States, World War I, military muster rolls and rosters, 1916-1939.” They are not indexed but each regiment is listed in a pseudo-alphabetical order, starting with the 101 st Ammunition Tr. 26 Div, 5 th Compa...

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. I have written previously several blog posts about my paternal grandmother’s brother, John Cyril “Jack” Sullivan’s service during WWI. A veteran’s Service and Gravesite Finding Uncle Jack’s WWI Unit & Service No. John Cyril “Jack” Sullivan The Day U.S. Declared War on Germany and Entered WWI Veteran’s Day – John Cyril Sullivan, Veteran of WWI Today’s topic is scary stuff, and I don’t know what would have been scarier than trying to build a bridge over a river with the German army not far on the other side sending bullets and artillery over your head. Jack was in Company E, a part of the six companies in 4 th Engineers of the 4 th Division.   A book was written by members of the 4 th Engineers ...