Found WW2 USA Soldier ID Tag Elmer E. Sheriff

Malcolm A. sent this photo of an American dog tag he found in the United Kingdom.

Hi I am a metal detectorist from the UK. Today whilst out searching I found an American dog tag from the World war II. I would love to re unite it with his family if there are any dependants alive. The name on the tag is Elmer E Sheriff. His next of kind was A J Sheriff. The address was 606 Main St. Bellwood. PA. The service number is 0-1104394. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you. PS I've found out that he died on the 5th November 1976 age 70 in Wickenburg Arianna.  He was married to Virginia Louise Pemberton  in Wickenburg Arizona. 

Lorine's Research: Friends, an Elmer E. Sheriff enlisting in WW2  can be seen online on the National Archives. His service number is 20323529

Fold3 shows an Elmer E. Sheriff in the Vietnam War with service number shown 0-1004394 (out by one digit).

The 1940 census for Bellwood, Blair Pennsylvania shows a 33 year old Elmer son of A.J. Sheriff (sames as next of kin on dog tag) and Edna. Veteran Compensation Files dated June 1950 show Elmer as born Feb. 3, 1906 in Bellwood and serving in the National Guard.

 

My brief research seems to indicate that Elmer was an only child and had no children of his own. His wife was married three times according to a memorial on Find A Grave. 

Can any of my wonderful readers find a living descendant so Malcolm can send the dog tag home?





 

FOUND WW2 Dog Tag James J. Bell of Idaho

Mick B. wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with this request to help return a WW2 dog tag to its owner or descendants:

Found at Seething Airfield England a dog tag marked James J Bell

Number 0-742831  T4243.

It would be great to return it to the family - is this something you could help with.

As my readers can see from the image on the left, the dog tag contains more clues. The name Emma E. Bell is there, as is a location of Harrison, Idaho

Hopefully some of my wonderful readers will jump in to help Mick find James, Emma, or descendants.

Lorine's Research

I found information showing James was a pilot and a 2nd Lieutenant during WW2. Source http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/109318

There is also a pdf file which indicates 2nd Lieutenant James J. Bell was the pilot of REPLACEMENT CREW #21 - Aircraft #41-28595 in the 713th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON ordered to England.

This photo is of James and his crew in front of their airplane. According to the names on the verso (back) of the photo, James is the third man from the left in the front row.

Photo: The James Bell crew, from the 2^nd Air Division Digital Archive http://www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive, catalogue reference MC 371/349, USF PH 7/1. Published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog with permission of 2nd Air Division Memorial Library

If you choose the third photo at this photo link you will see another great image of James. He is the third man from the left in the front row.

James' obituary was found online:

OBITUARIES DR. JAMES J. BELL

Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) - Saturday, November 8, 2003

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, in Sunnyside Little Chapel of the Chimes for Dr. James J. Bell, who died Nov. 5 at age 82.

Dr. Bell was born Jan. 16, 1921, in Spokane. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and graduated from the University of Oregon Dental School. He was a dentist who lived in the Portland area most of his life and practiced in Lake Oswego. In 1948, he married Euretta "Peggy" Field.

Survivors include his wife; daughter, Kit; son, Jeff; and four grandchildren.

Remembrances to Friends of Tryon Creek State Park.

Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) - Saturday, November 8, 2003

Oregonian, The () , obit for OBITUARIES DR. JAMES J. BELL, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/10064B9D95E0558F-10064B9D95E0558F : accessed 28 March 2018)

Help Find Clarence Victor Sheppard 1929-1996 to Return Military Items to Family

Recently a request for help was posted on the Simcoe County Genealogy page on Facebook. Deborah C. posted (in part):

1972 Voters' List Orillia Ontario

"A few weeks ago, a friend of mine successfully bid on a soldier's service book and a few other items belonging to a man from Orillia. Clarence Victor SHEPPARD was born in Orillia 9 May 1929; died 17 November 1996 in the same area. He is buried at Bethel Cemetery in Kilworthy.  Clarence Sheppard enlisted in Toronto 5 June 1953; his service number was 24870. RCIC High Depot is written in his book, and POT driver mech. noted.  if anyone knows of any family members of Clarence Victor SHEPPARD, let us know so that we can contact them to see if they'd like this soldier's book etc that we found. "

If you have any information please post here as a comment or on the Facebook page or in private email to me (olivetreegenealogy@gmail.com). Let's see if we can find the family this soldier's items should go to.

Looking for WW1 Soldier James A. McDonald

My friend Patricia G. shared this story on the Grande Prairie District Branch of Alberta Genealogical Society Facebook page a few days ago. 

Can my wonderful readers help?

At our AGM last night a member came in with a photograph from her own family collection. The information she had to share about the photo is that James A. (Jim) McDonald walked over the Edson Trail with her relative (surname Edgerton) and later signed up for WWI. James was said to not have remained in the Peace Country for too long.

The goal is to return this photograph to a relative of James A. McDonald. I told her I would share it with the sleuths on this site and see what we could come up with for her.

*Another tidbit is that the Edgerton family settled around the Beaverlodge area.

*The newspaper article is one I found on-line that I think may be the same guy.

Aug. 28, 1917 in the Grande Prairie newspaper.

Help Return Silver Cross Medail to Descendants of Eviva Carr

Recently this Silver Cross medal was found and the finder wants to return it to family.  The medal is engraved with the name S.J. Carr and the service number F2079. 

The medal was presented to Eviva Carr of Manassette Lake, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia whose son Samuel James Carr died on May 23, 1944 in Italy.

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial shows that Carr, a private, served with the West Nova Scotia Regiment. 

An obituary published in The Chronicle Herald indicates Eviva Carr died in 1980. She had several relatives, including four daughters and 21 grandchildren.


Olive Tree Genealogy's Research shows: 

St. Francis Harbour Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, St. Francis Harbour,
Guysborough County, NS
Carr, Howard 1890 - 1935
Wife Eviva M. Diggins: 1888 - 1980

If you are a descendant or you know any of this family please get in touch by going to the story Silver Cross quest: Martins River Man seeks information on WWII relic

Image credit:  The Chronicle Herald

Case #25: Send Theodore G. Harding's Dog Tags Home

Nancy B. wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy:

HELP ME FIND THIS SAILOR! I found this vintage dog tag 2 years ago (shoved into a heating duct) while renovating our 70-year old house. Out of respect, I just wedged it back in. However the more I think about it, the more I wonder if he is still alive, if he had any children, and how this might be a sentimental treasure. I DID find that a "Ted Harding" lived in this house in the past and that he would now be in his 80's.

The dog tag reads

Harding, Theodore G. 
259 05 79 AB
USN  P

Help send W.T. Waterston's WW1 Medals Home

The Absolutely Literate blog has a plea for help in finding the family of WW1 soldier William Thomas Waterston. Some Medals once owned by this soldier need to go home. 

His Attestation papers are found in the online CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) database. 

If you want to help, please read the full story at Help send W.T. Waterston's Medals Home

Earl G. Gregory's WW2 Navy ID Tags Need to Go Home (Case #24)

Sue wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with a request for help sending a WW2 Navy ID Tag back to family

I would like to find a home for the attached dog tag.  My father ran a wrecker service in DeKalb, Illinois and found this in a car many years ago.  It is for Earl George Gregory.

After receiving Sue's email I did some research. The first thing I noticed was that this was a Navy ID Tag (USN on the tag)

A search on Ancestry.com found this record for Earl:

Earl George Gregory
Service Info.: CWT US NAVY WORLD WAR II
Birth Date:18 Dec 1916
Death Date:11 Jun 1990
Cemetery:Thomason Cemetery
Cemetery Address:Main St Wayne City, IL 62895

Find-A-Grave shows his wife as Anna, buried with him.

If you can help find Earl's family, we can add this to our solved cases with a happy ending. There is probably a family member who would treasure this item, let's help find Earl's family and send it home.  

More Rescued Postcards 1900-1918 Added to Lost Faces

Recently I rescued 28 vintage orphaned postcards from antique shops. They range in date from 1900 to 1918. 27 are from United States and 1 is from Ontario Canada. 

I have scanned and added more of these postcards to Lost Faces and will be adding the rest of these wonderful cards over the next month. I hope descendants will see these postcards and recognize an ancestor.  

• Bowman To "Dear Friend" Mr. Oland Bowman, Hammond New York from Cassie W. 1912
• Bennet Pte A. Bennet, Port Sanitary Hospital, New Ferry, Cheshire from B.R. 13 Sept. 1918
• Dunmire To Mr. Claire Dunmire, Punxsutawey, from Charlotte A. 1913

Update Case #23 US Army WW2 Leroy Tillery

Olive Tree Genealogy received a request for help finding family of Leroy Tillery whose US WWII ID Tag (Dog Tag) on the estate at Dorford Hall, Near Nantwich, Cheshire England. The finder of the Dog Tag and the Secretary of the Crewe & Nantwich Metal Detecting Society are hopeful my amazing readers will be able to find Leroy's descendants or family members. 

1953 Rocky Mountain Evening Telegram courtesy D. Bailey

Here is the information I found for Leroy in NARA's Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records):

Leroy Tillery, Army Serial Number 34669274, lived in Nash County North Carolina and enlisted at Ft. Bragg on 30 November 1945. His year of birth was 1924. He was an African American and his marital status was given as "single with dependants"

It has been a challenge to sort out the military files found on Ancestry.com for men of the same name. One was from a 1941 Draft Registration for Leroy Tilleroy born Scotland Neck, North Carolina July 5, 1923 and one from a 1942 Draft Registration for a Leroy Tillery born Scotland Neck, North Carolina July 25, 1924. Both these records provided the same residence address and name of a person who would always know how to reach them - a Mrs. Ethel Harris. So it was clear this was the same individual, but was he "our" Leroy of the lost dog tag?

As well there was some confusion over Leroy's dog tag which shows that he had his Tetanus shot in 1943. But his NARA record indicates he enlisted November 1945. With the help of Jennifer Holik who is my go-to person for American WW2 expertise, and her friend Norm Richards who conducts research for individuals at the NPRC (National Personnel Records Center), we were able to determine that Leroy Tillery actually enlisted twice - the first time in March 1943, the second in November 1945. This was a very important fact that I needed to ascertain which Leroy Tillery was the right one.

With that information I quickly found the final piece of the puzzle in Ancestry.com online database U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010

Leroy Tillery, whose Dog Tag was found in England was born 25 July 1924 and died 11 September 1985 

Since I had already done quite a bit of research on the different Leroy Tillery males, I knew that the Leroy born July 25, 1924 was the son of Rosa Tillery. That allowed me to find the family in the 1930 census for Palmyra, Halifax, North Carolina. I knew from two records sent to me from reader Donna Bailey that Leroy had been married to a woman named Dorothy and divorced from her in 1973. 

Donna also found the birth of a daughter in 1949. I will not provide her name here as she may very well be living but if anyone would like to help find her or her descendants (Leroy's grandchildren) please write to me privately at olivetreegenealogy AT gmail DOT com (replacing AT and DOT with the appropriate characters) and I will give you her name.

Last night I continued researching and found Leroy's death certificate on FamilySearch.org. From information on the certificate I was able to find that Leroy married again to Gilda Delight Hines and had a son in 1982. Since Gilda was obviously much younger than Leroy it is possible that she is still living and can be found.

I am happy to provide what I found on the families to any reader who would like to do more research for contact information on Leroy's descendants. I believe we can send this dog tag home this month if we keep up the search.

Can We Send Leroy Tillery's US WWII Dog Tag Home? (Case #23)

Olive Tree Genealogy received a request for help finding family of Leroy Tillery whose US WWII ID Tag (Dog Tag) on the estate at Dorford Hall, Near Nantwich, Cheshire England. The finder of the Dog Tag and the Secretary of the Crewe & Nantwich Metal Detecting Society are hopeful my amazing readers will be able to find Leroy's descendants or family members. 

Mr. Bradley, Membership Secretary informs me that his research indicates that Dorfold Hall was used as a WWII US Army camp to house the 158th Liaison Squadron(camp capacity 170 personnel) in the 1940's. He requests our help to help send Leroy's Dog Tag home. 

After receiving the email, I searched NARA's Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records) using the serial number 34669274 on the Dog Tag. Here is the information found for Leroy:


Leroy Tillery, Army Serial Number 34669274, lived in Nash County North Carolina and enlisted at Ft. Bragg on 30 November 1945. His year of birth was 1924. He was an African American and his marital status was given as "single with dependants"

If you would like to help send Leroy Tillery's Dog Tag home, please leave your findings in the comment section of this blog post unless it is about living individuals. For information concerning living people, please write to me privately at olivetreegenealogy AT gmail DOT com (replacing AT and DOT with the appropriate characters) 
 

Help Send a WW1 Soldier's Cap Badge Back to Family

Michael L. wrote to me about a cap badge he found many years ago. Here is Mike's story:

I am looking for descendants of a John Orr who served in WW1 and lived in Oshawa in 1926. I have a hat badge that I recently traced to him and would give it to a descendant of his. I found it in my mothers’ garden around 1943.It is from the Canadian Highlanders Regiment. A few years ago I was curious and looked up who had lived in the house before my parents moved in. John Orr was living there in 1926. Last year I found a site with Attestation papers. I found John Orrs’ papers and he was in the Canadian Highlanders. If you could find a relative that would be great to give it to them.

The cap badge reads 

THE ROYAL HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA

 13th BATT 1st CANADIAN DIVISION

A search of the online CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) database brings up Captain John Orr born 27 August 1890 in Wishaw, Scotland, enlisting on 23 September 1914. His Regimental Number is 24908

His mother Helen is given as his next-of-kin and he was single. 

I did some research and found the family in the 1881, 1891 and 1901 census for Wishaw, Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire Scotland. His father was Andrew, his mother Helen and John had many older siblings.

John Orr Attestation Paper front

I was able to put together a family grouping of:

Father: Andrew Orr born ca 1849 Liberton Lanarkshire

Mother: Helen born ca 1851 Stonehouse Lanarkshire

Children:

• Marion b ca 1875
• Adam b ca 1877
• James b ca 1879
• Elizabeth b ca 1881
• Janet b ca 1884
• Mary b ca 1886
• Andrew Jr. b ca 1889
• John b. ca 1891 

I have not done any more research to find John Orr after his enlistment in the CEF in 1914 but he might appear in the 1921 Canadian census and on a ships passenger list arriving in Canada between 1901 and 1914. 

If any of my readers want to help find descendants so the cap badge could be returned to family, please leave responses as a comment on this blog. If you have information on living descendants it will not be published online but I will pass it on to Mike L.  

What a terrific thing if we can send this cap badge to family!

WW2 Letter re Death of A. F. Johnson Found in Street

The letter details how Sgt Anthony Frederick Johnson, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, went missing during an air operation in April 1943.

Signed by Wing Commander D.H. Burnside, of the No. 427 squadron, the letter tells the parents of Sgt Johnson that their son was a popular figure and fast becoming an ace wireless operator. 

The wing commander writes: “On the night of April 16, at approximately nine o’clock, Anthony and his crew took off from this aerodrome to carry out a bombing attack over enemy territory and were due to return at four o’clock in the morning. 

“Unfortunately, the aircraft never returned and we have heard nothing from it or any member of the crew since time of take-off.” [Hexham Courant News]

Screenshot from Hexham Courant Article

The Courant has informed both the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Library and Archives Canada, about the letter. The Courant hope to hear from descendants or anyone who has details about Sgt Johnson.

Read more at Second World War letter found on village street in the Hexham Courant News

Lorine's Note: I believe this site has quite a bit of information on Sgt. Johnson but I am not a member. If any of my readers is a member it would be wonderful to know what details are found. 

Edwin Manktelow's WWII Dog Tag Goes Home

I am happy to announce that Case #22 Edwin Mankletow has a happy ending! The found dog tag has been sent to Edwin's son. Thank you to all my readers for their help tracking down Edwin's family.

Edwin's son receives his Dog Tags by mail and has it framed to hang beside the framed photo of Edwin in 1942

Edwin's grave

Remembering WW1 Soldier George Lynn

George Lynn's WW1 Helmet

George Lynn was born in August 1891 in Stayner Ontario Canada. His parents were William and Margaret (Hoar) Lynn. He enlisted in the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) in June 1915. 

My husband and I own the helmet he wore while fighting overseas. It has the logo of the Machine Gun Corps he was in. Unfortunately it is very faint now and difficult to see.

George Lynn Attestation

Are you wondering why we have George's helmet? We also own a top-hat he wore for special occassions. Both were purchased many years ago from one of George's sons, who we know.


We didn't know George but we knew his wife Millicent. She was a War Bride who met and married George in England in December 1918, then came to Canada with other War Brides in February 1919 on the ship Metagama. 

George had returned home earlier in December 1918 on the hospital ship Araguaya.

The couple settled in Penetanguishene Ontario and raised 3 sons. Millicent was a lovely lady who always wore white gloves and reminded me of Helen Hayes. She was born Millicent May Reddish in Lancashire England to parents William and Emily (Moreland) Reddish. 

Having George's helmet helps us remember him and his service to our country.

Help Return WW2 Soldier Edwin Manktelow Dog Tag - Case #22

Steve is asking for help finding a WW2 soldier or his family. Here's his email to Olive Tree Genealogy:

While out with my metal detector here in England yesterday I found my first American dog tag, although it is in 3 pieces it very clearly reads

EDWIN MANKTELOW
32585923   T43
PEARL SCHWINGEL
RT4
COHOCTON  NY

I would love to be able to return this little piece of history to Mr Manktelow (if he is still alive) or to his family but I really have no idea how to go about this, then I found you via the internet and see that you have had some great results, so any help would be very much appreciated

Lorine's notes: I'll start the ball rolling on this search with a WW2 Enlistment Record for Edwin W. Manktelow

Name: Edwin W Manktelow 
Birth Year: 1922 
Race: White, citizen (White) 
Nativity State or Country: New York 
State of Residence: New York 
County or City: Steuben 
Enlistment Date: 17 Dec 1942
Enlistment State: New York 
Enlistment City: Rochester 

The Social Security Death Index is also helpful with this entry

Name:	Edwin W. Manktelow
SSN:	103-16-0110
Last Residence:	14810  Bath, Steuben, New York, USA
BORN:	14 Oct 1922
Died:	1 Apr 2003

Can my wonderful readers help find Edwin's family? Please leave information as a comment on this blog post or via email to me at olivetreegenealogy AT gmail DOT com 

Remembering WW1 Soldier Alton C. Young

Alton C. Young's military photo hangs on our wall. We aren't related but he is one of several WW1 soldiers whose life we remember with respect.

Alton had his photo taken in his C.E.F. uniform before heading overseas to join the fighting. This was a typical thing that many men did before leaving.

Sadly he did not return and his framed photo bears these few details:

Alton C. Young

87th Battalion Canadian Infantry

died of wounds received at Arras, Sept. 28, 1918

Enlisted at Sherbrooke

Research on Ancestry.com found more details about Alton and his short life. His attestation papers reveal that he was born Alton Charles Young on 26 August 1894 in Quebec. His father's name is given as Charles. Searching birth records provides his mother's name of Almeda. Census records for 1911 indicate he was one of 7 children.

Alton was tall for those times - 5'11" with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He enlisted on 3 January 1918 and was only in the war for 9 short months before being killed at Arras.

A search of the C.E.F. Commonwealth Grave Registers confirms his death on Sept. 28, 1918 and describes his wounds as

Gunshot wound to head, right arm and left arm. Died of cerebral hemorrhage and a fractured skull at Totting Military Hosptial in Totting England.  Alton was buried in Grave #181615 in the Canadian Military Cemetery in Brookwood, Surrey England. A photo of his tombstone can be seen.

His father Charles living in North Hatley Quebec was noted as his next-of-kin. Young Alton was only 24 when he was killed. He was not married so left no descendants to honour him. But someone did honour and remember him for they kept this framed photo for many years until it ended up in an Antique Store in Ontario. Thanks to my husband, Alton now has a place of honour in our home. His story will be passed on.

CEF Commonwealth Grave Register for Alton C. Young

C.E.F. Attestation Papers for Alton C. Young

Great News! J. L. McFarland (Case #21) Dog Tag - Family Found

Two days ago I posted about the dog tag of J. L. McFarland. I am really pleased to say that with the help of one of my amazing readers G. Johns, we have found this soldier's nephew. Here are some details for those interested:

J. L. was born Junior Lee McFarland

US MILITARY GRAVE SITES shows his death:

MCFARLAND, JUNIOR LEE 
CPL   US ARMY AIR FORCES
WORLD WAR II
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/17/1927
DATE OF DEATH: 09/23/2009
BURIED AT: UNION CEMETERY
HWY 857 BASKIN, LA 71219

U.S. Second Draft Registration Cards show him living in  Baskin, Louisiana. He registered in Franklin Parish, Winnsboro Louisiana.

His serial number from this source is the same as the found dog tag. (See image on right)

The name Aline McFarland was given as someone who would always know his mailing address.

A search of the 1940 census for Franklin Louisiana showed 12  year old Junior Lee McFarland with his parents Abe and Alene [sic], and siblings. Searching his siblings led to a nephew.

Thank you to all who contributed with research and ideas for tracking down the owner of this dog tag.

Soldier's Letter from WW2 found Sixty Years Later and Returned

Representation of WW2 letters

This is touching story about a woman who found a letter written by a soldier that was 60 years old. She tracked down descendants and sent the letter home.

The letter was found in a pile of paperbacks that Sandi Blood purchased and was dated November 1951 and sent from a G. LeBlanc. U.S. Army Pvt. Gilles LeBlanc wrote the three-page letter to his girlfriend, Carole Petch in Toronto, Ontario Canada. 

With the help of social media, Blood was able to find the now 83 year old soldier living in Detroit Michigan

Read the complete story at "Woman finds love letter 6 decades old and tracks down soldier who wrote it" on the Washington Post.

One Man in England Saves 5000 WW1 Photos from Being Destroyed

Screen Dump from BBC News Sussex website

This is a fascinating story about an ordinary man in England who took it on himself to save and preserve WW1 photos, cards, letters and other objects from the dump. 

Bob Smethurst worked at collecting garbage for decades. In the early days there were garbage pails that had to be dumped into the trucks. As  these pails were dumped, papers and photos were easily spotted. Not wanting some of the lovely photos of soldiers and WW1 postcards he saw to be lost forever, Smethurst began saving them. Little did he know that he would end up with over 5000 photographs and letters, some of them very rare.

Mr. Smethurst defines himself as a custodian of these documents and is making plans on what should happen to the collection. 

This is a fascinating story and how I would love to visit Mr. Smethurst and look through is amazing collection.

For more details and photos see Revealed: Extraordinary collection of 5,000 WWI photographs salvaged from RUBBISH DUMPS by a former dustman and Sussex dustman saved rare WW1 photographs