Ceramic Photos - Then and Now

I like to see the photos of what they used to look like and how they looked later on in life. So this is a collection of a few I've found.

Elwood Andrew Lowe

Nov 18, 1916

Webb City, MO

July 26, 2004

Farmington, AR

Married Mar 6, 1936

Clayton NM

Evaline Arabella Lowe

Feb 24, 1917

Camargo, OK

Oct 22, 2003

Farmington, AR

Buried at Brentwood Cemetery in Brentwood, AR.

FARMINGTON -- Elwood Andrew Lowe, 87, of Farmington died July 26, 2004, at his home. He was born Nov. 18, 1916, in Webb City, Mo., to Harrison Millard and Nancy Hall Lowe. He was affiliated with the Church of God of Prophecy. He was a welder at Carbon Black Plant in Sunray, Texas, and later worked as a welder in the shipyards at Puget Sound, Wash., during World War II. He moved to Ryus, Kan., where he owned and operated a Sinclair Service Station and was owner of the High Plains Pipeline Co. in 1965. In 1984, he built and operated the Redi-Lube in Farmington. He was a 52-year member of the Pipeliners Local 798 Union.

Survivors include two sons, Edwin A. Lowe and Elzie L. Lowe and wife Telisa, all of Farmington; two daughters, Eldena L. Plain and husband Huverton of Alva, Okla., and Edwina L. Pettyjohn and husband Tim of Post, Texas; one brother, Jack Lowe of Hobbs, N.M.; two sisters, Juanita Quimby of Tulsa, Okla., and Opal Collins of Naples, Texas; 10 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Evaline Johns Love.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Luginbuel Funeral Home in Prairie Grove with his nephew, Wendell Lowe officiating. Burial will be in Brentwood Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to Friends of Hospice, 34 W. Colt Square, Suite 1, Fayetteville, 72703.

Pallbearers will be Edwin Lowe, Huverton Plain, Averell Plain, Ryan Rock, Elzie Lowe, Tim Pettyjohn, Chris Gentry and Gary McKinney.

Alfie Cooper

Aug 20, 1931

Still Alive

Alfie Fay Cooper

April 18, 1964

Nov 28, 1964

Leonard Cooper

December 14, 1929

Sept 28, 2008

Buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Ft. Smith, AR.

Johnny Lee Williams

SP4 US Army

Vietnam 

Mar 14, 1947 - Sept 11, 2004

Married April 4, 1968

Kenneta Pauline Williams

Still Alive

Buried at Olympus Cemetery in Grove, OK.

Another Sad Misspelling

Ceramic Photos - Military Men

This is a collection of Military Ceramic Photos I have come across while wandering the cemeteries. 

Wayne Wyatt Cheatham

Private First Class

US Army

World War II

April 3, 1925 - December 25, 1995

Purple Heart

Oak Leaf Cluster

Prisoner of War

Buried at Cheatham Cemetery in Lincoln, AR

The following info is from http://www.ancestry.com/.

California Birth Index, 1905-1995 about Wyatt Wayne Cheatham
Name: Wyatt Wayne Cheatham

Birth Date: 3 Apr 1925

Gender: Male

Mother's Maiden Name: Dixon

Birth County: San Joaquin

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 about Wayne W Chcatham
Name: Wayne W Chcatham

Birth Year: 1925

Race: White, Citizen (White)

Nativity State or Country: California

State of Residence: Arkansas

County or City: Washington

Enlistment Date: 8 Jul 1943

Enlistment State: Arkansas

Enlistment City: Little Rock

Branch: No branch assignment

Branch Code: No branch assignment

Grade: Private

Grade Code: Private

Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)

Source: Civil Life

Education: 1 year of high school

Civil Occupation: Farm hands, general farms

Marital Status: Single, without dependents

Height: 60

Weight: 260

Herbert Elvis Earp
US Army
World War I
Camp Funston 7th Division
February 9, 1903 - April 5, 1937
Buried at G.A.R. Cemetery in Miami, OK.

The following info is from http://www.ancestry.com/.

Vurl Eugene Brock Sr.

US Army Air Corps

World War II

July 14, 1922 - July 8, 1987

Buried at Owsley Cemetery in Longview, MO.

The following info is from http://www.ancestry.com/.

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 bout Vurl E Brock

Name: Vurl E Brock

Birth Year: 1922
Race: White, Citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country: Missouri
State of Residence: Missouri
Enlistment Date: 16 Dec 1941
Enlistment State: Missouri
Enlistment City: Jefferson Barracks
Branch: Air Corps
Branch Code: Air Corps
Grade: Private
Grade Code: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component: Army of the United States - includes the following: Voluntary enlistments effective December 8, 1941 and thereafter; One year enlistments of National Guardsman whose State enlistment expires while in the Federal Service; Officers appointed in the Army of
Source: Civil Life
Education: 4 years of high school
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Height: 71
Weight: 141

Ray Jenkins

World War I

US Navy

March 25, 1899 - December 29, 1980

Buried at Prairie Grove Cemetery in Prairie Grove, AR.

The following info is from http://www.ancestry.com/.

Jimmy Joe Smith

Specialist Fourth Class

US Army

Company HHC 35 Infantry 2nd Battalion

Vietnam War

K.I.A.

October 10, 1946 - April 4, 1967

Buried at Prairie Grove Cemetery in Prairie Grove, AR.

The following info is from http://www.ancestry.com/.

Vietnam War: U.S. Military Casualties, 1956-1998 about Jimmy Joe Smith
Name: Jimmy Joe Smith
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1946
Death Date: 4 Apr 1967
Home City: Cane Hill
Home State: Arkansas
SSN/Service #: 54378420
Death Date: 4 Apr 1967
Casualty Country: Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
Tour Start Date: 6 Aug 1966
Service Branch: Department of the Army
Component: Selective Service
Rank: Specialist Fourth Class
Military Grade: Specialist Fourth Class
Pay Grade: Specialist Fourth Class (U.S. Army) or Corporal (U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps) or Sergeant (U.S. Air Force) or Grade/Rate Abbreviations With First Column: Any Entry; Second Column: N; Third Column: 3; Fourth Column: Blank (U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard) or
Company: HHC
Regiment: 35th Inf
Batallion: 2nd Bn
Province: 99
Decoration: Not Available
CN: Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
Service Occupation: Light Weapons Infantry (ARMY)
Data Source: Coffelt Database

Vietnam War: U.S. Military Casualties, 1956-1998 about Jimmy Joe Smith
Name: Jimmy Joe Smith
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1946
Death Date: 4 Apr 1967
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Race: Caucasian (White)
Home City: Cane Hill
Home State: Arkansas
Religion: Unknown or Not Reported
Marital Status: Married (Spouse Listed)
SSN/Service #: 54378420
Citizen Status: U.S.
Death Date: 4 Apr 1967
Processed Date: Apr 1967
Casualty Country: Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
Casualty Type: Non-Hostile - Died of Other Causes
Casualty Reason: Aircraft Loss/Crash Not at Sea
Casualty Air: Helicopter Air Casualty - Non-Aircrew
Body Status: Body Recovered
Service Branch: Department of the Army
Component: Selective Service
Military Grade: Specialist Fourth Class
Pay Grade: Specialist Fourth Class (U.S. Army) or Corporal (U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps) or Sergeant (U.S. Air Force) or Grade/Rate Abbreviations With First Column: Any Entry; Second Column: N; Third Column: 3; Fourth Column: Blank (U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard) or
Length of Service : 01
Service Occupation: Light Weapons Infantry (ARMY)
Data Source: Combat Area Casualties Current File

U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 about Jimmy J Smith
Name: Jimmy J Smith
Birth Date: 1946
Gender: Male
Race: Caucasian (White)
Home State: Arkansas
Casualty Country: Vietnam, Republic of
Casualty Category: Non-battle Dead
Casualty Status: Non-hostile Dead: Died Of Wounds/injury (previous)
Casualty Date: 4 Apr 1967
Cause of Death: Not Booby Trap Connected: None Of The Above; Other Weapons (including Cutting Instruments, Piercing Instruments, Blunt Instruments, Etc.)
Report Date: 4 Apr 1967
Military Occupation: Light Weapons Infantry (army)
Division: 25th Inf Div
Personnel Category: Active Duty Army
Military Class: Enlisted Personnel
Rank: Specialist Fourth Class

Melvin Gale Blevins

US Army

June 18, 1940 - Jan 24, 1966

Buried at Wyandote Cemetery in Wyandot, OK.

Marvin Dale Blevins

US Army

June 18, 1940 - Jan 2, 1993

Buried at Wyandote Cemetery in Wyandot, OK.

Richard Earl Cordes

Private

US Army

Company I

K.I.A. in the Remagen Bridgehead in East Germany

World War II

Age 19 yrs 1 mo 11 days

Buried at Bluff Cemetery in Springdale, AR. (This may be a cenotaph.)

The following info is from http://www.ancestry.com/.

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 about Richard E Cordes
Name: Richard E Cordes
Birth Year: 1926
Race: White, Citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country: Kansas
State of Residence: Arkansas
County or City: Washington
Enlistment Date: 13 May 1944
Enlistment State: Arkansas
Enlistment City: Camp Josepth T Robinson Little Rock
Branch: No branch assignment
Branch Code: No branch assignment
Grade: Private
Grade Code: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the Discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source: Civil Life
Education: Grammar school
Civil Occupation: Semiskilled chauffeurs and drivers, bus, taxi, truck, and tractor
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Height: 00

Weight: 000

Plane Crash Kills Family of 5

Located at Pierce City Cemetery in Pierce City, MO.

This article is from Lubbock Online .

Family killed in plane crash near Tulsa remembered as 'fabulous'
Published: Sunday, December 01, 2002
Associated Press

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — As federal investigators prepared to move the wreckage of a plane that crashed earlier this week, the brother of the pilot who was killed was getting ready to make funeral arrangements.

William Gray, 56, his wife, Kathy, 53, and their sons Chad, 23, and Chase, 20, and daughter Brooke, 17, died Wednesday afternoon when their twin-engine plane crashed near McAlester Regional Airport.

Don Gray, the oldest of five siblings, remembered his brother on Friday as an overachiever athletically, who passed his sports ability on to his children.

"He wasn't the fastest or the biggest guy, but he was a good player," Don Gray told the Tulsa World from his Went worth, Mo., home. "Everything he did, he wanted to do well."

William Gray played football and basketball at Pierce City in southwestern Missouri. His son, Chase, played on three state champion teams at Trinity Christian Academy in Texas, Gray said. Brooke Gray was on the drill team at Trinity.

Chad Gray worked at Grayco Bank Products in Carrollton, Texas, the company his father started after working at another banking supply firm with Jerry Gray, one of his other brothers, Don Gray said.

Chad was good with computers and was "working at Grayco and building Web sites," Don Gray said.

Kathy Gray was a counselor, her brother-in-law said. All five were active in their church, he said.

"They were just a fabulous family," he said. "They had three great kids."

Few additional details on a cause of the crash were available, said Tom Little, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators interviewed witnesses and coordinated removal of the debris from the crash site to a hangar for examination.

The FFA and the NTSB were also investigating another fatal plane crash in central Oklahoma on Friday.

William Gray owned the six-seat airplane, a Piper PA-34-220-T. According to FAA records, the plane replaced a single-engine plane he had owned in 1998.

William Gray had been planning to bring his mother with him on the flight back, Don Gray said. The family was going to gather in the Dallas area for an upcoming Christmas pageant in which Brooke and Kathy Gray were participating, he said.

"Such a neat family," Don Gray said. "This is why it is so tough. To lose a whole family is hard." 
 

***************************

 
This article is from CNN.


Five dead in Oklahoma plane crash
November 28, 2002

Five people were killed aboard a single-engine plane that crashed near the McAlester, Oklahoma, airport, authorities said. The weather was clear when the crash occurred around 4:15 p.m. (5:15 p.m. EST) Wednesday, said Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesman Robert Padgett. Witnesses said the plane was trying to land at the McAlester City Airport. It apparently rolled to the left after engine problems, Padgett said. The highway patrol is one of many agencies that will investigate the accident, he said.
 
 

Father

William L. "Bill" Gray

June 7, 1945

Nov 22, 2002

Married

June 10,

1972

Mother

Kathy L. Gray

Sept 18, 1949

Nov 27, 2002

Chad William Gray

Dec 3, 1978 - Nov 27, 2002 

Brooke Ashley Gray

Dec 17, 1984  - Nov 27, 2002

Chase Loren Gray

Dec 15, 1981 - Nov 27, 2002

The following article is from the Baylor college website.


Memorial Service Set For Chase Loren Gray
Dec. 3, 2002
by Lori Scott Fogleman

A campus memorial service celebrating the life of Baylor University junior Chase Loren Gray will be held at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at Miller Chapel.

Gray, 20, died Wednesday, Nov. 27, in a private plane crash near McAlester, Okla., as his family traveled to Missouri for the Thanksgiving holidays. His father and mother, William and Kathy Gray, brother Chad and sister Brooke also were killed in the accident.

Dr. Todd L. Lake, dean for university ministries, will lead the service. Gray's roommates and friends, including some who have known him since grade school, will speak at the memorial. The Baylor Religious Hour (BRH) choir will be among those providing special music.

Gray was born Dec. 15, 1981. He graduated from Trinity Christian Academy near Dallas and was pursuing a bachelor's of business administration degree in accounting at Baylor. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and attended University Baptist Church in Waco. His sister, Brooke, was planning to join him at Baylor in the fall.

Other services have been set for the family. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, where the Grays were members. A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the National Guard, 104 W. Main St., in Pierce City, Mo. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, also at the National Guard. Arrangements are being handled by the Don-Wilks-Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City.

For more information, contact the office of university ministries at 710-3517.

*********************************

You can read the crash reports at the following links:

http://www.planecrashmap.com/plane/ok/N699WG


http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20021202X05543&key=1

The Robins Have Come For A Visit

Folklore about Robins
An interesting belief about the robin is that if it finds a dead body, it will cover it with leaves or moss. This belief  led John Webster to write in his play, The White Devil (c.1608), the following lines.

Call for the robin redbreast and the wren,
Since o'er shady groves they hover,
And with leaves and flowers do cover
The friendless bodies of unburied men

Also in a Thomas Percy poem of 1765, describing the robin's role in his story's tragic ending:

Thus wandered these poor innocents,

Till death did end their grief;

In one another's arms they died,

As wanting due relief;

No burial this pretty pair

Of any man receives,

Till Robin Redbreast piously

Did cover them with leaves.

Intersting Quote

What an interesting quote to put on a headstone. 

This is also the first time I have ever seen "Atheist" on a headstone.

Located at Prairie Grove Cemetery in Prairie Grove, AR.

Wayne Everett

Strickland

Atheist

Oct 23, 1927 - Nov 23, 2005

"I am a busy man

I don't have time for this"

STRICKLAND, Wayne E.

PRAIRIE GROVE, ARKANSAS: Wayne Everett Strickland, 66, died November 23, 2005. He was born October 23, 1927 to Frank Forrest and Grace June Harding Strickland. He was a WWII veteran and a pilot. He held a degree in philosophy. Among the survivors are his wife, Sharon Dawn Strickland; a son, Gregory Evan Strickland of Hanford, CA; a brother, Ed Strickland of Indiana; a sister, Iris Fairbanks of Monroe, LA; and two grandchildren. Services were held at Luginbuel Funeral Home in Prairie Grove, followed by interment at the Prairie Grove Cemetery.

Missouri Tornando June 1912

Located at Hazelgreen Cemetery in Boulder City, MO.

Alexander

J Oscar  1886

Wife and Children

Mabel I.  1888 - 1912

Mars W.  1909 - 1912

James O.  1910 - 1912

Mayble Irene Alexander

White Female Married

Age 24 yrs 8 mos 22 ds

Housewife

Born in MO

Father C.J. Marrs

Mother Mary Louisa Casey

D.O.D. June 15, 1912

C.O.D. Tornado

Marrs Walter Alexander

White Male Single

Born July 22, 1909

Age 2 yrs 10 mos 24 ds

Father Oscar Alexander

Mother Mayble Irene Alexander

D.O.D. June 15, 1912

C.O.D. Tornado

James Oscar Alexander

White Male Single

Born Sept 19, 1910

Age 1 yr 8 mos

Father Oscar Alexander

Mother Mayble Irene Alexander

D.O.D. June 15, 1912

C.O.D. Tornado

The following article was found at Gendisasters.com.

Drexel, MO (Other Towns) Tornado, Jun 1912

Posted October 21st, 2007 by Stu Beitler

TWENTY-SIX DIE IN WINDSTORM.
TORNADO SWEEPS MISSOURI; FIFTY HURT, MANY OF THEM BADLY.

Kansas City, Mo., June 17. -- Twenty-six persons are known to have been killed and fifty injured by a tornado which tore its way through Bates, Johnson and Henry Counties late Saturday evening, mowing down trees and demolishing homes in its trail.

The storm hit the earth near La Cygne, Kas., and increased in fury as it swept northeast into Bates County, Missouri, killing whole families, until its force was expended five miles northeast of Drexel, Mo. Women and children for the most part were its victims.

At Merwin the tornado blew from the track a Kansas City Southern work train with fifty Greek workmen aboard, half of whom were so badly injured that they were brought to a hospital here today in a special train.

Some of the Dead.
MRS. ALEXANDER, and three children, near Merwin.
MRS. BRYCE, near Merwin.
HENRY CAMERON, and three children, near Merwin.
DAN CARLOS, and wife, Leeton.
MRS. ELLSWORTH CLARK, Montgomery.
MRS. ALBERT COREY, of Kansas City.
MRS. FRANK COREY, Drexel.
GIBSON GROVES, near Merwin.
FRED GROVES, near Merwin.
HERB GRAY, Kansas City.
MRS. HOWELL, near Merwin.
MR. JOHNSON, near Merwin.
MRS. LEE PARKER, Creighton, Mo.
MRS. GEORGE REED.
MAX SPITSKOFSKY.

West of Merwin the brick house of MARION STITT was destroyed. At the COREY house the storm was merciless. The legs of the two women killed there were broken.

ALBERT COREY, head bookkeeper for the Fidelity Trust company in Kansas City was in Drexel and escaped death. His three children also escaped death. He had started to go to the COREY farm in the afternoon to visit his father, but remained in Drexel awhile. His wife and children went ahead of him to the farm. They had just reached the house when the storm broke. COREY'S wife and mother were killed. MRS. ALBERT COREY was MISS STONER of Perry, Ill., where all formerly lived.

A big brick residence near Drexel, in which lived two families of seven persons, was scattered over two acres but no one was injured.

Twelve houses were destroyed at Prairie View church east of Drexel. The handle of a pitchfork had been stuck in the stump of an oak tree in the COREY neighborhood. The iron prongs were twisted by the storm.

The path of the storm when it hit within a half mile of Merwin was half a mile wide and five miles long. The ALEXANDER home was swept away. The CAMERON baby's body was blown three miles. The bodies of GIBB and FRED GROVES were found half a mile from their home.

The houses of CHARLES GARNER, JAMES TINE, JOHN BENNETT, SILAS GUTH, MRS. DEDE, LESTER GODE, and JOHN WEIR were swept away.

Waterloo Reporter Iowa 1912-06-17



Murdered On The Court House Square

I and a few others have searched and searched for information on this gentleman and have all come up empty handed.  If you have any information on this gentleman we would all love to hear it.  Please feel free to either post a comment or email me privately at nailgal123@gmail.com.

Located at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Neosho, MO.

To The Meomory Of

Grandfather

George Thomas Ray

Born In Kentucky 1833

Murdered On

Court House Square

Neosho MO March 14, 1862

Erected by

Claude L. & Hazel M. Ray

Update:

http://escapetothesilentcities.blogspot.com/2011/08/update-george-thomas-ray.html

Don't You Love It When They Can't Decide

Cedar Creek Cemetery or maybe Cedar Creek Cemetary in Tipton Ford, MO.

Don't you just love it when they can't decide how to spell cemetery.

Saturday Symbol: Women's Relief Corps (W.R.C. F.C.L.)

Woman's Relief Corps

The W.R.C. is a patriotic woman's auxiliary group for the Grand Army of the Republic.

The F.C.L. initials are a reminder of their motto: Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty

The national W.R.C.

History - you will need to scroll down towards the bottom of the page to view the info.

Amiable in life

Located at Maple Park Cemetery in Springfield, MO.

Mamie R Haines

Aug 16, 1859

Oct 19, 1889

Amiable In Life

Faithful In Death

And God shall wipe away all tears from

their eyes and there shall be no more

death, neither sorrow nor crying neither

shall there be any more pain.

I know not where God's islands lift

their fronded palms in air

I only know she cannot drift

beyond his love and care.

Unusual Cause of Death - Suicide By Train

Located at Gibson Cemetery in Neosho, Mo.

Arthur V.

Matlock

Washington

SGT

82 Field Arty

October 20, 1935

Cause of death: Crushed skull - broken back - crushed chest - both legs broken - both arms broken - by stepping in front of Frisco Train #10 at a point 2 miles west of Ritchey, MO. with suicidal intent.
Death certificate found at Missouri Digital Heritage.

Eternity

Located at Elmwood Cemetery in Wagoner, OK.

Eternity

Once a hero brave

and now he lays

beneath the shadow

in the grave

he took with him

all his wealth

and left us nothing

to repay

he holds the charge

against us

until his judgement day.

Revelations 20 - 12

Albert Hoppe

Around the base reads:

In God we trust.

Note: Generally when you see something like "Revelations 20 - 12"  the quote above the citation is from what is stated.  That is not the case here.

Revelations 20:12 is as follows.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Unusual Cause of Death - Kicked By A Horse

Located at Granby Memorial Cemetery in Granby, MO.

F. W. Green

Jan 9, 1855 - Oct 12, 1912

Alice His Wife

Jan 28, 1857 - Aug 29, 1928

There are no partings in Heaven.

Cause of Death: By fracture of the skull by being kicked by a horse.

Death Certificate found at Digital Missouri Heritage.

Died In Action Over France

Located at Forest Park Cemetery in Ft. Smith, AR.

This is a cenotaph.

In Memory of

Lt. Eugene F. Hennig

March 19, 1920 - June 6, 1944

Died In Action Over France

Though we may never lay affection's token

on his last resting place far o'er the sea.

Lord, let him sleep in peace, his rest unbroken

till we shall join him forever with thee.

The following is from Arkansas Ties.

In the early hours of the morning of the 6th June 1944, C-47 aircraft 42-101025, serial number 54 of the 301st Troop Carrier Squadron, 441st Troop Carrier Group left Merryfield airfield in Somerset, England and was making its way in tight formation with other troop carriers across the English Channel to Normandy, France. On board were a crew of four and a passenger load of 18 paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment plus equipment (wire, ammunition, and rafts) heading for drop zone D in Normandy France.


All units were to fly across the English Channel and drop into Normandy, five hours prior to the famous seaborne landing. The 501st drop zones were north and east of the town of Carentan. Two battalions were to seize key canal locks at La Barquette and destroy the bridges over the Douve River.

As the aircraft reached the coast of France, heavy cloud and fog scattered their formations while intensive flak barrages added to the confusion. On this night, many would not return home, among these, the brave crew of this C-47 and their eighteen passengers. Shot down out of the sky, their plane crashed in Bois de Limors with all personnel on board. There were no survivors.

Rest in Peace -

2nd Lieutenant Eugene F. Hennig (Pilot) from Fort Smith, Arkansas, died on June 6, 1944.

2nd Lieutenant Albert A. Dorrance, Jr. (Co-Pilot) of California died on June 6, 1944 and lies buried at Colleville sur Mer, Normandy in Plot F, Row 15, Grave 6.

Technical Sergeant Dave Kramer (Crew Chief) from Wisconsin died on June 6, 1944 and lies buried at Colleville sur Mer, Normandy in Plot D, Row 19, Grave 14.

Corporal James E. Davison (Radio Operator) from Montana died on June 6, 1944 and lies buried at Colleville sur Mer, Normandy in Plot C, Row 8, Grave14.

And 18 paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, died on June 6, 1944.

This photograph was taken on June 5th, 1944, the day before 2nd Lt. Eugene Hennig's plane was shot down over France. Lt. Hennig (pilot of the plane) is the first officer on the left. The other crew members pictured are (left to right): 2nd Lt. Albert A. Dorrance, Jr. (co-pilot) - T/Sgt. Dave Kramer (crew chief) - Cpl. James E. Davison (radio operator). All four perished in the crash along with the 18 paratroopers they carried.

Info about the 441st Troop Carrier Group can be viewed at the following links.
Wikipedia

Collection of War of 1812 Veterans

This is a collection of war of 1812 veterans I have photographed.

Located at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis Mo.

Previous post can be viewed HERE.

Located at Bethel Cemetery in Gravette, AR

Prveious post can be viewed HERE.

Located at Cane Hill Cemetery, Cane Hill AR.

Located at Combs Cemtery in Fayettville, AR.

Located at Evergreen Cemetery in Fayettville, AR.

Previous post can be viewed HERE.

Located at Newberry Cemetery in Alma, AR.

Previous post can be viewed HERE.

Located at Oak Hill Cemetery in Stilwell, OK.

Located at Oak Cemetery in Ft. Smith, AR.

Located at Pineville Cemetery in Pineville, MO.



Unusual Cause of Death - Black Widow Bite

Located at Anderson Cemetery in Anderson, MO.

Sadly he missed the Black Widow anti-venom by only 6 years.

General O. Ostrander

1875 - 1950

Bite and mashed Black Widow Spider on right side and back.
Death Certificate located at Missouri Digital Heritage.

Black Widow Spider

Immature Black Widow

• An effective anti-venom was developed in 1956.
• The Back Widow Spider can inflict a painful bite which can be fatal, especially to the young and elderly. 
• Death is uncommon (less than 1% of the reported cases), but in the elderly or very young death may occur from asphyxia 14-32 hours after being bitten.
• A small amount of venom can cause serious illness, as the poison attacks the nervous system. Systemic envenomisation usually results in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia and hypertension.
• The immature black widow look nothing like the adult spider and can be mistaken for beneficial spiders like the Theridion Immature black widows are smaller than the adults and do not have the black color typical of the adults. Immature black widows range in color from yellowish to a light brown with a pattern of white and brown bands and spots on the dorsal side. The hour glass mark is not red at this stage; it will appear white or be completely missing. As the immature molts, it gains more and more of the black pigment until reaches adulthood and acquires its typical black color. It is very difficult to distinguish male from female at this stage since they appear identical.