Who was Corp. James Bethel Gresham? It’s been more than a century since his passing, but in 1917, his name was known nationwide. Gresham was the first American soldier to die in action in WWI. As Veterans Day approaches, we honor veterans like Gresham and many others who served their country. Their sacrifices need to be remembered, and their stories need to be told.
Discovering the details of our ancestors’ military service can be difficult. On July 12, 1973, a fire broke out at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO. It burned for 22 hours and destroyed 16-18 million military files. Records affected included 80% of Army files for Personnel discharged between November 1912 and January 1960 and 75% of Air Force files for Personnel discharged from September 1947 to January 1964.
Fold3 has worked closely with the National Archives and others to digitize over 350 million military records from WWI and WWII. These record sets are valuable resources for reconstructing details of your ancestor’s military service and preserving their story.
These collections revealed more about Corp. James Bethel Gresham. Born in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1893, Gresham was the son of a Civil War Veteran. He enlisted in the US Army in 1914. Initially, the Army worried that Gresham was too small to carry a heavy Army pack. Gresham begged for the chance to serve, and they relented. In June 1917, he arrived in France with the 16th Infantry, Company F. On the morning of November 3, 1917, Gresham was entrenched near Artois, France, with two other Americans when German forces attacked and killed all three. The Americans were buried near the battlefield.
Following Gresham’s death in 1917, his mother became America’s first Gold Star mother. The tradition of hanging a banner with stars for each immediate family member in military service began during WWI. If a family member died, the blue star was replaced with a gold star. In 1921, Gresham’s remains were returned to the US, and he was laid to rest in Evansville, Indiana.
Each veteran has a story worth remembering. This Veterans Day, we invite you to discover your veteran’s story. Explore our record collections and create a Fold3 Memorial to honor those who served. Attach records, stories, photographs, journal entries, and more to create a lasting tribute.
Discover your veteran’s story on Fold3 today!
James Lovett Piland, Army, 142d Inf. Regiment TNG 36th Division. Served in WW 2 as Recon Scout in EAME Campaign, earning Purple Heartin battle for Rome. Sadly he was buried in an unmarked grave! However, with the help of the Patriot Guards, American Legion & VFW this is being resolved in an Honor Ceremony very soon. I’m his step-daughter!
I recently learned that my brother’s army records were distroved in that fire. Fortunately I had his discharge paper to show his years of service and hopefully it is enough to help him get benefits.
He is 90 years olds now
I was very fortunate to finally get my father’s records ten years ago after three requests. I finally demanded through the Freedom of Information Act all of his records. It looks like the archives staff didn’t want dig through the surviving dirty records for his files. Some show singed marks and holes like they were partially burned. I was fortunate and truly appreciate the efforts of the archives staff.
May they rest in peace and honor.