Background

As people have sent me e-mail messages asking about their relatives who were Spruce Soldiers, several have shared images of the grave markers for these individuals. In addition, several grave marker enthusiasts and cemetery managers have asked about the Spruce units mentioned on the markers they have seen.

This page has a selection of these photos, and includes information pointers about the Spruce units to which these men belonged in 1918. The photos were taken by the original correspondents, and are their sole work. (I made modifications to some of the images with GIMP, to make them appear better on this webpage. These enhancements to the images are intended to make the inscriptions more readable; consequently, the images may not be as pleasing as the originals.)

When viewing these grave markers, note the ages of these men when they entered the service. Some were over 30 years old. In addition see their ages at death. Some died in 1918, possibly from the influenza pandemic, others passed away in their 50’s or earlier. It should be noted that many men drafted into the Spruce Squadrons were ’limited service’ men, that is men who were too old, or not physically qualified to fight on the front lines in France.

Grave Marker Images and Links

CLICK ON THE THUMBNAIL IMAGES TO VIEW A LARGER IMAGE

Andrew Hitchings -- Spruce Soldier, 119th Spruce

Charles Bailey -- Spruce Soldier, 53rd Spruce

David Gunn -- Spruce Soldier, 74th Spruce

David Martin -- Spruce Soldier, 118th Spruce

Frank Fifield -- Spruce Soldier, 77th Spruce

Hannibal Estep -- Spruce Soldier, 50th Spruce

John Holland -- Spruce Soldier, 135th Spruce

Peter Johnson -- Spruce Soldier, 89th Spruce

Raymond Goodman -- Spruce Soldier, 52nd Spruce

Ralph Cobb -- Spruce Soldier, 48th Spruce

Louis Wegscheider -- Spruce Soldier, 144th Spruce

David Everest -- Spruce Soldier, 71st Spruce

John Wesley Morrison -- Spruce Soldier, 94th Spruce

Sherman Clark -- Spruce Soldier, 146th Spruce

Clyde Rainey -- Spruce Soldier, 19th Spruce

Peter Houck -- Spruce Soldier, 88th Spruce

Frank Sander -- Spruce Soldier, 47th Spruce

James Coleman -- Spruce Soldier, 60th Spruce

Bert Coad -- Spruce Soldier, 80th Spruce

Charles J. O’Donnell -- Spruce Soldier, 93rd Spruce

Enos Palmer -- Spruce Soldier, 3rd Spruce

George Calvin Smith -- Spruce Soldier, 38th Spruce

Clarence Gardner -- Spruce Soldier, 28th Spruce

Michael Horgan -- Spruce Soldier, 33rd Spruce

Charles Yates -- Spruce Soldier, 61st Spruce

John Benson -- Spruce Soldier, 86th Spruce

Clyde Lee -- Spruce Soldier, 125th Spruce

August Peterson -- Spruce Soldier, 15th Spruce

Carl Karg -- Spruce Soldier, 102nd Spruce

John Edmonds -- Spruce Soldier, 27th Spruce

Clarence Bradley -- Spruce Soldier, 118th Spruce

Charles Henry Lisk -- Spruce Soldier, 102nd Spruce

James Bailey -- Spruce Soldier, 118th Spruce

John Weston -- Spruce Soldier, 79th Spruce [His brother Harry Weston, served in the same unit.]

Loy Snyder -- Spruce Soldier, 117th Spruce

Norman Macaulay -- Spruce Soldier, 19th Spruce

Benjamin Brody -- Spruce Soldier, 122nd Spruce

Carl Holmberg -- Spruce Soldier, 52nd Spruce

Harley Hoerler -- Spruce Soldier, 102nd Spruce

William Edmisten -- Spruce Soldier, 80th Spruce

[NOTE that he died in the influenza pandemic, while serving in the 80th Spruce.]

Jim Vitley (Vitale) -- Spruce Soldier, 103rd Spruce

Milton Gardner -- Spruce Soldier, 28th Spruce

I have more images and information for Gardner at this link.

Additional Spruce Soldiers

Charles Murray Yates has been honored by a WikiTree website, which includes a photo of the gravestone, as well as other interesting information. He was a member of the 61st Spruce.

More Links

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Contact Info

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Technical Information

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Updated Sun 07 Jan 2024 01:54:55 PM CST