Stories of Service

You can search for the name or unit and you will get a list of the stories that contain them.

Garland Langhorn Spain

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Garland Langhorn Spain born around 1890, Garland Spain served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Garland Langhorn Spain was born on July 17, 1890 in the small community of Jarrett’s Depot in Sussex County, Virginia to Benjamin and Josephine Gates Spain. By 1910, Garland Spain continued living in Virginia and worked as a farmer to support his widowed mother.

For reasons that are unclear, Spain relocated to Rocky Mount, N.C., where he lived at the time of his registration for World War I on June 5, 1917.

Garland Spain was inducted into military service with the U.S. Army on September 20, 1917 and took up arms as a corporeal with Company E of the 322nd Infantry, 81st Division. After training, Spain set sail on the troop transport ship Helenus on July 31, 1918 from Brooklyn, New York to Europe.

Spain received severe wounds while fighting in the Great War. Either on November 9 or 11, 1918, Garland Spain was shot twice while advancing on six German machine guns that wounded the rest of Spain’s squadron near Moranville, France.

Jim Higgins

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Jim Higgins born around 1896. Jim Higgins served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 accounted for more deaths than wartime casualties in World War I. Even though the war was ending in the fall of 1918, soldiers continued to die from complications from other diseases, not just from the flu. Three Nash County WWI soldiers contracted pneumonia and then died within a week of each other.

Little is known about Jim Higgins’ early life, but his military records indicate that he was an African-American soldier born on December 1, 1896 in Franklin County, N.C. At the time of his draft registration, on June 5, 1917, Higgins was a farmer near Spring Hope in Nash County.

Higgins enlisted in military service on July 29, 1918 and arrived at Camp Green, just like Henry Bullock. While in training, Higgins joined and served in Company D, 344th Labor Battalion.

Henry Bullock

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Henry Bullock born around 1896. Henry Bullock served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Henry Bullock was born on June 1, 1896 in either Wilson or Nashville, N.C. to a large African-American family. Likely the son of a previous marriage, Henry Bullock’s mother was Louisa Bullock and by 1910 his step-father was Charles H. Bullock, a farmer. Many of Henry’s siblings worked on the family’s farm in Bailey.

Henry Bullock registered for the draft on June 2, 1917 and, at that time, worked with the Harris Granite Quarries Company as a quarry hand. Bullock was inducted into military service on July 31, 1918.

Homer Stonewall Proctor

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Homer Stonewall Proctor born around 1894. Homer Proctor served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Homer Stonewall Proctor was born on October 2, 1894 to his parents William Henry and Minnie J. Moore Proctor. Homer was the eldest of at least five children born into this family, the others being John H., Henry C., Bertha V., and Mammie L. Proctor.

By 1900, William Proctor rented a home and worked as a farmer, but by 1910 he worked at a lumber yard in the area.

Homer Proctor was inducted into military service on May 24, 1918 and then reported for duty to Camp Jackson in South Carolina, where he served in the 17th Company, 5th Training Battalion, 156th Depot Brigade for one month. After this, Proctor served in Company H, 324th Infantry before shipping off to Europe on August 6, 1918.

Malthus Reaumer Freeman

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Malthus Reaumer Freeman born around 1888. Malthus Freeman served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Malthus Reaumer Freeman was born on December 6, 1888 to his father Dr. Howard Franklin Freeman and mother Sally Williamson Freeman. Dr. Howard F. Freeman received his medical degree from the University of Maryland in 1857 and worked as a physician in Wilson County, North Carolina. Dr. Freeman’s former office was relocated to Bailey in the 1960s where it stands today as part of the collection of artifacts at The Country Doctor Museum.

By 1900, the Freeman family lived on a farm with two African-American servants in the small community of Old Fields, located in western Wilson County. Malthus Freeman worked as a farm laborer along with his elder brother who was named after their father. The Freeman’s had at that time six surviving children, from eldest to youngest: Addie, Fannie, Howard F. (“Frank”), Malthus, Sallie, and Fanny. One additional child apparently died in childhood.

Malthus R. Freeman attended the public schools of Wilson County and graduated from Warrenton High School in 1907. Malthus then attended the agricultural department of North Carolina State College (present-day North Carolina State University) from 1908 to 1911. While in school, Malthus continued to live with his family in the small community of Dry Wells in Nash County.

Melvin Grover Joyner

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Melvin Grover Joyner born around 1887. Melvin Joyner served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Melvin Grover Joyner was born in Nashville, North Carolina on February 10, 1887 to his parents Henry Lawrence and Nancy Vester Joyner. Henry Joyner died in 1894 and his mother Nancy remarried John Eason that same year. By 1900, the Eason and Joyner combined families lived in the Stony Creek township in Nash County, N.C. John Eason, who was a farmer and mechanic, had six children (Robert, Lotty, Willis, Johnnie, and Bennette) from a previous marriage, and Nancy’s children while married to Henry Joyner included Charles, Melvin, Patrick, and Lula. The large family worked either as farmer laborers or in cotton mills.

On February 14, 1906 Melvin G. Joyner married Maggie Batchelor (also from Nash County) and by 1910, Melvin lived and worked as a farmer with his brother Charles in the Mannings township of Nash County.

Melvin G. Joyner registered for military service in 1917, at which time he claimed exemption from the draft because of “bad health.” However, Joyner was inducted into military service at Nashville, N.C. on March 21, 1918. Joyner trained and served as a private with the 156th Depot Brigade upon enlistment until July 25, 1918, when he was moved to Company G, 53rd Infantry.

Cicero Evans

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Cicero Evans born around 1884. Cicero Evans served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Cicero Evans was born on July 16, 1884 to a large African-American family in the Griffins township of Nash County, North Carolina. Cicero was the youngest son and one of ten children born to Robert and Ada Evans.

By 1900, the Evans family continued to live in Nash County where their father Robert Evans owned a farm. Cicero’s life until his enlistment remains a mystery, but, by the time of his draft registration on June 5, 1917, Cicero Evans resided in Nashville, N.C. and worked as a farmer.

Evans was inducted into military service on August 1, 1918, whereupon he went to Camp Green in Charlotte, N.C. for training with Company B, 344th Labor Battalion. Likely during his training at Camp Green, Cicero Evans received a promotion to Corporeal on September 13, 1918 and then shipped off to France at the end of the month. Evans left New York City aboard the troop transport ship Teucer on September 25, 1918.

While serving in the trenches of France, Evans received a second promotion to sergeant on November 30, 1918, and then left St. Nazaire, France on the U.S.S. Susquehanna on June 29, 1919.

John Henry Harper

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

John Henry Harper born around 1889. John Harper served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

John Henry Harper was born on February 21, 1889 in Nashville, North Carolina to his parents John C. and Susan Jane Mitchel Harper. John C. Harper was a veteran of the American Civil War and received a wound in his calf that disabled him from manual labor later in life. By 1900, John C. Harper served as a justice of the peace in Nashville.

At that time, John (or “Johnnie”) Henry Harper was the second youngest of five children in the Harper family: from eldest to youngest, Mary G., Hattie B., Bessie E., Johnnie H., and Judie B. By 1910, their mother Susan Harper died, leaving John C. Harper widowed as the head of household with four of his children still residing at home. John H. Harper and his sister Mary (often called “Ella”) supplemented their father’s income by serving as a salesman at a hardware store and as a dressmaker, respectively.

John H. Harper registered for military service on June 5, 1917 and was officially inducted at Nashville, N.C. on March 1, 1918, where he served in the 156th Depot Brigade. Harper briefly served in this unit until March 20, 1918, when he was absorbed into Depot Section, 1 Corps Artillery Park. Harper served in this unit when he shipped off to Europe on June 8, 1918.

Thomas Jefferson Ferrell

Submitted by: Jacob Parks Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

Thomas Jefferson Ferrell born around 1892. Thomas Ferrell served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Thomas (or just “Tom”) Jefferson Ferrell (1892-1955) was from a large family that resided near Bailey in Nash County, where their father John made a living as a farmer.

Thomas enlisted in military service on March 21, 1918 where he served in the 156th Depot Brigade before joining Company F, 119th Infantry.

Thomas Ferrell went aboard the troop transport ship Haverford on May 11th in Philadelphia and received severe wounds on September 29th while fighting in France. Returning to the states, Thomas boarded the ship Plattsburg in Brest, France on January 22, 1919. On the return voyage, Thomas was quarantined to a sick unit and then stationed at the Greenhut Building, Debarkation Hospital No. 3, in New York.

Seth Ferrell

Submitted by: Jacob Parks, Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum

no photo 300

Seth Ferrell born around 1892. Seth Ferrell served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1916 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Seth Ferrell (1893-1951) was from a large family that resided near Bailey in Nash County, where his father John made a living as a farmer.

Seth enlisted in military service on May 26, 1916 where he served in Company K, 2nd North Carolina National Guard Infantry and ultimately Company K, 119th Infantry.

Seth Ferrell served as corporal and sergeant in multiple engagements in Europe, including: Ypres, Belgium; Bellicourt Sector, Busigny, and Souplet, France. (Seth received his promotion to sergeant on November 16, 1918).

Seth Ferrell left St. Nazaire with his company on March 21, 1919 and returned home aboard the famous troop transport ship U.S.S. Huron (ID-1408).

Itimous T. Valentine

Submitted by: Jacob Parks {Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum}

no photo 300 Itimous T. Valentine born around 1887, Itimous Valentine served in World War 1 with the the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Itimous T. Valentine (1887-1970) attended Guilford College in Greensboro before he enlisted in the North Carolina National Guard on December 15, 1917.

Valentine served in the Headquarters Company of the 113th Field Artillery as a private first class until he received a promotion to corporeal.

After returning from the “Great War,” Valentine married Hazel Armstrong and took up residence once again in Nash County, where he served as a farmer and attorney.