Frankie Meyer: Letters detail World War I experience

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August 15, 2010

By Frankie Meyer Globe Columnist The Joplin Globe Sun Aug 15, 2010, 08:43 AM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo. — Has your family saved an old journal or a set of old letters that an ancestor, friend or relative wrote?

The Daugherty family of Neosho had the foresight to save letters that were written by William Arthur Daugherty to his mother, sister and a friend during World War I. Eventually, the letters were donated to the Newton County Museum and were placed in a file.

Fortunately, the director of the museum, Wes Franklin, noticed the set of 23 letters and realized their significance.

Last week, Franklin discussed the letters with the Joplin Genealogy Society at the group’s monthly meeting. Franklin said that William was single and 23 years old at the time he wrote the letters. Before he entered the war, he had been enrolled in college to become a lawyer.

His letters began when he was sent to Camp Jackson in South Carolina, and they continued after he was stationed in France. He wrote a letter about every three days, and his mother received them every three or four weeks. Several of the letters were written by the light of a coal fire or a candle.

The letters do not contain many details about the war. Instead, they tell of the young man’s life as he trains and waits for his time in battle.

To his dismay, the place where he was sent in France was not near the Front. The young doughboy’s time was spent taking classes and walking about the town and area towns as he learned the French language and tried to practice it with the local people.

He described one of his trips to a town where families grew grapes and produced wine. After the grapes were poured into large tubs, men and women jumped in and stomped the grapes with their feet.

In another letter, William mentioned that he received a postcard from Bill Duggen, a pilot from Neosho. A few weeks later, William wrote that he heard that Duggen was missing, and his family feared he was dead.

William assured his mother that Duggen was probably alive and had been taken prisoner. Indeed that was the case: During a flight, Duggen’s plane had been attacked, and several bullets tore through the plane, striking the pilot in the side.

His belt was almost shot in half. Duggen survived the attack and became a prisoner of war. The uniform, which has the bullet holes and shredded belt, are on display at the Neosho museum.

When the war ended, William had still not been sent into battle, and he much regretted that he had not been able to do his part in the war effort. He told his mother that he had requested a leave so that he travel to the Western Front and see where so many men were killed.

As part of the trip, he planned to stop by Paris. After the war, William moved to Tulsa and started a law practice. He married and had three daughters, and died in 1954.

If your family has similar documents, I urge you to contact your local genealogy society, historical society or museum. If your family wants to kept the documents, the information can be scanned so that future generations will have access to the unique material.

Upcoming activities of the Joplin Genealogy Society: The group will hold a rummage sale at the genealogy center from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 21 at 306 S. Wall Ave. Donations can be brought to the center between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.

The society will take a bus trip to the Midwest Genealogy Library in Independence, Mo on Monday, Oct. 4. The cost of $35 needs to be paid by Sept. 25. For more information, stop by the Joplin Genealogy Society or call the society at 417-624-3215.

Suggestions or queries? Send to Frankie Meyer, P.O. Box 731, Joplin, Mo. 64801, or contact: frankiemeyer@yahoo.com.

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Frankie Meyer: Letters detail World War I experience

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

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