This weekend I took a trip back to Pennsylvania with my mom to see my Grandpa. He's 94, and in a nursing home with severe dementia. With work, family, and the fact that it's over 9 hours away, I don't get to go out there as much as I'd like to...but my mom was heading out this weekend, and I decided to drive out and go with her.

On the way home we were talking about family, and a story came up that really intrigued me. My grandma, who died about 5 years ago, was engaged to a different guy before she met and married my grandpa. This other man was her high school sweetheart, but he went off to WWII and was KIA. The only information I have on him is the following:

- He was from Johnstown, PA (Cambria County, or possibly Somerset County)
- He was a member of the Christian Missionary Alliance denomination
- He served as a Medic (possibly a conscientious objector)
- They believe he served in the ETO
- They believe he was killed by a mine

Unfortunately, nobody in the family really knows any more about him than the above, and I didn't learn this story until after my Grandma passed, so I never had an opportunity to ask her about him.

I've always been fascinated with the history of WW2, and combined with the family connection, I'd really like to learn more about this man, but I'm striking out on finding anything. I've found casualty lists posted online, but without a name, they're not really useful. I'm not even sure where to start looking.

I know there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here at sigforum...does anybody have any expertise or ideas that would help guide me down the right track?

Very interesting story. I think this will be a real challenge but if there is anyone around that will be able to solve this mystery they're likely a member of this forum. I'm afraid one added degree of difficulty will be the fact that a large warehouse which stored a considerable number of WW2 personnel files was destroyed by fire creating some large holes in service records of that era.

Bet Johnstown has a WWII memorial, VFW, and American Legion. Odds are the man's name can be found that way. The Christian Missionary group
http://www.cmalliance.org/ Would also be a place to start.
I'd call the VFW and American Legion first.

I live in Johnstown (was raised in Somerset County!). We do have very active veteran's organizations. I think there's a list of all killed in each war either at the county courthouse (Ebensburg, PA) or in a room at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena. If I can help, hit me up at rover88@atlanticbb/net.

I'm not a vet, but know a number of them, plus, I know a lot of old people around here.

If he was her high school sweetheart, find the high school yearbooks for around that time. Is the school still there? Maybe in a local library or archive. There's an extremely high likelihood that he was in her grade or one year above her, two years tops. That should narrow it down a lot.

While some might frown on this Facebook might be a good place to look.Search for a group from the high school (Friends of *** High School or *** High School Alumni ect ) And post an inquiry.

Any family letters left? In a Closet or Attic? She might have saved such things as precious memories at the time. When he didn’t come home she might have just put them away.

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:
Very interesting story. I think this will be a real challenge but if there is anyone around that will be able to solve this mystery they're likely a member of this forum. I'm afraid one added degree of difficulty will be the fact that a large warehouse which stored a considerable number of WW2 personnel files was destroyed by fire creating some large holes in service records of that era.

Yep got a copy of my Dad's DD-2 I think it's called, And you could see the fire had singed the whole perimeter of the page .

The standard procedure in genealogy is to go from what you do know to what you don't know.
The first part you have is what you were told. My experience with this type of information is that it is somewhat accurate. It's a start.

From there, my thought would be to go through what's left of your grandmother's things. She may have yearbooks, class pictures, letters, scrapbooks, etc. Yearbooks are more helpful, class pictures less so, but only because he may not have been in her class. A small detail might end up being your big clue, so look carefully.

Your second step will probably be a trip to Cambria county. You most likely have your grandma's date of birth, so you can approximate her high school graduation year.
I checked out the Cambria County Historical Society for you, (615 N Center St, Ebensburg, PA 15931 Phone (814) 472-6674). They do have yearbooks there (as per their Library Index pdf), as well as a bit of WWII military info. A trip there is probably cheaper, however a paid researcher is usually available. A call over there would probably tell you exactly which yearbooks are there.

Once you find your grandmother in the yearbooks, you can list all the guys before, during and after her graduation year. You can compare that list to the Johnstown WWII Honor Roll (http://www.camgenpa.com/military/HR/HR.html) or other WWII information in the Library.

Another spot to look is the National Archives.
Check out https://www.archives.gov/resea...es/pennsylvania.html.
That's a list of KIA/MIA from WW2 and two pages from Cambria County.

I believe your issue is finding out specifically who he is. If he's not listed in your grandmother's things, going to the Cambria County Historical Society with the information you have and researching their obituary collection to find a match might be your best bet.

It can be a lot of work, but it is rewarding when you get a hit. Good luck.

Thanks guys. The next time I'm out in PA, it sounds like a trip to the historical society is in order.

All good suggestions.
As a side story when we were in Nova Scotia a couple of months ago our DIL mentioned that her father's side of the family came from a small town there but she didn't know much more than that.
We decided to find the local historical society and proceded to spend several hours with a very nice lady who went out of her way to help us track down her relatives.
Long answer short we actually were able to get a map that showed all the families of the time that were there and where they lived...It will be her Christmas present as she is a satellite specialist working for SF groups and loves old maps.

I'll share an an interesting genealogical story with you. It's in my family. I found out this information from my father, who told me long after all the relevant players were gone.
It involves my great-uncle (by marriage). He supposedly had a child with his sister. The boy went to WWII and was killed in action. Dad didn't know any further information.
I have done some research on this man...but I haven't found any evidence...yet.

Search your Grandmother on Newspapers.com.

Lots of local papers reported on engagements.