PART II: ANSWERING THEIR NATION'S CALL

Those Who Served

The following are confirmed local veterans of the World War I era. All were either residents of Oil City at the time they served, or lived in the town later. Note where birth date, birthplace, and occupation/employer information appears, it is sourced (unless noted otherwise) from the respective person's draft registration as found at Ancestry.com, which can be accessed at the link directly below. However you must be a member to view. Burial information generally comes from findagrave.com, again unless noted otherwise.

George Washington Abbitt (1895-1963) Pvt., Company C, 116th Infantry, U. S. Army

Per the linked website: The 116th Infantry, formed as part of the 29th Infantry Division, and deployed  in World War I. Soldiers of the 116th Infantry spearheaded an attack in October 1918 during what was known as the Meuse Argonne Offensive. 

He returned stateside from Brest, France in May 1919 aboard the aptly named USS George Washington, an ocean liner pressed into service as a troop carrier, and assigned to the convalescent ward as bedridden - either wounded or perhaps sick, as influenza was epidemic and deadly at the time.

Years later, this story appeared in the "Stroller" column of the Shreveport Times:



Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA.


Lawrence Barrett Adams (1886- 1975) PFC, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 08-Dec-1886
Birthplace: West Plains, MO
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company


Interment: Mooringsport (LA) Memorial Gardens


W. H. "Bill" Anderson (189?-1969) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service not known

Per his obituary, he was a WWI veteran and member of the American Legion.


Shreveport Times 22-Oct-1969, Page 2-A

Interment: Forest Park West Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per obituary)


Sam Andrews (1893-1982) Corporal, Company B, 525th Engineering Service Battalion, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 07-Nov-1893
Birthplace: Ruston, LA
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152035_04614/30858876

In June 1918, he was reported to have been in town visiting friends, while on furlough from Camp Beauregard.


Shreveport Times 16-Jun-1918, Page 31

The following month, he embarked for Europe on the transport USS Martha Washington, as a member of the Company B, 525th Engineering Service Battalion, and holding the rank of corporal.



He returned to the area after the war, and appeared a resident of Caddo Parish Ward 2 (area including Oil City) in the 1920 U. S. Census with wife Emma.

By World War II, he had moved to Fairfield, Illinois where he passed away in 1982.

Interment: Maple Hill Cemetery, Fairfield, IL


Roy Alfred Bailey (1893-1958) PFC, Company A, 142nd Machine Gun Battalion

Birth Date: 20-Mar-1893
Birthplace: Hammond, LA
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Atlas Oil Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152078_05174?pid=30883258

Interment: Hennen Cemetery; Loranger, LA


Cornie L. Barber, Sr. (1891-1966) Private, Company D, 4th Battalion,U. S. Army

Birth Date: 27-Feb-1891
Birthplace: Van Alstyne, TX
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Producers Oil Company

Listed as a Caddo City resident.

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_03104/27467406

Interment: Desert Lawn Memorial Park; Yuma, AZ


Jess Bass (1892-1951) Private, 4th Battalion, U. S. Guards, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 06-Feb-1892
Birthplace: Mt. Vernon, TX

Rank and unit are per his military headstone application.

Private, 4th Battalion, U. S. Guards

Interment: Smyrna Cemetery; Winnsboro, TX


James Kelly Beene (1893-1973) Private, Company B, 161st Infantry, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 08-Jul-1893
Birthplace: Vivian, LA
Occupation/Employer: block setter in saw mill, Louisiana Lumber

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_03215?pid=27467517

Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA


Fred Everett Bennett (1896-1964) Corporal, Company C, 115th Supply Train, Quartermaster Corps, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 16-Nov-1894 (headstone states 1896)
Birthplace: Arroyo Grande, CA (near San Luis Obispo)
Occupation/Employer: blacksmith helper, Shell Oil Company of California


Returned from Europe on the USS Roanoke; then listed as a resident of Coalinga, CA.


Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA


 William Sandford Blackstock (1888-1962)  Private, Company A, 117th Ammunition Train, U.S. Army

 Birth Date: 10-Aug-1889 (headstone lists 1888)
Birthplace: Texas
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company

 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_03340?pid=27467642

 Returned from Brest, France on the USS Koningin der Nederlanden; identified as an OC resident. 

 Per obituary, was a retired oil field worker. Shreveport Times 14-Jan-1962, Page 7-C

 Interment: New Corinth Cemetery; Winn Parish, LA
Robert E. Lee Blagg (1896-1949) Private, 5th Infantry, 17th Division, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 26-Sep-1896
Birthplace: Arkansas



Oliver Owen Boyd (1896-1958) Private First Class, 28th Company, 165th Depot Brigade, U.S. Army


Shreveport Times 10-Dec-1951, Page 16

Served as Adjudant for Howard Fortson Post No. 138.

Rank and unit per military headstone application.

Interment: Gilmer (TX) Cemetery


Ira B. "I. B." Brown, Sr. (1891-1956) Private, Company A, 156th Infantry, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 23-Mar-1891
Birthplace: Texarkana, AR
Occupation/Employer: Rig & derrick builder, S. R. Zagst & Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_03673?pid=27467975

Obit: Shreveport Times 28-Feb-1956, Page 9-B

Interment: Munnerlyn Chapel Cemetery; Ida, LA


James Owen Brown (1895-1929) Private, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 13-Aug-1895
Birthplace: Branch, AR
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_03679?pid=27467981

He was transported board the RMS Carmania, a British ocean liner pressed into wartime service, and shown as a private with the 156th Infantry.


U. S. Army, Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939

He was later reported among the wounded, though slightly.


Arkansas Democrat 14-Dec-1918, Page 4

Application for membership in Cherokee tribe identifies Oil City as a former residence.

Interment: Carpenter Cemetery; Ozark, AR


A. D. Colter (1896-1978) Private, U. S. Army

Sailed from New Orleans aboard the USAT Kilpatrick. 

 Was a charter member of American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.

Interment: Resthaven Cemetery; Jacksonville, TX
Andrew Newell Cooper (1896-1968) Private First Class, Company D, 305 Medical Corps Battalion, U.S. Army

Later in life, Mr. Cooper was featured in a newspaper article about his one-time occupation as a "cooper" - builder of wooden barrels, kegs, and in this case, tanks for storing oil. .


Shreveport Times 10-Apr-1966 Page 7-D

Obit: Shreveport Times 26-Dec-1968, Page 11-A

Interment: Centuries Memorial Park; Shreveport, LA


Hershel W. Crafton (1899-1962) Served in WWII. Rank,unit not known.

Birth Date: 29-Apr-1899
Birthplace: McDonald, MO per WWII draft registration
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Uncle Tom Oil Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_04379?pid=27468672

Enlisted to serve in World War II.

Obit does not mention WWI service. Shreveport Times 13-Oct-1962, Page 7-B

Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per obit)


W. J. Craig (18??-19??) Rank, Unit, and Branch of Service unknown

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Lawrence Hulen Crittenden (1896 -1931) Private, 154th Depot Brigade, U.S. Army

Listed incorrectly as Srittenren, he returned from Europe on the RMS Adriatic. Apparently wounded, Lawrence was listed in evacuation hospital #31; transferred to transport surgeon. His mother was identified as Emma B. Holt of Oil City.

Lawrence Hulen Crittendon

He was accidentally shot and seriously wounded by Special Deputy Larry Hampton, who he was attempting to assist in a scuffle with described "showmen" at the Natchitoches Parish fairgrounds. Deputy Hampton was later cleared of any wrong-doing.

Interment: Red Rock Cemetery; Natchitoches Parish, LA. Mrs. Emma Blanche Clark Holt is also interred at that location.


Moses Everett Crockett (1891-1963) Sergeant, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 15-Mar-1891
Birthplace: Winamac, IN
Occupation/Employer: pipeline worker, Producers Oil Company


Interment: Los Angeles (CA) National Cemetery


Baylor Culpepper (1890-1982) Corporal, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 03-Nov-1890
Birthplace: Ruston, LA
Occupation/Employer: rig builder, S. R. Zagst Company


Served 21-Sep-1917 to 03-Jan-1919. Here is notice of his promotion to corporal.


Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune 08-Apr-1918, Page 14

Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per death notice in Shreveport Times 12-Jul-1982, Page 6-A)


Judge C. Daniels (1889-1975) Private, 156th Infantry, U.S. Army 

Birth Date: 13-Jun-1889
Birthplace: Delark, AR
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company

 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_04506?pid=27468794


Outgoing on RMS Carmania; listed as an OC resident.

Longtime Mooringsport, LA resident and one-time mayor; charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.

Obit: Shreveport Times 27-Jun-1975, Page 6-A

Interment: Mooringsport (LA) Memorial Gardens


Arthur William Dauphin (1897-1969) Private, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 01-Jan-1897
Birthplace: Campti, LA
Occupation/Employer: Jennings Cypress Tank Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_04533?pid=27468821

Interment: Garden of Memories Cemetery; Sweetwater, TX


Leon Dickerson (1896-19??) Rank, Unit unknown, U.S. Army

Mentioned home on furlough in newspaper social column.


Shreveport Times 25-Feb-1918, Page 9

Per 1900 U. S. Census, family was living in Mississippi.

Interment: Unknown


Holman Haynes Dillard (1893-1975) Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army

Grave marker states veteran of WWI, WWII, and Korea.

Charter member and adjutant, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

(Shown in 1941

Allen Davis Dixon (1882-1958) Corporal, U.S. Army

The following is Allen's account of his participation in the U.S. Army's Composite Regiment; comprised of crack troops, all of similar stature, used in parades; particularly those commemorating victory at the end of World War I.





The American Legion Monthly, Oct-1932, Pages 35-36

He returned from Brest, France in Sep-1919 on board the Leviathan. Per his WWI draft registration, he was then a resident of Dale, AL and a railroad section foreman.

Interment: Pea River Presbyterian Church Cemetery: Clio, AL


James Clarence Dorian (1890-1962) Corporal, Company M, 125th Infantry, U. S. Army
A 04-Jun-1912 newspaper social column identified Clarence (which he apparently went by) as "a popular young man in Oil City." Per his World War I Draft Registration completed in 1917, he was still a resident, identified as owner and operator of an oilfield supply company. A Shreveport native, his parents were James Charles and Ida (Bercher) Dorian.

Below, he was identified in June 1918 among a group of draftees that included several other Oil City men.


Times 05-Jun-1918, Page 1


Two months later, he had completed basic training and arrived in Europe.




The article below recaps a chance meeting with his brother Rudolph (whose middle initial was actually "P") while marching through a village.


Times 27-Oct-1918, Page 18



"The Reports Of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated." This popular quote attributed to Mark Twain (and a misquote of what he actually said) applied to Clarence, by then corporal, who had been listed among the missing in action. Happily, his family received letters dated subsequent to that notice, explaining he had spent 21 days on the front and had had to "look out for Clarence."




After the war, he returned from Europe on the U.S.S. Vermont.



Later in life he operated a plumbing company in Shreveport. He received little mention in the newspaper over the years, other than occasionally serving as pallbearer at funerals. In 1944, his business was one of several announcing they would no longer maintain normal Saturday operations. In 1952, he was among a group of local World War I veterans endorsing General Dwight D. Eisenhower for President of the United States.
wife dies in 1966

Clarence passed away in 1962, and his wife Edith (Lemons) followed him four years later.


Interment: Forest Park Cemetery (per military headstone application)


Marvin Walker Doughdrill (1899-1988) USN, World War I

Marvin attended the Oil City School in 1914-1915 and served in the U.S. Navy from 22-Jan-1917 to 03-May-1920.

Marvin W. Doughdrill, USN (1917)

Source: History of the Oil City, La. School (1910-1955), by Mrs. Maggie Smith Warren and Mrs. Willa McCord (1977)

Interment: College Station (TX) Cemetery


Raymond Willie East (1896-1968) Private, Company D, 29th Infantry

Birth Date: 12-Jun-1896
Birthplace: Crowley, LA

Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA


John David Estess, (1893-1918) Private, Caisson Company E, 7th Ammunition Train, U. S. Army

Residence: Westbrook, TX
Birth Date: 27-Jan-1893
Birthplace: Louisiana
Occupation/Employer: farm laborer, J. C. Kitchen

Source: Draft Registration

Private Estess was reported to have died of disease.



An Army passenger roster for the USS George Washington listed John as a Private in Caisson Company E of the 7th Ammunition Train. His last name, typed "Estes" had a second handwritten "s" added, and middle initial "G." changed to "D." His father was listed as M(adison). D. Estes(s) of Oil City, LA. His entry was struck through and written over was"B H (base hospital) Camp Merritt (NJ). Per wikipedia:

"In the fall of 1918 the influenza epidemic reached Camp Merritt and caused devastation."

Apparently he was determined well enough to proceed to Europe, but fell ill again.

Interment: Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial; Surrey, England


 R. A. Fitzgerald (18??-19??) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service Unknown

 Founding member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.
Interment: Unknown
Howard Leslie Fortson (1893-1918) Private, U.S. Army

Private Fortson served in the U.S. Army during World War I and was killed in action 21-Jul-1918 during the Battle of Soissons (France), in which more than 7,000 men died ore were or wounded. As a member of the 1st Expeditionary Force, he was involved in the four-day conflict, where allied American and French troops battled German forces from  the 18th to 22nd of July, that is considered a turning point in the war.

He was born in 1893 to to Elijah Marion and Carrie Gibson Fortson in Bethany, LA. Census records from 1900 and 1910 list him as living in rural Panola County, TX and Texarkana, TX respectively. At the time he registered for the draft (in Oil City), he was a resident of Lewis, a small community a few miles north, with occupation listed as "Tool Dresser" employed by Caddo Oil and Refining Company. 

Listed among casualties in newspapers around the country.
In 1921, his remains were returned stateside and buried at Mt. Zion Cemetery in DeBerry, TX; a few miles southwest of his birthplace.



His military grave marker was requested in 1934 by then Oil City High School Principal Roy Evans, himself a veteran, on behalf of the local American Legion Post No. 138, which had been named for the Private. In addition to his being honored by the post, Private Fortson's name is also recorded on a memorial to Texarkana's World War I dead located in Sheppard Park in that city, where his mother resided at the time.

American Legion Post No. 138 is named in his honor.

William David Gandy (1899-1985) Private, Quartermaster Corps, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 05-Aug-1899
Birthplace: Texas (per 1910 U. S. Census)
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Mogul Drilling Company

Actually served after the war had officially ended: Jun-1919 to Jun 1922

Sent to Siberia on board the U.S. S. Thomas as part of Presidio Replacement Detachment No. 3. (from Fort Mason- San Francisco)

Returned from Manila, Philippines on the Sherman; listed as Private in the Quartermaster Corps

Interment: Overton (TX) City Cemetery


Holland Durad Gayle (1897-1925) Seaman First Class, U. S. Navy

Birth Date: 03-May-1897
Birthplace: Corsicana, TX
Occupation/Employer: Western Oilfield Corporation

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_05376?pid=27469663

Prior to death was a resident at National Home for Disabled Soldiers; TN

Interment: Oakwood Cemetery; Corsicana, TX


Nick George (1892-1973)  Private, 11th Infantry Battalion. 

Charter member, and later post commander of American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.

Of Turkish descent, he was an immigrant from Syria. 

Interment: Orange Grove Cemetery; Lake Charles, LA


Charles Thomas Goodroe (1888-1947) Private, 301st Quartermaster Corps, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 07-Dec-1888
Birthplace: Tazewell, GA
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Higgins Oil & Fuel Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_05560?pid=27469847

Member of Railhead Supply Detachment.

Interment: Antioch Cemetery; Cass County, TX


Vassa Lee Green (1889-1952) Wagoner, 156th Infantry, 39th Division, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 31-Mar-1889
Birthplace: Minden, LA
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Producers Oil Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_05686?pid=27469973

Returned from Marseille, France on S. S. Pesaro

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61174/46920_3421606189_0158-00445?pid=7815752

Interment: Smackover (AR) Cemetery


Elza Blocker Guess (1890-1970) Private, U.S. Army

Birth Date:09-Nov-1890
Birthplace: Rockport, MS (per WWII draft registration)
Occupation, Employer: horse shoer (sic) and blacksmith, Pine Island Team Company


Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Interment: Lowe Cemetery; Wesson, MA


Tennie Leo Guillory (1895-1948) Sergeant, 303rd Military Police Company DCI, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 10-Aug-1895
Birthplace: Marksville, LA
Occupation, Employer: oil field worker, J. L. Buccoroat?

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152023_05740?pid=27470027

Enlisted in Colorado, with fellow OC resident Seth Warner Smith. Denver Rocky Mountain News 05-Dec-1917, Page 10

When shipping out on the S.S. Kroonland, he was listed as a private with the 28th Engineers. However, returning to America on board the S S Edellyn, he was a sergeant in the military police.

Interment: Greenwood Memorial Park; Pineville, LA


John Guthman (18??-19??) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service Unknown

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138


Vernon Leroy Hackler (1889-1950) Private First Class,  155th Infantry, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 04-May-1894
Birthplace: Natchez, MS

The 155th was a Mississippi National Guard unit stationed in Oil City during the oilfield strike of 1917.

PFC Hackler was transported to Europe in 1918 aboard the RMS Carmania.

Interment: Natchez (MS) City Cemetery


M. H. Haggard (18??-19??) 

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138


Leslie Hillman (1896-1949) Sergeant, 156th Infantry, 39th Division, U. S. Army

Sergeant Hillman is identified in the article below as being employed as a bank cashier in Oil City Bank prior to his U. S. Army enlistment.



A native of Leadville, CO; Leslie was the son of John Henry and Druzilla Hillman. His World War I draft registration lists him as an Oil City resident, but already a "student at training camp" at Fort Logan H. Roots in Arkansas. The Rocky Mountain News Article indicates he had been a cashier at the Oil City Bank and received further training at Camp Beauregard, near Pineville, LA and was assigned to the 156th Infantry Regiment, part of the 39th Infantry Division, He returned from overseas onboard the S.S. Madawaska.

Little could be found about Leslie after the war. In 1930, he  lived in Houston, TX with then wife Grace and infant son John. Per the 1940 U. S. Census he lived in St. Louis, MO; identified as divorced and with two children - John H. (now 11) and Marjorie (age 6); having resided in Memphis, TN five years earlier. His occupation is listed as "sales manager for bottling company." He apparently remarried as his next-of-kin listed on his WWII draft registration is a Nettie Hillman living at the same address.

After his death in 1949, his grave was approved for a military headstone that was apparently never delivered or installed, as per the cemetery (Memorial Park, St. Louis), he is currently interred in an unmarked grave.


Edgar Franklin Holland (1892-1960) Sergeant, Company B, 357th Infantry, 90th Division, U.S. Army

Birth Date:22-May-1892
Birthplace: Corsicana, TX
Occupation/Employer: assistant  construction foreman, Pioneer Telephone & Telegraph Company

Above per WWI draft registration, then living in Ada, OK

Outgoing to Europe: USS Delta

Marriage license application with Opal Brooks in 1919 lists him from Oil City, La; her from Ada, OK.



Henry D. Holliman (1897-1941) Served, unit and branch unknown

Birth Date: 03-Mar-1897
Birthplace: Sturgis, MS
Occupation/Employer: Gulf Refining Company of Louisiana

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_00570?pid=29889596

 Obit mentions he was a veteran: Shreveport Times 23-Nov-1941, Page 2

Interment: Vivian (LA) Cemetery


G. B. Hudson (18??-19??) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service Unknown

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Was affiliated (possibly owner) with the Dixie Mercantile Company in Oil City.

Interment: Unknown

Hosey Leverett Hughes (1890-1937) Corporal, Company F, 116th Engineers, U.S. Army

 On some documents, his first name appears as "Hocy" and "Hozey." "Hosey" is the spelling on hi military documents and gravestone. 

At time of draft registration, was a Mooringsport, LA resident.

Birth Date: 27-Oct-1890
Birthplace: Ravena, AR
Occupation/Employer: pipefitter, oil field, Gulf Production Company (working at Goose Creek, TX)


Departed the U.S. on the RMS Carmania, and returned on the battleship, USS Kansas. Listed as an Oil City resident on manifests.




J. F. Hughes (18??-19??) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service Unknown

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138


A. J. "Jeff" Hutson (1896-1947) Sergeant, Company F, 143rd Infantry, U.S. Army

 Highlights of a letter from Sergeant  A. J. "Jeff" Hutson (misspelled Huston) to his wife, Bessie, appearing in the Shreveport Times. The complete verbiage is also included below. Per a separate post card he advised the first ship on which he was to have sailed to Europe was hit by a German torpedo, but fortunately did not sink and returned to Nova Scotia where he waited three weeks. A second ship later took him and his unit safely across the Atlantic.

 As the letter starts his group is leaving Aldershot, Nova Scotia (whether first or second voyage is not known) and he quotes lines from Longfellow's "Evangeline." He mentions meeting a Canadian sergeant who had lost his entire family at a censored location. That turns out to be the result of the Halifax Explosion, caused by two ships (one laden with explosives) colliding, which brought about the death of two thousand people. He describes the effects of the blast still visible months later. It's mentioned they have been entertained by girls under the auspices of the YMCA, and have a piano and several good players on board, so the troops are of good cheer.

The message ends as follows: "Do not be uneasy about me. It seems from the papers we are about to win this war and I am only living now for the time when the victory is ours and I can come back to you. I am anxious to see you again. With all my love, Jeff."



Interment: New Church Cemetery; Apple Springs, TX


Charles Edward Jones (1892-1973) Private, Company A, 140th MG Battalion, U. S.. Army

Birth Date: 20-Jun-1892
Birthplace: Scranton, TX
Occupation/Employer: oil field driller, Louisiana Oil & Refining Company (LORELCO)

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_01219?pid=29890245

Interment: Roselawn Memorial Park; Alice, TX


Thomas Marvin Josey (1891-1954), Private, Gen Hospital 20, U.S. Army

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 06-Mar-1954, Page 5-A

Interment: Greenwood Cemetery; Shreveport, LA


Foster John Lafitte, Sr. (1895-1951) Private, 156th, U.S. Army

Prior to war, was store clerk in Keithville, LA.

Transported to Europe on board the U.S.S. Carmenia. 

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 04-Jun-1951, Page 8-A

Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per obit)

Eugene Spivey Lasseter (1890-1974) Private, 17th Construction Company Air Service, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 13-Jan-1890
Birthplace: Joaquin, TX
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company



Note a line was drawn through his entry and handwritten on the manifest is "AWL" that could mean "absent without leave." However there is also some unreadable reference to a test. He does have a military-issued gravestone, indicating he received an honorable discharge.




Bonnie Allison Lyle, Sr. (1896-1982) Rank, Unit Unknown, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 16-May-1896
Birth Place: Speierville, AR (per obit)
Occupation/Employer: farming, self-employed

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005150435_04563?pid=24865797

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 29-Apr-1982, Page 16-A

Interment: Centuries Memorial Park; Shreveport, LA (per obit)


Clarence J Marley (1898-1980) Private First Class, Battery B, 142nd Field Artillery, U.S. Army




Willie Mathew Marshall (1889-1964) Musician 3rd Class,  HQ Company 345th Infantry, U. S. Army

Willie was a trombonist in a military band, that was lead by Albert Luedtke, a former  German citizen who claimed to be former "chief trumpeter to the Kaiser." and was said to have been one of his favorites. He came to America and was accepted into the American military, and given charge of the band of the 345th Infantry, then training at Camp Pike, Arkansas. The article below describes a concert performed at Little Rock's Majestic Theater.



Birth Date: 15-Oct-1889
Birthplace: Curtis, AR
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Gulf Refining Company


On his World War II draft registration, he was a resident of Bell, CA (Los Angeles area) and his next-of-kin was mother Annie Marshall, living in Oil City. He died at Port Hueneme (part of California's oil producing area) in 1964. Note grave marker lists 348th infantry.

Interment: Joshua Memorial Park; Lancaster, CA


John Wesley Marshell (1887-1967) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service not known

Birth Date: 05-Nov-1887
Birthplace: Curtis, AR
Occupation/Employer: carpenter, Gulf Refining Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_02064?pid=29891090

Per Texas Death Certificate was WWI veteran.



Jesse James McBride (1896-1959) Private, Bakers & Cooks, SCH, OMC

Birth Date: 07-Jun-1896
Birthplace: Kosse, TX
Occupation/Employer: Pine Island Teaming Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_01823?pid=29890849

Interment: New Hope Cemetery; Mineola, TX


Joseph Laval McHugh (1888-1968) USA

Birth Date: 28-Jun-1988
Birthplace: Zachary, LA
Occupation/Employer: bookkeeper, Dr. R. W. McGlathery

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152079_04949?pid=28044912

Shown home on furlough in a newspaper social column.


Shreveport Times 17-Mar-1918, Page 4

McHugh served as Louisiana State Commissioner of Conservation from 1940 to 1948.


Shreveport Times 31-Dec-1941, Page 18

Obit: Shreveport Times 05-Sep-1968, Page 15-A.

Interment: Unspecified cemetery in Jennings, LA per obituary in Baton Rouge State Times 04-Sep-1968, Page 7-A


Claude McKinley (1888-1936) Private First Class, Company F, 114th Infantry, 29th Division, U.S. Army

Noted outgoing to France on board the USS Lanape.

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Interment: Overton (TX) City Cemetery


George Leslie McMichael (1892-1959) Private, 162nd Depot Brigade

Birth Date: 25-Apr-1892
Birthplace: Stephenville, TX

Above information from WWII draft registration




Roger Quincy Milford (1891-1971)  Private, Battery C, 341st Field Artillery, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 27-Sep-1891
Birthplace: Brookston, TX
Occupation/Employer: grocery clerk, Dixie Mercantile Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_02272?pid=29891298



Source: Ancestry.com contributor

Traveled to Europe on the USS President Grant; and later returned to the States on the USS Agamemnon.

Obit: Shreveport Times 28-Dec-1971, Page 4-A

Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per obit)


Moise Levy Miller (1896-1958) Served, unit and branch unknown

Birth Date: 21-Dec-1896
Birthplace: Norwood, LA

Interment: Greenoaks Memorial Park; Baton Rouge, LA


Clarence Middleton Mosley (1894-1956) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service Unknown

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Per obit, Foster J. Lafitte, Jr. (son of Foster Sr. listed above) was a pallbearer.  Shreveport Times 14-Oct-1956, Page 6-D

Interment: Forest Park East Cemetery; Shreveport, LA
Harry V. Muslow (1882-1926) Private First Class, Battery D, 49th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, U.S. Army

Per his 1907 U.S. Naturalization application, he was born in Delatich (sp?), Russia and was then living in Belcher, LA with the occupation of farmer.

Outgoing to Europe: Lutetia

Returned to U.S.: USS Matsonia


After the war, Harry returned to Europe to bring his mother and sisters to America.


1919 Passport application

He was killed in an automobile accident in 1926.



Shreveport Times 1926, 17-May-1926, Page 1

Of note, son six week-old Ike grew up to become Dr. Ike Muslow, medical doctor and Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

Interment:Agudath Akim Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per obituary)


Hyman Muslow (changed from Masloff) (1885-1960) served; rank/unit not known

Birth Date: 25-Aug-1885
Birthplace: Minsk, Russia (per naturalization application)
Occupation/Employer: store clerk, Pine Island Mercantile Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_02129?pid=29891155

Changed his last name to Muslow in 1925. Brother of Harry (see above) and Ike Muslow, prominent area oil man.

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Became a prominent area oil man. Obit mentions veteran of WWI and American Legion membership. Shreveport Times 28-Jan-1960, Page 9-A

Headstone lists birth year as 1889.

Interment: Agudath Achim Cemetery; Shreveport, LA


Eugene Newton (1894-1977) Private, Company A, 27th Engineering Battalion, U. S. Army,

Purple Heart recipient.


Private Eugene Newton
"Pvt Eugene Newton enlisted in 1918 before he became a painful dentist. His enlistment papers list his occupation as "oil well driller", but really he was an Oil City baseball player! Wounded Sep 26, 1918 in the Argonne offensive; received the Purple Heart when they were first issued in 1932-33. Grumpy ever thereafter."

Source: Ron Newton (grandson), with humorous adjectives retained as quoted. (smile)

Charter member and Service Officer for American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.

Obit: Shreveport Times 16-Oct-1977, Page 14-A

Interment: City Cemetery; Fayette, AL (per obituary)



Alvin Chapel Norman (1899-1984) Rank, Unit Unknown, U. S. AArmy

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 17-Dec-1984, Page 8-A

Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA


 W. A. Osburn  (18??-19??)

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138


 Frank Peters (18??-19??)

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138


Grover C. Phillips (1887-1968) Corporal, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 18-Jan-1887
Birthplace: Glenmora, LA
Occupation/Employer: oil tank builder, Jennings Cypress Tank Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_03005?pid=29892031




Hugh Pierce (1890-1953) Corporal, Battery C, 140th Field Artillery, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 24-Aug-1890
Birthplace: Redwater, TX
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Louisiana Oil & Refining Company (LORELCO)


Interment: Rose Hill Cemetery; Chickasha, OK


Isaac Henderson "Henry" Pitts (1888-1959) Sergeant, Unit Unknown, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 15-Jun-1888
Birthplace: Roseville, AR
Occupation/Employer:Louisiana Oil & Refining Company (LORELCO)

Identified as a sergeant when reported home on furlough in the Shreveport Times. See Joseph L. McHugh profile above.

 Obit: Shreveport Times 30-Dec-1959, Page 2-A

Interment: Greenwood Cemetery; Shreveport, LA 
Samuel Edgar Pitts (1894-1971) Rank, Unit Unknown, U.S. Army

Birth Date:18-Aug-1894
Birthplace: Roseville, AR

Above per WWII draft registration.

Brother of Henry and a resident of Oil City per his mother's 1937 obituary.




Obituary: Shreveport Times 15-Dec-1971, Page 25-A

 Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per obit)


Guy Roy Powell (1896-1975) Private, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 18-Oct-1896
Birthplace: Hope, AR

Interment: Denison Cemetery; Idabel, OK


John C. Robin (1897-1974) Private, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 05-Mar-1897
Birthplace: Lafayette, LA

Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA


Dick Robison (1895-1966) Rank, Unit Unknown, U. S. Army
Dick Robison in Army training
camp, 1918

Source: Ron Newton, grandson

Later in life, Dick served as Commander of Howard Fortson Post No. 138 of the American Legion.

Obit: Shreveport Times 20-Mar-1966, Page 10-A

Interment: Chapelwood Memorial Gardens; Vivian, LA



Milton Keith Scogin ( 1898-1962) Private, Unassigned, U.S. Army

Per military headstone application, enlisted approximately one month prior to the war's end and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter.

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger 21-Mar-1962, Page 12

Interment: Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery; Monroe, LA


John Wesley Smith (1894-1953) Corporal, Company C, 2nd Supply Train, 2nd Division, U.S. Army

Rank and unit are per military headstone application.

Charter member and Adjudant , American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 08-Aug-1953, Page 5-A

Interment: Centuries Memorial Park; Shreveport, LA


Seth Warner Smith (1895-1980) Private, Company L, 23rd Engineers, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 25-Sep-1895
Birthplace: Paris, AR
Occupation/Employer: warehouseman, Caddo Refining Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152080_01027?pid=30885124

Enlisted in Colorado, with fellow OC resident Tennie Guillory (see above). Denver Rocky Mountain News 05-Dec-1917, Page 10

Returned to the States on the USS George Washington

Seth Warner Smith in 1963
Source: Ancestry.com contributor

Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Park; Glendale, CA


William Daingerfield Smith (1893-1977) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service Unknown

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 07-Jul-1977, Page 10-A

Interment: Forest Lawn East Cemetery; Shreveport, LA


Homer Page Stephens (1889-1975) U. S. Army, other details of service not known

Birth Date: 10-Apr-1889
Birthplace: Ida, LA
Occupation/Employer: oil driller, C? H? Oil & Gas Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_04254?pid=29893280

Per findagrave.com, served in U.S. Army in WWI.

Interment: Hilcrest Cemetery; Texarkana, TX


Keete Bell Stothart (1892-1972) 

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Obit: Shreveport Times 11-Jun-1972, Page 5-A

Interment: Springville Cemetery; Coushatta, LA


Malcolm Lee Tabor (1896-1975) Rank, Unit, Branch of Service (presumably U.S. Army) Unknown

Birth Date: 11-Nov-1896
Birthplace: Lincoln Parish, LA

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152041_00289?pid=27965764

Charter member and Post Commander of American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.
Obituary Photo

Obit: Shreveport Times 07-Jun-1975 Page 4-A 

Interment: Antioch Cemetery; Lincoln Parish, LA


Arthur Talley (1896-1989) Rank, unit unknown, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 04-Nov-1896
Birthplace: Allendale, IL

Interment: Unknown


Henry Trenton Tanner (1886-1967) Private, 11th Provisional Company, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 20-Feb-1886
Birthplace: Cass County, TX


John Guy Tipton (1897-1971) Private, Company M, 29th Infantry

Birth Date: 10-Apr-1897
Birthplace: Randolph, AR
Occupation/Employer: James H. Askew

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_04753?pid=2989377

Grave marker lists birth year as 1896.

Interment: Hope Cemetery; Imboden, AR


Alpheus Turley (1896-1945) Private, Spec. 6 Medical Department, U.S. Army

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

Rank and unit are per military headstone application.

Interment: Arlington Cemetery; Homer, LA


Jesse Elton Turner (1893-1941) Private, Company A, Quartermaster Corps

Birth Date: 10-Dec-1893
Birthplace:  Lonoke, AR
Occupation/Employer: meat cutter, oil company store

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_04832?pid=29893858

Interment: Live Oak Memorial Park; Monrovia, CA


Charley Valdetero (1890-1948) Sergeant-Major, ASC (Army Service Corps) Infantry, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 12-Mar-1890
Birthplace: Jennings, LA
Occupation/Employer: Gulf Refining Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_04870?pid=29893896


Rank, unit, and place of interment per military headstone application,

Interment: Highland Cemetery; Mansfield, LA (per headstone application)


Robert Griffin Vaughn (1895-1981), Private First Class, U.S. Army

Robert was a native of Lodi, TX and resident of Linden in that state prior to the war. 

He returned from Bordeaux, France to Camp Dix, NJ on board the USS Iowan and assigned to Base Hospital #104, possibly wounded or ill.

By the time of his World War II draft registration, he and wife Pauline were Oil City residents. Per Social Security records, he passed away there in Dec-1981.

Interment: Unknown


Conrad Gray Vaught (1895-1974) Veteran, but specifics are not known

Birth Date: 04-Feb-1895
Birthplace: Ollie, LA
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Producers Oil Company

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_04891?pid=2989391

Obit mentions he died at Veterans Administration hospital in Shreveport.

 Shreveport Times 03-Mar-1974, Page 14-A

Interment: Unknown


Earl T. Ward (1890-19??) Rank, Unit Unknown, U.S. Army

 One of three sons of prominent local oil man Thomas Ward to serve. Earl's family was originally from Pennsylvania and came to Oil City by way of Humble, Texas. 

Shown below enlisting in the aviation section of the signal corps.



The article below mentions the involvement of  Earl's father, Thomas Ward, in an Oklahoma oil venture.



A draft registration for an E. T. Ward lists him living in Vivian and working in Oil City. The 1933 Shreveport city directory shows an E. T. Ward, oil operator, living on Rutherford Avenue. He is later listed in the 1940 census as living in Alabama with brother Silas and Silas's wife Lydia, having the occupation of farmer. His subsequent whereabouts are unknown.


 Silas Borden Ward (1893-1941) Private First Class, 1103rd Aero Squadron, Air Service, U.S. Army

 Birth Date: 16-Sep-1893 (gravestone lists birth year as 1895)
Birthplace: Williamsport, PA
Occupation/Employer:
Source: WWI Draft registration

Departed the U.S. on the S.S. Northland; listed as Private Second Class, 16th Aero Squadron

Returned on U.S.S. Huntington

Death: 26-Jul-1941

Interment: Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery; Magnolia Springs, AL


William Jennings Bryan Ward (1896-1937) Private, Company B, 57th Engineers

 The son of prominent oil man, Thomas Ward, and younger brother of Earl. Prior to enlisting, Bryan (as he was known) had been a law student at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Georgetown University Catalog (1916-1918), Page 199

 He  traveled to Europe on the USS Mongolia.

The following are details of Bryan's life attached to his profile posted on Ancestry.com:

Bryan was born in 1896, the first of the three elections in which William Jennings Bryan was the Democratic Party nominee for President. The doctor who delivered Bryan was a Republican so Bryan's father, Tom Ward, a Democrat, named his son for the candidate for president, partly to annoy the doctor. In any event, Bryan was by far the best of the Ward boys. Silas and Earl were oil field roustabouts like their father. 

Bryan might have gone that route also but instead he came to Washington and roomed with my parents during World War I. I think that he worked in the Indian Affairs Agency before joining the Army. He, Lester Ade and Leon Groshong, Aunt Katie's husband had all be in service. In 1936 when we were in Shreveport for Christmas. Bryan and Leon talked about their war experiences. Leon was still somewhat unhappy about it but for Bryan it was a great adventure. 

After the war he worked for Humble Oil Company in management. Humble was eventually bought by Standard Oil. Bryan's health began to decline in the 1930s so he went to the Mayo Clinic. He was in kidney failure - also called Bright's Disease or glomerulonephritis. Dad always blamed his kidney failure on his riding around on the bumpy roads of the oil fields but I think it was an unrecognized acute nephritis phase that preceded the eventual failure. At Christmas in 1936 he seemed as well as anyone but when we returned for another Christmas in 1937 he was bedridden - but still cheerful. His wife, Itasca, had had a bad life. Her father had murdered her mother and then fled to central America to avoid trial. He never returned. Itasca was definitely not anybody's favorite - except Bryans. She had been born in Oklahoma. and had some Indian blood in her inheritance. In the 1930 census Itasca's 13 year old daughter, Blanche Kinney, was also in the home. Charles tells me that when we were in Houston to see Bryan over Christmas that he double dated with Blanche and her flamboyant boy friend. Charles date was provided by Blanche.  


His death certificate states he died from atheroscsclerosis brought on by pyonephrosis (kidney infection).

Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Houston, TX


Charles G. Warren (1894-1947) Private, Company D, 161st Infantry, 41st Division

Birth Date: 19-Jan-1894
Birthplace: Joppa, AL
Occupation/Employer: oil field worker, Producers Oil Company


Rank and unit are per headstone application.

Interment: Arlington Cemetery; Homer, LA


Henry Heard Warren (1892-1952), Corporal, Medical Corps, U.S. Army
Henry Heard Warren, circa 1940

Local druggist; husband of Maggie Smith Warren, former Oil City school teacher and long-time resident. Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138.

Rank and unit are per military headstone application.

Obit: Shreveport Times 17-Sep-1952, Page 17-A

Interment: Forest Park Cemetery; Shreveport, LA (per headstone application)


Joseph Presley Watson (1897-1961) Rank, Unit Unknown, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 03-Jan-1897
Birthplace: Lonoke, AR
Occupation/Employer: not given, Pelican Mercantile Company


An October 1918 social column mentions his father visiting Joe, who is sick (influenza perhaps?) while stationed at Camp Beauregard, near Pineville, LA.


Due to timing, he may have missed overseas service, as the armistice was signed a few weeks later (11-Nov-1918).

The family eventually moved to Rusk County, Texas where his sons Joe, Jr. and Wellington (Bud) would later be among the survivors of the tragic New London school explosion.



Harry Bidwell Westall (1892-1978) Petty Officer First Class, U. S. Navy

Below he was noted writing to friends in Oil City.



Earlier, while living in Oil City, he had participated on the local athletic club basketball team. He was noted playing forward and being leading scorer in a win against Shreveport High School. Other opponents noted against whom he played were Centenary College and the Shreveport Athletic Club.

After the war, he moved to Homer, LA and was active in the American Legion; becoming post commander there.


Elmer Leonard Whitt (1894-1975) Pvt, U.S. Army

Birth Date: 22-Sep-1894
Birthplace: Arkansas

Interment: Centuries Memorial Park; Shreveport, LA


Ernest Williams (~1889-1919), Private, U. S. Army

Died in service 25-Jan-1919.

Per the 1910 U. S. Census, he was single, a resident of Ward 2, Caddo Parish (southwest half), a boarder with John and Docie Wright, and laborer in the oil section.



Read about other black fallen soldiers from the area of World War I in Forgotten Heroes (No Longer).


Jeff Francis Wilson (1893-1960) Private First Class, Company C. 115th Field Signal Battalion, U. S. Army

Birth Date: 20-Oct-1893 (headstone states 28-Oct)
Birthplace: Vaiden, MS
Occupation/Employer: oil tank gauger,  Louisiana Oil & Refining Company (LORELCO)

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6482/005152024_05567?pid=29894593

Returned from Brest, France on board the U.S.S. Seattle.

Interment: Gladewater (TX) Memorial Park

 Jennings B. Wilson (????-1918), Private, 39th Infantry, U.S. Army
Sailed from New York to Europe on the SS Nevasa, originally with the 156th Infantry out of Fort Beauregard.

 Private Wilson was killed-in-action 13-Oct-1918.

Source: New Orleans States 02-Jan-1919 Page 3
He belonged to the 39th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Fighting Falcons”, which was part of the 4th Infantry Division. At the time of his death, it was involved in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive  also known as the “Battle of the Argonne Forest”. Linked is a history of the 4th Infantry Division that includes a description of activities of the 39th on the day Private Wilson was killed.

Interment: Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery; Romagne, France
Andrew Jackson Wise (1883-1953) Battery E, 75th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, U.S. Army

 Returned to U.S. on board the USS Siboney. Manifest notes he was transferred to base hospital, Camp Merritt, NJ.

Rank, unit per military headstone application.

Obit: Shreveport Times 13-Dec-1953, Page 8-C


Interment: Vivian (LA) Cemetery

Homer Thomas Woods (1893-1945) Private, 161st Infantry, 41st Division, U.S.Army

Birth Date: 30-Oct-1893
Birthplace: Indianapolis, IN
Occupation: oil well pumper, Louisiana Oil & Refining Company (LORELCO)


Returned from Europe on USS Roanoke.

Interment: Vivian (LA) Cemetery


W. B. Wray (18??-19??)

Charter member, American Legion Howard Fortson Post No. 138

 Interment: Unknown


Edward Vincent Zagst (1890-1964) Private, Company A, 114th Military Police, 39th Division, U.S. Army 

Birth Date: 27-Mar-1890
Birthplace: Fisher, PA
Occupation/Employer: rig & derrick builder, S. R. Zagst Company

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