54 Years Ago

Wow, didn’t realize it was that long ago, but on 22 January 1968, the USCGC Halfmoon (WHEC-378) returned home from that “other ocean”, on a patrol guarding what coast.

The traditional “Naval” Welcome Home was in order. What I didn’t realize at the time, what that tradition would mean to me, and I think others on the Halfmoon would feel years later.

Others who served in Vietnam didn’t have that welcome home.

As usual, about a day out from home port, I would call my folks and tell them when I would arrive back to Staten Island (SINY). They were there (I haven’t scanned those pictures yet, but I have them) waiting for the old ‘rust bucket’ to come under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to arrive at Base St. George.

We had left there on April 1st 1967 on “an extended patrol”, that was announced about 17 days earlier. Being “at sea” for months, we didn’t realize what was going on, on the other side of the world. But, we knew something was going on, because a month or so earlier, we had returned from GITMO, where we had played our normal games with the U.S. Navy. We had a bunch of engineers come aboard and had Air Conditioning installed is several spaces on the Ship. That was weird, but in GITMO, we had issues keeping our electronic equipment running in the heat.

We departed SINY, caught up with 2 other Coast Guard Cutters and when to the Panama Canal and on to Hawaii arriving at Pearl Harbor on 24 April 1967 to meet 2 more Cutters, take on ammunition. The 5 Cutters would then proceed to the Philippines.

10 May 1967, the USCGC Barateria (WHEC-381), USCGC Bering Strait (WHEC-382), USCGC Gresham (WHEC-387), USCGC Halfmoon (WHEC-378), and USCGC Yakutat (WHEC-380), became the Coast Guard Squadron Three, to join the U.S. Navy in Operation Market Time. We had become part of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet.

Two things we did frequently was to to UNREP, or “UNderway REPlenishment” or Replenishment at Sea, where we would take on Ammo, Food, Supplies, Movies, and Mail.

We would share our goodies with smaller Coast Guard Cutters, and Navy Swift Boats. We could go to “deeper” water to meet the Navy and closer to shore for the smaller boats. I recall the Movies were the almost as important as the mail.

So, 54 years ago today, we returned to SINY to our family and friends. Our “battle” records report:

During her tour, Half Moon conducted nine naval gunfire missions along the coast of South Vietnam in support of forces ashore. On 12 September 1967 she was ordered to fire on a Viet Cong (VC) build-up in An Xugen Province; her gunfire killed at least one VC soldier and destroyed three fortifications on that occasion. During her tour, she was credited with killing at least 13 VC soldiers, destroying 64 military emplacements and structures, and sinking four sampans. Half Moon also served as a home base for 50-foot (15.25 m) U.S. Navy Patrol Craft Fast and participated in search and rescue operations.

Half Moon concluded her Vietnam War tour on 29 December 1967.

As an aside note, My recruiter and his two brothers, were shipmates.

We would learn later that another of our shipmates would return to Vietnam and be killed there. I am sorry I didn’t get his full name in the photo, Morris S Beeson (I think on Panel W28)

Bravo Zulu to my Shipmates and “Fair Winds and Following Seas” to those who are no longer with us. Rest in Peace.

Welcome home, 54 years ago.

Mystery Present

DearMYRTLE posted a “Sneak Peek!” for what is coming in 2021, about an “Old Travel Trunk”. My daughter Carrie, also has one of those, that she shared with The Archive Lady on a WACKY Wednesday (Collaboration Case Study (the old trunk).

Myrt’s Travel trunk and Carrie’s Travel trunk. We’ll she where Myrt goes with her’s in 2021.

There is a theme here, I think, looking into Old Things that may contain a mystery. Well, Carrie did it again for my Christmas Present in 2020.

This is a piece of furniture that sat on my parents side porch for years. When we had to downsize and move my parents to an Adult Care Center, Carrie took this piece and put it into her garage. What would have been 15 to 20 years ago.

Recently, Carrie and Patrick had a need for it, so the took it outside to clean it up, which included making a couple of small 4 legged friends homeless.

My mother always have”drawer” lining paper in everything. That was a given. In the bottom drawer, in this piece was lined as expected. BUT, under that lining was a couple of sheets of News Paper. Weird, but interesting. Below that was a tan folded piece of paper, 14” x 20”.

All it had in the lower left corner was Worthington. Inside were several “mechanical arts” drawings. Several from 1913, and several from 1933. The 1913 drawings were that of my Grandfather, 1933 drawings from my father.

My grandfather graduated from Penn State in 1913, and one of his drawings has a seal from Penn State. I am guessing that my dad’s were from Westtown Quaker Boarding School.

Landscape Gardening No.1
Sheet 1 Conventional Lines
H R Worthington  Feb 11, ‘13

Carrie had one item framed for Jennie, of my grandfather’s and she he one of my Dad’s drawings framed for me.

Now, Carrie had scanned them for me, but I guess I didn’t take enough time to figure out what she had scanned. (remember to Look at what you already have. I keep forgetting that).

The Mystery for me, is the history of that piece of furniture. At the moment, I can only remember that it was on my parents porch. I will have to go back and look at some old photo’s to see if I can find out where it was before the porch was added to the house in the 60’s.

Lesson Learned: Don’t be in a rush to just through something out. There may be a story or two, that go with those to Travel Trunks, or that piece of furniture that contain a story. Our ancestors protected those stories with what they had and normally used. Drawer Liners, Newspaper, laid out flat, bo be found a 100 years later.

Cell Phone Scanning Stand

I have a new book, where there are a couple of pages I want to digitize as an image. I don’t want to use my flat bed scanner and my big book scanner is being used on another scanning project.

In my Genealogy Tool Kits is a “phone scanning stand” that I have had, but not a reason to put it to good use. So, I thought I would try it. It worked so well, for what I wanted to do, that I thought I would share it with you.

Fopydo

This is a “plastic” covered cardboard stand that holds a Cell Phone over an item to be photographed. The yellow part, is what holds the cell phone at the top, and is the Stand. The blue part has the instructions. I am not showing it’s use, yet, as my project was to take photos of a couple of pages from the book.

Looking down from above the cell phone, down to the book.

Cell Phone and Book

Another View of the Cell Phone and the Light. The blue piece is in the picture to “hide” the table cloth.

Another View of the Light, Camera and Book

Below is the stand without the Cell Phone

Here is the page being photographed. I am still not happy with the quality, but I know how to fix it. It looked good on the Cell Phone, but not as good as I would like for my purposes.

Here is a link to the Fopydo Stand. http://www.fopydo.com/

I am not associated with the company nor product. Also, they show other Configurations of the product.

Are these numbers important?

I have been doing a bit of research on a non-relative, who is buried at a cemetery in the area of the Monocacy Battlefield. This cemetery is on my list of places to visit in the near future, hopefully in the spring.

The Question that I am trying to answer is: What is his military service ?

It starts with a World War I Draft Registration Card:

“World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918”, digital image, The National Archives (www.ancestry.com ; accessed 16 December 2019), registration card [a] for William Joseph Rogers, Form 1 1872 (stamped), no. 1032 (stamped)Washington, D.C.: citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, National Archives microfilm publication M1509, imaged from Family History Library film roll 1643517.

Searching in the “normal” records, the information on this card is consistent with those records. He lived his life in Washington, DC.

Two things about this card that caught my attentions. 1) the number of Stamped numbers, in the upper Left and Right, and the Back, and a stamped number in the lower Left. 2) the notation of 6 years in the Militia of Washington DC.

The 1872, in the upper left, is a Serial Number, assigned at registration and a Registration Number, 1032, in the upper right. Those were expected. The number of the back of the card, 8-1-6 A, is also expected.

There is a stamped #9 to the right of the word Card, and I think that is the Precinct Number from the back of the card.

But, in the Name Field (1), there are two numbers. IF I understand correctly, that 258 that is not crossed out, was the First Number drawn in this Registration. Is that important ? And there is 2594 crossed out under the word Registration. Is that Important?

Also, in the lower Left is 2596, which is 2 off from the crossed out number at the top, and it is also a Stamped Number. Is that important?

The question is about #11, What military service have you had?

Rank: Corporal
Branch: Militia
Years: 6
Nation or State: Wash D.C.

Looking Wikipedia, The “Militia” for the District of Columbia was established in 1776, and remained “as Militia” until 1903. It continues to be the District of Columbia National Guard, as a reserve to this day.

What I learned from that article is that the President is the commander-in-chief of this National Guard Unit.

So, in 1917, the “militia” should have been the “National Guard”. Serving for 6 years, it would have called the National Guard in 1911. Now, the D.C. National Guard was mobilized for 12 days in 1917, but was made up of an all-black 1st Separate Infantry.

The Find A Grave website, has a Death Notice from the Washington Post, March 11, 1932

On Thursday, March 10, 1932, at his residence, 2717 Kansas Avenue, NW, William J., beloved husband of Mary R. Rogers. Funeral services at the above address on Saturday, March 12, at 10 a.m. Interment at Monocacy Cemetery, Beallsville, Md.

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 December 2019), memorial page for William Joseph Rogers, Jr (9 Sep 1888–10 Mar 1932), Find A Grave Memorial no. 64015522, citing Monocacy Cemetery, Beallsville, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA ; Maintained by Glenn Wallace (contributor 46802463) .

No help here yet in the question. But, I always have a questions in situations like this, like Why Monocacy ? It’s not that far from Washington, “just up the street”, but why that specific cemetery. I was able to find the answer to that question, but looking around Find A Grave, and that is Mary, his wife’s family is also buried in this Cemetery. In fact, from what I can tell, the same plot.

Researching the “in laws” does not raise any flags as to why they shouldn’t be buried there.

I have not been able to find any “Militia” / National Guard records, online. I also know that a trip to NARA (2) in College Park, Maryland is probably where I would find those records.

Newspaper searching came up with a number of articles:

From the 7 Jan 1912, Evening Star (Washington, District of Columbia), Page 25, Newspapers.com by Ancestry

What is the Canton Washington, No.1 ? In this article, in mentions William J Rogers, Captain.

Captain in 1912, Corporal in 1917 ? Hmmm

A search for “Canton Washington, No.1” found that to be part of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF).

In the Find-A-Grave Memorial text, there is mention that William was installed as Captain, in January 12, 1912, in the IOOF, in Washington, D.C.

Bottom Line:

Are those extra, unexpected numbers on that Draft Card important ?

Might there be a reason when the Draft Card uses the term Militia, when it might have been National Guard, or Reserve” ?

Does the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) play any part in Militia vs National Guard ?

Captain or Corporal is also, in my mind, conflicting information to resolve.

Is this one of the “ancestors” who have a story to tell, looking for someone to tell the story ?

Comments are Welcome.

QUERY: Who are the parents of Capt John Worthington (1650–1701)

A question from a new follower of this blog

Russ
Hi. Just can across your blog om the Worthington , my wife’s 9th great grandfather is Captain John Worthington (1650 – 1701) and was wondering if you might think that this info on his father and mother might be correct. ” Captain John Worthington was born in 1650 at Sharston Hall, Manchester, Lancashire, England.1 He was the son of Francis Worthington and Sarah Byram.1 He was baptised on 2 October 1651 at Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, Lancashire, England.2 He married Sarah Howard, daughter of Matthew Howard and Sarah Dorsey, between 1686 and 1688 at Anne Arundel, Maryland, U.S.A.G.1 He died on 9 April 1701 at Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A.” It is from a website called ” http://thepeerage.com/index.htm”
thanks

Gary

My response:

Gary,

On paper, those are Capt John’s parents. DNA testing is indicating something different.

I will look at that website in a little while.

Russ

If anyone has any additional information, Please post a comment here:

Thank you,

Russ