Shoemaker - Loyd - WWI Casualty
Loyd Shoemaker was here on this earth for a very short time and his life was filled with much sorrow, but some good times, too. He is not counted as a WWI casualty from Fountain County, but he certainly lived here for some time. He is shown in Wabash Township with his mother, Laura in the 1900 census, just four years old – his father had passed away just a short time earlier that census year in Illinois and this poor lady had but one child out of the household and seven more at home to raise. Loyd’s parents, Thomas Boyd Shoemaker and Laura Alice Nash were married in Warren County, Indiana on Christmas Day, in 1879. He died from tuberculosis leaving the large family to Laura to complete raising.
Immediately, she moved to Fountain County and lived there for a couple of years until her marriage to William H. Groves who was not good to her and the children worried immensely for her. She was the daughter of Alfred and Alice King Nash who were born and raised in Kentucky. Although she was living with most of the children with Groves in 1910, in the 1920 census she is the head of the household with her youngest son Homer, his wife and daughter and another granddaughter, Edith Cates, with Laura tallied as divorced. On her death record Sept 13, 1927, she is listed as the widow of Thomas Shoemaker. She was born Oct 6, 1859 and lacked a few days of turning 68 when she passed, back home again in Warren County. She died of intestinal nephritis and is buried in Kingman, Indiana with her beloved husband and some of the children, including Loyd.
Loyd’s name was spelled so many ways, and he spelled it two ways himself. Loyd is on his tombstone and he signed a letter to his brother Everett as Loyd. However, his name on his WWI draft was spelled Lloyd and he signed it as Lloyd. On one census record he was Loid, and the other Lloyd. He passed before the 1920 census, so not sure what that one would have been noted. There is also a question to the Shoemaker last name, as well, being originally spelled Schumacher, the more common Shoemaker however a couple of Loyd’s brothers spelled theirs Shumaker.
Everett must have been listed on his paperwork as he was the one who received the notification of death sent from “McCain,” Adjutant General. It appeared in the Terre Haute Daily Tribune on 2 August 1918 – Rockville, Ind Aug 2 – Montezuma has given four sons to date to die for their country on foreign soil. The following telegram was received by Everett Shoemaker of Alvan (sic – Alvin), Ill, brother of the deceased from Washington City. “Deeply regret to inform you that it is officially reported that Private Lloyd Shoemaker, Infantry, died July 21 of wounds received in action.” The deceased according to this article leaves his mother, who is a widow, and also a brother, Homer of Montezuma. In another “official list” he was listed as dying because of wounds received in action and from Alvin. Note that Alvin is just right across the river in Vermilion County, Illinois. The family lived there, in Parke, Fountain and Warren County, Indiana in his short life, so perhaps all of these places could claim him – and he appeared in many articles in the official death list as being from Alvin -- sad, that any would need to.
Loyd was born September 10th in 1895 in Alvin. When he gave his information on his WWI draft papers, he was listed as medium height, stout build with brown eyes and dark brown hair. His occupation was working on Charles A. Allen (his brother-in-law) farm in Yeddow (sic) Ind. He was unmarried. An adventurous soul, his great niece, Jan Ekoniak, sent me the greatest picture of him when he went to join a threshing group to harvest wheat in the Dakotas. Love the chaps and cowboy hat.
The family history dates back to Simon Shoemaker who served in the Revolutionary War in western PA then moved to Indiana in 1820s and is buried at Bever Cemetery near Hillsboro (d 1830). Then back to Fountain County to work, and to the service as you have probably already figured out. He enlisted at Hoopeston, Illinois and was first sent to Camp Green in North Carolina, then to Camp Mills in New York where he was trained in the Machine Gun Company (39th Inf 4th Division). He left for overseas on May 3, 1918 and shortly after arriving sent his letter home to his beloved brother, (George) Everett in Alvin. He first asked about Everett’s crops, whether they were in and in good shape. Asking about his mother and others in the family he wanted to know if Everett heard from any of the boys. One of the first things he asked about as how his nephew Glenn was doing. He said to tell the Yeazels hello for him and for them to write. “I guess Quaker and Jim will have to shuck their own oats this year – ha, ha!” Not quite sure who they are but I love he could be joking with what he was facing. He goes on to say, “I could tell you lots but you know that we can not write any news about the Army or anything in that line.” The ending is a bit teary-eyed when he tells Everett to make sure that “if anything should happen to me, be sure and look after the insurance as it would come in handy to you and mother!”
Sure hope they received that money as Loyd died from wounds he received in the 2nd battle of Marne on July 21st, not having been overseas but a couple of months. He was buried in the American Cemetery at Juilly. Seine et Marne #247 Grave #137. His body may have been returned home as he has a nice stone also in the same cemetery where his parents rest and other family members. His brothers and sisters married into some of the local families, Allen, Cates, Murphy and Orahood for some of the major ones.
This young man with a flair of humor and love for excitement may have come home and become a congressman, or an inventor or anyone, but we know that he gave his life for all of us, whether it was for Illinois or Indiana we appreciate his sacrifice. When he came home in July of 1921, an extremely large funeral at his brother's home church in Alvin was finally held with three of his past ministers participating, four friends singing several songs he enjoyed and a complete military service in Kingman. - kbz
Source:
Montezuma Enterprise 7 July 1921 p 1
Loyd, the son
of Thomas B. and Laura A. Shoemaker was born at Alvin, Illinois Sept 10, 1895
an died in an emergency hospital in France July 21, 1918 aged 22 years 10
months and 11 days of age. When three
and a half years old he with his parents, moved to Montezuma, Indiana where he
grew to manhood. In 1910 he returned to
Alvin, Illinois where he made his home with his brother, Everett. On March 5th he enlisted in the
service for his country during the great war and was assigned to the 59th
Infantry Camp Green, SC and was later transferred to the Machine Gun Co of the
same infantry. In April he was
transferred to Camp Mills, NY and sailed overseas April 12. On May 3, he wrote
a card, saying the ship on which he said had arrived safely overseas. On July
12, he wrote a field service card which signified he was in trench service on
the front. He was mortally wounded on
July 20 in the big drive at Chateau Thierry and died the following day in an
emergency hospital, having paid the supreme sacrifice for God and for his
country. His body arrived in the US June
15, 1921 and accompanied by its soldier guard was taken to Alvin, Illinois June
30 to the home of Everett Shoemaker. The funeral was held from the ME Church
Sunday morning. When a boy of 12 years, he gave his heart to God and united
with the ME Church at Montezuma, Indiana and was always a good and obedient
boy. He leaves to mourn his loss his
mother of Kingman, five brothers and one sister; Everett of Alvin, Illinois,
Simion of Danville, Illinois, Frank of Springfield, Illinois; Homer and Mrs.
Clara Mabel Allen both of Kingman, Indiana also a host of relatives and
friends. His father and one sister preceded him in death several years ago. He
spent and was spent; for truth and for right; he gave up his heart, he fought
the good fight. Funeral services were
conducted by Rev. Kohn of the ME Church at Fairmount, Ill who had been chaplin
overseas for three years. His text was St. John -14 “In my Father’s house are
many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you.” Rev. Kohn was assisted
by Rev. Kesner of the Alvin ME Church and Rev. Carter, pastor of the UB Church
of Cates, Indiana. The church was
crowded to overflowing by those who gathered to pay their last respects to the
departed soldier and many were the beautiful flora offerings. Four very dear
friends sang, America, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere, Safe in the Arms of Jesus
and Going Down the Valley with Miss Bertha Thomas at the piano. The body was
brought overland to Kingman, Ind where military services were held at Rose Lawn
Cemetery by the American Legion of Cates and Kingman in charge of Capt. Eugene
Bodine of Covington.