The Rat Hesitated

   Paul B Hendrickson was born this date, 8 October 1896, in Crawford County, Illinois. He enlisted 12 April 1917 in the 5th Infantry, Illinois National Guard, which later became part of the 33rd Division. His service was divided between being a bugler, trumpeter in military bands and in signal work.

   This is a paragraph from a letter Paul wrote to his mother dated 10 September 1918.

   "Well mom - I had a rather novel little experience last nite. While writing last evening I stated that the bread was hung where a rat or mouse could not climb to it. Well that is so - But - here is how it happened. Mr. rat comes bounding down stairs - and of course by experience knew the bread was where he could not climb and get it, so pounced on to my body, shoves in his toe nails and in one streneous leap reaches his goal - the loaf of bread. Of course when I felt him push I knew what was taking place. Well you may lay it on to me, but beware trying to rub it in like that. I was peeved at the nerve of the big brute - I sliped my hand over to the Colt .45 cal, cocked it, and with my other hand used the flash light. Well the bright light made him hesitate a second (they get so careless too, they take their time at whatever they do) and that was a bit too long for him, for I let him have one lead pill. was comical how it knocked him sprawling onto the floor. it went thru his back. He scrambled on the floor a bit so I pinned him down with my bayonet and went to sleep. So did he. This noon when I woke up he was cold. I tossed him outside. Strong [perhaps Pvt. Edwin J. Strong] asked me this morning what was going on last nite. I showed him the rat with the big hole in his back and he understood quite well what made the noise."

   When Paul passed away on 4 September 1990 in Danville, Illinois, we found neatly packed away in the family home 125 letters he wrote home to his mother and to the neighbor girl who after the war became his wife. We also found a diary kept during the year he was in France and almost 300 postcards which were sent home either individually or in envelopes. In addition, we have letters sent to him, negatives and prints taken at Camp Parker in Quincy, Illinois, and at Camp Logan in Houston, Texas, and maps he drew of both camps.

   You can read the letters and look at the pictures at Paul's website -- http://www.jimgill.net/wwipages/index.html.

Postcard mystery

   Back in November I received an email from Daniel Grimsley telling about a postcard of a World War I soldier he had found among papers of the Grimsley and Flake families of eastern North Carolina that didn't seem to connect to his family.  Daniel had found my website that includes the letters, diary and pictures of Paul B Hendrickson concerning his service in World War I.

    The mystery postcard had not been mailed but writing on the back said, "Priv't. James Bernikow, Med. dept. 79th Inf., Camp Logan, Houston, Tex."
   Paul trained at Camp Logan in Houston with the 33rd Division. The 79th Infantry was not part of the 33rd.
   I believe the 79th Infantry (from the postcard) was a part of the 15th Division. The 15th was a Regular Army division that trained at Camp Logan after the 33rd Division had left. I do not believe it went overseas. There is a website called New River Notes that has wonderful information about the various World War I divisions, including the 15th.

   But who was Private Bernikow?

Passport photo

   A search at Ancestry located an emergency passport application of a James J. Bernikow at the American legation in Panama dated 1 December 1919. In the application he states he was born 28 December 1895 in New York City the son of Samuel M. Bernikow, a Russian immigrant. He also states he was in the Army and was at Brest, France, from January to December 1918. The passport photo is at right. Is it the same man as the one in the postcard? The ears sure look the same. The hairline and eyebrows are also similar.

   I also found a 1910 census record for a Samuel Bormkow (corrected to Bernikow) age 40 born Russia with son James age 11 (born 1899). I've asked Ancestry if they could identify the person who made that correction but it was made before they started keep track of such things. Might be someone related. 
   Obviously, if James was born in 1898 or 1899 he would not be the first man to exaggerate his age in order to enlist in World War I or obtain employment afterwards.

Face in the postcard

   The mystery postcard has an interesting feature -- the woman's face in the cigarette smoke cloud. Could she have been a girl friend? Or, was this a stock picture added to all postcards of this design representing the girl the soldier left back home?
   It sure would be nice to know the answers to all these questions. And I'm sure Daniel Grimsley would like to know as well. Daniel said in his initial email that he would like to return this postcard to James Bernikow's next of kin.
   If you can help solve the mystery, leave a comment or email me.
 
 
 
 
   

Quincy, Illinois, newspaper archives

   Wouldn't you like to know what your ancestor had for supper on June 19, 1917?
   My wife knows.
   On that date her father had beef stew, sliced beets, baked corn pudding and ice tea.
   He didn't record it, but The Quincy (Illinois) Daily Journal did in an article headlined "Notes of Camp Parker" published June 20, 1917.

   Camp Parker was the training camp for the Fifth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard and Paul Hendrickson was a cornet player in the regimental band. The band was "working hard, practicing twice a day," the article reports.
   This insight is thanks to the Quincy Public Library's Quincy Historical Newspaper Archive which I discovered not too long ago. Newspapers published in Quincy from 1835 to 1919 have been digitized and indexed. It's a wonderful source and easily searched. If you happen to have ancestors in Quincy (western Illinois or eastern Missouri) check it out.
   I don't have ancestors there that I know of, but I do have an interest in my father-in-law's time in Quincy in 1917 with the Illinois National Guard.

   I've printed several articles from the Daily Journal and transcribed three of them so far and added them to my website. More will follow as time permits.
   I've also started adding some images from postcards I recently scanned relating to Paul's service in Quincy and at Camp Logan in Houston, Texas. More will follow.