World War I Display

In our last issue, we announced plans to prepare a special display of items and photos in our collection that are related to World War I as a way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formal U.S. entry into the war. We also put out a call for copies of photos, papers, or written stories of family members who served in the war.

Weldon Mersiovsky and his translating team have been busy translating “Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt” articles from that time period and he has shared with us anything he has found that relates to a Wend in military service. In addition, he has located, on the Internet, military records of a number of Wends, and has shared all of that information with us.

We’ve also received some very good material from members who responded to our request, including information about Otto Arthur Dube and Herman Hobratschk, and photos of Emil Wolsch, Herman Ernest Gloyna, Henry Charles Urban, Henry Edwin Kunath, and Hugo Mathias. We also received the small serviceman’s prayer book that August Wukasch carried with him while stationed at Eagle Pass, Texas.

But there is always room for more! If you have photos, papers or written stories of family members who served in World War I, please consider sharing copies with us for the display. Copies can be sent by email or by surface mail to the museum. Thank you for your help!