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WWII
WWII

Texas History
Texas | Cemeteries

Private & Corporal York
Lee County Cousins killed in the Great War

Page 2

Giddings, Texas
Lee County

by John Troesser
Previous page

His cousin Asa C. York was born in nearby Dime Box. He must have been aware of his cousin's service in the Army when he enlisted in the Marines (51st Company, 5th Marines) on May 22, 1918. He arrived in France on August 27th - just a week after cousin Randall had returned to duty from his first wound. According to his tombstone: He "was among 40 who volunteered to fill the depleted ranks" immediately after arriving. "His company went over the top October 2, 3, and 4th. It was on the 4th he received the wound that killed him on October 21st - 21 days before the war's end. He was 17 years old.
 
Private Asa York's Tombstone in Giddings cemetery
Private Asa York's Tombstone
TE photo, 2000
 

Asa's father, Doctor William Edward York, was known as "The Baby Doctor" since he delivered over 2,000 Lee Countians to the world. He graduated from New Orleans Tulane University with a medical degree in 1894. Asa was the first child of five. Dr. York returned to New York for further study and when he returned he brought to Giddings the first x-ray machine in that part of Texas. Dr. York died shortly before the end of WWII.

Within a few hundred feet of the York Cousin's graves, there are stones for two more of Gidding's WWI soldiers. Corporal John Claud Carlisle (born 1896) was killed in France on October 14th, 1918. All of these Lee County men no doubt knew one another, but the dates of their deaths were so close, that it's likely the last one to die hadn't time to learn of the death of the first. The 4th grave shows that Edward J. Krueger (born 1894) was killed on the 9th of October, 1918, also in France. In the space of two short weeks, four Lee County soldiers died - the oldest of which was 27 years old.

Only Randall York's tombstone says that he was reburied in Giddings in 1921, but it is most likely that all four were first buried in France.

February, 2001
© John Troesser


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