From the Historian: The war is over
By Jack Horner
Public Historian Town of Elbridge and Village of Jordan
Nov. 11, 1918 at Compiegne, France in a railroad car, the war to end all wars had come to an end was to take affect in Paris at 11 a.m., Nov. 11, 1918. The news traveled fast to the United States and the Town of Elbridge.
Miss Munro, a teacher at Elbridge Union School and Academy, wrote the following in her diary:
“PEACE”
“Berfore I went upstairs to get ready for school Mrs. I. Hill phoned to find out if there was school. said Peace had been declared. No one notifies me so I went on. But it was official this time! Word was rec’d in Syr. shortly after 3 A. M. I mailed some letters in the village, then came home, stopping in to talk it over with Cousin Kate as it was a holiday everywhere. The men sorted potatoes this A.M. & in the house, mother & Mrs. Ross were washing. After dinner, Roy & Father went to Syr. to celebrate. They say that Syr. Is wild! Never such a crowd, or such noise, – tin pans, bells, whistles, gongs, shouting, music and general hilarity. They are not home yet at 11 P. M. I went to the village this P. M. – went over to Eva Woods & talked with her for a long time. Stopped in to Cousin Kates & read aloud a letter form Egbert which came at noon. Stopped into Mrs. North’s on my way home on an errand. Tonight Mr. Sweet came for me to play for the Male Quartet to practice for tomorrow night. Mother & I had just finished a lunch on the kitchen table. We went down to Mr. Domans,. From there up to the church to a Thanksgiving Prayer meeting. Afterwards I practiced with Arlene Hill who is to make her debut as a violinist tomorrow night. The Senior C.E. were having a meeting for business & asked me to come in for the lunch. LizzIe Patterson & I walked up together. Perfectly Beautiful crisp day. Moonlight tonight. Of course, the “Peace” is really an Armistice.”
Miss. Field, a teacher at one of the one room schools wrote the following in her diary:
“This Nov. 11, 1918 shall be a red letter day in the history of the world. -Peace has really been declared. Celebrations have been held all day. Florence & I went to Jordan with H.H.D’s folks. We marched in the parade with the Red Cross. Then attended the mass meeting at the Hall. The speakers were Rev. Allen, Stafford, Father Horrigan, and Mrs. Wilson Clark, head of the Red Cross Unit. It has been a beautiful day, only some colder than last week.”
Fifty-two men were drafted or joined the Army, Marines or Navy from the Town of Elbridge. Forty-seven were in the Army, three in the Marines and two in the Navy. Here is a list of those brave men who were in the Army: Lieut. William Agnew, Sgt. Arthur T. Ashmore. John Amos Barber, Cpl. Vincent Bowes. Thompson Campbell, Carl V. Carpenter, Gaylord F. Carpenter, Lieut. Rev. Donald M. Chappell, John Clements, Sgt. Louis H. Cline, Max Cohn, Neal P. Crofoot, Harry I. Curry, Carl T. Doman, Frank Gane Dye, Thomas J. Delehante, Warren Flansburg, John H. Forman, Frank Fry, Joseph H. Gibbs, Hurley D. Gorham, Robert Gray, Albert B. Gregg, H. Wendling Gregg. George H. Groom, William LaMore. Edward Lynch, Cpl. Francis E. Maher, Jerome Mapes, Harold C. McCollum, Gordan McCormack, Fred McGinn, George McGinn, Emmett McNabb, Harry Meade, Cpl. Egbert D. Munro, Leon Murphy, Ward Pitcher, Abram A. Ricker, Lewis A. Sheldon, Robert Shute, Jr., Clarence W. Skutt, Don D. Tanner, Burdette Weinesth, Sylvester R. Wright, William Herbert Wood and Herbert F. Yeagle. Here is the list of those who enlisted in the Marine Corps: Benjamin Case, James D. Gray and Claude H. Marlette. Two enlisted into the Navy: John I Craw, Jr., and Daniel C. Munro.
The only one to die from the Town of Elbridge is Pvt. Claude Horace Marlette, U. S. Marine Corp., 6th Regiment, who died from wounds July 6, 1918, from wounds received in action. He was born in 1897 and is buried in the Elbridge Rural Cemetery.
