World War I—the “war to end all wars”—was ended by an armistice that took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. One year later, on November 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson gave an address to the nation on what had come to be called Armistice Day in the U.S. and allied countries. In 1938, Armistice Day became a legal holiday, and in 1954 the day was renamed “Veterans Day” to honor all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, not just those who served in World War I.
My family has a proud heritage of serving our country. My father Keith V. Black served in the Navy immediately before the Vietnam War. My paternal grandfather Vernon C. Black served in the Army in Europe during World War II. My maternal grandfather William E. Prettyman served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II. And many, many more of my ancestors and relatives have served in the many wars our nation has engaged in over the past 400 years.
I present this list to honor their service and their memory.
Starting this year, I’ll be presenting this list from my daughter’s perspective, so it includes all her relatives and ancestors who served, whether they are my relatives and ancestors or my wife’s relatives and ancestors. By “relatives” I mean anyone who is related to my daughter by blood, or who married a blood relative, or is a blood relative’s immediate in-laws.
In the lists that follow, “••” indicates that the person is a direct ancestor, “(••)” indicates that the person is a step-ancestor, and “†” indicates that the person died while serving their country (including those who died as a result of injury or disease inflicted during their service.
Colonial Militia (1607–1754)
Adams, Deacon John (1691 – 1761)
•• Bigelow, John (1616 – 1708)
•• Chickering, Francis (1597 – 1658)
•• Coddington, Benjamin (1680 – 1753)
•• Craft, Lieut. Griffin (1600 – 1689)
Craft, Samuel (1637 – 1690)
Denison, Maj. Gen. Daniel (ca1612 – 1682)
•• Johnson, Capt. John (<1588 – 1659)
McCormick, James Edward (1731 – 1802)
•• McMurry, William Jr. (~1725 – 1798)
•• Noble, Ensign Matthew (1698 – 1771)
(••) Peabody, Lieut. Francis (ca1611 – )
Putnam, Sgt. Thomas Jr. (1652 – 1699)
(••) Remington, Lt. John
•• Stebbins, Lieut. Thomas (1620 – 1683)
•• Wood, Capt. Daniel Sr. (ca1615 – ca1649)
•• Burr, Benjamin (1602 – 1681)
King Philip’s War (1675–1676)
•• Bigelow, John (1616 – 1708)
•• Coddington, John B (1654 – 1738)
•• Conant, John (1652 – 1724)
•• Conant, Lot (1624 – 1674)
•• Denison, Captain George (1620 – 1694)
Johnson, Humphrey (1620 – )
•• Johnson, Isaac
•• Paine, Stephen Jr. (1629 – 1677)
Pepper, Joseph (1648 – 1676)
•• Pepper, Robert (?1622 – 1684)
Priest, Joseph (1641 – 1697)
Treat, Governor Robert (1622 – 1710)
•• Trowbridge, James (1636 – 1717)
Wilson, Nathaniel Jr. (1653 – 1721)
Dummer’s War (1722–1725)
•• Pepper, Jacob (1661 – 1739)
French and Indian War (1755–1762)
Ackley, Nicholas (1708 – 1763)
•• Cadwell, Abraham (1717 – 1762)
Dewey, Abner (1726 – 1777)
Hunt, Lieut. Simeon (1713 – 1793)
•• Taft, Israel (1699 – 1753)
Vinton, Blaise (1654 – 1716)
Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Aber, Abisha Sebastian (1756 – 1811)
•• Ackley, Nicholas (1635 – 1695)
Bailey, Gen. Jacob (1726 – 1816)
Bailey, Lieutenant Joshua (1712 – 1786)
Billings, Jacob (1732 – )
•• Bobbitt, Isham Drury (1754 – 1836)
Cheney, Caleb (1738 – 1800)
•• Cheney, Ebenezer (1742 – 1828)
Coddington, Benjamin (ca1759 – ca1801)
Coddington, Joseph (ca1730 – >1783)
Coddington, Robert Sr. (1760 – 1833)
(••) Crum, Adam (1750 – 1831)
Dewey, Abner (1726 – 1777)
Dewey, Bohan (1755 – <1791)
Doran, Patrick (1738 – 1788)
•• Hatfield, Joseph (1740 – 1832)
•• Kinne, Cyrus (1746 – 1808)
Little, Col. Moses Jr. (1724 – 1798)
•• Long, John (1768 – 1841)
Loomis, Israel (1715 – 1801)
•• McClure, Judge David (1726 – 1796)
•• McClure, Thomas (1762 – 1832)
McMurry, James (ca1758 – 1832)
McMurry, John (1752 – 1832)
•• McMurry, Thomas (1760 – 1829)
•• Moore, Lt. William Sr. (1753 – 1827)
Ogden, David Sr. (1764 – 1840)
•• Pepper, Joshua (1721 – 1808)
Pepper, Solomon (1740 – 1796)
•• Price, Richard (1757 – 1834)
Rider, Daniel III (1735 – 1787)
Smith, Lt. Col. William Stephens (1755 – 1816)
•• Snider, John Sr. (1743 – 1830)
•• Stewart, Joseph (1757 – 1842)
Stewart, Samuel (1757 – 1840)
Stone, Archibald (1735 – 1811)
Taft, Squire Frederic (1759 – 1846)
Taylor, Daniel (1760 – 1834)
Thayer, Peter (1737 – 1805)
Thayer, Peter Jr. (1755 – 1820)
Thayer, Shadrach (1759 – 1829)
Tracy, Lt. Hezekiah (1736 – 1817)
•• Vinton, Lt. David (1726 – 1791)
Vinton, John (1734 – 1803)
•• Vinton, Seth (1756 – 1848)
Wadsworth, Brig. General Peleg (1748 – 1829)
•• Wise, Thomas (1726 – 1800)
•• Wolcott, Justus (1735 – 1831)
Woodruff, Benjamin Sr. (1744 – 1837)
War of 1812 (1812–1815)
Coddington, Isaac (1793 – 1846)
•• Comstock, Lemuel (1782 – 1856)
Dewey, Jared David (1759 – 1850)
•• Gamble, William Halter (1768 – 1814)
McMurry, William (1795 – 1852)
† Miller, Isaac (1778 – 1813)
Pepper, Eli (1770 – 1856)
Pepper, Minos (1791 – 1860)
•• Reece, Jacob William (1772 – 1851)
Thayer, Col. Sylvanus (1785 – 1872)
Woodruff, Sgt. Seth (1742 – 1814)
Puget Sound War (1855–1856)
Stewart, Abraham Williamson (1828–1910)
Civil War (1861–1865)
Bailey, Isaiah Loomis I (1823 – 1899)
Billingsley, Henry Mitchell (1837 – ca1918)
Billingsley, Lorenzo Wilson (1841 – 1916)
Burton, Elphenus Americus (1848 – 1926)
•• Chilson, David Wolcott (1821 – 1902)
•• Coddington, Daniel Schram (1811 – 1886)
Coddington, David Humphreys (1839 – 1912)
•• Coddington, George Howard (1842 – 1919)
Coddington, James Dennis (1833 – 1925)
Coddington, Lewis C (1846 – 1930)
Coddington, William Albert (1843 – 1922)
Comstock, George (1850 – 1864)
Eriksen Field, Arne (1842 – 1914)
Goodnight, James Paris (1831 – 1885)
Hendershot, Jackson David “Black Jack” (1833 – 1912)
Loomis, Capt. Benjamin Turner “B.T.” (1838 – 1907)
McCarrick, James A. (1842 – 1910)
McClure, Col. Thomas Ross (1809 – 1886)
† McMurry, Thomas Hisner (1831 – 1863)
Millard, Orrison Hill (1826 – 1904)
•• Morris, Calvin Levi (1803 – 1875)
Morris, Dennis Dace (1847 – 1887)
† Morris, James Matthew (1823 – 1862)
(••) Peck, Nathaniel A (1841 – 1910)
Pepper, John Quincy (1826 – 1913)
† Prettyman, George W (1847 – 1865)
Ranum, Arne Nelson (1845 – 1898)
† Rice, Charles Delos (1830 – 1862)
Scott, Amasa Taylor (1829 – 1899)
† •• Scott, Hiram (ca1815 – 1865)
•• Scott, Horace L (ca1842 – 1870)
Scott, James H (1847 – 1916)
† •• Severson, Sever (1828 – 1864)
† Stover, Sgt. Elisha B. (ca1818 – 1863)
Thompson, Knudt Tostensen (1832 – 1910)
VanWinkle, Cyrus (1805 – 1879)
Vinton, Charles Albert (1832 – 1904)
World War I (1914–1918) (U.S.: 1917–1918)
Bailey, Clarence Humphrey (1895 – 1982)
Bailey, William Alonzo (1893 – 1970)
Bogart, Humphrey DeForest (1899 – 1957)
Coddington, Thomas Kendall (1896 – 1955)
Fanson, Vernon Monteith “Vern” (1897 – 1980)
Goss, Raymond George (1893 – 1969)
Grosvenor, Wallace Paine (1900 – 1974)
† Harmon, Loren Winfield “Win” (1883 – 1917)
Jellison, Winfred Halga “Helga” (1896 – 1992)
Loso, Lloyd Joseph (1899 – 1974)
•• Olsen, George Tolaf (1890 – 1956)
Severn, Clifford Leroy (1896 – 1982)
Spencer, Fredrick “Fred” (1897 – 1918)
Stokes, Milton Burton (“Bert”) (1879 – 1971)
Whitney, William Canty (“Doc”) (1896 – 1970)
World War II (1939–1945) (U.S.: 1941–1945)
•• Almquist, Clarence William “Swede” (1922 – 1989)
Armstrong, Charles (“Charlie”, “Chuck”) Thomas (1927 – 1984)
Askew, Jack Grover (1923 – 2011)
Askew, John Gordon ”Gordy” (1921 – 2017)
Askew, Robert Lawson “Bob” (1917 – 1989)
Askew, Robert Gordon “Bob” (1926 – 2003)
Askew, Russell Wilfred (1914 – 1990)
Becker, Ralph Ferdinand (1926 – 2001)
Black, George Cornelius (1927 – 2018)
•• Black, Vernon Cornelius (1916 – 1993)
Christianson, Ray (1920 – 1980)
Coddington, Thomas Kendall (1896 – 1955)
Dunham, Stanley Armour (1918 – 1992)
Eddy, Carl Everett (1921 – 1970)
Heinz, Emerson C. “Harry” (1912 – 1977)
Hernandez, Gilbert Thomas (1920 – 2000)
Hogan, Eli Elias (1883 – 1962)
Karpen, John Paul Jr. (1922 – 1998)
Kohler, George Edward (1916 – 2002)
Lennon, Robert Joseph (1924 – 1988)
Martes, Philip Peter “Phil” (1917 – 1967)
† Moore, Lt. Clarence Jerome “Red” (1921 – 1944)
Prettyman, Donald Irvin “Don” (1930 – )
Prettyman, George Irvin “G.I.” (1887 – 1977)
Prettyman, James Clarence “Jim” (1919 – 1990)
Prettyman, Jerome Patrick “Jerry” (1925 – 1965)
† Prettyman, John George “Jack” (1923 – 1945)
Prettyman, Richard Francis (Frank) “Arch” (1921 – 1989)
Prettyman, Robert Austin “Bob” (1916 – 1989)
Prettyman, Warren Walter (1922 – 1986)
•• Prettyman, William Eugene (1919 – 1998)
Proszek, Stanislaus “Stanley” (1919 – 2003)
Switzer, James Morris (1910 – 1984)
Wichers, Jean Harrold ”Harold Gene” (1923 – 2011)
Wichers, Reanon Cornelius (1919 – 2007)
Korean War (1950–1953)
Eliason, Melvin Eugene (1927 – 1997)
Gritz, Stanley Wayne (1935 – 1962)
Helmbrecht, Acie Charles “Swede” (1930 – 2013)
•• Johnson, Albert Wagoner II (1928 – 2017)
† Keally, Edward Lawrence Jr. (1925 – 1951)
† Robson, Donald George (1929 – 1952)
Shearer, Donald John “Don” (1931 – 2016)
Vietnam War (1955–1975) (U.S.: 1965–1975)
Almquist, Steven William (1950 – )
Askew, Stephen John “Steve” (1944 – )
Schuler, James John (1949 – 2003)
Gulf War (1990–1991)
Hicks, Jason Carl (1969 – )
Iraq War (2003–2011)
Warren, Jacob Ray (1983 – )
Thank you for your service, your sacrifices, and for the roles you played in forming, developing, and protecting our country.
Without your collective efforts, our country would not have endured nor even existed.
If you see any veterans in our family that are not included in this list, please let me know.
Very nice Michael. Inspires me to make a list of all my veteran relatives.
PS It’s also my birthday. As a kid I thought we got the day off to celebrate my birth. Lol 81 years old yesterday. Who knew.
Ha! I was born on what used to be the official Memorial Day holiday and always got it off until it became a three-day-weekend holiday in the 1970s. Happy birthday!