William Samuel Brock was a World War I soldier who passed away in the war. Son of Joel Washington Brock and Mary Jane Brock. He married Cora Lee, my grand aunt. Cora had one child with William Brock, Clarence William Brock.
Obituary – Private William Brock, The Chesterfield Advertiser, March 31, 1921, page 1, col. 3. SOURCE: James C. Pigg, “Obituaries from the Chesterfield Advertiser 1892-1926, Chesterfield County, SC” (Tega Cay, SC, Self-published, 2001). March 31, 1921, page 1, col. 3:
Private William Brock, who died in France in November, 1918, was buried at Brock’s Mill last Sunday morning at 11 o’clock, the funeral services being conducted by the Rev. F.M. Cannon. Mr. Brock was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Joel W. Brock, and was little more than a boy when called to the colors. Mr. Brock saw service on the battlefields and served with distinction as a brave young soldier, but the very day that the armistice was signed he developed influenza, which was followed by pneumonia, and the noble young life soon passed to its heavenly reward. Mr. Brock, before he died, realizing that he could not live, requested that his body be brought back to the old home church yard for burial, and his parents and relatives feel more comforted in the fact that he now sleeps beneath the sod of his own home among his own people. The body, escorted by a young soldier, reached McFarland Saturday afternoon. The casket was draped with the American colors and the large crowd attending the funeral attested the popularity of the young man among his own people. Mr. Brock was not only a brave soldier of his own country,
but he had also enlisted under the banner of the Cross and was a soldier of the Master. Indeed, it was said of this noble young man, “He has fought a good fight, he has kept the faith.
William Samuel Brock is buried at Brock’s Cemetery at Brock’s Mill South Carolina. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32256092/broc
Robert A Brock was the son of Martha Parker and William Tillman Brock. Robert Brock was my second cousin once removed. Robert Brock was drafted and called to serve his country in World War I.[1] He reported to mobilization on September 14, 1917.[2] He died in battle on October 16, 1918.[3][4] His memorial is at Zoar United Methodist Church in Brock’s Mill, Chesterfield South Carolina.[5]
[1] Ancestry.Com. U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
[2] Ancestry.Com. U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917–1918
[3] Ancestry.Com. American Soldiers of World War I
[4] Newspapers.com – The Lancaster News – 3 Dec 1918 – Page 7
[5] Find A Grave at Robert Brock (1895-1918) – Find a Grave Memorial accessed November 5, 2022.
William Claude Leonard was the son of Zenri Golda Oates and William Vance Leonard. His sister was Alice Flossie Leonard Allred, my husband’s grandmother.
Claude married Nancy Emeline Graves in September 26, 1911.[1] Nancy passed away in January of 1912. She is buried Richard Graves Family Cemetery in Seagrove, North Carolina.[2] The untimely death of his young wife led him to reenlist in the Army according to his sister, Alice Flossie Leonard Allred.
[1] Ancestry.Com. North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741-2011.
[2] Nancy Emma Graves Leonard (1892-1912) – Find a Grave Memorial
According to Army records, he was honorably discharged on April 25, 1915 for his first enlistment.[1] William Claude Leonard’s service record shows that he was in Company F, Infantry 9 from January 1916 to June 1, 1917, then Company F, 47 Infantry to August 14, 1917, then back to Company F, Infantry 9 to October 3, 1918 when he was killed in action. It shows that he served in the trenches and that he was wounded in June of 1918.[2] Ship records show that he left Hoboken, New Jersey for France in 1917 on the ship Pocahontas and that his next of kin was his sister, Alice Allred.
[1] Ancestry.Com. U.S., Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914.
[2] Ancestry.Com. North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919.
A letter to an unnamed young lady in Rockingham, Richmond County told of Sergeant William Claude Leonard’s military experience.[1]
[1] Newspapers.com – Rockingham Post-Dispatch – 18 Jul 1918 – Page 6.
Sergeant William Claude Leonard was killed on October 3, 1918. His body was returned to Cedar Falls and a headstone was sent to his sister Alice in 1937. It is located at the Cedar Falls Methodist Church in Cedar Falls close by his sister Alice.[1]
[1] Find A Grave at William Claude Leonard (1892-1918) – Find a Grave Memorial accessed May 26, 2023.
Martha's Family Connections 