William Claude Leonard 1890-1918

Memorial Day Remembrance

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.

This letter to a Friend in Randolph County tells of William Claude Leonard’s wounds.[1]

[1] The courier. (Asheboro, N.C.) 1906-1937, August 29, 1918, Page 5, Image 5 · North Carolina Newspapers (digitalnc.org)

In August Alice Allred, got a telegram saying her brother, William C Leonard was wounded again?[1]

[1] The courier. (Asheboro, N.C.) 1906-1937, August 15, 1918, Page 5, Image 5 · North Carolina Newspapers

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.