Public Pageantry Private Grief ~ The untold Stories of Dutchess County in the World War 1917 ~1919

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Public Pageantry Private Grief x

The Untold Stories of Hope and Loss in Dutchess County During the World War 1917 ~ 1919

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THIS IS A "DUMMY" OR "MOCK-UP" VERSION FOR TEST PURPOSES SO THERE ARE INCOMPLETE SENTENCES, WHAT LOOK LIKE STRAY WORDS, COPY REPEATED BUT IN DIFFERENT SIZES, FUZZY OR MISSING IMAGES. THE PURPOSE HERE IS TO EXPLAIN THE BASIC CONCEPT OF THE BOOK AND VERY BROADLY SHOW HOW WE WOULD DEMONSTRATE THE TREMENDOUS PAGENATRY RELATED TO OUR ENGAGEMENT IN THE WAR, BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SACRIFICE OF SO MANY IN A WAY THAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE TO THIS DEGREE OF COMPLETENESS.

We are indebted to the two gentlemen shown opposite for a number of reasons in addition to their war service, and founding roles of the Lafayette American Legion Post.

Reuben Van Vlack (right) was a young, emerging professional photographer when he started capturing the enormous public displays related to the engagement of the US into the "World War" in 1917, interrupted only by is own service overseas July 1918 to May 1919. We are indebted to C. Fred Close who, in the year of his death in 1981, donated over 300 of Van Vlack's glass plate negatives to the Dutchess County Historical Society. Van Vlack had died in 1940.

We are indebted to contriubutions and sacrifice of so many of the men, women, and children of Dutchess County who "gave their today for our tomorrow" during this period. They have earned our rememrance. And we benefit from remembering.

Approximately 3,500 men enlisted or were drafted into war service. Women played equally fundamental roles at home and in Europe in nursing, fundraising, administrative roles, and farming. Even children were enlisted in a variety of ways to support war efforts.

Some gave their lives. And we hope to go some way in better recognizing those who did through this book with the most complete listing ever published. Most gave something: in war service, in financial contributions to any of four loan drives, in the contributiuon of time and skill in the creation of everything from guns to warm socks.

Food and and coal were scarce. "Boys" who might never have left the county quickly found themselves in "no man's land," enormous stretches of earth scortched by combat and poison gas many worlds away from the family farm in Dutchess.

Etwen 1919 and 1925, a major effort by the State of New York to publish the volumes "New York's Part in the World War" included passage of laws requiring each city and town to appoint a local historian to execute the task with NY State historian James Sullivan.

Due to the scale of the effort, the reluctance of many veterans to relive the war through a retelling, the project was abandoned after five years. Some counties, like Columbia County, or cities, like Albany, published their own book. Dutchess County did not. We hope this goes some way to fill that void.

In the Van Vlack photos we see boldness, confidence, celebration, determination,and conviction. But in looking at the extraordinary and pervasive impact on the war of every man woman and child in the county, the terrible cost in terms of loss of life and disability and disfiguration is in stark contrast to the feelings evoked in the public displays. Repeated attemps to fully list and recognize the war dead were attempted: in 1919, 1923, 1926. And now here, with the help of many.

The United States declared war in April 1917. Although an Armistice was agreed to and fighting stopped November 11th 1918, the Treaty of Versailles and formal end to the war was not signed until June of 1919. The big "welcome home" parade did not occur until September of 1919. These years are the focus on this book.

Co. K. State Armory Poughkeepsie 1917

Segregated recruitment 1918

Segregated recruitment 1918

Red Cross Parade Poughkeepsie, 1918

Boy Scouts Loan Drive Outside Courhouse.

Poughkeepsie, 1918

Farewell 1917 Poughkeepsie Sttation

Septmber 1918 Poughkeepsie train station

For Close and Van Vlack, September of 1919 marked the turning point away from combat and war toward the creation of the American Legion, and work on behalf of veterans ranging from finding jobs and housing, to securing financial support for wounded veterans.

The Van Vlack photograph chosen by the Sunday Enterprise to illustrate the parade (left) was one of a more general nature. Among the 300 glass plate negatives was this photograph (opposite) of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt, marching briskly down Main Street, which has not been published prior to our exhibition.

For Close and Van Vlack, September of 1919 marked the turning point away from combat and war toward the creation of the American Legion, and work on behalf of veterans ranging from finding jobs and housing, to securing financial support for wounded veterans.

The photograph chosen by the Sunday Enterprise to illustrate the parade was one of a more General nature. among the 300 glass plate negatives was this photograph of the assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt marching briskly down Main Street and has not been published prior

This page: France 2018 Photo jp Donick Opposite: Eva Wolff 1930 Gold Start mother Pilgrimage

Top left: Image from the album of Henry Eglinton Montgomery Suckley.

Middle left: Suckly shown with an ambulance, he Courtesy: Wilderstein Historic Site, Rhinebeck, NY. Bottom left: Right: Civil War Veterans come out to support in the Farewell Parade, They are just outside tecourthousem they are parading the same route they marched in in 1863.

Courtesy