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| Ambrose Lewis, my great grandfather |
I'm a little behind on my week 21 post "Military" for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors challenge. Military was chosen as a prompt for the week leading up to Memorial Day. What a nice way to honor our family members who served our country.
I considered writing about my great grandfather, Walter Bartley, who was on a submarine during WWI. Or his brothers, Albert and Charles, who served together on the same ship.
Or my grandfather, Roger Lewis, who trained as a pilot during WWII in China and India.
My step-grandpa, Stan Gieseke, was a paratrooper during WWII. He never talked about the war with me but apparently he did with my brother.
I decided to write about my great grandfather, Ambrose Lewis, who served in an infantry unit during WWI.
To be honest, I don't know a lot about my great grandfather. He was not really a part of my grandfather's life. He and my great grandmother divorced by 1930 but he was out of their lives even before that. What I had been told growing up was that my great grandfather was gassed during WWI. He "abandoned" his family. He lived his life in and out of military hospitals. As I started digging into my family history I wanted to know more. I sent away for his military records and received the letter saying his was one of the many that was lost in the 1973 fire. I haven't found a lot but here is what I have found...
Ambrose Lloyd Lewis was born February 22, 1886 in Nicholasville, Kentucky to George and Sue (Lyons) Lewis. On February 23, 1924 Ambrose married Caroline Mickelson and on November 22 of the same year my grandfather, Roger Ambrose Lewis, was born.
On July 8, 1921 Ambrose enlisted for the Army at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Only a few months later, on March 8, 1922, he was honorably discharged in San Francisco, California. He was a part of Co. I, 31st Infantry. I am still digging to see if the rumors of being gassed are true.
I have found quite a few hospital records online and I find them to be quite heartbreaking.
In November 1922 through June 1923 he is at the Sawtelle Veterans Home. Disability is listed as "Residual Left Hemiplegia" (partial paralysis). He is 37 years old, 5' 10", ruddy complexion, brown eyes, black hair. His occupation is listed as a blacksmith. He is protestant, he can read and he is single. His residence subsequent to discharge is Los Angeles, California. His nearest living relative is a brother, Joseph Lewis, in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
Another record shows him at a military hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Three time periods are listed: October 5, 1927-October 28, 1927, March 4, 1931-June 16, 1931 and October 1, 1931-October 8, 1931. Same info is listed except his complexion is listed as white.
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| Record from military hospital in Danville, Illinois 1932 |
June 13, 1932 he is admitted to the military hospital in Danville, Illinois where he is discharged on June 25, 1932. This record is very interesting to me as it shows military service prior to his enlistment in July 1921 that I know about. I only just found this record today and I am going to dig into this one more...what a find!!
Four days later, on June 29, 1932 he is admitted to a military home in Ohio. He is there until December 5, 1932.
I have not found any other hospital records though I do find him living at a National Military Home in Los Angeles again in 1938, 1940 and 1942 on city directories.
And on April 19, 1950 my great grandfather died at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have heard he reached out to my grandfather late in life and my grandfather did not seem to be interested in reconnecting with his father.
As sad as that is, I can somewhat understand. But I think if they knew then what we know now about PTSD and other affects of war on a human being, maybe things would have been different. I want to believe my great grandfather did not "abandon" his family because he didn't care but because he couldn't cope.
I am going to start contacting these hospitals to see if it is possible to get more information about him. As I said earlier, this is my brick wall!! I can find very little on his brothers Moses and Joseph. Very little on his parents, George and Sue. What I have found on them is a bit puzzling...while everything I find on Ambrose lists him as white, everything I find on his siblings and parents lists them as black. I have a lot more digging to do...
I am leaving this post on a happy note. While digging through my grandmother's photos I came across this one. Thinking it was my grandpa I sort of passed it by until I noticed the note on the back "July 4, 1928 Robbinsdale, Minn. Roger and his dad". The only photo I have of my great grandfather!! My grandpa looked so much like him...
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