Sgt. Alvin York Display

[Aragorn243]

This display is in the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. Note the 1917 rifle, not a 1903. This is a typical low light museum, no flash which is why some of the photos are grainy.

Information

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[72 usmc]

Thank you for these photos . For others here is a link to an archaeological dissertation about the York battlefield site;
I posted this on SRF:

Battlefield Landscapes: Geographic Information Science as a Method of Integrating History and Archaeology for Battlefield Interpretation
by Thomas J Nolan 2007
Alvin C York dissertation, battlefield archaeology - Surplus Rifle Forum - www.surplusrifleforum.org

[Gil Boyd]

That famous hunting chant of "Gobble Gobble Gobble" worked everytime and had the Germans heads popping up, only to be knocked off by Yorky

[free1954]

a true american hero. did the job and asked for no recognition. you can read his diary here https://acacia.pairsite.com/Acacia.V...lvin.York.html

[RCS]

I recall reading that Sgt York turn-in his Colt Model 1911 pistol serial number 244408 in France. Later around 1922 or so, the
State of Tennessee contacted US Ordnance in an attempt to recover Sgt York's pistol. The reply was that there were cases of
Model 1911 pistols returned after the war and that the time and hours spent looking for York's serial number was too much to
undertake.

To my knowledge, York's pistol was never recovered, also Sgt York was issued another M1911 pistol before #244408 but not
much information.

[RASelkirk]

Looking at the photos, he looks way too old to have been a front line soldier. Guess back in that era, men were men and kids stayed home...

Russ

[browningautorifle]

Looking at the photos, he looks way too old to have been a front line soldier

"On June 5, 1917, at the age of 29, Alvin York registered for the draft as all men between 21 and 30 years of age were required to do as a result of the Selective Service Act."

29 isn't so old for the FIRST war. Many were older and just under that age. They got younger as wars went on.

"The average age of WWI soldiers was 24.25 years old. The youngest soldier to fight during the war was 12 years old while the oldest was in his 60s."

[RASelkirk]

"On June 5, 1917, at the age of 29, Alvin York registered for the draft as all men between 21 and 30 years of age were required to do as a result of the Selective Service Act."

29 isn't so old for the FIRST war. Many were older and just under that age. They got younger as wars went on.

"The average age of WWI soldiers was 24.25 years old. The youngest soldier to fight during the war was 12 years old while the oldest was in his 60s."

Should have "done my homework", but that's a hard looking 29 for sure. Thank God for men like that!

Russ

[painter777]

This from York's diary:

"My grandpap on my mother's side, William Brooks, was a Northerner. He came down with the cavalry from Detroit, Michigan, and after the war he got into it with some bushwhackers. There was no law and everybody toted a gun. And they said he shot down one of their leaders; (Pres Huff) but they never proved it. But they killed him just the same. They hooked him to a mule and dragged him through the streets of Jamestown, the county seat, and they shot him to pieces."

York's Maternal Grandmother:
**Nancy (Pile) Brooks was a local girl that William Brooks went AWOL from the service for and married. Nancy's brother Jeff Pile, was murdered enroute to visit their brother Rod Pile.**

**There were tensions stemming from the Civil War near the Kentucky / Tennessee border. Nancy Pile's brother, Rod, a non-combatant but a northern sympathizer, was captured by the Confederates. The war-feuds of Fentress County did not end with the ending of the war.**

** Pres Huff (Possibly AKA Preston Hough) was found murdered after he had threatened William Brooks, who was Jeff Pile's brother-in-law. Brooks disappeared from the Tennessee valley and Nancy (Pile) Brooks followed his path north.**

**Months later a letter that Nancy (Pile) Brooks had mailed home to Tennessee, letting her family know that "she and her husband were at a logging camp in the woods of northern Michigan" was intercepted. Brooks was arrested and extradited from Michigan to Tennessee where he was subjected to vigilante justice, being dragged through town tied to a donkey and shot multiple times.

Originally I had some of this from the book "Sergeant York and his people" and when trying to help my Sister follow our family tree. But we were coming from a different angle tracking a Ely Hatfield as she was looking in to our families Hatfield & McCoy connection.

The Michigan courthouse working on this end is near me in St. Johns, in Clinton County, (next county north). They brought attention to the name William Brooks being an alias for William W. Herrington.
The name Ely Hatfield is included on some of these documents. He was spotted by my Sister in her research as being married in my Mothers home town of Pikeville Kentucky, Pike County. Ely Hatfield having married Anna (Evans) Hatfield on 9/20/1827 in Pike Co., KY.

But after my Sisters early passing in 2010 the trail ran cold. I had bookmarked links she had passed on to me, but many of the links with in are now no longer.
Is there a odd family tie to Alvin York? That question will likely never be answered, but I'd have to say we weren't looking for that answer.

If interested I do have this Bloggers Link where they visited The Alvin C. York Historic Site where Sergeant York's son, Andrew Jackson York, is the ranger. Upon learning the Blogger was from Michigan he shared quite a bit about his connection with Michigan because of his maternal grandfather, William Brooks.

It's worth reading if you've made it this far: Detour Through History: Sergeant York and His Michigan Ancestor

York's Diary: https://acacia.pairsite.com/Acacia.V...r%208th%201918

@Aragorn243,
Thanks for the thread it brought back some memories spent with Sis

FWIW

[1903Collector]

Nicely done!