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\u201cLast Sunday, October 23, at 2:30 o\u2019clock in the afternoon, on the court house lawn, was held the military funeral of John Matthew Shafman.\u00a0 The remains reached here from overseas last week Thursday, and lay in state in the rotunda of the courthouse, guarded by a detail of veterans from the Adams County Post of the American Legion until the hour of the funeral.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n The quote above was reprinted many times in many places with only the names and dates changed for the thousands of soldiers who were killed in World War One,\u00a0\u00a0 buried in Europe and, at the request of their families, disinterred, brought back to the United States by the Army and buried in their native land.\u00a0 In addition to John Shafman of Richfield Township, the remains of Elmer Feldman of Quincy, McKinley Cole of Quincy as well as Charles Besaw of the Coloma area are buried at Mount Repose Cemetery in Friendship.<\/p>\n Their journey from temporary interment in Europe to their Adams County home ground was part of a two-year long Army program that saw the return home of nearly 50,000 of their dead American soldier comrades.<\/p>\n Ships started arriving at Pier 4 in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1920.\u00a0 While awaiting notification of the families, the flag draped coffins were held at Pier 4 and guarded at all hours by an Army sentinel. At any given time during the process Pier 4 held some 1,800 to 2,000 coffins. When arrangements with the families were made, the coffins were taken to an Army Corps distribution point.\u00a0\u00a0 Twenty-two bodies at a time were transported in a special flag-draped baggage car on a passenger train with a military guard.\u00a0 An officer accompanied each detachment of the dead to the Corps distribution point.\u00a0 An enlisted man then accompanied individual bodies to their final resting place, even attending the funeral if the families requested it.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Here follows the stories of four of Adams County\u2019s sons killed in the \u201cGreat War\u201d whose families and neighbors brought them home for their final rest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Private Charles A. Beshaw <\/strong><\/p>\n Company H., 354th<\/sup> Infantry, 89th<\/sup> Division<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pvt Charles Besaw\u2019s body arrived back in Adams County Friday, September 30, 1921.\u00a0 The casket lay in state in the courthouse guarded by American Legionnaires of the Adams Post 250 until the funeral held on Sunday afternoon on the front steps of the courthouse.<\/p>\n Charlie Beshaw was described as a boy of sunny disposition, a faithful and loving son, and a fine up-right young man.\u00a0 His life gave promise of great future usefulness.\u00a0 Charlie enlisted in the Army on April 25, 1918.\u00a0 He was assigned to Co H, 354th<\/sup> Inf, 89th<\/sup> Div and departed for Europe with the Division in June 1918.\u00a0\u00a0 He was killed in the Argonne offensive in France on November 3, 1918, six months and eight days after enlisting.\u00a0 He was 22 years old.<\/p>\n Besaw\u2019s funeral was said to be one of the largest ever held in the County.\u00a0 Some two hundred cars were in the procession that accompanied the remains to the cemetery.\u00a0 The Adams Legionnaires marched from the Masonic Temple to the courthouse to take up directing the funeral.\u00a0 Chairs were placed on the landing for relatives, speakers, pallbearers and choir.\u00a0 The audience assembled on the lawn.<\/p>\n For the Funeral Program, Post Commander Francis Towne gave an introductory address.\u00a0 Reverend Thomas Barker made a prayer and delivered the funeral sermon.\u00a0 Then Miss Lillian Hendrickson and Mrs. W. G. Bingham performed a violin and piano duet.\u00a0 Finally, Besaw\u2019s uncle, Mr. Clark read a biographical sketch of the deceased\u2019s life.<\/p>\n At the funeral\u2019s conclusion, six soldier pallbearers carried the casket to the hearse.\u00a0 The Legion Post led the procession to Mount Repose Cemetery where Pvt Charles Beshaw was interred with full military honors.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Private McKinley W. Cole<\/strong><\/p>\n Company A., 355th<\/sup> Infantry, 89th<\/sup> Division<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Pvt McKinley Cole of Quincy enlisted in the Army on March 29, 1918.\u00a0 He was wounded in action and died on August 12, 1918 at age twenty-two four months and fifteen days after enlisting.<\/p>\n As with the other deceased soldiers, before Coles\u2019s body was brought home to America, his remains were interred in France.\u00a0 An Army chaplain informed Coles\u2019s parents of his burial by a letter which was then printed in the Friendship Reporter:<\/em><\/p>\n France<\/p>\n August 28, 1918<\/p>\n Mr. Herman H Cole<\/p>\n Adams, Wisconsin<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My Dear Sir:<\/p>\n On the 14 of August it became my duty as Chaplain to see that your son, McKinley W. Cole, was removed from the Field Hospital 355, and given his last service rendered by man.\u00a0\u00a0 I secured the best suit and casket available, and with several others of his comrades that had fallen in the line of duty, as did he; they wee placed in the U.S. Cemetery at Menil-al-Thur, France.\u00a0 The gas thrown over by the Germans a few days before was the cause of his death.\u00a0 Though it is hard to part with our loved ones, yet I am sure that you rejoice that he was found at the front in his place, and doing well his part.\u00a0 The reason of my delay in writing you is; that the government is supposed to have plenty of time to get the news before the Chaplain writes.<\/p>\n Yours in sympathy,<\/p>\n Alonzo F. Goger\u00a0 [4]<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n McKinley Cole\u2019s body was brought back to Adams County in the spring of 1922, given a funeral at the Adams County Courthouse and interred in Mount Repose Cemetery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Private Elmer Augusta Feldman<\/strong><\/p>\n Company F, 355th<\/sup> Infantry, 89th<\/sup> Division<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Pvt Elmer Feldman of Quincy and McKinley Cole enlisted in the Army together on the same day.\u00a0 Both were killed in the same military engagement.\u00a0 Feldman died four days after Cole on August 16, 1918.\u00a0 He was three months short of his twenty-third birthday. He had been a soldier for four months and nineteen days.<\/p>\n Elmer Augusta Feldman\u2019s mother Bertha had had a premonition of what was to happen.\u00a0 Referring to him by his nickname derived from the German pronunciation of his middle name, she said, \u201cMy Goosy is never coming back.\u201d Another of Bertha Feldman\u2019s sons, Edward Feldman did return from the war having risen to the rank of Corporal.\u00a0 Edward returned to Quincy, bought the family farm from his father, married, raised a family and died in 1968 at age 74.\u00a0 The farm remained in the family. \u00a0Edward\u2019s son Harold resided at and<\/span>\u00a0farmed the land until shortly before his death in 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n Elmer Feldman\u2019s body was brought back to Adams County in 1922, given a funeral on the courthouse steps and buried with full military honors in Mount Repose Cemetery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Private John Matthew Shafman<\/strong><\/p>\n Company H, 354th<\/sup> Infantry, 89th<\/sup> Division<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pvt John M. Shafman\u2019s funeral was described in the Friendship Reporter<\/em> very much the same as was Charles Beshaw\u2019s, and probably was very much the same for Coles and Feldman.<\/p>\n Shafman\u2019s body arrived in Adams County from overseas on Thursday, October 20, 1921.\u00a0 His coffin was guarded around the clock by veterans from the Adams County Post 250 of the American Legion in the courthouse \u201crotunda\u201d until the time of the funeral on Sunday afternoon, October 23.<\/p>\n In the funeral program, Legionnaires marched from the Masonic Temple to the courthouse where six members acted as pallbearers.\u00a0 Commander Towne gave the opening service then Reverend Thomas Barker led a prayer.\u00a0 A piano and violin duet followed, \u2018after which J.W. Purvis gave some suitable remarks bearing upon the patriotism of those who went into the great conflict, and words of solace and comfort to the relatives of the departed\u2019.\u00a0 Reverend Barker read the obituary and gave a funeral sermon.\u00a0 Finally, the Adams Orchestra played the National Anthem and the assembly processed to Mount Repose Cemetery where Shafman\u2019s remains were interred with full military honors.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n Pvt John M. Shafman of Richfield was described as a quiet and industrious boy.\u00a0 He lived at home with his parents until called to serve in the war at age 31 on April 26, 1918.\u00a0 He went from Adams County to Camp Grant and two weeks later to Camp Funston, Kansas where he was assigned to Co H, 354 Inf, 89 Div.\u00a0 On June 27 his unit was ordered overseas.\u00a0 Pvt Shafman was in many battles and was killed in the Argonne offensive in France on November 7, 1918, four days before the signing of the armistice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n _________________________<\/p>\n This article previously appeared\u00a0 in the Adams County Historical So<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Friendship Reporter,<\/em> Thursday October 27, 1921<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Paxton Hibben, \u201cThe Soldier Dead Come Home\u201d The New York Times, <\/em>October 3, 1920.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Most of the information about the soldiers and their funerals is from the unstilted research notes belonging to Gordon Klaus.(2007)<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Friendship Reporter, <\/em>September 26, 1918<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Friendship Reporter, <\/em>Thursday October 27, 1921,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our WWI Soldier Dead Came Home\u00a0To Adams County Burying Adams County Soldiers Who Gave Their Lives in the \u201cWar\u00a0\u201dto End Wars” \u201cLast Sunday, October 23, at 2:30 o\u2019clock … Continue reading