World War I, also called the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, began in Europe in 1914. But it was not until April 6, 1917—100 years ago– that the United States Congress declared war against Germany. The American Expeditionary Force was organized and sent off to France to join the fight; by the time an armistice was declared, in November of 1918, more than 4.7 million Americans had served, 53,000 of whom were killed in action, 63,000 had died of disease, and 205,000 had been wounded.A year ago, Green-Wood decided, in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I, to identify and honor as many as possible of those who had served in that conflict, whether civilian or military, and are interred here. For the last year, our volunteers and staff have searched Green-Wood’s grounds, its records, and various online databases, in order to accomplish this goal. As of this writing, we have identified 161 men and women and written a biography for each. Their dramatic stories cover a wide range: the Cromwell twins, Red Cross nurses who served in France, then committed suicide as they began their journey home; Intelligence Officer Louis Abel, who wrote just before he was killed in battle, “As the war goes on and as I come out of each engagement still alive, I think often of those at home and wonder if I will ever see them again”; Lieutenant Kenneth Culbert, who while flying with the First Aero Squadron, photographed enemy trenches under heavy fire, only to be shot down as his plane returned to its base; Robert Bayard Cutting, associate organizing secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), who volunteered to serve in France, only to die there of disease; aeronaut Private Lloyd Ludwig, who was flying over France, went into a spin, and had a wing on his plane fall off as he plummeted to his death; many men killed in the trenches of France in 1918, interred in France, then brought back home to Brooklyn in 1921; and those who served in World War I and went on to live long lives, including Louis Belmer, the last of our surviving veterans, who died in 1980. We remember them and honor their sacrifices.On November 13, 1917, three members of the American Expeditionary Force became the first United States casualties of World War I, killed near Verdun, France. They were quickly buried near where they had fallen. This was in accord with the orders from General John Pershing, commanding American forces. Pershing had dictated that, with no time to set up logistics and no space on ships going back to America, as well as with a desire to spare survivors from seeing the corpses of their loved ones, no bodies would be sent back to the States. He decreed that all American troops who were killed in France would have their final resting place there.But then something happened. Congressmen began to hear from their constituents—when would these men, their loved one who had died for their country, be brought home? The popular sentiment was strong: bring the bodies of the fallen home.The British, who had lost 700,000 men, were opposed to the idea of bringing their fallen home—it would be a monumental task. The French, fearing the spectacle of bodies dug up and transported across their land, and hoping to concentrate on rebuilding, were aghast—and banned the transportation of bodies for three years.As the debate raged, ex-President Theodore Roosevelt and his wife, Edith, wrote that they wanted their son Quentin, who had died in battle, to remain interred in France: “To us it is painful and harrowing long after death to move the poor body from which the soul has fled,” he wrote. “We greatly prefer that Quentin shall continue to lie on the spot where he fell in battle and where the foeman buried him.”But thousands of Americans who had lost their loved ones were of a different mind: they wanted the United States government to return their sons to them for burial at home. A Brooklyn mother wrote: “My son sacrificed his life to America’s call, and now you must as a duty of yours bring my son back to me.”In October, 1919, the U.S. War Department announced a compromise: next of kin would decide whether their fallen would remain interred in American cemeteries in France or be sent back to them. Late in 1920, France relented and agreed to allow bodies to be removed. It would take the next two years for the Americans, at great cost, to bring remains home. In all, 46,000 bodies of the fallen were brought back from France; 30,000 still remain there.On July 21, 1921, General John Pershing was on the dock in Hoboken, New Jersey, when the first transport ship, bearing the remains of the men who had served and died under him, arrived. Pershing spoke at a ceremony honoring the first three men who had died while under his command in France—with their caskets in front of him, having returned to their native land. “They gave all,” he said, “and they have left us their example. It remains for us with fitting ceremonies, tenderly with our flowers and our tears, to lay them to rest on the American soil for which they died.” In 1921 and 1922, many of the fallen would be interred at Green-Wood Cemetery.Great thanks to our volunteers—Susan Rudin, Ed Damato, Lou Saverese, Jim Lambert, Wallace G. Lane Jr., and all the others, as well as researcher Vincent Katinas, who made these identifications and biographies possible. Volunteers searched through Green-Wood’s chronological books, looking for men who died in France and were brought back to Green-Wood. We have searched Green-Wood’s grounds, looking for monuments dedicated to those who served in World War I. And we have gone through applications to the United States government, filled out by widows and parents and sister and brothers, daughters and sons, for Veterans Affairs markers for their World War I veterans. Many of these veterans died in France; others lived to a ripe old age. In all, we offer biographies of 161 men and women, the last of whom died in 1980, in two sections, alphabetically; there was just too much data to put all of this into one document.The biographies below are Green-Wood’s tribute to the men and women who served in World War I—as pilots, nurses, infantryman, gunners, pay clerks, intelligence officers, and more, who are interred at Green-Wood or who have cenotaphs here. We honor their service and sacrifice with the stories of their lives. We invite you to browse or search these biographies.ABEL, LOUIS RAYMOND (1881-1918). Lieutenant and intelligence officer, 112th Infantry, 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army. A Brooklynite by birth and an electrical engineer by trade, Abel applied for a passport in 1905 on which he stated that he would return to the United States in about three years. A resident of Lebanon, Connecticut, he described himself as 5′ 10½” tall with gray eyes, brown hair, Roman nose, broad forehead, light complexion and oval face. He was an electrical engineer in the contracting business living in Brooklyn at the time of the 1910 census; his house on 86th Street was mortgaged. According to his great-grand-daughter, his electric contracting business took him to many cities in the Northeast. His great-grand-daughter states that he was working in Boston for two years prior to his induction into the Army.Abel enlisted at New York City and was sent abroad in May 1918. As per his Military Service Record for the State of Connecticut, he was married with one child and was affiliated with the Baptist religion. That document indicates that Abel had served with the 13th Regiment, Heavy Artillery National Guard in Brooklyn, was a Freemason and was employed as an electrical engineer. During World War I, he was a first lieutenant and intelligence officer with responsibility for reconnaissance behind German lines. He wrote this letter to his brother on September 14, 1918, thirteen days before his death.My dear brother Eugene,As the war goes on and as I come out of each engagement still alive, I think often of those at home and wonder if I will ever see them again.You all are in my thoughts continually when I have time to think of other things besides the continual shellfire and fighting.You may readily believe brother of mine that we think of nothing but shells, gas, and bullets and bayonets when we are in action and when a man says differently you can believe he has never been under fire. All one thinks of is where the next shell is going to land.It gives one a great feeling of comfort to know that there is a competent doctor near at hand and enough stretcher bearers and ambulances to carry one to the rear when hurt. I have been gased once and was ill for a short while but did not go out of action. I also got a scratch from a machine gun bullet but it is all O.K. now. Have been troubled with diarrhea for several weeks but am getting better. That is a common complaint here. So many dead bodies both horses and men and the doctors say the flys (sic) carry the germs to the food we eat. With the coming of cold weather the flys will disappear and we will be rid of this I am sure.Many of our fine boys have gone never to return. And of my first Scout Platoon of 28 men I had 20 casualties and only 8 men were left after our advance at the Marne and I now have a new Platoon of 40 men and have lost a few of these.My work takes me in front of the advance and the lines reconnoitering in the Boche lines for enemy positions. It is awe inspiring work especially in the darkness of night. The best times are the darkest nights when it is stormy.I recently lay several hours with four men in a ditch partially submerged in water and mud while the Boche were all around me. I thought I was a gone goose that night.My nerves have been sorely tried and many officers and men have lost out completely due to nervous strain making them useless.I sincerely hope all is well with you and yours. Love to all and may the God who watches over us all bring us together again.Lovingly your brotherLouisAbel was killed in battle in Argonne, France, on September 27, 1918. His mother was notified of his death by telegram on November 3, 1918. His body was returned to the United States and he was interred on September 25, 1921. Section 141, lot 23506, grave N, Front Right Corner. Louis AbelABRAHAMSEN (or ABRAHAMSON), GEORGE CHRISTIAN (1889-1918). Acting pay clerk, United States Navy. A native of Mandal, Norway, one of his New York Abstracts of World War I Military Service indicates that he was born in Brooklyn. Abrahamsen’s World War I Draft Registration Card dated June 5, 1917, notes that he was single, worked on a boat in New York City and lived on 49th Street in Brooklyn. He described himself as tall, of medium build with blue eyes and light hair (not bald). As per one New York State Abstract of World War I service, in which his name is spelled “Abrahamson,” he enlisted in the United States Navy as a chief yeoman on the USS Ozark on February 9, 1916. From April 6, 1917 through September 30, 1917, he was stationed as a chief yeoman at the receiving ship in New York. He was then assigned to the Navy Recruiting Bureau in New York until July 12, 1918, at which time he was appointed acting pay clerk (temporary). From July 12, to September 11, 1918, he was stationed at the Naval Air Station at Brunswick, Georgia. Abrahamsen then served in Washington, D.C., at Naval Operations under Supply Officer of Northern Bombing, Squadron, France, until November 8, 1918 (another document lists the expiration of that assignment as the date of the armistice, November 11, 1918). He returned to the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Georgia, where he died on December 13, 1918. He last lived at 747 43rd Street in Brooklyn. At some point during his service, he received a good conduct medal. Helen Abrahamsen, his niece, applied for a government-issued marble headstone with a Christian cross on September 22, 1962. Section 203, lot 35169.ACHELIS, JOHNFRITZ (1890-1965). First lieutenant, 6th Field Artillery; 7th Field Artillery, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army. Originally from Seabright, New Jersey, Achelis was a 1913 graduate of Yale University where he had been enrolled in the Reserve Army Training Corps (ROTC). In June 1914, he registered as an American citizen at the United States Consulate in Lyon, France, while on business there as a merchant. As per his New York Guard Service Card, he entered service on November 25, 1914. On June 30, 1916, he mustered into Troop A, Squadron A, a Cavalry unit in the Mexican Punitive Campaign and mustered out with his company as a private first class at New York City on June 19, 1916. As per his muster roll, he was described as a merchant who was 6′ 1½” tall with a fair complexion, hazel eyes and light brown hair. He was discharged on June 25, 1917.Two months later, on August 29, 1917, Achelis entered the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant and went to Plattsburg, New York. Subsequently, he was stationed in Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and Camp McClellan, Alabama. On September 17, 1917, he went overseas with the 6th Field Artillery assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Force. He was later assigned to the 7th Field Artillery.After Achelis returned to the United States on June 30, 1918, he got married on November 2, 1918, and was discharged from the Army on December 3, 1918. On September 13, 1924, he and his wife sailed to Europe aboard the Olympic for a three month excursion with stops in England, France and Italy; his passport application noted that this was a pleasure trip. His World War II Draft Registration Card, filed in 1942, shows that he was living on Rumson Road in Monmouth, New Jersey, had a home phone was working for Commercial Factors Corporation located at 2 Park Avenue in New York City. In 1959, he lived at 151 East 79th Street, Manhattan, when he travelled to Hamilton, Bermuda. Section G, lot 32199.ADAMS, CHARLES RASQUIN (1895-1961). Private first class, 104th Field Signal Battalion, Company C, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army. A Brooklyn native, Adams enlisted in the United States Army on May 3, 1918, and was assigned to Company C, 104th Field Signal Battalion. While overseas, he was wounded and received a Purple Heart and was also awarded a Victory Medal. Adams was honorably discharged on May 28, 1919.At the age of 47, Adama registered for the draft during World War II, while residing at 46 Fairlawn Street in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. At that time, he was self-employed, working at 31 North Broad Street in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His last address was 44 Carlton Avenue in Ho-Ho-Kus. On October 1, 1961, Alma K. Adams, his widow, applied for a government-issued headstone with a Christian cross, citing his World War I service and medals earned. Section 131, lot 33207, grave 1.AITKEN, MARY M. (1888-1971). Yeoman second class, United States Navy Reserve Force. A New York City native, the 1910 census and the 1915 New York State census report that she lived with her parents and four siblings on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan and worked as a saleslady in a department store. As per the inscription on her gravestone, she was a yeoman second class in the United States Naval Reserve Force during World War I. The 1920 census notes that she was single, lived on West 30th Street in Manhattan with her parents and two siblings, and worked as a clerk for the Boy Scouts. Section 187, lot 20079.AITKEN, VINCENT L. (1899–1918). Sergeant, 55th Infantry, Company A, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army. Born in Brooklyn, Aitken enlisted at Fort Slocum, New York, on June 10, 1917. On September 8, he was promoted to private first class. Private Aitken shipped out to Europe on August 3, 1918, and was promoted to sergeant on August 21. On November 3, 1918, just eight days shy of the armistice that ended World War I, Sergeant Aitken was killed in action in France. His last residence was 85 Hudson Avenue in Brooklyn. His body was returned to New York and was interred on April 8, 1922. Section 4, lot 35965, grave 2.ANDERSON, FRISBY GRIFFIN (1894-1978). United States Navy. Anderson was born in New York. At the time of the 1900 census, he lived at 856 Glenmore Street in Brooklyn with his parents and siblings and attended school. The 1910 census reports that he lived on Harway Avenue in Brooklyn with his mother and siblings and was still a student; his father died in 1909. The 1915 New York State census indicates that he lived with his siblings in Brooklyn and worked as a drug clerk.Anderson’s World War I Draft Registration Card, filed in Brooklyn on June 5, 1917, indicates that he lived at 92 Sterling Place in Brooklyn and worked as a clerk in the export shipping business. He claimed exemption from service because he supported his sister and brother; he described himself as 5′ 6″ tall with brown eyes and brown hair. Nonetheless, as per his gravestone, he served in the United States Navy during World War I. No other details are known about that service. Naval records show that he enlisted on March 24, 1920 and was discharged on March 18, 1921.The 1930 census shows that Anderson was single, was a patient at the Veterans Hospital in the Bronx, and was a veteran of the World War. The 1940 census reports that he was at the Veterans Administration Facility, Mental Hospital, in Huntington, New York; that census notes that he had completed two years of high school. He died at the Veterans Hospital in Montrose, New York. Section 49, lot 7727.ANDRES (or ANDRIKIDES, ANDROKIDIS), STEVE (or STULIANOS, SHILIANOS, STEPHEN, STYLIANOS) (1896-1970). Private first class, 152nd Depot Brigade; 346th Infantry, Company L, 87th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army. According to his daughter, who has researched her father’s genealogy, he was born in Smyrna (now Izmir), Turkey; his soldier records and census data list his place of birth as Greece. His birth name was Stulianos Andrikides. He immigrated to the United States on the Themistocles on August 23, 1914; his name was spelled Stylianos Androkidis on that ship’s manifest. His name, spelled Shilianos Andrikides, is on the manifest of the Morro Castle, a mail ship from Havana, Cuba, arriving in New York on February 26, 1917; he was a seaman on that vessel until his induction into the Army. (The captain of the ocean liner, also named the Morro Castle, which traveled between Havana and New York in the 1930s, is buried at Green-Wood; he died when that ship caught fire and ran aground in Asbury, New Jersey, with many lives lost, on September 8, 1934.)Andrikides served in World War I under the name Stulianos or Shilianos Andrikides. His Draft Registration Card, dated June 5, 1917, reports that Shilianos Andrikides, born in Piraeus, Greece, was a seaman and cook with alien (non-citizen) status; he was single, 5′ 6″ tall, of medium build with brown hair and brown eyes. At that time, he lived at 4 James Slip in New York City. As per his New York Abstract of World War I Military service, which spells his given name as Stulianos, he was inducted at Local Board #91 in New York on June 28, 1918, and assigned to the 152nd Depot Brigade until July 18, 1918, at which time he was transferred to Company L of the 346th Infantry. He shipped out to Europe onboard the Anstephen Castle on August 26, 1918, and was promoted to private first class on October 7, 1918. In March 1919, he returned from Nazaire, France, onboard the Alaskan. He was honorably discharged on April 10, 1919. According to his daughter, he was awarded the World War I Victory Medal although he was not wounded in battle.He married in 1920, became a naturalized citizen in 1922, and remarried in 1932 and in 1938. The census of 1940, which states his name as Stephen Andres, indicates that he was married with five children, lived at 8121 Fourteenth Avenue in Brooklyn, was a naturalized citizen, and worked as a chef. He reported that he rented his residence for $51 per month, had completed an eighth grade education, and had earned $2,800 the previous year. His World War II Draft Registration Card, filed in 1942 under the name Steve Andrikides, notes that he still lived at the Fourteenth Avenue address and was self-employed at 410 86th Street in Brooklyn. He became the owner of Andres Catering Corporation, a well-known enterprise in the Bay Ridge/Fort Hamilton neighborhood of Brooklyn with five catering halls hosting weddings and other special events. He was interred under the name Steve Andres. Section 170, lot 41089, grave 1.Steve Andres (born Stulianos Andrikides) in 1921.ANDREWS, RUFUS (or RUBEN) F. (1895-1950). Private, 22nd Infantry, Company K; 2nd Developmental Battalion, Company G, United States Army. A native of New York City, Andrews completed two years of high school and worked as a clerk for the American Tobacco Company, according to his Draft Registration Card filed on June 5, 1917, at Manual Training High School (now John Jay High School) in Brooklyn. The aforementioned document also notes that he was 5′ 3″ tall, weighed 125 pounds, and had gray eyes and brown hair. His home address was 416 2nd Street in Brooklyn. He was subsequently drafted into the Army on May 21, 1918, and assigned as a private to Company K of the 22nd Infantry until September 13, when he was transferred to Company G, 2nd Developmental Battalion, from which he received an honorable discharge on November 22, 1918, eleven days after the armistice. Andrews did not serve overseas. His discharge included a 12.5 % disability “in view of occupation.” Development battalions were organized for soldiers who had literacy issues or minor mental or physical problems that would normally preclude them from service.According to the 1930 census, Andrews was single, lived in Brooklyn with his aging parents, and was employed as a clerk for lawyers. Although the 1940 census shows him to be unemployed and living at home in Brooklyn with his 80 year old step-mother, his military records indicate that he was admitted to the Roseburg Branch of the Home for Disabled Soldiers in Hampton, Virginia, in 1933; it is unclear if he was discharged from the Soldiers’ Home before 1940. The paperwork at the Soldiers’ Home noted that Andrews could read and write, worked as a clerk for a lawyer, and was Catholic. He died at the Northport Veterans Hospital in Northport, New York. On November 6, 1950, shortly after his death, Helen Andrews of 149 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn, applied for a government-issued upright granite headstone with a Christian emblem, citing Rufus Andrews’s World War I service. Section 160, lot 11712.ANKELMAN (or ANKELMANN), RUDOLPH D. (1895-1918). Private first class, 307th Infantry, Company H, American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army. A native Brooklynite, Ankelman’s Draft Registration Card reports that he was of medium height and weight with brown eyes and light hair. He was unmarried and was employed as a clerk at that time. Ankelman was inducted into the Army on July 17, 1917, and assigned to Company H of the 307th Infantry. He was shipped out to France on April 7, 1918.During World War I, the 307th Infantry was assigned to the 154th Infantry Brigade and became part of the 77th Infantry Division and served with distinction in the following campaigns in France: Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne, and Lorraine. Ankelman was killed in action on August 27, 1918. His last residence was 459 6 Avenue in Brooklyn. His remains were returned to the United States in 1921 and were interred on June 6, 1921. On April 16, 1932, Lavinia Adami applied for a government-issued headstone citing Ankelmann’s World War I service. His surname was spelled with two n’s on the headstone paperwork. Section 206, lot 27769, grave 1.ANNABLE, OLIVER STEVENSON (1890-1952). Field clerk, Headquarters Eastern Department, United States Army. Annable was born in Brooklyn. According to the 1910 census, he was employed as a stenographer at a heating company. As per his Draft Registration Card for World War I, filed at Manual Training High School (now John Jay High School), he claimed exemption from military service because of bad eyesight and the aftereffects of infantile paralysis (polio). At that time, he was described as of medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair and lived at 411 3rd Street in Brooklyn. Although he asked for an exemption, he nonetheless entered the United States Army on July 23, 1917. He was assigned as an Army field clerk at Headquarters of the Eastern Department located on Governor’s Island in New York Harbor. He was honorably discharged on September 12, 1919, having served stateside.The Registrar’s Report from his World War II Draft Registration on April 25, 1942, notes that Annable was 5′ 9″ tall, 175 pounds with blue eyes, brown and gray hair, and a ruddy, freckled complexion. He lived at 2807 Farragut Road in Brooklyn at that time. His last residence was 628 East 28th Street in Brooklyn. He died at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. On December 14, 1953, a year after his death, his family applied for a government-issued upright marble headstone and cited his World War I service at Headquarters. Section 202, lot 25915.ARCHER, ROBERT (or ROB) A. (1892-1922). Private first class, 48th Infantry, Company A and Quartermaster Corps, United States Army. Archer was born in New York City. A