 Courtesy Tracy Ferry Wright, |
Remember...Abraham Edward Kimble
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Abraham Edward "Jack" Kimble was one of nine children in the family of George Wesley Kimble and Mary Elizabeth Kimble. He was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia, on July 17, 1896. His siblings were John David, Lillie (died young), Nolen ("Bill"), Lettie Ann (Mrs. Lee Self), Roosevelt ("Rose"), Gettie Jane ("Kittie"; Mrs. Harvey Clemmie Shreve), James ("Illie"), and Minnie (died young).
| George Wesley Kimble and Mary Elizabeth Kimble were united in marriage on May 24, 1890, in Grant County, West Virginia. By 1900, George and Mary had moved their large family to a farm in the Mill Run District of Pendleton County. |  George and Mary Kimble family: front, from left: Jack, Roosevelt, Mary holding Illie, Gettie, Lettie. Back: Abraham (grandfather), David, and Nolen. Courtesy Richard Kimble |
Following the sinking of American merchant ships by German submarines, the United States declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917. When the call for volunteers failed to produce the needed one million troops to support the war effort, the Selective Service instituted the draft, with the first registration on June 5, 1917, for all men between the ages of 21 and 31.
Two weeks before the draft was implemented, Abraham volunteered at Cumberland, Maryland, on May 20, 1917, for service in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Company D in the 10th Infantry Regiment and was stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Lawrence, Indiana.
John David Kimble, Abraham's older brother, registered in Pendleton County for the draft on June 5, 1917. His draft registration card states that he was 29 years of age, was married with two children, and was a farmer living in Kline, Pendleton County, West Virginia. He had brown hair and brown eyes and was of medium height and build.
 Nolen (top) and Abraham Kimble. Courtesy Richard Kimble |
Abraham's brother, Nolen ("Bill") Kimble, also registered in Pendleton County for the draft on June 5, 1917. He stated that he was 22 years of age, single, and worked on his father's farm in Ketterman, Pendleton County. Nolen was of medium height and medium build and had grey eyes and brown hair. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I. |
| Abraham qualified on a firing range as a "marksman" because of his superior firing skills, and he was detained at Fort Harrison to teach recruits how to fire a rifle. He was dissatisfied with that assignment since he had enlisted to participate in the fighting in Europe. Although his service record states he was a "combatant," he never got the chance to leave the United States. |  Abraham "Jack" Kimble's service record as preserved by the Pendleton County Historical Society. Courtesy Eric Hedrick |
 Postcard photo of Abraham "Jack" Kimble. Courtesy Eric Hedrick, Pendleton County Historical Society |
On August 10, 1918, while serving as a guard on a train from Rock Island, Illinois, to Chicago, Abraham Kimble was accidentally shot. He died on November 9, 1918, and was buried in the George Kimble Family Cemetery at Upper Tract in Pendleton County, West Virginia. His service record states that the cause of death was "accidentally or by mistake shot." Under remarks, the record explains: "Shot Aug. 10, 1918, through mistake while guarding a car from Rock Island Ill to Chicago. Died Nov. 9, 1918." |  Grave marker for Abraham Edward Kimble, George Kimble Family Cemetery, Upper Tract, Pendleton County. Courtesy Richard Kimble |
Article prepared by Leon Armentrout
February 2016
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
