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Remember...James Parks Robson
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James Parks Robson (known to his family as "Parks") was born July 2, 1894, at Loop [or Loup] Creek in Fayette County, West Virginia, to James Samuel and Viola Bertha Moore Robson. Data compiled from a family tree on Ancestry.com and the 1900 and 1910 Federal Censuses indicate his large family included several siblings: Bertha Louise (1885-1961), Emma Gertrude (1887-1964), Thomas Samuel (1890-1960), Houghton Abbot (1892-1928), Jennie C. (1894-?), and Frank Mead (1903-1974). Another male child died in infancy in 1902. The family tree includes three older half siblings, Annie Mary Robson Imboden (1876-1958), Cora Belle Robson Kidd (1878-1939), and Lydia Bahlmann Robson Prichard (1880-1910), indicating that James Samuel Robson was wed prior to his marriage to James Parks Robson's mother, and indeed the mother of Annie Mary, Belle, and Lydia was found to be Laura Belle Nugen Robson, who had died in 1882. The blended family must have worked well, as Viola Robson includes mention of those stepdaughters in her correspondence with other family members. Family history notes that two of James Parks Robson's brothers also fought in World War I. They would be Thomas and Houghton, as Frank would have been too young to register for the draft.
From the spring of 1910, when he was accounted for in the census, we lose track of James Parks Robson. But by the time he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, he was living in Charleston (R.F.D. No. 3) and employed as a farmer by his father. His draft registration notes that he was short and of medium build, with dark gray eyes and light brown hair. The Adjutant General's document regarding his death reports he enlisted on October 5, 1917, and, inducted and trained first at Camp Lee, reported to the 38th Company, 10th Training Battalion, Depot Brigade at Camp Shelby on October 28, though a postcard to his mother indicates he arrived there on October 30. On June 12, 1918, he joined Company 6, Camp Shelby Replacement Draft, on the SS Anchises at Hoboken, New Jersey, sailing for France.
During his time at Camp Lee and Campy Shelby, Parks and his mother carried on a lively correspondence. His letters are cheerful, to say the least, as he seems determined to keep her spirits up. For example, on October 10, he writes:
Will try to drop you a few lines to let you know that the Kiser hasn't got me yet. . . . Tell Dad he will have no trouble waking me up if I ever get back, for just a toot of the whistle here, and a fellow has got ten minutes to get up put on his clothes, make up his bed, wash and get in line for breakfast, and this happens every morning at 5:30. We were all shot in the arm yesterday. That is what I call it, for I don't know how to spell the other word for it. (Correspondence is housed in the Viola B. Robson Collection [Ms 2009-152], West Virginia State Archives.)
Still at Camp Shelby on February 7, Parks writes to Mrs. Robson:
Rec'd your letter last week, but this has been the first chance that I've had to answer. We sure have had some fine weather down here for the last week, just like summer time. It kind of gives me the traveling fever, but I guess I won't take the treatment for it. You asked me if I had a sweater. Yes they gave me one after all of the feeling had froze out of me. Mother what has become of the Armor Plate Plant [?] I haven't heard a word about it since the big plant started at lock seven. I don't think we will be here very much longer, for every thing has that appearance, especially my pocket book, for it is generally flat when we are going to move. You said I ought to be glad that I wasn't home for milk and butter is scarce. That surely wouldn't bother me a bit for it has been darn little milk and butter I've tasted since I've been on this job.
In a July 10, 1918, newsy letter to her son, Viola writes: "Just a few lines from us this morning. All real well. I am just from the garden been planting winter beans. We have a grand garden plenty ripe tomatoes. Annie Mary was in over night with us." Inferring that her son would be interested in others headed for the war, she tells him, "Roy Mash has been called by order of draft. . . . Guess he will have to go [too] but he looks at it very cheerful. Says if he knows his wife & baby is provided for is all he wants." Her letter of July 20 is short, but she conveys her anxiety over not hearing from him since June 1. However, she seems buoyed by the fact that the war will soon be over. She says, "Letter from Houghton yesterday hes [sic] well wanting to go over. . . . [I'm] working every day getting ready for you all homecoming." She signs her letters "Your loving Father & Mother J. S. & V. B. Robson."
| The date of James Robson's death, July 15, 1918, in addition to the fact that he is buried in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, indicates that while he might have been killed in action in the 3rd Battle of the Aisne (May 27- June 4, with additional skirmishes taking place thereafter) mostly likely his death occurred during the 2nd Battle of the Marne (July 15-August 6). German General Erich Ludendorff's successes in the 3rd Battle of the Aisne caused him to move forward confidently to the 2nd Battle of the Marne. However, this battle marked the beginning of the end for the German forces. Speaking of Robson's division, the 7th U.S. Infantry, historian Jennifer D. Swain writes: "In World War I the regiment deployed to France as part of the newly formed 3rd Infantry Division, where it participated in the Aisne, Chateau-Thierry, and Champagne-Marne Defensives, before seeing offensive actions at Aisne-Marne, the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel. For the regiment's distinctive action, it received the French Croix de Guerre with Star." ("The 'Cottonbalers' Regiment: 7th U.S. Infantry," American Battlefield Trust, accessed 11 January 2022, http://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/cottonbalers-regiment-7th-us-infantry.) |  |
Two letters from P. C. Harris, Adjutant General, to James Samuel Robson pinpoint the death of Pfc. Robson. On Mary 25, 1922, Harris wrote: "You are advised that the Graves Registration Service now report[s] that the body of this soldier has been located in an isolated grave in in the Commune of Chierry, Aisne, France and reburied in Grave #1, Section ‘G', Plot #1 American Cemetery of the Aisne-Marne. . . . In view of the fact that the soldier's last letter was dated July 7, 1918, it is apparent that he was killed in action between that date and July 21, 1918, on which date the company advanced beyond the Marne River." It should be noted that the American Battle Monuments Commission lists his grave as #64, Plot B, Row 07.
On March 30, 1922, Harris again wrote of the investigation into the correct date of James's death, concluding that "it has been determined by this office that Private Robson was killed in action July 15, 1918, and a notation to that effect has been placed on the official records."
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James Parks Robson is memorialized in more venues than the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. At the Lee Street Triangle in downtown Charleston, his name graces a plaque. Also in Charleston, a cenotaph marks his memory in the Spring Hill Cemetery. |
But the story of James Parks Robson does not end with his interment at Aisne-Marne. His mother, Viola Bertha Moore Robson, was one of those determined women who vowed to keep their sons' memories alive by participating in the Gold Star Mothers and Widows Pilgrimages to Europe to visit their sons' graves. Lobbying for this massive endeavor began in the early 1920s, and Mrs. Robson made her pilgrimage in 1933. Indeed, she became the face of the West Virginia women who participated, and her photo was used on the cover of the program that dedicated the West Virginia Veterans Memorial.
| Viola Robson meticulously kept a diary of her "Gold Star mothers trip to France," beginning June 5, 1933, when she left by train from Charleston. On June 6, she writes: "Got into N. York about 9 o'clock a. m. Had a lovely lunch. 2 p.m. our guide took us out sight-seeing. Lots of places of interest." June 7 finds her on board ship, the SS Washington, much in awe of her accommodations, mentioning the "lovely" meals, flowers, and music. While she met two other mothers from Morgantown, she mentions she had not met anyone from near Charleston. Her group landed in France on June 14 and settled into their hotel. June 15 saw them touring Paris, noting that they "went into a very old catholic church the largest in France." Was it Notre Dame? It's not until June 19 that she gets to visit the cemetery, but her description of that sacred place is breathtaking. She tells of the large entrance with long beds of roses on each side. Each grave had both a French and American flag and a chair for the mother to sit on. Each mother was given a wreath and her picture was taken. She says: "The hill above Parks [is] so befitting as he is a mountain boy." |  |
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All in all, Viola Robson's diary indicates that, though the cemetery portion of the trip was tinged with sadness, the pilgrimage was an uplifting event. The women had the opportunity to sight-see and shop. They stayed in pleasant hotels and were afforded luxurious accommodations on board ship. They had wonderful meals and enjoyed the camaraderie of other mothers. The journey home began on June 29 with the last breakfast at the Hotel d'Iena in Paris. At 8:00 they boarded buses for the train, and two hours later were on board ship. Interestingly, though her diary up to this point is quite chatty, she writes nothing of the trip home. She did, however, write letters to her grandchildren. |
Thanks to the determination of his mother, James Parks Robson lives through her remembrances: correspondence, diary, and photos, carefully saved by later generations of her family. The Viola B. Robson Collection at West Virginia State Archives is relatively small, but it conveys much history that otherwise would have been lost.
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
January 2022
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.
