 |
Remember...Albert Andrew Gerken
|
Albert Andrew Gerken was born in Fetterman, a community near Grafton, in Taylor County, West Virginia, to Stephen and Fannie Gerken on April 20, 1893. Stephen Gerken's parents were German, and the anglicized version of the name may have gone through several iterations before arriving at Gerken. The 1880 Federal Census taker recorded the name as Jerkin. The family lived in Taylor County at the time.
In 1893, when Albert Gerken was born, Mr. Gerken was a car inspector, presumably for a railroad, and it was so recorded on Albert's birth registration.
In 1900, the family was living in the Fairmont District of Marion County. Mr. Gerken was a railroad car repairman. The family had four children in the household: Gilbert, Pearl, Anna (also known as Annie), and Albert. Gilbert worked in the mines. With them were four boarders who were described as laborers or had occupations with the railroad.
In 1910, the family lived in Fairmont. Mr. Gerken was a foreman in a mine. Children Annie and Gilbert were no longer living at home. Albert was already working in a glass factory. He'd been working in a glass factory since he was 10 years old, according to an obituary (Fairmont West Virginian, 10 September 1921). In the 1911 Fairmont city directory, Gilbert Gerken was working in a glass factory and married to Minnie Gerken. In 1915, the city directory indicated that Albert Gerken was working in a glass factory, Gilbert Gerken was an electrician, and Stephen Gerken was a miner.
As a young man, Albert Gerken was said to be a sportsman, interested in athletics, and a hunter and fisherman. He played with a sports team for Monongah Glass. He was a member of Glassworkers Union #49.
On June 5, 1917, Albert Gerken registered for military service. On May 26, 1918, he was among those honored in a city celebration in Fairmont at the B&O Railroad station. Those assembled honored 59 men who were departing for Camp Lee, and the list of the 59 included Albert Gerken. Another 146 men were expected to depart from Mannington ("Expect Big Crowds," Fairmont West Virginian, 25 May 1918).
World War I draft registration for Albert Andrew Gerken. National Archives and Records Administration
On August 6, 1918, Albert Gerken was among those on a passenger list of a military transport ship called the Madawaska. It left Newport News that day and arrived in France on August 18, 1918, as part of the 31st Provisional Company. By October 4, 1918, Private Gerken was on the front lines. He was placed with Company C, 35th Division, 131st Infantry of the American Expeditionary Forces. He received a commendation, unspecified, for his actions at Le Bois Plat Chene.
During October of 1918, the American Expeditionary Forces were involved in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war in the battles for the Meuse-Argonne. The circumstances of Pvt. Gerken's death are not clear. While the adjutant general's report indicates he was "slightly wounded" on October 10, most accounts indicate he was suffering from a heart condition and died of heart failure. In Soldiers of the Great War, he is listed among those who "died of disease."
Pvt. Gerken was first buried near where he died but was returned to the United States for interment in Woodlawn Cemetery in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1921. According to a death notice in the Fairmont paper, he was survived by parents, brother, and sisters. ("Two Who Died in Action Were Buried Sunday," Fairmont West Virginian, 10 September 1921.) Annie Gerken was already a widow (as of 1912) and was serving as a Red Cross nurse at hospital #65 in Osteen, North Carolina; however, another obituary for Albert Gerken stated that she was a nurse at Camp Lee. The obituary also noted that Albert Gerken's grandfather had served in the military during the War of 1812. Albert was remembered by the local glassworkers' union during the ceremonies.
A fellow member of the community, Fred Miller, who also died during the war in France, was returned and buried the same weekend, and so newspaper accounts mentioned them both.
Pvt. Gerken rests in peace in Woodlawn Cemetery, where many of his family members are also interred.
Article prepared by Cynthia Mullens
September 2020
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.
