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Remember...Joe Hamilton
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Joe's brothers were Leslie and Owen. According to the 1895 Nicholas County birth registry, Joe Hamilton wasn't immediately given a first name. Existing records show that he used the name Joe, but it's unclear whether his full formal name was Joseph. His name is Joe Hamilton in the death registry, in military records, and on his military grave marker.
The Hamiltons were a farming family. Joe Hamilton was described as pleasant and generous, with "a bright future." He spent his time tending to farming chores and attending public schools. He graduated from Nicholas County High School in 1917 and entered the army the same year, enlisting at Richwood, West Virginia. ("Joe Hamilton Dead, Death Declared at Camp Lee Sunday Morning--Brought Home for Burial," and "In Memoriam," Nicholas Chronicle, 10 January 1918 and 17 January 1918, respectively.)
Joe Hamilton was enlisted into a field artillery unit, Battery B of the 313th, 80th Division. He went to Camp Lee, Virginia for training. During his time there, he trained military horses and sustained an injury. Later, he became ill with spinal meningitis. Spinal meningitis is caused by bacteria or a virus. The records do not indicate which illness afflicted Joe Hamilton, but the writer of "In Memoriam" for the Nicholas Chronicle supposed that the injury presented underlying conditions for the illness. The writer also noted, at the time, that spinal meningitis was "more or less epidemic. . ." in the camps.
The Hamilton family was notified of Joe's illness. His father and brother Leslie went to the camp but could not be by his side. They were at Camp Lee when Joe Hamilton died. It's not clear whether he knew that his family was there on that bitter day on January 6, 1918. Leslie also served in World War I in the Camp Meade Ambulance Company.
| Joe Hamilton's remains were returned to Summersville where he was buried in Peck Cemetery, now known as Walker Memorial Cemetery and Gardens. At Camp Lee, he was given a military funeral, which was attended by his unit. The captain of the unit wrote Mr. Hamilton a letter, which praised Joe Hamilton as "always active, resourceful and manly." Further, Captain Perkins wrote that, "I am sorry that I could not see more of you, but if anyone can sympathize with you in your bereavement, it is I, who was his captain and cherished him as one of the best of my soldiers. |  |
Joe Hamilton's father died in 1921 and is buried near his son.
Article prepared by Cynthia Mullens
November 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.
