Courtesy Eric Hedrick, Pendleton County Historical Society |
Remember...Isaac Roy Hedrick
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Isaac Roy Hedrick was a son of Isaac H. and Hannah E. Harter Hedrick. He was born at Ruddle in Pendleton County, West Virginia, on September 13, 1895. His parents were married on May 7, 1890, in Pendleton County.
Isaac's siblings were Luther David, Garnett Daniel, Eva Lena (Mrs. Mack C. Roberson), and Willie Jane.
Hannah Hedrick, Isaac's mother, died on November 1, 1907. His father, Isaac H. Hedrick, remarried on December 4, 1911, in Pendleton County to Della Virginia Roberson.
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.
Isaac registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, in Pendleton County. He was 21 years of age at that time and was working as a farmer for his father on the family farm at Ruddle in Pendleton County. He was single and was described as being of medium height and build with gray eyes and brown hair.
| On the same day, older brother Luther David Hedrick registered in Pendleton County for the draft on June 5, 1917. Luther was married to Gertrude Catherine Bowers, had one child, and was self-employed as a farmer in Franklin, West Virginia. His draft registration card indicated that he was disabled because of a crippled leg; however, he did not claim an exemption from the draft. |  World War I draft registration card for Luther David Hedrick. National Archives and Records Administration |
Luther's brother, Garnett Daniel Hedrick, also registered in Pendleton County for the draft on June 5, 1917. At that time he was married to Lena Lambert, and they had two children. Garnett was a self-employed farmer in Franklin, West Virginia. Garnett also registered for the World War II draft in 1942.
 In Pendleton County, a Mr. Calhoun kept meticulous records of the men who departed for the camps. |
On March 4, 1918, Isaac Roy Hedrick departed for Fort Oglethorpe, at Chickamauga Park, Georgia, where he was assigned to Company 7 of the Army Medical Reserve Corps. |
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Isaac Roy Hedrick's letter to Mr. Calhoun. Courtesy Eric Hedrick, Pendleton County Historical Society |
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| Isaac Roy Hedrick's military career was brief. He died on May 11, 1918, of complications resulting from measles and pneumonia at Camp Greenleaf, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He was laid to rest in the Ruddle Presbyterian Church Cemetery. |  Pvt. Hedrick's grave marker in the Ruddle Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Courtesy Brenda Pruitt |
Article prepared by Leon Armentrout, with editorial assistance from Patricia Richards McClure
October 2015
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.
