A GREAT SMILE
Somewhere?

 

Young Girl
Young Girl Photo


    The photo above is of Walter Brown in the center holding a young girl with two other soldiers on each side. I (Bob Meli) as of February 21, 2010 I do not know who the other soldiers are or where the photo was taken, whether it was State side or in France. The men from the Post said they always kept the photo up because it was such a great picture of his smile and seemed to convey why the community cared for him so much to name the American Legion Post 226 in River Edge in his honor so many years after the war.
           
The caption on the front of the photo put on by the men from the Post reads
“SGT. WALTER SCOTT BROWN – CENTER--U.S. ARMY–WORLD WAR I. On the back of the photo there are another two captions along with an article on the passing of his mother. The first caption reads,
“SGT. Walter S. Brown 114th Infantry, 29th Division – Co. C World War I Tablets of the missing
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery Romagne (Meuse), France Date of Death: October 12, 1918.”

The second caption on the back of the photo reads:
“The Walter Scott Brown American Legion Post No. 226 River Edge, New Jersey is named in his memory.
His name is on a bronze plaque with a foot marker in the Veterans Park opposite the American Legion.”
           Finally, the article on his mother's passing from the Jersey Journal on November 3, 1960, has a personal correction where her name is written. They crossed out Mrs. Water Anderson and replaced the Walter with “Frank”, although this may be wrong. Also, because her husband's name in other articles was Charles and I do not know why she is going by the name of Anderson and not Brown. She seemed to have gone by the name Anderson for quite a while. This is how the article read:

Former Postmistress
Died November 3, 1960
Jersey Journal
Mrs. Frank Anderson, 84,
At Home in Weehawken

 Mrs. Flora Brown Anderson, 84, Former U.S. postmistress in
North Hackensack, when it was known as the Cherry Hill area died yesterday in her home, 124 Dodd St. Weehawkin. Mrs. Anderson who served several terms as a Republican committeewoman in River Edge was appointed postmistress in 1913.
 She held the post until 1927. A resident of Bergen County for 35 years,
she was active in its civic and political life.
           
Her only son Walter Scott Brown was killed in France in 1918 during action in World War I. The Walter Scott Brown American Legion-Post was named in his memory. Mrs. Anderson was a member of the Capt. Harry B. Doremus American Legion Post in Hackensack.

She was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church Weehawkin—( Union City )
   The William Schiemm Funeral home Union City,
is in charge of arrangements of her death notice.

 The photo is such a great picture of three guys in such good spirits and you can understand Walter Brown's mother's grief for her son. There is a story swirling around her also I am sure about her being a women Postmistress back in 1913 and her name changed, but
I am sure her only joy would be fulfilled if
we just never forget the soldiers sacrifice.

Written by:
Bob Meli
February 21, 2010

Original photo
Back of Photo

From left to right Hugh F. Harlin, Walter S. Brown, Flora L. (Peggy) Doremus, and Otto H. Prehn.

According to the article upon his death, The Evening Record Tuesday December 3, 1918 states, "He is survived by his wife, a son, his mother, and a brother, and sister."  George Hedges, a 1973 Hackensack High school graduate, found the original photo with writing on the back taken by his uncle George E. Hedges in an old album he discovered. According to the writing on the back of the photo, the name of the soldier holding the young girl is Otto H. Prehn who is list on the Honor Roll which was in the paper in 1918, and the young girl according to the writing on the back of the photo is "Peggy Doremus". The article of December 3, 1918 not mentioning a daughter may be wrong because as Mr. Hedges continued his research he found in the 1920 census there is listed in the Doremus household a daughter Flora Doremus. So it is very possible that the young girl in this photo is Harry Doremus' daughter Flora, who would have been 4 years old at the time, whom they nicknamed "Peggy" for whatever reason, which is the name on the back of the photo that George Hedges' uncle labeled.

It also could possible be a niece who was visiting with his brother or sister. The man farthest left George Hedges researched was a career soldier and had been born in New York and Hugh F. Harlin was listed with Co. C. 114th Regiment. A little bit confusing, but for every answer when researching history, we find ten questions. The camp on the original photo is labeled Camp McClellan which is where they were stateside in Anniston, Alabama.

Written by:
Bob Meli
November 20, 2015