Smith, John Henry Jr.

1918 - 1997  (78 years)

• Name	Smith, John Henry
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	15 Dec 1918	Clay County, Illinois   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Gender	Male
  Census		1940 Census, Clay City Township, Clay County, Illinois, page 05a 1940 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois, (District 13-4) (Township), image 09, page 05a The writing in the 1940 Federal census for Clay City, Illinois is sometimes difficult to read. Ancestry.com has attempted to index this census, but there are many transcription errors.
  		1930 Census, Clay City Township, Clay County, Illinois, page 01b 1930 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois, (District 0004) (Township), image 02, page 01b
  Occupation	Retired Oil Field Worker, Farmer  [1]
  Reference Number	SMIT.J021
  _FGRAVE	26565185
  Death	23 Jun 1997	Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [1, 2, 3, 7]
  	John H. Smith, 78, of Clay City, died June 23, 1997 at his residence. He was born Dec. 15, 1918, in Clay County, the son of John H. and Effie VanBlaricum Smith. He married Beulah Thomas August 24, 1947. He was a World War II Army veteran and a member of the Clay City Masonic Lodge. He was retired from the oil field and farming. He is survived by his wife, Beulah Smith; one niece, Marjorie Vogel; one nephew, George Duke; and several cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Jessie Mae Cordell. Services were held at Summers-Kistler Funeral Home in Clay City with burial in the Clay City Cemetery. Memorials can be made to Hospice of Southeastern Illinois. (Published Olney Daily Mail)
  Funeral	26 Jun 1997	Summers-Kistler Funeral Home, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [1, 2, 3]
  Military Service	World War II, Staff Sergeant, Company A, 1254th Engineer Combat Battalion, United States Army  [1, 8, 9]
  	Entered active service as a draftee on January 21, 1942 at Camp Grant, Illinois. Selected for the Corps of Engineers, completed basic training, and eventually qualified in the military occupational specialty of Construction Foreman (059). Departrted the Continental U.S. on October 22, 1944 bound for the European Theater of Operations. Assigned to and served with Company A, 1254th Engineer Combat Battalion in Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. Earned the Good Conduct Medal, Americacan Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 2 bronze battle stars and the WWII Victory Medal. Honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant on December 29, 1945 at the Separation Center, Camp Grant, Illinois. This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission. Source: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=2055863
  		Flag of the United States, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959, a…
  		United States Army
  		Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt.), United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948)
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Military Service Ribbons, John Henry Smith Jr. (1918-1997) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Army
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		Camp Grant, Illinois
  		European Theater of World War II
  		World War II Honoree, Smith, John H. (19281997)
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007, page 22 of 26 pages On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. This…
  Burial	26 Jun 1997	Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [1, 2, 3]
  		Headstone, Smith, John H. and Beulah M.
  Person ID	I15819	Carl Wayne Gray Research | Thomas - Loveland John Henry Thomas and Clara Belle Loveland Descendants
  Last Modified	30 Jun 2023

  
  

  Father	Smith, John Henry,   b. 1879, Illinois d. 14 Oct 1951 (Age 72 years)
  Mother	VanBlaricum, Effie Mae,   b. 1884, Illinois d. 13 Feb 1968 (Age 84 years)
  Marriage	Y  [4, 5, 6, 10]
  Family ID	F7284	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Thomas, Beulah Marie,   b. 18 May 1921, Clay County, Illinois d. 22 Aug 2015, Flora Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Flora, Clay County, Illinois (Age 94 years)
  Marriage	24 Aug 1947  [1, 3, 7]
  Age at Marriage	He : 28 years and 8 months - She : 26 years and 3 months.
  Family ID	F7286	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 15 Dec 1918 - Clay County, Illinois Death - 23 Jun 1997 - Clay City, Clay County, Illinois Funeral - 26 Jun 1997 - Summers-Kistler Funeral Home, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois Burial - 26 Jun 1997 - Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S3967] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, Smith, John H., 78, (http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26565185), none. (Reliability: 2). [S3968] Funeral Card, Smith, John H., none. (Reliability: 2). [S3969] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Smith, John H. and Beulah M., (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26565185), none. (Reliability: 2). [S3965] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (District 13-4) (Township), image 9, page 5a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00087?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.as) (Reliability: 3). [S3387] Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois, (District 0004) (Township), image 02, page 1b, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6224/4584337_00620?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.aspx%3fd), none. (Reliability: 2). [S231] Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois, Enumeration District 3, Page 1B, (http://search.ancestry.com/content/viewer.aspx?dbid=6061&iid=4300174_00609&noredir=true&sid=&gskw=) (Reliability: 2). [S1747] Frank & Bright Funeral Home, Obituary, Smith, Beulah, 94, (http://www.frankandbright.com/obituaries/obit/386/), none. (Reliability: 2). [S3919] World War II Honoree, John H. Smith, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2055863) (Reliability: 2). [S3970] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Smith, John H., (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26565185), none. (Reliability: 2). [S3964] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Smith, Effie M. and John H., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24075239/john-h-smith), none. (Reliability: 2).