Soon after World War 1 localities across the country wished to honor the men and women who had served the Nation from their locality. St. Charles County, Missouri, is one of these counties. This manuscript isn’t limited to just the men who fought overseas, it also includes the women who had participated via Red Cross and the men who had actively served in the various campaigns backing the War here at home.
The series contains original affidavits of registration that record personal information about each registrant, their photograph affixed to the majority of documents, and the registrants fingerprints. All of these are specific to Kansas, and most have the actual documents attached.
Joseph J. Wilke, sales manager for the Red Star Yeast Company, and since 1907 general agent for Racine County, was born in Austria, August 19, 1882, the son of John and Fannie (Vlenovsky) Wilke, who were also natives of that country. The father died in 1883 and the mother afterward married Antone Keller. In 1894 they came to the United States, settling in Racine, at which time Joseph J. Wilke was a lad of twelve years. He had previously attended school in Vienna, Austria, and in 1893 he came to the United States with an aunt. They made their way … Read more