— Others Listed from Previous Genesee County Rolls —

– – – – –

Karl G Lee

Private, Co I, 3rd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army. Died of pneumonia at Camp Eagle Pass, Texas, October 25, 1918. Age 19.

Listed on “Batavia’s Honor Roll”

Actual home town: Undetermined (possibly Oneonta, Otsego County or Sanford, Broome County)

Burial: Batavia Cemetery, Lot No 227, Batavia, Genesee County, New York

 

Note: Although Lee’s given name is spelled “Carl” in many sources, his NYSS, which was often based on enlistment papers, and his tombstone epitaph, which was almost certainly inscribed as his mother wished, uses the spelling “Karl,” so that is the spelling accepted here.

Karl G Lee’s parents and some of his siblings were living in Batavia (Genesee County), New York, when he died in the fall of 1918. His funeral was conducted at his parents’ home at 23 Center Street, and he was buried at Batavia Cemetery. No evidence, however, was found that Karl himself ever lived in Batavia or elsewhere in Genesee County. It’s likely that he was an Otsego County or Broome County, New York, soldier.

Karl was born in April, 1899 in Stevens Point (Susquehanna County), Pennsylvania. He was the son of Lucius Lee (given name spelled variously in sources), who in later life went by the name Lewis. Karl’s mother was Ida May nee Englet Lee.

The 1900 US Census shows Karl , listed as Grover (likely his middle name), at one year old, and five older siblings (brothers Winnie and Amasa; sisters Lydia, Alta and Betsie) with their parents in Harmony Township (which encompasses Stevens Point) in Susquehanna County. Ten years later, the Lees had moved across the Pennsylvania border to Sanford (Broome County), New York, where the 1910 US Census shows Carl [sic] at age 11 with his parents, his sister Betsy, his brother Amasa (listed erroneously as a daughter), and—interestingly—a brother not on the 1900 US Census, Floyd, also 11 years old.

Research failed to establish Karl’s whereabouts, or that of the rest of his family, over the next seven years. Searches of state and federal census records and of city and county directories in both New York and Pennsylvania proved unproductive. The only bit of evidence suggesting the Lee family’s location during the period is a 1915 marriage record of Karl’s sister Betsy, which lists both parents and gives Betsy’s residence as Harpursville (Broome County), New York. (Note that there are pre-1917  census and newspaper records for a Carl G Lee in Genesee County, but they pertain to a different individual who served in the war, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Lee of Maple Avenue in LeRoy.)

Karl’s trail picks up again in 1917 when, according to his NYSS, he enlisted in the regular Army at Ft. Slocum, New York on March 11, giving Oneonta (Otsego County), New York, as his address. This explains why he’s listed in the NY Roll of Honor as an Otsego County soldier. Perhaps significantly, Karl’s brother Floyd’s NYSS shows him also enlisting at Ft. Slocum on March 11, 1917, and also giving Oneonta as his town of residence. Intriguingly, Karl’s NYSS gives his age at the time as “18-10/12 yrs” and Floyd’s is given as “18-8/12 yrs.”

1917 also brings the first evidence of the Lee family living in Batavia. Karl’s brother Amasa’s draft registration card indicates that he registered for the draft in Batavia on June 5, 1917, giving that city (but no street address) as his residence. It seems likely that the Lees moved to Batavia just prior to that, and no earlier than 1916.

Although they enlisted together, Karl Lee and his brother Floyd were assigned to different units. Floyd ended up serving overseas with the 2nd Division’s 23rd Infantry. Karl, however, was assigned to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” which spent the entirety of the war patrolling the Mexican Border. Private Karl G Lee died on October 25, 1918, at the height of the nation’s influenza pandemic. On October 31, 1918, his remains were interred with military honors at Batavia Cemetery.

– – – – –

—— [CLICK ON DOCUMENTS TO OPEN FULL VIEW IN SEPARATE TAB] ——

October 28, 1918 Batavia Daily News p6 c5

– – – – –

October 31, 1918 Batavia Daily News p6 c4

– – – – –

November 2, 1918 Batavia Times p2 c4

– – – – –

Source: New York Service Summary from Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, NY State Archives, Albany, New York

– – – – –

Source: Burial Case Files, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92, National Archives — St Louis, Missouri

– – – – –

Karl G Lee Sources:

– BHR

– Aug 16, 1917 p9 c2

– Oct 28, 1918 BD p6 c5*

– Oct 30, 1918 BD p6 c5

– Oct 31, 1918 BD p6 c4

– Oct 31, 1918 Buffalo Evening News p20 c8

– Nov 2, 1918 BT p2 c4

– Apr 30, 1928 Binghamton Press p8 c3

– Jun 19, 1930 BT p4 c2

– Jan 29, 1931 BT p5 c3

– “United States Census, 1900.” Online index and images, HeritageQuest.com. Entries for Lucious Lee (head) and Grover Lee (son, age 1), citing Census Records, Harmony Township, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania; sheet number 14B, line numbers 56 and 63, microfilm series T623, Roll 1489, page 30.

– “United States Census, 1910.” Online index and images, HeritageQuest.com. Entries for Lucius Lee (head) and Carl Lee (son, age 11), citing Census Records, Sanford Town, Broome, New York; sheet number 9, line numbers 38 and 41, microfilm series T624, Roll 926, page 101.

– “New York, County Marriages, 1908-1935.” Online index and images, FamilySearch.org; Broome County record entry No. 1417, 26 January 1915 Harpursville, New York (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XVP9-HBD). Ida Englet [Lee mother maiden name] in entry for Antonio Franchisco and Betsey M Lee.

– NYSS (Karl G Lee, Army serial number 1019962)

– NYSS (Floyd Lee, Army serial number 49205)

– Roll of Honor (NY State), p 130

– World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [Amasa Lee; indexed “Amarie Lee”] (Ancestry.com)

– Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War. Volume 3, Part 2, p 909; Volume 3, Part 3, p 1373

– BCF

– “Old Batavia Cemetery Records,” (Batavia, New York) tombstone transcriptions J-O, online, http://genesee.bettysgenealogy.org/obat3.htm

– – – – –

Click for Key to Source Abbreviations. See the Bibliography for complete title, author, and publisher information, with links to online access when available.