— Others Listed from Previous Genesee County Rolls —

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James L Wadsworth

Private, HQ Co, 165th Infantry, 42nd Division. Killed in action at Camp Bois de la Lyre, France, July 15, 1918. Age 20.

Listed under LeRoy on County List 3

Actual home town: Geneseo (Livingston County)

Burial: Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Plot A Row 13 Grave 10, Belleau, France

 

James Livingston Wadsworth was a well-known Livingston County soldier from Geneseo, as reported at the time of his death in local and state newspapers. He was born in Geneseo on October 12, 1897, and was a descendant of Geneseo’s founders (James and William Wadsworth). At the time he was killed, his father, James Samuel Wadsworth, was serving overseas as a captain with the 27th Division, and his cousin, James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr., was a United States Senator. His mother was Julia nee Whittaker Wadsworth. The 1900 US Census shows James in Geneseo at age 2 with his parents and a one-month-old brother. In the 1910 US Census, Julia is shown as the wife of Henry V Colt, and James (age 12) and his brother are listed as stepsons. The 1915 New York State Census lists the Colt family, with James at 18, living at 34 Mill Street in Geneseo.

Despite his young age, James L Wadsworth (often called “Stoney”) had already served for nine months at the Mexican border in 1916 with the New York National Guard’s First Cavalry and had been discharged to resume his schooling when the country declared war on Germany. He re-enlisted, joining the New York National Guard’s 69th Regiment, which became the 42nd (Rainbow) Division’s 165th Infantry.

The New York Roll of Honor lists Private Wadsworth erroneously under Genesee County and gives his town as Temple Hill. However, Temple Hill is an area within Geneseo. Wadsworth’s NYSS correctly gives his address as Temple Hill, Geneseo, New York; however, perhaps significantly, on the NYSS form “Geneseo” is placed over the space for “County.” It’s possible that when the NY Roll of Honor was compiled from NYSS information, the transcriber mistook “Geneseo” for “Genesee.” County List 3 was based largely on the Roll of Honor data, thus perpetuating the error, though it’s uncertain why LeRoy was designated as the town.

Private Wadsworth was killed on the first day of the Champagne-Marne defensive, as the 42nd Division’s 165th and 166th infantry regiments fought off repeated enemy attacks in positions north of St. Hilaire-le-Grand. The 165th Infantry’s headquarters, where Wadsworth served as motorcycle dispatch rider for regimental commander Colonel Frank McCoy, was at Camp Bois de la Lyre, about a mile south of the front.

A searcher’s report in Wadsworth’s Burial Case File quotes an eyewitness account of his death from Corporal Lawrence Flynn, who also served at regimental headquarters: “Pvt. Wadsworth was struck by enemy shrapnel on July 15, 1918, about dusk, while standing outside abri [French for hillside dugout shelter] at Camp Bois de la Lyre, Champagne Sector, France. Earlier during the day he had experienced trouble with his motocycle [sic] and I chatted with him occasionally while he was overhauling the machine. At the time he was struck I was outside abri underneath the camouflage while Pvt. Wadsworth was directly outside. About three shells exploded in the immediate vicinity. Although badly lacerated Pvt. Wadsworth retained consciousness for about half an hour and while drifting into a semi-conscious state made inquiries regarding the motorcycle, then concerning his parents, finally lapsing into unconsciousness. He was buried the following day by a detail composed of members of the band, immediately outside abri.”

A similar account of Wadsworth’s death, which occurred shortly after he’d returned with a message while under fire from a pursuing enemy airplane, appears in the 2006 book Duffy’s War by Stephen Harris.

In 1922, Wadsworth’s remains were permanently interred at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery.

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

August 8, 1918 Livingston Republican p17 c4-5

[click on image to view full article]

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August 10, 1918 New York Evening Post p10 c7

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August 22, 1918 Livingston Republican p3 c4

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

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

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James L Wadsworth headstone, Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Plot A Row 13 Grave 10, Belleau, France

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James L Wadsworth Sources:

– County List 3

– Aug 5, 1918 BD p1 c5*

– Aug 6, 1918 Albany Evening Journal p10 c5

– Aug 6, 1918 Geneva Daily Times p2 c3

– Aug 8, 1918 Livingston Republican p17 c4-5

– Aug 10, 1918 New York Evening Post p10 c7

– Aug 22, 1918 Livingston Republican p3 c4

– “United States Census, 1900.” Online index and images, HeritageQuest.com. Entries for James Wadsworth (head) and James L Wadsworth (son, age 2), citing Census Records, Geneseo, Livingston, New York; sheet number 11B, line numbers 64 and 66, microfilm series T623, Roll 1070, page 79.

– “United States Census, 1910.” Online index and images, HeritageQuest.com. Entries for Henry V Colt (head) and James L Wadsworth (stepson, age 12), citing Census Records, Geneseo Township, Livingston, New York; sheet number 9, line numbers 37 and 39, microfilm series T624, Roll 986, page 93.

– “New York State Census, 1915.” Online index and images, Ancestry.com. Entry for James L Wadsworth, stepson, age 18, in household of Henry V Colt, citing Census Records, Geneseo, A.D. 01, E.D. 02, Livingston, New York; page number 18, line 25.

– NYSS

– Roll of Honor (NY State), p 64

– WWI database, American Battle Monuments Commission website (www.abmc.gov/search/wwi.php)

– 42d Division, Summary of Operations in the World War, pp 6-14

– Duffy’s War by Stephen Harris, Potomac Books, Washington D.C., 2006, pp 38, 216, 220, 224, 228

– BCF

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