Deseronto Archives

On this day in 1916 Hughie Norval Powless, a carpenter, signed up in Hamilton. He was born in Tyendinaga on January 5th, 1896, the son of John Powless and Margaret (née Brant). In 1911 he was living at the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford. He married Lulu Ethel English shortly after enlisting, on March 9th, 1916 in Hamilton. The couple were living with their son, Francis, and Hughie’s parents at 7 Canon Street West in Hamilton.

Powless joined the 173rd Battalion with the regimental number 690315. He was described as five feet five and three quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. His service file shows that he left Halifax on the SS Olympic on April 29th, 1917. He was transferred to the 125th Battalion and later served in France with the 7th Canadian Railway Troops. In June 1918 he was admitted to hospital, suffering from trench fever. In April 1919 he was transferred back to Canada on the SS Scotian. On the journey, he contracted influenza and was sent to hospital in New Brunswick, suffering from pneumonia. He was discharged in Hamilton on May 23rd as medically unfit.

Hughie went on to serve in World War II. You can read more about him in this blog post by Bob Richardson. He died in Pomona, California in 1978.

Edwin Arthur Jarrett signed up in Toronto on this day in 1916. He was born in Deseronto on January 29th, 1898, the youngest of the five children of Stephen Jarrett and Mary (née Royce). His father died in October 1898 and Mary had moved her family to Toronto by 1901, where she was running a boarding house.

Edwin and his brother Stephen Henry Royce Jarrett (who was born in Toronto) joined up together. Edwin’s regimental number was 503167, his brother’s 503168. They joined the Divisional Signal Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers. Edwin was five feet eight inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. His brother had similar colouring but was slightly shorter at five feet six and a quarter inches.

Their service records show that the brothers arrived in England on the SS Baltic on May 29th, 1916 and were both transferred to the 4th Divisional Signal Company. They went to France on August 11th, 1916. Both brothers were promoted (Edwin to Corporal, Stephen to Lance Corporal) and both were awarded Military Medals. They remained in the same unit throughout the war and returned to Canada on the Mauretania together, leaving England on May 31st, 1919. They were demobilized in Toronto on June 8th.

In 1921 Edwin was back with his mother and his two youngest sisters in Toronto, living at 29 Lonsdale Road and working as an accountant. He married Nora Jarrett (they were second cousins) in Hamilton on May 18th, 1922. Stephen was in York with his wife, Elsie and three sons in 1921. Edwin died in Etobicoke in 1976, while Stephen died in 1972 in Toronto.

Austin Green, a shipper, signed up in Toronto on this day in 1916. He was born on April 21st, 1897, the son of Daniel Green, a Mohawk, and Susan (née Minnie). The family were living in Deseronto at the time of the 1901 census and in Belleville in 1911. When he enlisted in 1916, the family’s address was 3 Lakeview Avenue, Toronto.

Green joined the 180th Battalion with the regimental number 862396. He was five feet five and a quarter inches tall, with a medium complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.

Austin Green’s service record tells us that he arrived in England on November 20th, 1916 and was transferred to the 123rd Battalion. He was one of six men wounded on April 22nd 1917 while working on road maintenance with this unit (war diary entry).

After recovering in England, Green was transferred to the 4th Battalion in April 1918. He did not come home.

Jake Corby signed up in Deseronto on this day in 1916. He was born in the town on November 13th, 1891, the son of Louis Corby (a Mohawk born in Kahnewake) and Elizabeth (née Green), who was a Mohawk of the Bay of Quinte. His younger brother Harry had enlisted on February 5th, 1916.

Jake Corby joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636647. He was five feet eight inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. In England, Jake was transferred to the 21st Battalion, which he joined on December 8th, 1916.

Corby’s service record shows that he was wounded at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where he suffered gunshot wounds in the foot and leg on April 9th, 1917. He rejoined the 21st Battalion in September 1917 and was appointed Lance Corporal in June 1918. On October 11th 1918 he received gunshot and shell wounds to the leg, hip and abdomen at Avesnes-le-Sec (war diary entry).

Jake returned to Canada on the RMS Carmania on February 9th, 1919.

RMS Carmania

In 1921 Jake was back in Deseronto, living with his mother and his brother Harry in Fourth Street. He was working as a sailor.

On this day in 1916, James Gerald Embury, a clerk, signed up in Peterborough. He was born in Deseronto on October 28th, 1898, the son of Thomas Embury and Nora (née Meagher).

Embury joined the Canadian Field Artillery with the regimental number 320877. He was described as having a dark complexion, dark grey eyes and dark brown hair. His service record shows that he spent a week in hospital in Petawawa suffering from syncope before he left Canada for England in September 1916. He joined the 1st Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery in France on March 18th, 1917. On April 10th he was admitted to hospital with appendicitis, rejoining his unit on June 8th. On September 29th, 1917 he reported sick after having been injured by poison gas at Lens on the 19th and he spent another month in hospital in England, before being transferred to a reserve brigade. He went overseas again in March 1918, where he served until February 1919, when he was again hospitalized, this time with impetigo.

James left England on July 5th, 1919 and was demobilized in Kingston on July 16th. Embury departed Canada for Rochester, New York on March 21st, 1924. He married Dolores Reulbach in Rochester in 1930 and by 1940 was living in Hempstead, New York, with Dolores and one son. A note on his service file records that he died on June 3rd, 1957.

George Mark Maracle signed up on this day in 1916, under the surname Hill. His true date of birth was February 10th, 1891 and he was the son of Albert George Maracle and Annie (née Hill), who were both Mohawks. They were living in Point Anne when George enlisted.

George joined the 157th Battalion with the regimental number 644015. He was five feet six inches tall, with a dark complexion, dark eyes and black hair.

George’s service record shows that he left Canada on October 17th, 1916 and was transferred to the 1st Battalion, joining them in the field on December 2nd, 1916. He was killed at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

On this day in 1916, Wilbert Brant signed up in Bartonville, Ontario. He was born in Prince Edward County on November 30th 1898 (he said 1895 on his attestation form), the son of Milo Brant and Eliza (né Maracle), who were both Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.

Brant joined the 129th Battalion with the regimental number 785039. He was five feet tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. Wilbert’s service record shows that he was examined at Camp Borden on July 27th, 1916 and found to be four feet ten inches tall. Because of his height he was discharged from the army on August 7th, 1916.

Image courtesy of FindaGrave.com

On this day in 1916, David Green signed up in Midland, Ontario. He stated that he was born on August 10th, 1892 in Deseronto, but census records suggest that he was actually born in 1882, the son of Alexander Green and Catherine (née Maracle), who were both Mohawks. David was living in Deseronto at the time of the 1891 and 1901 censuses, but by 1911 he had moved to Midland and was lodging with his younger brother, Jake, in the town in that year. Jake enlisted earlier in the same month.

Like his brother, David joined the 157th Battalion. His regimental number was 644772. He was described as five feet eight inches tall, with a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 and was transferred to the 1st Battalion on November 28th. He joined his unit in France on December 2nd, 1916.

David died at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

On this day in 1916 Percy Overton Crawford, a fireman, signed up in Bancroft. He was born on November 27th, 1889 in Tyendinaga, the son of John Crawford, a Mohawk, and Elizabeth (née Sager). His younger brother, Cecil Earnest Crawford, had enlisted on the previous day. When Percy signed up he gave his next of kin as his wife, Olive Elizabeth Crawford. The couple appear to have married in Manitoba in 1912: Olive’s maiden name was Colp. They had two sons, the eldest being born in Manitoba in 1912.

Like his brother, Percy Overton Crawford joined the 155th Battalion. His regimental number was 636596. His complexion was “slightly dark” and he had brown eyes and dark brown hair. His service record shows that he also arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 and was transferred to the 21st Battalion, with which he served in France.

In April 1917 Crawford was admitted to hospital with a fever (probably Trench fever). He subsequently suffered from acute rheumatism and from myalgia (a common after-effect of fever). His fitness was classified as ‘B2’ (able to walk five miles to and from work, see and hear sufficiently for ordinary purposes) in March 1918 and he spent the rest of the war at various military depots in England.

In 1921 Percy, Olive and their two sons were living in Thomas Street, Deseronto. Percy died in 1964.

William Sero enlisted on this day in 1916 in Deseronto. He claimed to have been born in Tyendinaga on July 28th, 1897. On the ‘Particulars of Family’ form Sero gave his next of kin as Maggie Woodman and Allen Sero, noting that he was his mother’s only support and that his father was a spendthrift. His pay was assigned to Lydia Brant of Deseronto.

William joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636594. He had a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His service record shows that he sailed from Halifax on the SS Northland on October 17th, 1916 and transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles in November, joining them in France on November 29th. On June 4th, 1917 he was admitted to hospital suffering from shrapnel wounds to his right thigh and ankle and he spent the rest of the war in England, in hospital or in reserve battalions. He sailed from Liverpool on December 12th, 1918 on the SS Regina and was demobilized in Kingston on January 20th, 1919.

Sero died in Belleville on May 24th, 1965.