Deseronto Archives

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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.

Randall Brant, a farmer, signed up on this day in 1916 in Deseronto. He was born in Tyendinaga on January 22nd, 1896, the son of David Brant and Susan (née Maracle), who were both Mohawks.

Brant enlisted in the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636593. He had previously served in the 49th Regiment. He was five feet ten and a quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair.

Randall’s service record shows that he arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 and went to France with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was wounded several times, the first by accident when he shot himself in the left foot on April 18th, 1917. For this he was given 42 days of Field Punishment No. 1 for “conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline”.

Brant rejoined his unit in France in September 1917 and suffered his second injury on October 27th, when he received a gun shot wound to the scalp. He was wounded again in August and in September 1918. He returned to Canada on the RMS Olympic in March 1919. He was demobilized in Kingston with the rank of Lance Corporal on May 2nd, 1919.

Randall Brant married Emmeline Barnhart on November 15th, 1922 in Tyendinaga.

Cecil Earnest Crawford enlisted on this day in 1916 in Bancroft. He was born on July 20th, 1891 in Tyendinaga, the son of John Crawford, a Mohawk, and Elizabeth (née Sager). Cecil Earnest married Hattie Matilda Hennessy on December 23rd, 1914 in Bancroft. They had a daughter in 1915.

Crawford joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636686. He had a fair 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 21st Battalion.

On the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9th, 1917) Crawford was badly injured by a shell. He was in hospital in England for two months while he recovered, but was not able to resume active service. He left England for Canada on November 6th, 1917 and was discharged from the army on February 20th, 1918 as being unfit for further service. In May 1918 he was admitted to Queen’s Military Hospital in Kingston for an operation on an abscess which had formed on his injured right hip.

In 1921 Cecil and Hattie were living in Tyendinaga. By then they had a second daughter, born in 1920. Cecil died in Detlor, Ontario in 1975.

On this day in 1916, Wallace Brooker, a warehouseman, enlisted in Toronto. He was born in Deseronto on June 23rd, 1897, the son of Robert Booker and Maggie (née Eden).

Brooker joined the 127th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, with the regimental number 778653. He was five feet seven and a half inches tall, with a fresh complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on August 30th, 1916 on board the RMS Olympic. Just nine days later he was admitted to hospital suffering from chronic nephritis (a complication of the scarlet fever he had as a child), brought on by “sleeping in wet clothing on first night in England”. He spent most of the following year in hospitals in England and was eventually invalided back to Canada in October 1917 on the hospital ship Araguaya. A medical board held at Whitby Military Hospital on April 23rd, 1918 recommended that Brooker be discharged from the army as medically unfit. He was discharged on May 4th.

In 1921 Wallace was back in Toronto with his parents, living at 98 Earlscourt Avenue and working as a packer. He died at the age of 41 of a coronary thrombosis on June 27th, 1938 in Toronto and was buried in Prospect Cemetery.

On this day in 1916, Jonas Green signed up in Marlbank, Ontario. He was born in around 1873 in Tyendinaga, the son of Isaac Green, a Mohawk, and Elizabeth (née Pearson). He married Jane Boumhower in Napanee on May 3rd, 1912. His younger brother Sampson had enlisted on January 25th, 1916.

Like his brother, Jonas joined the 155th Battalion initially, with a regimental number of 636576. He was five feet six and a quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He had the initials ‘J.G.’ tattooed on his right forearm.

In October 1916 his service file shows that he was transferred to No. 3 Special Service Company, based at Fort Henry in Kingston. In March 1918 Green was discharged from the army for being overage and because he was suffering from kidney disease.

Jonas Green died on August 30th, 1921 of typhoid fever in Belleville General Hospital.

On this day in 1916, Harry Corby signed up in Deseronto. He was born in Deseronto on March 18th, 1898, the son of Louis Corby (a Mohawk born in Kahnewake) and Elizabeth (née Green), who was a Mohawk of the Bay of Quinte.

Corby joined the 155th Battalion with the regimental number 636584. He was five feet seven inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His service record notes that he arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 on the SS Northland. He joined the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles in France on December 6th of that year.

On May 24th, 1917 Harry was sentenced to one day of Field Punishment Number One and had a two-day pay stoppage for “losing by neglect his forage cap” on May 17th:

Harry returned to England on January 28th, 1919 and left for Canada on March  19th. He was demobilized in Montreal on March 29th, 1919 and was back in Deseronto in 1921, living with his mother in Fourth Street. He married Jemima Brant in Northport, Prince Edward County on August 25th, 1923.

James Nelson Barnhardt joined up in Midland, Ontario on this day in 1916. He was born in Tyendinaga on June 16th, 1887, the son of Robert James Barnhardt and Catherine (née Maracle), who were both Mohawks. The family were living in Deseronto in 1901 and had moved to Midland by the time of the 1911 census. James’s father, Robert, died there in 1913.

James Barnhardt joined the 157th Battalion with the regimental number 644753. He was five feet two inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His service record shows that he arrived in England on October 28th, 1916 and joined the 1st Battalion in France on December 2nd.

James did not come home.

On this day in 1916 James Adamson Wright, a seaman, signed up in Midland, Ontario. He was born on January 9th, 1894 in Deseronto, the son of Richard Wright and Effie (née Sager).

James joined the 157th Battalion with the regimental number 644538. He was five feet three inches tall, with a fair complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. He married Hazel Elizabeth Peacock (who was born in Michigan) in Barrie on February 21st, 1917.His service record shows that he left Canada in May 1917 on the SS Metagama.

Wright arrived in France on November 19th, 1917 and joined the 4th Battalion. He suffered a shrapnel wound to the left arm in August 1918 and was sent back to Canada in January 1919 (this journey was also on the Metagama). He was demobilized in Toronto on February 7th, 1919. They left Canada, heading for Saginaw, Michigan, in March 1920. James died there on June 16th, 1975.