"Gold Star"
Founder of the Gold Star Mothers
Grace Darling Seibold was born in 1870 in Hartford, Connecticut. Grace created The Gold Star Mothers in Washington D.C., after the loss of her son George who died in aerial combat.
George Vaughn Seibold volunteered in 1917 when the United States entered the war. George requested to serve in aviation and was sent to Canada to learn how to fly British planes. At the time the U.S. did not have an air force. George was assigned to the 148th Aero Squadron in the British Flying Royal Corps. He and his squadron were deployed to France. While in France, he wrote regularly to his family.
On the home front, Grace Seibold began to visit returning servicemen in the hospitals. Shortly thereafter correspondence from George ceased and the U.S. could not help the Seibold family find out anything about their son. Grace continued to cling to the hope her son would return home injured and without identification. She visited hospitalized servicemen hoping George would be in one of the beds. On October 11, 1918, a box marked “Effects of deceased Officer 1st Lt. George Vaughn Seibold” was received by George’s wife. Then on November 4, 1918, George’s parents were told by a family member living in Paris that George was deceased.
Instead of containing her grief Grace devoted her time and energy to working in hospitals. She also decided to support other mothers whose sons have perished in the war. Grace organized a group to not only comfort each other but to also give care and comfort to hospitalized servicemembers that may be far from home. The organization was named after the Gold Star on the flag that families hung in their windows to honor their loved one. On June 4, 1928, Grace and around twenty-five other mothers met in Washington D.C. and established the national organization, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
Main Goals of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.:
- Support women who suffered the loss of their sons.
- Keep alive the men who have given up their lives in war while also helping to develop respect for the men.
- Promote goodwill through America.
- Inspire Americans' respect for those who have died in the war.
Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages of Remembrance
From 1930 to 1933, many of the mothers and widows of U.S. soldiers who died during World War I sailed to Europe to visit the graves of their relative. The U.S. government paid the expenses of these pilgrims. These pilgrimages were the fruit of a joint effort by the Office of the Quartermaster General and various French agencies. The quartermaster made contact with these French offices: Customs, Ministry of War, Administration of Public Hygiene and Assistance, Administration of Fine Arts, Prefect of Police, Department of Touring, Quartermaster Corps of the French Army, postal authorities, French railroads, and the Federation of Veterans’ Societies. The quartermaster wanted these trips to be as smooth as possible for the families.
In all, The Gold Star pilgrimage gave 6,693 women to visit their loved ones’ graves in a place they might not have been able to go to on their own.
World War II and beyond
While the Gold Star Mothers started in the aftermath of the first World War. The term now applies to the families servicemen and women who died while in service. The United States observed the first Gold Star Mother’s Day as the last Sunday of September in 1936.
The idea was picked up by another woman who lost a spouse in World War II thus creating The Gold Star Wives. The Gold Star Wives was formed prior to the end of World War II. In 1947, the Gold Star Lapel pin was established.
Today, the United States recognizes that the all members of a service member’s family are affected by the death. Gold Star Mother’s and Family Day is the last Sunday in September. Gold Star Spouses day is April 5th. The United States Army has said that they understand and appreciate that no one has given more for the nation than that of a fallen soldier’s family and they are thankful of the strength that family provides to the soldiers in war.
Gold Star Soldiers
As sad as it is, there would not be any gold star mothers without the service members that ended up giving up their lives. There were many soldiers from Connecticut. For the sake of this project, I only focused on a few of them.
Corporal John F. McDermott
John was the son of Michael and Hannah McDermott. His father Michael emigrated from Ireland in 1887, while his mother was a first-generation American. Michael and Hannah were married around 1892 with their first child coming a year later.
John was born on August 26, 1895, in Mt. Carmel. Connecticut (Hamden). He was the third of ten children. Prior to the war, McDermott was employed by W.W. Woodruff & Sons. On June 5, 1917, John filled out a registration card for the draft. He was officially enlisted into the National Guard on June 18, 1917, as a private in the infantry. John was then transferred to
At the time of Cpl. McDermott's death he was unmarried. Co. B, 102d Regiment, 26th Division. While he was stationed at Camp Yale in New Haven he was promoted to Corporal. Shortly, after his promotion, John and his company were stationed abroad in France, from October to December 1917. John first went into action in February 1918 at Chemin des Dames and participated in the Chemin des Dames and Seicheprey engagements.
Cpl. McDermott was killed in action on April 15, 1918, at Seicheprey. At the time of his death, John was unmarried. His body was shipped home after the war and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Hamden, on May 1, 1922, with military honors. He was the first Hamden soldier to die in World War I.
Private James N Joyce
James Nicholas Joyce was the son of James and Anna Joyce. Both parents emigrated from Ireland in 1880.
James was born August 6, 1892, in New Haven Connecticut. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and A.O.H (Ancient Order of Hibernians). Prior to the war, James was a bricklayer and plasterer for Burton Blatchley in New Haven.
On July 24, 1917, James was enlisted into service as a Private in the Connecticut National Guard. He was trained at Yale Field. James was assigned to Company C 102nd Infantry a part of the 26th division. In September 1917, Joyce left New Haven and moved to France with his unit on the USS Missanabie. He was promoted from Private to Private First Class in March 1918. Not much is known of his service, other than he was at the Battle of Seicheprey because Joyce was killed in action the same day of the battle April 20, 1918.
His mother Anna Joyce was told that fateful day in 1918, James and several other men volunteered to go after ammunition when their supply had been exhausted. The group succeeded once but on the second attempt, James was killed.
PFC Joyce was buried by the U.S. Army at the St. Mihiel American Cemetery in Thiacourt, France.
Private Harold Joyce
Harold Valentine Joyce was born on February 14, 1892, to parents Michael and Margaret Joyce in Unionville, CT. Michael was Connecticut born to Irish immigrant parents. Margaret emigrated from Ireland in 1883. Harold was the eldest of 8 siblings. His younger brother Raymond was enlisted into the National Army December 12, 1917, at the age of 22.
On March 11, 1918, Harold was inducted into National Army in Farmington, CT. Harold was a private and worked for the 1st Provisional Depot Battalion in Camp Hancock until April 10, 1918.
Pvt. Joyce was then shipped out to France on July 9, 1918, on the USS America. Other than what is in his entry in Connecticut Men and Women in the Armed Forces of the World War not much is known about Pvt. Joyce’s service. When Harold was inducted into the war he was 26 years old. Less than 10 months later, Private Harold Valentine Joyce died due to disease. The cause of death was pneumonia. He was buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Avon, CT.
However, there is a silver lining for the Joyce matriarch her second son Raymond survived the war and went on to fill out an Old Man’s Draft Card for World War II.
*I have not found any evidence that Pvt. James Joyce and Pvt. Harold Joyce are related.*
Private Daniel Callahan
Daniel F Callahan was born to Daniel and Margaret Callahan, January 1886 in New Haven, CT. Daniel Sr. emigrated to the United States in 1880. He met and married Margaret Farrell in 1883. In 1891 Margaret died, there is no record of her cause of death. On the 1920 US Census, Daniel Callahan Sr. told the enumerator he was widowed and has 3 children.
Daniel was enlisted into the National Army on August 24, 1917, at the age of 31. When he was enlisted Daniel became part of Company D 102nd Machine Gun Battalion along with PFC. James Aloysius McCartin. Pvt. Callahan was killed in action July 22, 1918. His body was shipped back on the USS Wheaton in July 1921. Not much is known about Daniel Callahan or his family. There was no military census done in 1917 nor a Military Service Record filled out after the war by any of Pvt. Callahan’s surviving family members.