McLEAN COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY NEWS
By Euleen Rickard
With the observance of Veterans Day several articles were written about veterans in our newspapers and magazines. In the Kentucky Monthly Bill Ellis wrote “World War II veterans dying out” and Steve Vied wrote “Call to Duty” in the Messenger/ Inquirer. Both articles reminded us that we must hurry in collecting the memories of our World War II veterans.
The “Call to Duty” article featured two members of our museum group, Delbert and Roy Settle and their brother, Kenneth who served during World War II. Their father, a veteran of World War I died in 1936 just eighteen years after his service in Germany, leaving their mother with the three boys. Only eight years later the boys began to receive their “Calls to Duty”, first Roy in February 1943, then Kenneth just after Christmas in 1943 and Delbert after high school graduation in 1945, so their mother Clarice saw the effects of war with her husband and her sons.
During World War II families hung little flags with stars representing sons and daughters in service in their windows. . Some had a flag with one star meaning that one son was in service. Many times this meant that the only son of the family was gone. The Settle flag had three stars. If a son was killed the flag bore a gold star and the mothers were called “Gold Star” mothers. Most homes across McLean County had flags as McLean sent most of its sons and some of its daughters off to fight in World War II.
Harold Wilson and his wife Claudia are video taping McLean County World War II veterans. They have made several and have more scheduled to be made. The museum is seeking information on veterans of all wars. We have more than two hundred Civil War Veterans listed, 583 World War I veterans and much material on World War II. Bill Lacefield donated a copy of the book that he compiled and printed listing most of McLean’s World War II veterans. Mildred Iglehart brought in several pictures and newspapers of the World War II era.
While talking to Hubert Mattingly, he asked if we knew how many Civil War Veterans were buried in Poplar Grove cemeteries. We have counted twenty in that area. Hubert grew up in the Popular Grove community and remembers the old Civil War Veterans sitting around in the stores telling of their war experiences. North and South back home in peace telling of the times of the war. If only we had that on video!
If you have pictures, letters, or information on a veteran of any war, the museum would like to have it. Please send any information to McLean County History & Genealogy Museum, P.O. Box 34, Calhoun, KY 42327.