Dear Boys in Service

By Frank Skidmore

To our servicemen and servicewomen, there is one big event in the daymail call. Watch an old episode of MASH, and see the reaction of the members of the 4077th when Radar or Klinger announces, Mail call.

It was outside the Old Stone Fort that I saw the memorial to the Schoharie men who had made the supreme sacrifice during WWIright there was the name of Carl Beard Skidmore. Of course I had to ask who he was and found out he was my uncle, my fathers half brother that I never knew about. He died on November 1, 1918, in France, a year after my father was born.

What are they, we and these honored dead, looking for in the mail? If they were like me, they were looking for news about home. It didnt matter who or what news was in the letter. Even if it was just gossip, it was a connection to someone at home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524591281

Frank Skidmore

Frank’s family has long shown an interest in their history. His father had shared copious notes by Emma Fullington Skidmore (Frank’s paternal great-grandmother) and repeated stories of “the farm” in Jefferson, NY as well as summers in Summit in the Catskill Alps of NY. Both Frank’s parents discussed family history often. Their interest included membership in Wiltwych Chapter of DAR and artifact contributions to the Schoharie Old Stone Fort in the Catskills. Growing up in Gettysburg stoked his own interested in history leading to a degree in History at Bucknell University. These letters are part of a collection that he received after the passing of his father. Those letters were saved by his paternal grandmother, Frank Leona Skidmore and resulted in his first book Dear Leona the courting letters of his grandfather Morris W. Skidmore to his grandmother. Mr. Skidmore is also the author of several pieces on his uncle, a Marine in France during WW1, including Letters from the Dominie in the Schoharie County Historical Society Journal (Vol LXXXII No.2); Carl’s Homecoming in the December 2008 Camaraderie (Journal of the Western Front Association US); Carl Skidmore’s Family Learns of His Death in the May-June 2008 St. Mihiel Trip-Wire Newsletter. Currently in preparation is a book-length study based on correspondence of and about Private Carl Beard Skidmore provisionally titled Dear Momma,Pappa and all: A Voice from the Dead.

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Copyright © 2017 by Frank Skidmore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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The title of this book comes from the salutation used by the Dominee of the Jefferson Methodist Church in a series of letters to his boys serving in France. This book contains those letters and others that went to Carl B. Skidmore of Summit and Jefferson. Perhaps this book will encourage others to publish letters their family has treasured to their Boys in Service.

Rev. date: 03/14/2017

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Table of Contents and Letters

Preface

Dedication

Summary

Introduction

The New Year – 1918

The Girl He Left Behind?

Letters from the Dominee

Dear Old Pal

Dear Friend

Dear Carl from Howes Cave

The Boys

Acknowledgments

Preface

My father was born in Schoharie County New York on Clapper Hollow Road in Jefferson. He made a point of taking me and my brothers to the Old Stone Fort in the village of Schoharie whenever we visit the Farm which is now part of Clapper Hollow State Park.

It was outside the Old Stone Fort that I saw the memorial to the Schoharie men who had made the supreme sacrifice during WW1 – right there was the name of Carl Beard Skidmore. Of course I had to ask who was he? and found out he was my uncle, my father’s half-brother, that I never knew about. He died on November 1, 1918 in France a year after my father was born.

Some research with the Old Stone Fort Museum Director, Carle Kopecky, led me to a picture of the dedication of the memorial on July 4, 1921.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to those men of Schoharie County who made the supreme sacrifice in the defense of freedom during The