http://findagrave.com/user/profile/49829377

The Cemetery Fairy, Saint Joseph, MO (2026)

06/01/2026

A large painting by my father, Jon Palmer, depicts a horse-drawn St. Joseph Ice & Manufacturing Company delivery buggy at the intersection of 20th and Olive. It's based on a real photograph that was recently colorized. It took him a long time to add all the details and complete it. He hopes to display it soon at Mosaic Life Care. 🎨

He also has paintings he donated on display at St. Joseph Museums, Inc.

05/29/2026

BELOVED BABY GRAVE IN ASHLAND CEMETERY 🐑

On April 12, 1872, Friedrich Wilhelm Sauer was born to German speaking parents in St. Joseph, Missouri. Five days later, Friedrich died.

Baby Friedrich Sauer was buried in the old children's section in Ashland Cemetery. The top of his headstone features a lamb facing the road with the inscription on the back written entirely in German. This leads me to believe that Friedrich's parents were emigrants. His grave is very unique in both shape and color which is probably why he's been left so many gifts throughout the years like flowers, figurines, and smooth rocks. Presently, the ears of the lamb have either eroded away or been deliberately broken off. The front of the lamb statue also has a large crack in its base near the front.

The headstone is located on the north side of the old children's area of Ashland Cemetery— the skinny, middle strip of grass that extends westward upon entering the cemetery. I've included a map.

🪦 findagrave.com/memorial/35331012/friedrich_wilhelm-sauer

I could not find any mention of little Friedrich in any newspapers or documents except for the log of his grave in an old Ashland Cemetery registery known as the "Old Book".

After doing some research, I believe the parents of baby Friedrich might (key word is "might") be William Sauer (1839-1904) and Louisa F. Eberhardt Sauer (1845-1901). William and Louisa did have a son born in 1878 also named William. If little Friedrich William died in 1872, it would make sense why they would name their second son William, too. Also, when the father, William Sauer, died in 1904, the burial was paid for by the St. Joseph Schawben Verein— a German ethnic organization. Both William and Louisa are buried in Ashland Cemetery, as well as their son, William, who made it to age 72. Of course, their ties to baby Friedrich are only speculation and nothing is confirmed. Any confirmation of this would be greatly appreciated.

NOTE: I am by no means a professional. I'm just a girl with a camera and a search bar. This grave was photographed and researched so others can remember a life lived and virtually honor their resting place. There are no living immediate family members for me to contact to get their blessing to publish this post. It is by no means my intention to exploit the deceased. As always, any corrections, more information, and photographs of Friedrich Wilhelm Sauer are welcome. To contact me, you can email me at [email protected].

05/28/2026

THE FUNERARY FRENZY OF "THE FISK MUMMY" ⚰️

At the end of his magnificent career, David Johnson Heaton, the first undertaker of St. Joseph, Missouri and the entire United States, praised the cast iron Fisk case. Because Heaton had started his career long before embalming became an accepted practice in the country, there had to be a way to safely transport bodies long distances. 86-year-old Heaton wrote, “Before the invention of metallic cases by Mr. Fisk of New York, when a body was to be shipped away, I would either have the coffin lined with tin and soldered up, or make a tight outside box and fill in between it and the coffin with sawdust.” Without the help of embalming and a low temperature, a body will quickly decompose as it pleases. Lining the coffins in tin and metal was a way to keep the toxic fumes of the body within a confined, air-tight space.

Thirteen years before the Civil War, thus before the days of embalming, a 30-year-old iron stove-maker, Almond Dunbar Fisk, patented his iron Fisk case on November 14, 1848 under US Patent No. 5920 in New York. However, the creation of such a coffin was born out of grief. Within the article “The True History Behind the Stunning Coffins in ‘Frankenstein’”, author Katie Calautti writes, “William [Fisk’s 25-year-old younger brother] died in Oxford, MS, and the Fisk family’s mourning was made all the more sorrowful by the fact that his rapidly decomposing co**se would not withstand the trip to the family’s burial plot in Upstate New York.”

A year after receiving the patent, Fisk’s metal case was unveiled to the public eye in Syracuse, New York at the New York State Agricultural Society Fair as well as the American Institute Exhibition in New York City.

The design was deeply inspired after the Egyptian sarcophagus, “The case was custom-formed to the body … with sculpted arms and a glass window plate for viewing the face of the deceased, without the risk of exposure to odor or pathogens. The airtight cases were valued for their potential to preserve the remains of individuals who died far from home, until they could be shipped back for burial by the family. This type of burial in the 19th century indicated that the individual buried was someone of cultural and societal importance.” Calautti adds that “They were customizable, with intricately decorated flower, angel, cross, and shrouding motifs—perfectly in line with the Victorian au courant aesthetic and Ancient Egyptian obsession of the era.” The Fisk case naturally gained the nickname, “The Fisk Mummy.”

Calautti says, “In a stroke of genius marketing, Fisk set up a coffin in the U.S. Capitol’s rotunda in the spring of 1849; it caught the eye of former first lady Dolley Madison’s son.” The former first lady and widow, Dolley Madison, exhumed her late husband, former President James Madision, to be placed in a Fisk. She also made arrangements to be buried in a Fisk when she died in 1849. It was because of her large public funeral that the Fisk case first became widely wanted by Washington D.C. politicians and the rich of New York.

The metallic cases became an instant hit and were highly sought after by wealthier American families. It was a stark alternative to basic pine coffins that could absorb decomposition and emit an unsavory smell; Fisk cases took care of those problems. Whereas basic pine coffins cost $2 each (about $77 today), Fisks could be sold for $100 (roughly $3,800 today). The factor of durability also attracted the rich, ensuring that grave robbers would not gain access inside to steal valuable jewels and skeletons to sell. Alternatively, pine boxes could easily be broken into. Calauttis writes, “Fisk’s coffins also proved useful for another reason—at the time, infectious diseases including cholera, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and smallpox ravaged the population, and it was impossible to quarantine the deceased for a viewing. The Fisk coffin allowed families to safely say their final goodbyes, and their airtight lock also deterred grave robbers who sold fresh co**ses to medical schools.”

All the while, the young Almond Fisk had quickly established the Fisk & Raymond Company with his father-in-law in Providence, Rhode Island. They opened a showroom on Broadway in New York City— a present-day subway stop even being named after Fisk. Within a year of opening the Fisk & Raymond Company factory, he also formed a foundry in Long Island, New York. To keep up with the insane number of orders, he created two more factories— one in Cincinnati, Ohio and an additional one in Providence, Rhode Island. Soon, the Fisk & Raymond Company offered 11 different sizes of their iron case.

Not long after the foundry opened in Long Island, it was destroyed by fire in 1849. Fisk borrowed $15,000 from two investors and prominent New York politicians, John G. Forbes and Horace White. Because Dr. Fisk was already beginning to experience a decline in his health, he eventually decided to sell the business to the two men.

In March 1850, former 68-year-old Vice President John C. Calhoun was buried in a Fisk.

A month later, 32-year-old Almond Dunbar Fisk died, presumably from injuries sustained by the fire, and he was subsequently buried in one of his very own cast iron cases in upstate New York.

🪦 findagrave.com/memorial/21688171/almond_dunbar-fisk

Three months after the death of Fisk, 65-year-old President Zachary Taylor unexpectedly died and was buried in a Fisk case. Around this time three other politicians publicly favored this coffin, one of whom was quoted stating that the Fisk was "the best article known to us for transporting the dead to their final resting place."

By October 1877, the Fisk & Raymond Company had changed names to the Metallic Burial Case Company, but by the following year the demand in cases ceased and the company began to turn belly up.

In time, strange stories involving his iron creations began to pop up around the country. Bristow Marchant with The State says, “Sophie Nance was only 28 when she died in 1853. Everyone agreed the young woman was beautiful even in death, so much so that her family planned an unusual way to remember her. She was buried beside Columbia’s [South Carolina] Washington Street United Methodist Church in what’s called a Fisk coffin, a cast-iron burial case that was the cutting edge of mid-19th century technology. Its defining feature is an air-tight sealed viewing window that allows a clear view of the deceased’s face. The Fisk coffin was meant to both preserve the remains from outside elements that would hasten decomposition and allow families like the Nances a chance to keep their loved one close. And for a century and a half, it worked, making Sophie Nance’s grave one of Columbia’s most unusual, if not macabre, local landmarks. But today, the mysterious woman’s remains are closed off from public view, following an accident that damaged the casket and the woman inside." Images exist of Sophie's remains before and after her Fisk case broke in the 1990s, but I will not include them here.

Nearly a century later, in 1969, “The perfectly preserved body of an unidentified young woman, tentatively referred to as the Lady in Red due to her distinctive red velvet dress, was accidentally discovered buried along a bank of the Yazoo River near Cruger, Mississippi … She had been buried in an unmarked location in an area which was wilderness at the time of her burial, hermetically sealed inside a Fisk coffin, fully immersed in alcohol. The burial was estimated to have taken place during the middle of the 19th century, before the American Civil War. The accidental excavation caused damage to her coffin, and her body was reburied at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington, Mississippi. Her identity remains unknown.”

In 2011, another woman buried in a Fisk was discovered. Calautti says, “In fact, Fisk’s design was so effective, it perfectly preserved a woman who died in 1851 and was found by construction workers in Elmhurst, Queens … They thought they’d unearthed a recent murder victim!” In recent years, the identity of the woman was found, "The dead woman’s name was Martha Peterson; she was a resident of New York City and the daughter of John and Jane Peterson. She died of smallpox when she was just 26 years old." Images exist online of what Martha Peterson's remains looked like upon being discovered in 2011, as well as a rendering of what she might've looked like in life, but I will not post them here.

These are only a few examples of American mummies that have been discovered in remarkably impressive condition because they were resting in iron Fisk coffins.

Worldwide interest in Fisk cases recently surged after some were created and utilized in the movie "Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro that was released on Netflix last year. The movie is available for viewing at any time on Netflix for subscribers.

⚰️ Interestingly enough, a child-size Fisk case is on display for the public to see at the FREE Heaton Bowman Smith Chapel museum on Frederick in St. Joseph, Missouri. Please keep in mind that the museum is respectfully closed to the public if there are visitations or funerals taking place, so make sure to call and plan your visit. The funeral home happily welcomes planned museum group tours/field trips as well. This might be a fun summer activity for older children of appropriate age!

🔎 To read more about iron casket mummies, see their remains upon discovery, and view facial reconstructions based on their skeletons, you can visit this website: ironcoffinmummy.com/

This post is different and off the beaten path, but it was fun to research. As always, corrections and more information are always welcome.

💐 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisk_metallic_burial_case
💐 katieisms.substack.com/p/the-true-history-behind-the-stunning-coffins-in-frankenstein
💐 thestate.com/news/local/article289211429.html
💐 thevintagenews.com/2018/10/08/iron-coffin/

05/27/2026

For anyone interested! 👻

05/27/2026

DAUGHTERS OF PIONEER PHARMACIST 💊

Emelia "Emma" Demond was born on June 21, 1854 to Prussian emigrants, 21-year-old Johann Adolph and Marguerite Klaug Demond, in Wisconsin. It was after moving to the United States that Johann and Marguerite Americanized their names to "John" and "Margaret."

On April 1, 1860, the small Demond family entered the growing city of St. Joseph, Missouri to cash in on selling medicine to pioneers heading west. Three years later, in 1863, John built and opened a new pharmacy on the corner of S. 3rd and Edmond— the present-day location of the former downtown hotel that was recently bulldozed, too. In his later years, John prided himself on "... being the only man who erected a business house in St. Joseph during the turbulous and unsettled years of the Civil War period, and of being owner of the oldest retail drug business in the city, in point of continued existence under one owner."

The following year, Margaret gave birth to a baby girl named Franciska in 1864.

Three years later, the 1870 US Census had 12-year-old Emma's occupation as "at school." However, baby Franciska was nowhere to be seen. She had passed at some point within those three years, but the exact date of her death is unknown. Little Franciska was buried in Ashland Cemetery.

🪦 findagrave.com/memorial/287982472/franciska-demond

A decade later, 21-year-old Emma was listed as helping her mother "keep house" in 1880. By this point, Emma was living with her parents, two brothers, and two servants.

As an adult, Emma attended birthday celebrations, book clubs, parties (including masquerades), as well as weddings. Although she herself never married, she probably didn't have any reason or obligation to do so since her father was wealthy. Her occupation throughout the years was listed as "artist", and in 1903, it was published that her mediums were watercolor, oil, and fine china painting. She also frequently traveled to places like Chicago and Colorado.

In 1896, the following advertisement was published in The St. Joseph Herald, "Distressing kidney and bladder diseases relieved in six hours by the 'New Great South American Kidney Cure' ... If you want quick relief and cure this is your remedy. Sold my John Demond, druggist, St. Joseph, Mo.."

Sixteen years later, and four days before Christmas, 58-year-old Emelie "Emma" Demond died at a hospital on December 21, 1912. Her death certificate listed her cause of death as "chronic parenchymatous nephritis." Chronic parenchymatous is inflammatory damage to the functional tissue of the kidneys or liver. Nephritis is inflammation of one or both kidneys, affecting their ability to filter waste, toxins, and excess water from the blood.

Her funeral was held at St. Joseph's Cathedral and she was buried during a private ceremony in Ashland Cemetery. Emma was buried next to her baby sister, Franciska, who had died nearly 50 years prior. They share a headstone that is now hardly legible.

🪦 findagrave.com/memorial/64412799/emma-demond

NOTE: There was some confusion about the actual location of John Demon's former pharmacy. Some sources claimed it was the northeast corner of 3rd and Edmond while others claimed it was the northwest corner. I originally made the post including the present-day grassy northwest corner, but changed it to northeast after seeing other sources. After publishing the post, I learned it was in fact that northwest corner. Another reader claims the pharmacy sat in entirely different location between Felix and Francis, so it very well might be a mystery where this pharmacy actually stood.

NOTE: I am by no means a professional. I'm just a girl with a camera and a search bar. This grave was photographed and researched so others can remember a life lived and virtually honor their resting place. There are no living immediate family members for me to contact to get their blessing to publish this post. It is by no means my intention to exploit the deceased. As always, any corrections and more information about Emma and Franciska Demond are welcome. To contact me, you can email me at [email protected].

💐 findagrave.com/memorial/64404576/john-demond/photo -photo=158909659

05/26/2026

💌 RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS 💌

I want to hear from you all!

Do you know of a unique headstone in northwest Missouri or northeast Kansas? The final resting place of someone who lived a remarkable life? Or perhaps or met a tragic end? If you happen to be a relative or descendant of the person you are suggesting, please let me know so I have your blessing to photograph the headstone, research it, and make a post.

Feel free to comment details or email me at [email protected]!

05/26/2026

THE PRINCE OF PRICE VILLA

On September 13, 1873, 43-year-old John Moses Price and his 40-year-old wife, Eliza Jerman Park Price, welcomed a baby boy named after the father, John Moses Price. John was their second child but first son. Their firstborn, Mary, was 18 when she became a big sister.

Baby John's father, John Moses Price, was a prominent Atchison lawyer, civic leader, and real estate promoter. According to a biographical sketch of Price by the KSGenWeb Digital Library, he was "One of the most distinguished members of the Kansas bar ... who for forty years practiced at Atchison." It was there he served as a police judge, city council member, and mayor of the city. In 1866, he was elected as a senator and the following year was appointed by the governor of Kansas to review and revise state laws.

Needless to say, the Price family lived a very comfortable life. A year before baby John was born, his father had a Renaissance-style mansion built at 801 S. 8th Street in Atchison designed by Thomas Wise and F. W. MeLaughlif. It was 3 stories tall with large lookout tower on top, the home was surrounded by landscaped gardens and a gazebo. At it's completion in 1872, it was nicknamed "Price Villa". It was here where little John was born, "There is a flag on the mansion of Hon. John M. Price this morning, and there is great joy and rejoicing in the family. It is a boy— the first for eighteen years, and John M. wears a broader smile than ever" (Atchison Daily Patriot, September 13, 1873).

On baby John's first birthday, it was published that, "... John M. Price's boy was the handsomest baby in the world ..." (Atchison Champion, September 13, 1874).

However, the happiness and joy only lasted a little over a year. Four months after John's first birthday, at 9:30 AM on January 23, 1875, he passed away within his family's Price Villa from "... congestion of the lungs ..." (Atchison Daily Patriot, January 23, 1875). His parents were devastated and heartbroken, "We tender our sympathies to Hon. John M. Price and his lady in their severe and crushing affliction. May they bow in submission to the will of Him, who cannot do wrong" (Atchison Daily Patriot, January 23, 1875). Another paper continued, "The only son of their house, and a bright, beautiful child, their affection for him was of no ordinary character, and their grief at his loss is most intense. How many fond hopes were dashed to the ground when his little spirit passed quietly away, those who understand what proud and affectionate love the affectionate parents felt for him may realize" (Atchison Champion, January 24, 1875).

The body of 1-year-old John as kept at Price Villa where his funeral was held two days later. He was subsequently buried in Oak Hill Cemetery within an above-ground double-insulated brick vault with a large engraved slab placed over it, "The scene at the burial of the little son of Hon. John M. Price, yesterday, were sad and affecting beyond description, and in all the vast throng in attendance there, we could hardly see a dry eye. The grief stricken family appeared so bowed down in their extreme sorrow; so lost in their deep affliction, that all present mingled their tears with them, as the little boy was lowered into its final resting place. And when the sweet voices of the choir sang the sad requiem, 'I see him going down the valley,' there was a hushed silence amidst the large body of sympathizing friends, that showed how intently they felt the same sorrow that the poor mother and sorrowing sisters were unable to control. The sad scene will long be remembered by those who witnessed it" (Atchison Champion, January 26, 1875).

🪦 findagrave.com/memorial/198969974/john_moses-price

Two years after the death of baby John, Price Villa was sold, "In the summer of 1877, the Price Villa, a large three-story brick structure finely arranged by the academy, was purchased for over $60,000 [$1.9 million today] and renamed St. Cecilia’s. With a mansard roof, it was situated in the suburbs, on a beautiful elevation commanding an extensive view of the city and the surrounding country. The building measures 80 by 120 feet, with large bay windows and wide porticos and verandas, giving it an outward appearance of homelike comfort. It was heated by steam and supplied with hot and cold water, as well as bathrooms and other amenities." Perhaps the Price family could no longer stay in a home where so much grief had been endured.

Today, baby John's burial site is exposed to the elements. The brick walls of the crypt are beginning to wilt, causing the slab to crack. Weeds and grass have burst out of the broken slab lid from within the vault in search of sunlight.

NOTE: I am by no means a professional. I'm just a girl with a camera and a search bar. This grave was photographed and researched so others can remember a life lived and virtually honor their resting place. There are no living immediate family members for me to contact to get their blessing to publish this post. It is by no means my intention to exploit the deceased. As always, any corrections, more information about, and photographs of Rosie are welcome. To contact me, you can email me at [email protected]

💐 ksgenweb.org/archives/atchison/bios/jmprice.htm?fbclid=IwY2xjawR_UPZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoeDRWWEJkQUtQWVFLUjRYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoG3PuXjpbPV2eQpmy2otPe5B2zrCaJ0JgaaVOC33r4Onq07x07BvFtHf7rn_aem_o99aOtmKLnDzwMsltJeLhA
💐 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_Villa?fbclid=IwY2xjawR_UQRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoeDRWWEJkQUtQWVFLUjRYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvdlhjlW5MWCl0r7MmLXOWT3Vub2BS9lp0hZgh5NxDBKQ-twu7WqnHzQLpS2_aem_Li4nGmx846qwbVyZFgtAEw
💐 legendsofkansas.com/academy-mount-st-scholastica/
💐 legendsofkansas.com/atchison-county-old-schools/

05/25/2026

YOUNG WATHENA FARMER KILLED IN WWI

"I am O.K. and has happy as can be. Am where I hear the boom of the big guns. We are located near a church and can attend every morning. Wheat is being harvested here now. Oats are not ripe yet. Four boys from Atchison and one from Troy are here with us. If you do not hear from me often do not worry, because should I be injured, you will be informed. With love, your son ..." (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, September 20, 1918).

Despite frequently writing back home, this was the last time the family of 27-year-old Pvt. Albert John "Jake" Duffy would hear from him. Between the time Albert had written his letter in early August to it being published for his family to read back home in a Wathena newspaper on September 20, 1918, he had unknowingly been killed in action eight days prior on September 12.

PART I: FARM BOY 🌾

Albert was born on June 1, 1891 to Henry Joseph and Cordelia Agnes "Delia" Duffy. His father was a farmer and the family owned property 5 miles west of Wathena, Kansas in Doniphan County. In total, Albert was one of ten children: 5 sons and 5 daughters. As a child, "Albert was commonly known as 'Jake,' a nickname he received from his schoolmates because of his jolly disposition" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican May 27, 1921). He was a good farm boy who attended Catholic school and regularly attended church. Throughout his teens and into his twenites, he'd be noted in papers traveling to neighboring farms out of the goodness of his heart to help with work needed done.

In 1903, when Albert was 12, his 2-year-old baby sister died, "Tresa [sic] Duffy the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Duffy died at her home ... of scarlet fever ... Mr. and Mrs. Duffy have been undergoing a sever siege of sickness in their family ..." (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, December 11, 1903). It is likely Albert was also ill at this time as well.

Teressa was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wathena, Kansas. She was the first of her immediate family be buried on the Duffy family plot.

🪦 findagrave.com/memorial/137105239/teressa-duffy

🪖 PART II: ENLISTMENT

Albert was 25 years old when the United States joined the fight in WWI. He immediately attempted to enlist, "... but was rejected because he was underweight" (The Atchison Daily Globe, November 29, 1918). After all, he was a lanky farmer boy. Two months later, and four days after his 26th birthday, Albert packed on enough weight and was finally able to enlist. On his war registration card, we learn that Albert had blues eyes with a full head of blonde hair. He was also unmarried and his occupation was a farmer, although for a while he did work for a medicine company in Atchison.

Almost a year later, Albert injured himself while trying to break a horse, "Albert Duffy had his arm and shoulder quite badly hurt ..." (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, March 15, 1918).

A month after his injury, his call to join the fight overseas finally came. By May 1918, he had left the farm in trade for Camp Funston in Fort Riley, Kansas, "We hear that Albert Duffy was called for war service and will leave April 29" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, April 26, 1918). While leaving his family, friends, farm, and everything he ever knew, he looked behind him and told his loved ones, "'O I'll come back'" (The Kansas Chief, August 11, 1921).

Despite his recent horse-related injury, Duffy passed his examination in Fort Riley and "... made rapid progress in training, with an especially good record at target practice" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, May 27, 1921). It was here he would befriend a 23-year-old fellow rural Kansas boy by the name of Pvt. Edmund Martin Hogan.

PART III: INFLUENZA 🦠

During his month-long stay at the boot camp, Albert became very ill, "Mr. and Mrs. Henry Duffy went to Camp Funston on Saturday to see their son, Albert J. Duffy, who is now in quarantine. They could only get near enough to shake hands with him, but he says he likes the service" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, June 7, 1918). That was the last time they would see their boy alive.

Turns out there'd actually been a huge outbreak of influenza throughout the soldiers beginning in March 1918, just two months before Duffy would arrive. It was at Camp Funston that some of the first-ever recorded cases of the Spanish Flu in the United States were reported, and Albert had gone there right in the thick of it. Because of its earliest reported cases, Camp Funston was one of the U.S. Army training camps to get hit the hardest with the sickness. It's very possible the newly built temporary hospital there is where Albert's parents had come to visit him.

🦠 You can read more about the 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak at Camp Funston here: deeandrews.com/how-spanish-flu-spread/

After spending a month at Camp Funston, probably weakened and still not feeling his best, Albert was determined well enough to go to war. He made his way east to New Jersey where he boarded a ship and sailed towards England in early June. He had just turned 27.

A post by the National Museum of Health and Medicine went on to say, "As soldiers traveled during World War I, the flu spread rapidly across military bases and battlefronts. Despite limited medical knowledge at the time, the U.S. military worked tirelessly to care for sick troops and implement quarantine measures, paving the way for modern pandemic response strategies."

Although Albert was "well" enough when he left Kansas, it's likely he was constantly surrounded by sickness, weakened soldiers, and death caused by this flu when he did reach the frontlines in Europe.

🇲🇫 PART IV: BATTLE OF SAINT MIHIEL

Following a brief lull in England, Albert was baptized by fire on July 14, 1918 when he made landfall on the shores of France.

After enduring three months of hell, on September 12, 1918, during the first day of the Battle of St. Mihiel, "His cousin, who was in the same battalion, saw him fall, but as they were advancing under machine gun fire, he was not permitted to go to him or try and give him first aid" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, May 27, 1921).

27-year-old Pvt. Albert John Duffy had been courageously running through mud towards the enemy in the pouring rain when was he was shot through the heart by a machine gun. He'd died two months shy from the end of the war. Out of a four-year war, Albert had almost made it out alive.

The Battle of St. Mihiel in northwestern France near the German border marked the first use of the term "D-Day" by the Americans, "In Field Order Number 9, First Army, American Expeditionary Forces, dated September 7, 1918: 'The First Army will attack at H hour on D day with the object of forcing the evacuation of the St. Mihiel Salient.'" Although it obviously wasn't the first attack made by American troops in the war, "... it was the first major independent offensive launched by the U.S. Army."

A description of the beginning of the fight reads, "The battle opened with a four-hour artillery bombardment, followed by the advance of infantry and tanks behind a creeping barrage. American troops had to force a path through barbed wire entanglements, coming under intersecting fire from concealed machine gun nests, and being threatened by buried mortar bombs strewn as b***y traps across their line of advance." Somewhere in the midst of this, Albert had been shot and killed.

Despite him sacrificing his life, his fellow American brothers ended up winning the battle. Although numbers vary, it's believed roughly 4,500 to 4,700 American men had lost their lives there— Pvt. Albert Duffy, a young bachelor farmer from rural Kansas, had been one of them.

🪖 You can read more about the Battle of St. Mihiel here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Mihiel

🪖 The trenches in St. Mihiel have also been well preserved and can be visited and toured today: sightraider.com/world-war-i-trenches-in-the-saint-mihiel-salient/ #:~:text=Salient%20American%20Monument-,Bois%20brul%C3%A9%20%E2%80%93%20German%20and%20French%20trenches,go%20on%20a%20rainy%20day%E2%80%A6

🥀 PART V: THE TELEGRAM

Over two months after his death, ten days after the end of the war, on November 21, 1918, his parents received the dreaded telegram addressed from Washington, D.C. that their son had been killed in action. It was there they learned that Albert had been buried in northeastern France at the St. Mihiel American Cemetery, "... it is probable that Pvt. Duffy's body will not be returned" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, 1921). The St. Mihiel American Cemetery is located in Thiaucourt-Regniéville, France, about 30 minutes east of the battle site.

🇫🇷 🇺🇸 You can read more about the St. Mihiel American Cemetery here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mihiel_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial

The exact same time Albert had been killed in action, his own brother, 22-year-old Pvt. Lawrence "Terrance" Duffy, was training in Camp Fuston in Fort Riley, Kansas— the same exact boot camp Albert had been sent to months prior. I cannot imagine the anxiety and doom both the young Terrance and his family must've felt.

At 9AM on November 29, 1918, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church on a hill in Wathena, Kansas, the family and friends of Pvt. Albert Duffy gathered for a solemn memorial service. His brother, Terrance, had been furloughed for him to attend. There were no remains to mourn. No body to bury.

Two months after he was killed in action, dated nine days before the end of WWI, Albert's parents received a letter from King George V— Queen Elizabeth II's grandfather, although she herself had not been born yet. The letter read in part, "I wish I could shake the hand of each one of you and bid you God speed your mission" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, November 29, 1918).

As time passed and grief swelled, a fellow soldier of Albert's contacted the Duffy family— it was none other than his best friend, Edmund Hogan. Young Hogan himself had actually been injured merely 3 hours after Duffy had been killed, although another article I came across said he'd been injured days before Duffy. It was Hogan who wanted to relay to the Duffy family the courage of their boy, "Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Duffy visited the Hagans [sic] at Paola, Ks., and received much consolation and comfort from the stories of valor and bravery of Pvt. Duffy in his work as liaison runner and also as a sniper. He was such a favorite among his comrades and never failed in his devotion to his church" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, May 27, 1921).

It was actually because of Edmund's desire to comfort the Duffy family that Albert's parents would befriend the Hogan family. Although no photos of him exist online, I've included a photograph of Edmund's parents, Michael Andrew and Eleanor "Nora" Hogan in the gallery. For the rest of their lives, the Duffys and Hogans would visit each other and keep in touch.

⚰️ PART VI: HOMEBOUND

Three years after his death, in the summer of 1921, the body of Albert was exhumed in France and shipped back to the United States in an iron casket. He was coming home. The remains arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, transported by train to Omaha, Nebraska, and then taken south. On Saturday, August 6, Albert was finally home on his farm in Wathena. Upon arrival, "Our undertaker ... opened the casket and by some dental work ... the body was identified" (The Kansas Chief, August 11, 1921).

After he'd been brought back home, memories of Albert spread across rural Doniphan County and old stories of his character bloomed, "Those who knew him did not expect that Albert Duffy would ever hesitate in the face of danger on the battlefield. He gave the last full measure of devotion to his country cheerfully and freely .." (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, August 12, 1921). Even the editor of the paper wrote that Albert "... appreciated to an unusual degree his responsibilities as a citizen in times of peace and he worked hard and unselfishly at elections for the things he believed to be right" (The Wathena Times, the Friday Troy Republican, August 12, 1921).

Two days after his arrival, his funeral took place at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wathena on August 8, 1921. His casket was guarded by three soldiers and the funeral was a spectacle to see, "Quite a number of soldiers were present. It was the largest and most interesting funeral ever witnessed here. The business houses closed during the time of the services and over 100 autos were int he procession. Besides these quite a number walked to the cemetery" (The Kansas Chief, August 11, 1921). Those in attendance was Albert's war buddy, Edmund Hogan. It's not known if somewhere in the church pews or crowd of people skirting his gravesite a sweetheart mourned for Albert.

Pvt. Albert John Duffy was buried in Mount Cavalry to the right of his baby sister, Teressa, who'd died of scarlet fever eighteen years prior.

🪦🇺🇸 findagrave.com/memorial/137104972/albert_john-duffy

On this Memorial Day, we honor Pvt. Albert John Duffy's service and sacrifice. 🇺🇸

💐 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Mihiel
💐 historica.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Mihiel

NOTE: Although Pvt. Albert John Duffy's headstone says his date of death was September 15, 1918, he died the first day of the Battle of St. Michiel which was September 12. It's possible his death was marked as September 15 because that was the date he was recovered or identified, I'm not sure. His own memorial service in November 1918 had him listed as being killed on September 16, so there is definitely a lot of confusion all around.

NOTE: I am by no means a professional. I'm just a girl with a camera and a search bar. This grave was photographed and researched so others can remember a life lived and virtually honor their resting place. There are no living immediate family members for me to contact to get their blessing to publish this post. It is by no means my intention to exploit the deceased. As always, any corrections, more information, and photographs of Pvt. Albert John Duffy are welcome. To contact me, you can email me at [email protected]

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