US WWI Veterans: James, Arthur & Walter Sykes

[genealogistsykes]

I've found 3 of my ancestor's "United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918".

James Sykes:
Philadelphia City no 41, Pennsylvania, United States.
Birth Date: 01 Dec 1890.
Birth Place: Pennsylvania, US.

Walter Sykes:
York City no 2, Pennsylvania, United States.
Birth Date: 10 Aug 1894.
Birth Place: US.

Arthur Sykes:
Philadelphia City no 9, Pennsylvania, US.
Birth Date: 20 Sep 1888.
Birth Place: Pennsylvania, US.

^^ So this means that they fought in the First World War. I would like to find out what corps they were in etc and if they died during the conflict. I've attached their draft registration cards.

[AMBLY]

Hi there

The cards are a Registration for Draft only. It doesn't necessarily follow that any of them were drafted and posted off to war.  Federal Law was enacted in May 1917 which said all men in the US from age 18 to 45 had to register for a draft.  You'll notice:

James (1) and Arthur (3) registered 5 Jun 1917. This was the required date for registration (the 1st main Registration wave) by men age 21 to 31.
   
Walter registered 12 Sep 1918.  This was the required date for registration (the 3rd main Registration wave ) by men age 18 to 21, and age 31 to 45. (The War was ended on 11 Nov 1918)

Have you had opportunity to look for any of them in the 1920 Census?

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

Your SYKES  brothers: English father,  mother Scottish (found them all on 1900 Census in Philly.)

Fitting that is:
1920, Phil. PA: Walter SYKES  age 25 married to Bertha  . A Gas Fitter, No children.
1930 Phil. PA:  Walter SYKES age 35 , wife Bertha age 33, with a son (Jnr) age 11 and Bertha's father - Edward JOHNSON age 70. Says they married when Walter was 18 and Bertha 16 so abt 1912. I wonder if the kin on the Reg Card is supposed to be Bertha, not Luther as it looks like!? No sure where son was in 1920 (age abt 1).

Walter registered for the Draft WW2 aswell.
Walter SYKES Snr, age 47, born 8 Aug 1894 PA
Address: 6022 Cedarhurst, Phil. PA
Wife: Bertha C SYKES
Employer: Phil. Gas Works

The US came into WW2 after Pearl harbour. A law was passed requiring all men age 18 to 65 to register.  There were a number of waves for Registering, including the 4th Registration - commonly known as the 'Old Man's Registration because it applied to men age 45 to 64 (b Apr 1877 to Feb 1897).

The son,(Jnr) may have been married &  living in Kinston, Lenoir, Nth Carolina at the time of WW2, born PA 1919, registered for WW2 Draft in NC.

SSDI has Walter SKYES, died 1964 in New Jersey. Birthdate: 8 Aug 1894, SSN issued Penn.

Cheers
AMBLY

[genealogistsykes]

Brilliant, thank you so much for providing this information. I haven't found James and Arthur on the 1920 Census, I'll get onto that now. I never knew about the draft cards, I thought it would automatically mean that they were posted off to war. Would it be possible that WALTER JR. may of served in the last years of WWII considering he registered for the draft?

I think you may be right, it is most likely "Bertha" not "Luther". I couldn't really make it out.

[GrahamSimons]

Cyndi's List may help to direct you to relevant sources of information. See http://www.cyndislist.com/us/military/records/ - I'm invariably impressed with how thorough Cyndi Howells' listings of US sources are.

Good luck!

[*Sandra*]

FIND A GRAVE

Walter Sykes  1919 - 1976

Burial: Fort Bliss National Cemetery  El Paso El Paso County Texas.
Plot: I, 4833

http://www.rootschat.com/links/0tbx/ 

Sandra

[shellyesq]

Assuming the Walter Jr. mentioned above is correct, the military grave locator indicates that he was a corporal in the Marine Corps during WWII.  http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html

The 1930 Census has a question about veteran status for men, and it says no for Walter Sr.

[Tinkerbelle72]

Hello,
I came across this thread today while searching for Sykes family information.
My name is Cheryl Christine Sykes Netzer. Walter Sykes, Jr was my father, and Walter Sykes, Sr was my grandfather. Walter, Sr’s wife’s name was Bertha Christine (Fili) Sykes.   
My father was a US Marine in WWII in the Pacific Theater.  He and my mother, Margaret (Hayes), married in April, 1942. After the war, they lived in Kinston, NC.  My sister, Daisie Catherine, was born in Sept, 1945.  I arrived in 1949. In the early 1950’s, we moved to El Paso, Texas, where my dad worked for the phone company and my mom was a homemaker.  My dad passed in 1976 after a 3 year battle with lung cancer.  My mom passed suddenly in 2000 after she suffered a stroke. They both are buried at Ft. Bliss Nat’l Cemetery.
There is more to the story, as my dad was adopted. 
Cheryl

[MS62]

Hi Tinkerbelle72
This is a very very long shot , in your post you mention that Walter was married to a Margret Hayes and that Walter was adopted.
This got me thinking , my gguncle was divorced from Marrion Milligan who had an affair with a sergeant Hayes who disappeared ? They had 2 sons one of which went to Canada and was killed in the ww1 the other I cannot find .
I have found evidence that both of my gg uncles travelled to America in the 1920s they being Arthur and Ernest Sykes .
Does any of this make any sense or ring any bells with you ?….
I know it’s a very long shot but you never know ?
Thanks MS62