A Profile of Palmyra and Its World War I Veterans
The Palmyra War Memorial in the park bordered by Cinnaminson, Parry, and Spring Garden streets lists
the names of 224 men and women who served in World War I. Now these individuals are just
represented by letters on a bronze plaque or marble pillar, but records available online and materials
from the Palmyra Historical and Cultural Society help to describe the community which these individuals
left behind when they enlisted and also to provide more information about the departed.
Three draft registrations were held in 1917 and 1918, and 78 of Palmyra’s WWI veterans completed the
draft cards, copies of which are available online. Each of the three drafts recorded slightly different
information, but all listed the registrant’s name, age, address, place and date of birth, employer’s name,
citizenship status and physical characteristics. Some forms asked about marital status, dependents,
race, former military service, and occupation. All those who registered for the draft did not serve in the
military, and all who served had not registered for the draft. Of the 217 Palmyra World War I male
veterans, 78, or 36%, have draft records accessible to the public and the information on these digital
files helps to provide a profile of the community about a hundred years ago.
The physical characteristics of this group are skewed since the veterans were likely to be young, single,
and fit. Their average age was 24, with the youngest 20 and the oldest 42. Weight and height were
recorded in three general, subjective categories. A man’s height could be short, medium, or tall, and his
build could be stout, medium, or slender. The veterans were usually of medium height and weight. It
was noted that one wore eyeglasses, and three were slightly bald. Most of the men, 61, were single,
usually living at home, and of the six who were married, only one had any children. (Marital status was
not asked of all draftees, and none of the draft cards recorded any information on education.)
Seven of the men had some former military experience, usually in a National Guard unit. Deferments
seemed to be linked to any military draft, and seven men claimed exemptions from military service. The
reasons given ranged from fallen arches, religion, wife, to government or essential work, which was the
most common reason for exemption.
The picture of Palmyra which emerges from these records is of a growing, suburban, diverse, workingclass community. The population of the borough was growing since families were moving in. Only 17 of
the veterans with draft records had been born in Palmyra. Most, 32, were born in Philadelphia, and
others came from Buffalo to the north to Baltimore in the south. Six were born in Italy, and some were
not citizens yet. (Italy was an ally of the United States in World War I.) Not all draft forms recorded
race, but two of the veterans were black, and their race was listed as “African.” All the veterans
claimed to be employed, and the largest number, 23, worked in Philadelphia. This was before the
Tacony-Palmyra Bridge was built, so it would require a ferry or train over the Delair Bridge to cross the
Delaware for their jobs. Those employed in Riverside, 15, outnumbered those working in Palmyra, 13.
In Palmyra, there were some printers, drivers and clerks, as well as a baker, farmer, chauffeur, and
engraver. One veteran was a doctor in Palmyra, and one was a forestry student at Penn State. When
the addresses of the draft registrants are marked on a map of the borough, most are clustered in the
area between Morgan Avenue and Market Street, Broad Street and Front Street.
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In 1918, the song “How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm? (After They’ve Seen Paree)” captured
the sense of change and opportunity which many veterans felt after the Armistice, and Palmyra’s
veterans were not immune to this attitude. The federal census of 1920 offers a chance to compare the
status of these veterans two years after the war. Only 46 of the 78, or 59%, were still living in Palmyra.
Not only was Palmyra growing, it was also a transient community. However, it seemed that job
opportunities kept returning veterans in the community since most of the veterans who were working in
Palmyra before the war were still in town after the war. While there were not laws requiring employers
to rehire returning veterans, many of the men were working at the same or similar jobs as they had
before the war. Only 13 were working in different jobs and one appeared to be unemployed. Seven of
the men who were single were married by 1920.
During the First World War, women served as army nurses and also could enlist in the navy and marines.
Seven women, Grace Evaul, Charlotte Fox, Edna Hires, Elizabeth Lewis, Gladys Morgan, Irene Truchsess,
and Edna Wisner, are listed on Palmyra’s War Memorial as veterans of WWI, but it is not known how
they served. If anyone has information on these women and their contribution to the war effort, please
contact the author of this article.
Fred Rodgers was the single fatality Palmyra suffered in World War I. Fred, of medium height and
weight with brown eyes and black hair, was, at age 27 when he registered for the draft, older than the
average. He was born in Philadelphia and lived at 441 Horace Street with his mother. He worked as a
printer for Seel Brothers in town and was said to be engaged to one of the Seel daughters. He was a
private in C Company, 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Division in France where he died of wounds
received in combat on 10 October 1918. It is said that he was killed while carrying messages across the
battlefield and died with a testament in his hands. His body was returned to Palmyra, and he is buried
in Morgan Cemetery just beside Cinnaminson Avenue in the Rodgers family plot beneath a modest
headstone and proud American flag.
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Jay Howard, 25 November 2012
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