PAULDING, OH: Kiwanis member Naomi Nicely introduced guest speaker Mark Holtsberry who talked about his new book titled Paulding County in the Great War. With 10.5 years of research, 768 pages and 1,300 names of men and women who served in the Great War, Holtsberry’s book is a one stop shop for people interested in World War I and its effects on the people in Paulding County. Some named are people who were raised in Paulding County, others are people who moved to the county before or after the war, or people who were born in the county but moved away after the war. Much of his research was from draft lists as well as 6-7 other sources. In fact, most highlighted men and women in the book include their draft picture, registration card, and discharge paper as well as their personal story.
“The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars,” said Holtsberry. “Teachers, doctors, farmers, mechanics, and more left their jobs and families behind to serve.” He said some joined for the mere adventure and many who joined couldn’t have even found the country they were going to on a map before leaving the states to serve oversees.
Although not a lot, some women did serve in the Great War with the American Red Cross. Something Holtsberry found unsettling was that many women were relieved of their duty rather than being discharged. This was the governments way of not paying them a proper pension. “I don’t think that’s right. If they served their county then they served their country, plain and simple,” said Holtsberry. After returning from war many soldiers had PTSD or then known as “shell shock”. They were shot at, gassed, or told to shot others and that caused a lot of mental issues for men and women in the Great War. Some thought talking about the war would help, others couldn’t. Holtsberry’s book really lets the reader in on the suffering the service men and women went through.
Most Great War veterans are buried in the county, but there are 14 buried in France, and 2 buried in Belgium from Paulding County. Mark was contacted by an office in Columbus, OH who let him know that Paulding County was the first county to document their veterans which is an extraordinary accomplishment. Mark thanks his uncle, Ray Keck for his support and love for history and heritage that inspired him to do the same. Kiwanis thanks Mark for his dedication to our county’s history and look forward to reading his current book, and his next book in the works on the Spanish American War. You can buy one of Mark’s books by contacting him directly.
