Military History in Paulding County
By: Mark Holtsberry
William Clarence Ross was born in Edgar, Illinois, on January 3, 1891. He was the son of Joseph Wesley Ross, born October 26, 1860, in Edgar, Illinois, and Catherine Downey (Archewr) Ross, born September 26, 1863, in Westfield, Clark County, Illinois. The couple married in 1880.
By 1900, the Ross family was living in Ayers, Illinois. Joseph was working as a farmer, and he and Catherine had eight children at that time: Frederick Dallas, born August 28, 1881; Mary Elizabeth, born March 19, 1884; Samuel Otto, born March 3, 1886; Amy Mabel, born April 15, 1888; William Clarence, born in 1891; Fidellia J., born February 22, 1893; Charles Hamilton, born April 3, 1895; and Jesse, born March 4, 1898.
The family later welcomed another son, Glenn Archer, who was born on June 24, 1900. Tragically, Glenn passed away from scarlet fever on January 28, 1904, and was buried in the G.A.R. Cemetery in Homer, Illinois. Two other children in the household also caught the disease but survived.
By 1903, William had left school to help with work on the farm. The family continued living in Ayers, Illinois, through 1910, and during that time two more daughters were born: Florence Velma on August 9, 1902, and Pearl Viola on March 22, 1905.
As a young man, William moved out on his own and worked a variety of odd jobs. Around 1914, he relocated to Paulding County, Ohio. On June 5, 1917, he registered for the World War I draft in the Brown Township West Precinct. At that time, he was farming in Section 6 of Brown Township. His draft card described him as 5 feet 4 inches tall, with brown hair, brown eyes, a ruddy complexion, and a medium build. He was single.
His brother Charles registered for the draft on the same day. Later that year, on August 8, 1918, William enlisted in the National Guard out of Paulding and served as a private with Company K of the 68th Infantry. He was honorably discharged on December 29, 1918. His brothers Frederick, Samuel, and Jesse all registered for the draft on September 12, 1918, but none of them were selected for service.
By 1920, William had returned home and was living with his parents in Auglaize Township, Ohio. His sisters Fidellia, Florence, and Viola were also still residing in the family home.
On June 18, 1924, William married Velma Glee Isenbarger in Defiance, Ohio. Velma had been born on May 11, 1908, in Greenview, Ohio, the daughter of Jesse Dow Isenbarger and Emma Isenbarger. Her sister, Lillian, had married William’s brother Fidellia in 1921.
By 1930, William and Velma were living in Milford Township, Defiance County, where William was employed as a farm laborer. On October 7, 1934, their first daughter, Delores Jane Ross, was born. A second daughter, Gladys Mae Ross, was born on April 27, 1937. Both girls were born in Butler, Indiana.
By 1940, the family had moved to DeKalb County, Indiana. William was working as a laborer for the county, but by that time, he had developed heart problems. On September 6, 1941, at 12:30 p.m., William passed away at home due to heart complications that had been diagnosed two years earlier. He was buried in Riverview Cemetery in Newville, DeKalb County, Indiana, with his military tombstone provided by American Legion Post 283.
In 1942, Velma remarried to Charles Orange Cook, who later passed away in 1970. Velma died on January 14, 1991, in Auburn, Indiana. She was laid to rest alongside William in Riverview Cemetery.
…Until Next Time!
