Military History In Paulding County
By: Mark Holtsberry
Floyd L. Tabler was born January 24, 1901, in Paulding County, the son of Charles G. Tabler, born October 24, 1873, in Auglaize County, Ohio, and Emma May (Stahl) Tabler, born May 17, 1876, in Paulding County, Ohio.
Charles’ father, Marion Thomas Jefferson Tabler, was a Spanish-American War veteran. He passed away January 31, 1924, and was buried in Hedges Cemetery. I strayed off again, didn’t I? Sorry. Anyway, Charles and Emma were married May 7, 1894, in Paulding. By 1900, the couple was living in Jackson Township, where Charles worked as a day laborer. The family consisted of Wretha, born October 1894; Nellie Mae, born October 1896; and Genevieve “Jennie,” born October 1898.
By 1910, the family was still living in Broughton, Jackson Township. Charles was working at the tile mill, possibly the Baughman Tile Mill. The family had grown with the births of Floyd in January 1901 and William Howard in March 1909. On June 11, 1909, Emma passed away and was buried in Hedges Cemetery.
On November 12, 1915, Charles married Lydia Ann Golliver in Jackson, Michigan. She was born August 3, 1869, in Ohio.
On July 3, 1916, Floyd joined the National Guard out of Paulding, serving with Company B, 2nd Ohio National Guard. This unit was sent to the border between Mexico and the United States during the unrest and attacks against United States citizens. He served in the National Guard until October 16, 1917, when he was assigned to Company K, 146th U.S. Infantry, serving as a private until March 24, 1918.
He was then sent to Camp Sheridan, Alabama, to serve as a replacement soldier until May 29, 1918. He was assigned to Company I, 104th Infantry, as a private and was sent to France. He served in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Defensive Sectors and was wounded in action around October 29, 1918.
After recovering from his wounds, he boarded the ship Mount Vernon at Brest, France, and sailed for home. He arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 4, 1919. His grandfather, Marion Tabler, picked him up there. Floyd was honorably discharged April 23, 1919.
After returning home, Floyd moved to Pennsylvania and began farming in Cambridge, Beaver County. On Tuesday, November 30, 1920, at 9:00 p.m., Floyd was killed by a train at Ambridge, sixteen miles from Pittsburgh. The American Red Cross was asked to locate the family. Found in Floyd’s pocket were his discharge papers, photographs, and documents containing his name and military record.
His remains were shipped back to Paulding and arrived Friday, December 2, 1920. The body was taken to the home of his sister, Mrs. Stanley Howe, west of Paulding, where funeral services were held. Rev. Wilkins officiated, and burial followed at Hedges Cemetery, Lot 11, Block A, Grave 3.
Charles passed away in 1959 and was buried in Hedges Cemetery. Floyd’s sister Nellie passed away in 1966, William in 1969, and Wretha in 1975.
…Until Next Time!
