Military History in Paulding County
By: Mark Holtsberry
Roy Wagner was born June 6, 1893, in Payne, Ohio. He was the son of John Wagner, born July 21, 1864, in Germany, and Caroline “Callie” (Corwin) Wagner, born July 25, 1864, in Ohio. The couple was married in 1892. John was engaged in farming. By 1900, the family—John, Caroline, Roy, and Catherine Adaline Wagner, born in 1895—was living in Harrison Township. A son, Charles Munger Wagner, was born in May 1900. On October 27, 1903, another son, Benjamin Franklin Wagner, was born. By 1906, after Roy had completed the seventh grade, he quit school to help on the farm.
By 1910, the family had moved to Jackson Township, Allen County, Indiana, where John continued farming with Roy’s help. Catherine and Charles were in school. On June 5, 1917, in Allen County, Indiana, Roy registered for the World War I draft. He was listed as having a medium build and medium height, with blue eyes and black hair. He was single and employed as a farmhand. On May 1, 1918, Roy was inducted into service. He served in Company E, 329th Infantry. He left for France on September 29, 1918. On January 23, 1919, Roy boarded the ship Adriatic at Brest, France, and set sail for America. After arriving in America, Roy was honorably discharged on February 15, 1919.
After returning home, Roy lived on Fragier Road in Lake Township, Allen County, Indiana, with his father, mother, and brother Benjamin. He worked as a farm laborer. On June 16, 1921, Roy married Annie Opal VanMeter in Columbia, Whitley County, Indiana. She was born in 1901 in Indiana. On September 17, 1926, Roy’s mother, Caroline, passed away at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne from strangulation of a hernia. She was buried in Eel River Cemetery in Allen County, Indiana.
A son, Earl Byron Wagner, was born June 8, 1927. By 1930, Roy, Annie, and Earl were still living in Columbia, Whitley County, Indiana. Roy was working at a lumber mill. A son, Paul Alvin Wagner, was born May 24, 1931. By 1940, Roy and Annie were divorced. Roy was living on East Hannah Street in Columbia, Indiana.
In 1942, Roy registered for the World War II draft. He was not chosen to serve, but his son Earl would later serve in the Air Force. On September 14, 1942, Roy’s father, John, passed away in Columbia, Indiana, from apoplexy. He was buried in Eel River Cemetery.
Annie later married a man named Stanley Hurd. They had a daughter named Mary Louis Hurd. That marriage did not last either. By 1950, Roy was working odd jobs for a living. On August 5, 1952, Roy’s son Paul passed away. Paul had served in the Air Force. He, too, was buried in Eel River Cemetery.
Roy’s health began to fade in the 1960s. He passed away on September 25, 1967, at Whitley County Hospital in Columbia, Indiana, from congestive heart failure due to chronic bronchitis. He had been working at a sawmill as a laborer. He was buried in Eel River Cemetery beside his son Paul.
Benjamin passed away May 12, 1969, and was buried in Eel River Cemetery. Catherine passed away in 1973 and was also buried there. Charles passed away in 1991 and was buried in Eel River Cemetery as well. As for Annie, she died in 1990 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Columbia, Indiana.
…Until Next Time!
