Smith, William H. 'Cotton'

1918 - 1982  (63 years)

• Name	Smith, William H. 'Cotton'
  Birth	3 Sep 1918	LaSalle County, Illinois   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	SMIT.W024
  _FGRAVE	26565328
  Military Service	World War II, Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army  [2, 3]
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Army
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  Death	18 Feb 1982	Clay County Hospital (Old Location), Flora, Clay County, Illinois   [1]
  	William H. (Cotton) Smith, 63, Clay City, died at 1:52 a.m. today in Clay County Hospital in Flora.
  Burial	Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [4]
  	Burial will be in Clay City Cemetery with full military services at graveside.
  		Headstone, Smith, Wm. H. "Cotton"
  		Headstone, Smith, William H. Displayed with permission of Lady in Black
  Person ID	I44657	Carl Wayne Gray Research | Travis - Jones Noah Travis and Hannah N. Jones Descendants
  Last Modified	23 Dec 2024

  
  

  Father	Smith, William Henry,   b. 27 Oct 1892, Illinois d. 19 May 1978 (Age 85 years)
  Mother	Travis, Sylvia Carida,   b. 31 Jul 1897, Illinois d. 2 May 1979 (Age 81 years)
  Marriage	22 Dec 1915  [5, 6, 7]
  Family ID	F5705	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 3 Sep 1918 - LaSalle County, Illinois Death - 18 Feb 1982 - Clay County Hospital (Old Location), Flora, Clay County, Illinois Burial - - Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  William H. (Cotton) Smith, 63, Clay City, died at 1:52 a.m. today in Clay County Hospital in Flora. Services will be in the Cardascio Funeral Home in Clay City. Visitation will be with Masonic Services. Burial will be in Clay City Cemetery with full military services at graveside. Mr. Smith was born Sept. 3, 1918 in LaSalle County, the son of Wm. H. and Sylvia C. (Travis) Smith. He was a laborer for Pure Oil Co.; a World War II veteran; a member of the American Legion, and VFW in Olney; the Eagles in Fairfield; and the Moose in Flora. Survivors include two sons, Larry H., Ca.; Joe Dennis, David City, Neb.; two daughters, Mrs. Pearlie (Jean) Scribner, David City; Mrs. Mary Ellen Rich, Ca.; a brother, Donald R., Noble; five sisters, Mrs. Thelma Brewer, Mrs. Carl (Ethel) Crites, and Sarah L. Smith, all of Olney; Mrs. James (June) Brown, Noble; and Mrs. Marvin (Jenny) Martin, Clay City; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, and two sons. Taken from Olney Daily Mail, Olney, IL, February 18, 1982

  
  

• Sources

  [S13617] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, Smith, William H. "Cotton", (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26565328), none. (Reliability: 2). [S13619] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Smith, William H. "Cotton", (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26565328/william-h_-smith), none. (Reliability: 2). [S137] World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois (Reliability: 2). [S13618] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Smith, Wm. H. "Cotton", (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26565328/william-h_-smith), none. (Reliability: 2). [S4033] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Smith, William H. and Sylvia C., (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Travis&GSiman=1&GScid=105163&GRid=26565296&), none. (Reliability: 2). [S3183] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (District 13-4) (Township), image 3, page 2a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00087?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.as) (Reliability: 3). [S1533] Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois, (District 0004) (Township), image 07, page 4a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6224/4584337_00620?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.aspx%3fd), none. (Reliability: 2).