Jack Grover Meagher
Washington
1890-1919
The image below is a picture of Jack Meagher’s draft registration card. From this card we know Jack Grover Meagher was born on October 23rd, 1890 in Seattle, Washington to the parents of Carrie and John Meagher. At the time he lived in Seattle on East Pike Street. No picture could be found of Meagher but this gives a general description. Medium Build, tall with brown hair and blue eyes.
"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDG-4XFR : 11 June 2014), Jack Grover Meagher, 1917-1918; citing Seattle City no 8, Washington, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,991,926.
In this 1900 Federal Census you can see that Meagher’s father was born in Canada and that Meagher’s grandmother was born in England. Also that Meagher’s father was a real estate agent. And that he was widowed. Meagher’s mother died in 1899.
1900, Census Place: Seattle Ward 6, King, Washington, Roll:1745: Page 21A; Enumeration District:0105: FHL.microfilm:1241745
This shows that Meagher’s mother Carrie died when he was only 9 years old, and that she was born in Oregon.
Ancestry.com. Washington, Deaths, 1883-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008
This is a court order from after Meagher’s dad died. He was left to care for his 14-year-old brother Harry and 13-year-old sister Marie. The family of three was receiving $20.00 a month (which would now be around $500.00 due to inflation) from their grandmother Emily Steigler to support the family.
Superior Court of King County
This page from “For France” helps you understand the pure hate that the governments of both sides of the war had for each other. It offers context to the war in general, as the quote suggests that pro-German Americans are terrible people.
Doubleday, P. & Company, et al.. For France. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1917.
By the time he was 28 years old he had lost both of his parents because if they were alive they would have been listed as next of kin instead of his brother. We know that he was shipped out on a ship named Maunganui on September 17th and was said to be dead on September 25th meaning he was only in the war for 8 days. Cause of death is unknown.
Ancestry.com.The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; LIsts of Outgoing Passengers, Complied 1917-1938; NAI Number:6234477, Record Group Title: Records of the Offiice Quatermeaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Numkber:92; Roll or Box Number; 494
The image below is the newspaper, “The Seattle Star,” dated February 6th 1919. It says his rank (wagoner), next of kin (Harry C. Meagher, his brother), that he lived in Seattle, and that he died of an accident.
“Fallen For Freedom.” The Seattle Star, 6 Feb. 1919, pp. Page 8-Page 8. Chronicling America, chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093407/1919-02-06/ed-1/seq-8/.
The image below is from the book, “Soldiers of the Great War,” which contains all of the American soldiers that fought in WWI. It states our soldier’s rank (wagoner), that he lived in Seattle, and that he died due to an accident.
Cyrile, Doyle Alfred, Haulsee William Mitchell, and Howe Frank George. "Soldiers Of The Great War, Volume 3 : Doyle, A. C. (Alfred Cyril), 1893- : Free Download & Streaming." Internet Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 June 2017.