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Service and Sacrifice

The Selective Service Act , signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on May 18, 1917, required men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service. More than 380,000 African-Americans served in the Army  during World War I.

Private John Cook Gellette, New Cemetery Somerville New Jersey 

Soldiers and Somerville residents, John Cook Gellette and Peter Van Der Veer died on the same day-October 4, 1918. Van Der Veer, a 26 year-old husband and chauffeur, died overseas. Gellette, a married 30 year-old Calico employee, died at Camp Upton in New York.

Peter Van Der Veer: “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918,” database with images, FamilySearch

John Cook Gellette (Gillette): “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918,” database with images, FamilySearch