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Eugene Pilcher
1883 - 1950
Gene is the sailor standing in this photo. He was
the youngest child of Richard and Lizzie (Callhappy) Pilcher. We know from
his military records that in his twenties he was 5 ft. 7 in. tall and weighed
135 lbs. He had brown eyes, dark brown hair and ruddy complexion. He
had a tattoo on his left arm of a "Jap Lady with Fan". He served a total
of 8 years in the U. S. Navy in two four-year terms. The first was from
1907-1911. His second four-year enlistment was during WW I, from 1917 -
1921. His final rating was Chief Gunner's Mate. During his first
term he served on the U. S. S. South Dakota. After the war Gene returned
to St. Louis and spent the rest of his life working as a paper hanger and
decorator. He never married and lived with his sister Etta until he died
in 1950. We are still looking for Gene's final resting place.
Gene
Pilcher on a Destroyer in the Atlantic
The back of this photo is a letter from Gene to
Emma and reads:
"Dear Sister Emma,
This is an enlargement of a picture of us laying depth charges. One of our
convoy ships sighted a submarine and we are putting down a barrage. Of
course we can't say we got the sub, but if it was any where in the neighborhood
it knew what we were doing. You can see me with my back turned - extreme
left. --Gene"
This photo is in pretty bad shape and
was not dated. One has to assume it was taken sometime between May 2nd,
1917 (Gene's enlistment date) and November 11th, 1918 (Armistice Day).
Lizzie and Etta Pilcher
This photo is undated but appears to have been
taken around 1910. That would make Etta (Marietta) 30 and Lizzie about 70.
Etta lived with her mother until she died and them moved in with her brother
Gene after he came back from the war. Etta never married and died in
1954 at age 74.
Emma (Pilcher) and Larry
Hoge
This is Emma and Larry posing in a local photo studio in St.
Louis. The photo is undated, but Larry looks to be about 12, so that would
make it around 1915. Emma would be 46 years old here.
Lizzie (Callhappy) Pilcher
Larry Hoge
Emma
(Pilcher) Hoge
This picture was taken on the front porch of
Lizzie's home in St. Louis, MO. It is not dated, but Larry looks to be
about six, which would put the year at about 1910.