Ahern Home to host World War I workshop
Two planned lectures cover history, genealogy aspect
Two-session program will mark 100th anniversary of United States’ entry into the Great War.
This year is the 100th year anniversary of the United States entering the fray of World War I, and many events have been held this year to commemorate what’s been called the Great War.
That includes the Texarkana Museums System’s two-session workshop Saturday at the P.J. Ahern Home from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It includes one session titled “Researching Your World War I Ancestors: A Case Study” presented by Amanda L. Paige, public historian and author at Paige Historical Research, and another session titled “The Punitive Expedition and World War I” presented by Christine Woodrow, library director at New Boston Public Library and a member of the Texarkana Genealogy Society.
“There’s a lot of military information out there when you’re doing genealogical research, but depending on the war and the time period it’s a different set of data, and it’s kept in a different way in a different place,” said Jamie Simmons, curator at the TMS. Hence, for each war a genealogical researcher can look for different sources to gather information
“She’ll be talking about the resources available to people researching their World War I ancestors, where to find that information, what it will tell you, how you interpret it, that sort of thing,” Simmons said.
It’s genealogy, but from the standpoint of trying to find soldiers in your family, the curator said. The presenter will use the lens of her own family members whom she’s researched.
“But again, the broader themes that she’ll be touching on will be appropriate for any genealogist looking for an ancestor who might have served in the military,” Simmons said. Useful documents might include draft registration forms.
As for the second half, Woodrow will discuss the connection between World War I and the U.S. mobilization to confront Gen. Francisco
“Poncho” Villa’s attack on New Mexico. While the connection isn’t obvious, there is one, the curator said.
“It was the first major attempt at mobilization of our Army in quite a while, so that does have a direct bearing on our preparedness to finally enter World War I,” Simmons said. That incident gives an atypical perspective on World War I, she said.
Two different lectures are on tap but with the broad theme of World War I in common, said Simmons, noting in Arkansas there’s a World War I commemoration committee working to promote awareness of this history. It includes a speaker’s bureau.
“It’s to really promote the broader idea of us entering World War I as a nation but obviously it seeks to address specifically Arkansas’ contribution,” Simmons said. Several other states have done something similar to focus on a state’s connection to WWI.
“I think that Arkansas museums have really a unique chance right now to kind of interpret this period of our history as a state and also address your local contribution,” Simmons said.
To that end, the TMS has displayed local memorabilia related to WWI, including uniforms that are being rotated on display. Some of them can be seen at the Ahern Home. There’s a stereoscope viewer, too, with cards that depict scenes from the war.
“Battlefield images but also things that kind of address what life was like for the common soldier,” Simmons said. This includes life in the trenches and donning gas masks, or images of soldiers returning home and seeing their babies for the first time. This set of stereoscope images was donated.
“These were produced right after World War I,” Simmons said. A Stereoscope is a way to view 3-D images, much like a ViewMaster. “Aside from that, what we have the most examples of are uniforms.”
These World War I items are local, donated by the descendents of the soldiers who wore them. Uniforms could differ slightly but be similar in style across the military branches.
“We have packs. We have the kits that they would carry with them,” Simmons said about giving a visual look at the soldier’s life.
(Admission: free for Texarkana Museums System members, $5 for non-members. Purchase tickets at the door or online at Eventbrite.com or via the Facebook event page. Reservations are requested. More info: Contact Jamie Simmons at 903-793-4831 or curator@texarkanamuseums.org.)