Albert Graf and World War I
Albert F. Graf was born in Waterville, Ohio on October 19, 1890, going on to fight in World War I at the age of 26, registering for the draft on June 5, 1917. At the time he was working as an auto mechanic in his father's garage, C.S. Graf & Son. Throughout the war he wrote devoutly to the woman who would become his wife, Agnes H. Petersen, and after returning from the war, they filed their marriage license on October 19, 1920. Albert and Agnes would go on to have two boys, Ellsworth and Douglas. On April 14, 1971, Albert passed away at the age of 80, and was buried at Wakeman Cemetary in Waterville, Ohio.
The letters and photographs seen here were scanned at the Waterville Historical Society located in Wakeman Hall in Waterville, Ohio. The original documents can be seen in the reading room in their archive.
The full collection of letters, photographs and postcards can be accessed through Ohio Memory.
Records Cited
United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6FB-JYV : 13 March 2018), Albert Frederick Graf, 1917-1918; citing Lucas County, Ohio, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,832,511.
Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2QHR-JV6 : 10 December 2017), Albert F Graf and Agnes H Petersen, 12 Oct 1920; citing Lucas, Ohio, United States, reference ; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 2,134,589.
Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKP-M13L : 13 December 2015), Albert F. Graf, ; Burial, Waterville, Lucas, Ohio, United States of America, Wakeman Cemetery; citing record ID 51724703, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X44L-Q7P : accessed 29 November 2018), Albert Graf, Waterville, Lucas, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 184, sheet 5A, line 47, family 124, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1841; FHL microfilm 2,341,575.
Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKVZ-4BS : 8 December 2014), Albert F Graf, 14 Apr 1971; from "Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-2007," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2010); citing vol. 20448, certificate number 028916, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus; Ohio Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Columbus.