Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: George Osman Holdstock
At the Dorchester Historical Society, we are in the process of a year-long project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I. Using a collection of photographs we have of WWI Dorchester residents, we will be featuring servicemen in a number of short biographies throughout the year. At the culmination of the project, we hope to produce an online exhibit that highlights these men and their service to our country.
Our next biography features: George Osman Holdstock
Written by Donna Albino.
George Osman Holdstock was born in South Boston, on December 27, 1892. His parents, Henry Holdstock and Mary (Webster) Holdstock, lived at 5 Sayward Place in Andrew Square when he was born, and his father was a furniture trimmer. Henry was an immigrant from England, and Mary was an immigrant from Scotland. George was the second child in the family; their son Henry had been born three years earlier.
By 1900, the family had moved to a rented home at 40 Cedar Street in the Lower Mills area. George’s father was working as a furniture shipper. The family was still living at this address in 1910. George was 18 years old, and working as a brass worker in a stencil works company. His father was a wood worker in an upholstery company, and his brother Henry was an upholsterer in an upholstery company, so it seems likely that two men worked together. By 1913, the family had moved to nearby 50 Idaho Street.
The year 1914 was a busy one for George and his family. The family moved to Milton that year, George performed a piano solo at Roxbury Evening Commercial High School’s graduation ceremony in April of 1914, and in June of 1914, George was best man at his brother Henry’s wedding at their Milton home at 162 Eliot Street.
On June 5, 1917, at the age of 24, George registered for the war draft. He was still living with his parents at 162 Eliot Street in Milton, and working as an assistant bookkeeper for the Diamond Match Company in Boston. He enlisted in the United States Army on July 20, 1917. George served as supply sergeant for the 302nd Infantry Regiment. A supply sergeant gets supplies to the base and into the hands of soldiers, and conducts supply room inventories and makes sure Army property is secure from theft. The 302nd was one of the primary subordinate units of the 151st Infantry Brigade, which was assigned to the 76th Infantry Division. The 302nd Infantry served in France July 21 to November 11, 1918.
The 76th Infantry Division was known as the “Liberty Bell Division.” It was organized at Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts in September of 1917. George and 89 other men from the Milton area joined them at Camp Devens on September 21. The division was composed of National Army drafts from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. George departed on the RMS Aquitania for France on July 5, 1918, with the first units of the 76th Infantry Division. The RMS Aquitania was a British ocean liner, and served as both a troop transport and as a hospital ship during WWI. Upon arrival in France, the division was designated as a depot division and ordered to the St. Aignan area. Here the division was broken up, training cadres were formed, and the men were used as replacements for combat divisions at the front.
The USS Eten was a troop transport that made two trips to France to repatriate United States troops after the war. George returned to the United States on one of those trips, traveling with the St. Mignan Casual Company from the port at St. Nazaire, France on June 12, 1919. He was released from duty on July 9, 1919.
After the war, George returned to his parents’ home, now at 29 Ashmont Street in Dorchester, for a few years. He became a member of Hammett Masonic Lodge in East Boston in 1920, and was awarded a veterans medal. In July 1921, the announcement of George’s engagement ran in the Boston Post, where he worked in the financial department. George was engaged to Grace Linscott, also a Dorchester resident. On April 8, 1922, George and Grace were married, and by 1923, the couple had moved to the Wollaston area of Quincy, where they started their family. By 1930, they owned their home at 33 Dunbarton Road. They had two daughters, Virginia age 7, and Priscilla age 2.
George and Grace led seemingly quiet lives in Quincy. In 1972, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were still living at 33 Dunbarton Road, and they had seven grandchildren. George passed away on July 11, 1980, and was buried at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree. His wife Grace was buried next to him in 1987, and their daughter Virginia joined them in 2012.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Number: 011-05-4200; Issue State: Massachusetts; Issue Date: Before 1951
Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 24, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 1537; FHL microfilm: 1240688
Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 24, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_625; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 1633; FHL microfilm: 1374638
Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 21, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_739; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 515
Year: 1930; Census Place: Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0108; FHL microfilm: 2340671
Year: 1940; Census Place: Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01631; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 11-222
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Mason Membership Cards, 1733-1990 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
WikiTree, 76th Infantry Division, United States Army, World War I
WikiTree, 151st Infantry Brigade, United States Army, World War I
Combat Service of Organizations of the United States Army in the World War, Historical Section, The Army War College, June 5, 1931
Career Trend, Responsibilities of a Supply Sergeant
Wikipedia, RMS Aquitania
Wikipedia, USS Eten
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 03 Apr 1914, Fri Page 15
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 03 Jun 1914, Wed Page 18
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 22 Sep 1917, Sat Page 3
Boston Post (Boston, Massachusetts) 24 July 1921, Sun Page 40
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 09 Apr 1972, Sun Page 121
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 03 Apr 1987, Fri Page 62
Ancestry.com, Kalloch Family Reunion Association Tree by Ken Kalloch