Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Clarence Vantassel Purssell
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: Clarence Vantassel Purssell.
Written by Donna Albino.
Clarence Vantassel Purssell was born in Boston on July 20, 1894, to James Pursell and Margaret (Wynne) Pursell. James was born in Ohio, and Margaret was born in Ireland. At the time of Clarence’s birth, James and Margaret were living on Branch Street, which is one block away from the Boston Common. They had one daughter, Winevie, who was about two years old when Clarence was born.
By 1900, the family had bought a home at 1257 Morton Street in Mattapan, in a neighborhood where Clarence would live for the rest of his life. His father James was working as a carpenter and builder. By the time of the next census, Clarence would have a little brother; Roger was three years old in his listing in the 1910 census.
In 1916, Clarence registered for the draft. He was self-employed and working as an electrical contractor in Milton, but still living with his family at 1257 Morton Street in Mattapan. He noted that his mother and younger brother were partially dependent on him, as his father James had passed away the year before. However, that did not keep him from serving in the war. Clarence was a member of Company A in the 317th Field Signal Battalion, and on July 9, 1918, he shipped out from Hoboken, NJ with other members of his battalion on the USS America to go to France.
The Signal Corps was responsible for creating and maintaining communications for the Army. Advances in technology had created new communication methods such as the telephone, radio, and aerial mapping, but the Signal Corps still depended on traditional communication methods such as carrier pigeons and semaphore flags as well. The Field Signal Corps maintained communications between the front lines and the division headquarters, and Clarence’s skills as an electrician probably made him a valuable asset to the 317th Field Signal Battalion.
The 317th Field Signal Battalion was active in two battles in France: the St. Mihiel offensive on September 12-16, 1918, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive, September 26-November 11, 1918. By May, Clarence was back in the United States. The Boston Globe reported on May 25, 1919, that Clarence was shipped with 32 other wounded New England soldiers to Base Hospital for treatment. Base Hospital, operated by Massachusetts General Hospital, was set up to offer a place for recovery and more complicated procedures than soldiers could get at first aid posts. The majority of surgical cases were secondary wound closures, meaning wounds that needed to be cleaned and closed some time after the injury, as well as removal of bullets and shell fragments, setting of fractures, and blood transfusions. Patients with infectious diseases such as pneumonia or influenza were also sent here.
By 1920, Clarence was back home living with his widowed mother, his sister Evie, and his brother Roger in the family home at 1257 Morton Street in Mattapan. He was an electrician at the Edison Power Plant, but also skilled with radio. In 1924, the Edison Light broadcasting department exhibited at a radio show in Boston, where visitors could see and hear the programs put on in a model radio studio. Clarence was the head of the radio operating division at Edison at the time, and he was responsible for the operation of the transmitter for the radio show. In 1925, The Boston Globe reported that Clarence was on the technical staff at Boston radio station WEEI, and he volunteered his services to try and find the source of radio reception problems that were being reported in Weymouth. The Globe reported that Clarence and his coworkers were quickly able to diagnose the problem: a sparrow had built a nest in a fuse box!
Clarence was very active with his church, Village Church in Dorchester’s Lower Mills neighborhood. He and his sister Winevie were occasionally soloists at services, include Easter Service in 1934. He served as president of the Fellowship Club at Village Church in 1931. Clarence also participated in the Boston Young Men’s Christian Union Camera Club, and served as the entertainment chair in 1940.
Clarence continued to live with his mother and sister until his mother’s death in 1945. By that time, they lived at 61 Old Morton Street in Mattapan, less than a quarter mile from their previous location at 1257 Morton Street. When Clarence passed away on August 17, 1968, he and his sister were still living at 61 Old Morton Street.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration. Number: 024-07-5568; Issue State: Massachusetts; Issue Date: Before 1951
Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 24, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 1531; FHL microfilm: 1240688
Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 24, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_625; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 1633; FHL microfilm: 1374638
Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 21, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_739; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 523
Year: 1930; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0470; FHL microfilm: 2340690
Registration State: Massachusetts; Registration County: Suffolk; Roll: 1685014; Draft Board: 21
The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Massachusetts; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M2090
The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92; Roll or Box Number: 370
Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy 1917-1918
Massgeneral.org: The Spirit of Devotion: MGH in World War I
United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 25 May 1919, Sun Page 3
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 30 Nov 1924, Sun Page 52
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 27 Apr 1925, Mon Page 16
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 01 Dec 1931, Tue Page 8
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 31 Mar 1934, Sat Page 4
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 04 Nov 1940, Mon Page 5
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 19 Apr 1945, Thu Page 19
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 18 Aug 1968, Sun Page 72