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: Herbert Warren Stuart.
Written by Donna Albino.
Herbert Warren Stuart was born on July 19, 1897, in South Boston to James and Mary (Chapman) Stuart. His parents had one other child, a daughter named Theresa who was two years old. The family had been living at 181 West Sixth Street in South Boston at the time of Herbert’s birth , but by 1900 they had moved to 28 Ellet Street in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Dorchester. James was a printing pressman for a newspaper.
By 1910, the family had moved less than two miles away to 28 Locust Street in Dorchester and had seven children in the family. Herbert, who enlisted in the war effort on July 17, 1917, just two days before he turned 20 years old, spent the first year of his service in Company D, 101st Infantry Massachusetts National Guard.
Originally, the 101st Regiment was known as the 9th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the “Fighting Ninth.” The 9th Massachusetts had been protecting the Mexico-United States border near El Paso, Texas, when the United States joined the Great War. In order to prepare the regiment for service, it was redesignated the 101st Infantry Regiment, and assigned to the 51st Infantry Brigade of the 26th Infantry Division, more commonly known as the “Yankee Division.” The regiment mustered in its new form in August, 1917, in Framingham and arrived in France in September. It was the first Army National Guard unit of the American Expeditionary Force to arrive in France, and was also the first National Guard unit to enter frontline combat. Alongside the French Army, the 101st made a raid into German lines in February, 1918, marking the first time an American unit had launched a raid in the war. Herbert fought in numerous battles along the Western Front until he was severely wounded in the battle of Champagne-Marne on July 15, 1918. After he regained his health, he returned to Company D, 101st Infantry in January, 1919, and served with them until the regiment was mustered out of service in April, 1919 at Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe reported on April 6, 1919, that Company D, 101st Infantry had returned to Boston, and Herbert’s name was among those on the list.
Herbert’s parents had moved next door to 30 Locust Street in Dorchester, and Herbert returned to live with them after the war. His father was still working as a printing pressman, his brother, Paul, was a shop machinist, and his sister, Esther, was packing candy for a shop. The family had added two more children since the 1910 census, a boy and a girl.
Herbert got into some trouble right after he returned to Dorchester from Camp Devens. On May 20, 1919, Herbert was arrested and charged with throwing stones at lanterns used on excavation work. He was fined $15 the next morning in court. It was his only mischievous act on record; Herbert went on to take classes at Boston University, and graduated with the class of 1921. On October 17, 1921, The Boston Globe printed his wedding announcement; he and Mary Chapman were married on October 26, 1921.
By 1930, Herbert and Mary were living at 19 Paisley Park in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Dorchester. Herbert was working as a government clerk, and they had four sons and a daughter, all under 8 years of age. Mary’s mother and three of Mary’s siblings also lived with them, bringing in two more incomes and more help caring for the five young children. By 1940, Herbert and his family moved to 3 Clermont Street in the Ashmont neighborhood of Dorchester. The five children were all of school age, and Mary’s mother and siblings no longer lived with them. Herbert was working as a postal clerk.
Herbert was active with the 101st Infantry Veterans Association, and the American Legion. In 1937, the 101st Infantry Veterans Association held a 20th anniversary observance of the Battle of St Mihiel in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Herbert served on the committee that arranged the outdoor fete. Herbert’s patriotism and desire to serve his country ran in the family; in 1945, The Boston Globe noted that Herbert, wounded veteran of WWI, had three brothers and three sons who had joined the armed forces for the second World War.
Herbert passed away on January 4, 1963. He and his wife Mary still lived in the home at 3 Clermont Street in Dorchester where they lived in 1940. His obituary didn’t mention where he was buried, but when Mary died in 1988, her obituary mentioned she is buried at Blue Hills Cemetery. It is likely that Herbert is buried there, too.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1860-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 20, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 5; Enumeration District: 1456; FHL microfilm: 1240686
Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 16, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_620; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 1494; FHL microfilm: 1374633
Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 11, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_734; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 300
Year: 1930; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0453; FHL microfilm: 2340689
Year: 1940; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01676; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 15-599
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Military, Compiled Service Records. World War I. Carded Records. Records of the Military Division of the Adjutant General’s Office, Massachusetts National Guard.
Wikipedia, United States Campaigns in World War I, Champagne-Marne
Wikipedia, 101st Infantry Regiment (United States)
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 06 Apr 1919, Sun Page 15
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 21 May 1919, Wed Page 6
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 17 Oct 1921, Mon Page 5
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 26 Jul 1937, Mon Page 7
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 19 Sep 1945, Wed Page 4
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 07 Jan 1963, Mon Page 24
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 18 Oct 1988, Tue Page 30