Gordon Van Kleeck

Ancestral Photographs of Upstate New York

Gordon Van Kleeck
1894 - 1977

Gordon in World War I

Gordon Van Kleeck in World War I. Gordon enlisted as a Private in 1918 and was in Co. F, 51st Pioneer Infantry, American Expeditionary Forces. I believe he was a Corporal when he mustered out. The Pioneers apparently did road construction work and etc. This photo has written on the back: "Gordon Van Kleeck in France 1917". The portrait may very well have been taken in France, but as far as I know, Gordon did not enlist until spring or summer of 1918 and did not get to France until August of 1918. Click the photo to see a larger image.

Photos of Camp Wadsworth in Spartanburg, South Carolina taken during Gordon's training in spring and summer of 1918.
A correspondent recently sent me photos of her grandfather, Adolph "Dolph" Lang, who also trained at Camp Wadsworth. I have made Dolph his own page so his pictures don't get lost among Gordon's snapshots. See Dolph Lang's photo page here.
Gordon was the historian for his unit and kept a journal of where they went and what they did. Read Gordon Van Kleeck's journal.
Read some of Gordon's letters home.

Certificate of Appreciation given by the City of Kingston to the men in Gordon's unit. The original was too large to fit in the scanner, so the eagle at the top of the page is cut off. The writing is a bit fancy and reads as follows:

Certificate of Appreciation

IN BEHALF OF THE CITIZENS OF

KINGSTON, NEW YORK

we, the Mayor and members of the Common Council, hereby express to

Gordon Van Kleeck

our grateful appreciation of your patriotic service with the
American forces in the GREAT WAR for World Freedom, and
we commend and thank you for your noble efforts performed so well,
and we extend to you a hearty welcome upon your return.

Given this first day of Oct. A.D. 1919
under the seal of the City of Kingston, N.Y.

On the bottom, on either side of the seal of the City of Kingston, are the signatures of the City Clerk, the Mayor, and the President of the Common Council. I can't quite make out the names from their fancy signatures.

Links to Other Websites About World War I

A Week of Genealogy - A history and genealogy blog. The page I linked to is search results showing several articles about the 51st Pioneer Infantry.
Tent and Trench - a site by the Spartanburg County Historical Association all about the history, living conditions, etc. at Camp Wadsworth.
(UPDATED URL) The World War I Document Archive - includes official papers, personal reminescences, a photo archive, etc.
World War I: Trenches on the Web - This site can be a bit slow in loading due to very large graphics. This is a very large site with lots of information including message boards, firsthand accounts, art and photos, articles on weapons and battles, etc. Resources available on this site include The Doughboy Center: The Story of the American Expeditionary Forces (part of the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project), which concentrates on the American presence in the war and includes a section for diaries, letters, firsthand accounts, etc., and The Great War Society, which has several resources to help in research on the war.
The Great War from Verdun to Nancy - This site has versions in French or English and is devoted to the Allied drive on St. Mihiel in September of 1918. This was the area that Gordon's unit was involved in (see also Gordon's journal entries and letters linked above).
O'Ryans Roughnecks: The 107th Infantry in the Great War. History and Reenacting. This site belongs to a unit of World War I re-enactors, but has a lot of historical information too.
- War-diary.com: The archive of war diaries online. There are diaries/journals from several wars and many different nationalities here.

Gordon as a Civilian

Gordon Van Kleeck

Gordon Van Kleeck and three unidentified friends.

Gordon Van Kleeck portrait. This may have been taken around the time of his wedding to Genevieve Winne in 1923 as he appears to be wearing the same suit and flower as in the photo below. Click the photo to see a larger image.

Gordon Van Kleeck and Genevieve (Winne) Van Kleeck (1888 - bef. 1977) at their wedding in 1923. Click the photo to see a larger image.

Genevieve (Winne) Van Kleeck and her Aunt "Tiney" - probably Christine Winne, the older sister of Genevieve's father Eugene Winne.

The house of Genevieve (Winne) Van Kleeck's family on Hurley Avenue in Kingston. The house was still there when I was last in the area, but painted entirely white. The last time I visited the area, it belonged to the Lions Club or Elks Club or something and had a circular driveway coming up to the front steps. The four people on the front lawn are (I think), from left to right: Genevieve's parents (Eugene and Cora (Hull) Winne sitting on the bench with the dog), Genevieve (Winne) Van Kleeck (standing in front of the porch steps), Genevieve's sister (Jessie (Winne) Dubois - leaning against far right side of the porch).

Back to Van Kleeck page

This information may be used by libraries, genealogical societies, and for personal use. Commercial use of this information is strictly prohibited without prior permission of the owners. If copied, this copyright notice must appear with the information.