William Alexander Stephenson,WWI Veteran
William Alexander Stephenson was a cousin of Jessie Lee Stephenson of Company B,62nd Engineers, mentioned in this forum.
William Alexander Stephenson was born on December 31,1888 in Hamilton County,Tennessee to William Alexander Stephenson and his wife Dollie Darwin Stephenson. William Alexander Stephenson and Dollie married in Huntsville,Alabama in 1879.
When William A. Stephenson was 6 years old,his father was killed in an elevator in Chicago. His father's leg was caught outside the elevator,resulting in his death from injuries and shock.
I think William Alexander Stephenson probably had a hard life after the death of his father.
I know nothing about the military service of William Alexander Stephenson. He died in Memphis,Tennesse,Shelby County,on August 20,1942,at the age of 53. His death certificate shows that Draft Board No.5,Commerce Title Bldg.was notified of his death. He died of Coronery Occulsion. Question #12 asks, If veteran,Name of War and World#1 is filled in. At the time of his death he was single and worked as a clerk in a retail liguor store.
On August 22,1942,at 8:00 A.M. his body was placed in a railroad car of the Southern Railroad and sent to Huntsville,Alabama. His funeral was held that afternoon in Huntsville at 5:00 P.M.
From what I have seen on the Internet,military units from Tennessee did some hard fighting in Europe during World War I. He may have been a sailor from Tennessee for all I know. What is important is that he served his country when he was needed. Fortunately for me, William Alexander Stephenson's record of service exists in Tennessee and I can send off for it.