Pvt. Roy Hassel Stover's family wasn't told much when he was killed in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry in France during World War I.
The Stovers, then of Luray, Va., received a death certificate and a picture of his grave in Cierges, France.
What happened to Roy remained unknown, a common fact of war in those days. Undelivered mail was often returned to sender with the words "deceased" or "killed in action." Most families received telegrams weeks later with the date their loved one died and sometimes a temporary burial location.
The Stovers moved to a farm near Strinestown about a year and a half later.
Roy's brother Edward Stover, 92, of Dover was born a few months after Roy was killed on Aug. 1, 1918. Edward was the youngest of five boys and three girls. Roy was the oldest.
Edward said he doesn't know a lot about his brother, except that he liked taking care of the horses on his parents' farm. His family rarely spoke of Roy's death. If someone brought it up, his mother, Carrie Lee, went quiet.
"I don't think my mother ever got over it," Edward said.
LETTERS HOME
Roy was drafted in June 1917. After training at Camp Lee in Virginia, he was deployed to France in March 1918 with the 126th Infantry, Company A.
He sent 37 letters home from the trenches. Most were about farming and crops. He said he was doing well and hoped his loved ones were doing the same. All letters were stamped with a censor by the military.
His scrawled handwriting is nearly illegible on dirt-smudged yellowed paper. He sent his 2-year-old son, Nello, a French postcard of a young boy and girl looking much too serious for children. He wrote his last letter July 6.
"He was always coming home," said Roy's grandson and Nello Sr.'s son, Nello Stover Jr., who read all of his letters. "He never had an expectation of not coming home."
THE BATTLE THAT TOOK HIS LIFE
On July 31, the 1st Battalion of the 126th Infantry moved toward the woods in the dark. They passed through a heavy barrage of artillery and suffered many casualties. That night, Roy's company sought cover behind the banks of a small creek. The men stood in water all night, under attack by enemy shells.
At 1 a.m. Aug. 1, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 126th Infantry got orders to drive German forces from Jomblets Woods.
Roy's battalion attacked at 3:30 a.m. They advanced about 100 yards from the southern side of the woods, and they were stopped by artillery. They charged a German machine-gun nest with bayonets.
Roy, then 23, died that day, along with 81 others from the 126th Infantry. However, the American Expeditionary Forces took Jomblets Woods.
The 126th Infantry incurred its highest causalities that day, according to "The History of the 126th Infantry in the War with Germany," by Emil B. Gansser, but enemy losses were several times greater.
More than 385 Central Powers soldiers were killed in the woods alone.
Roy received a Purple Heart, a World War I Victory Medal and two battle stars. His grandson, Nello, 52, of York Township, saved those, along with the letters, an American flag and two newspaper clippings about Roy's death.
The headline from a Luray paper reads: "Roy Stover Makes the Supreme Sacrifice." A few years later, a York County newspaper announced that his body had been returned home upon request.
"They didn't want him to be buried over there," Roy's brother Edward said.
Nello also has Roy's draft registration card, his death certificate, a picture of his former grave in France - a wooden white cross among rows of American soldiers - and a photo of his grandfather standing next to a horse.
About five years ago, Nello started researching his grandfather's death. He found French historian Gilles Lagin on the Internet. Lagin, who grew up in Chateau-Thierry, runs a World War I museum and does research for families of Americans who served in France.
Lagin provided Nello with a detailed narrative of what happened the day Roy died, maps of Jomblets Woods, and photos of the battlefield before and after, among a book of other documents.
Nello said he always wondered what happened to his grandfather, a man his own father was too young to know. He remembers the memorabilia from his childhood, but said he became more interested as he got older and after his dad passed away in 1991.
"When you get this, it really ties all the loose ends together," he said. "It brings closure."
[email protected]; 771-2101
PIC: DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS - JASON PLOTKIN
Nello Stover Jr. of York Township saved his grandfather Roy Hassel Stover's World War I memorabilia. The piece includes an American flag, medals for his service, a picture of Roy Stover's former grave in France, and two newspaper clippings after his death.
The Stovers, then of Luray, Va., received a death certificate and a picture of his grave in Cierges, France.
What happened to Roy remained unknown, a common fact of war in those days. Undelivered mail was often returned to sender with the words "deceased" or "killed in action." Most families received telegrams weeks later with the date their loved one died and sometimes a temporary burial location.
The Stovers moved to a farm near Strinestown about a year and a half later.
Roy's brother Edward Stover, 92, of Dover was born a few months after Roy was killed on Aug. 1, 1918. Edward was the youngest of five boys and three girls. Roy was the oldest.
Edward said he doesn't know a lot about his brother, except that he liked taking care of the horses on his parents' farm. His family rarely spoke of Roy's death. If someone brought it up, his mother, Carrie Lee, went quiet.
"I don't think my mother ever got over it," Edward said.
LETTERS HOME
Roy was drafted in June 1917. After training at Camp Lee in Virginia, he was deployed to France in March 1918 with the 126th Infantry, Company A.
He sent 37 letters home from the trenches. Most were about farming and crops. He said he was doing well and hoped his loved ones were doing the same. All letters were stamped with a censor by the military.
His scrawled handwriting is nearly illegible on dirt-smudged yellowed paper. He sent his 2-year-old son, Nello, a French postcard of a young boy and girl looking much too serious for children. He wrote his last letter July 6.
"He was always coming home," said Roy's grandson and Nello Sr.'s son, Nello Stover Jr., who read all of his letters. "He never had an expectation of not coming home."
THE BATTLE THAT TOOK HIS LIFE
On July 31, the 1st Battalion of the 126th Infantry moved toward the woods in the dark. They passed through a heavy barrage of artillery and suffered many casualties. That night, Roy's company sought cover behind the banks of a small creek. The men stood in water all night, under attack by enemy shells.
At 1 a.m. Aug. 1, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 126th Infantry got orders to drive German forces from Jomblets Woods.
Roy's battalion attacked at 3:30 a.m. They advanced about 100 yards from the southern side of the woods, and they were stopped by artillery. They charged a German machine-gun nest with bayonets.
Roy, then 23, died that day, along with 81 others from the 126th Infantry. However, the American Expeditionary Forces took Jomblets Woods.
The 126th Infantry incurred its highest causalities that day, according to "The History of the 126th Infantry in the War with Germany," by Emil B. Gansser, but enemy losses were several times greater.
More than 385 Central Powers soldiers were killed in the woods alone.
Roy received a Purple Heart, a World War I Victory Medal and two battle stars. His grandson, Nello, 52, of York Township, saved those, along with the letters, an American flag and two newspaper clippings about Roy's death.
The headline from a Luray paper reads: "Roy Stover Makes the Supreme Sacrifice." A few years later, a York County newspaper announced that his body had been returned home upon request.
"They didn't want him to be buried over there," Roy's brother Edward said.
Nello also has Roy's draft registration card, his death certificate, a picture of his former grave in France - a wooden white cross among rows of American soldiers - and a photo of his grandfather standing next to a horse.
About five years ago, Nello started researching his grandfather's death. He found French historian Gilles Lagin on the Internet. Lagin, who grew up in Chateau-Thierry, runs a World War I museum and does research for families of Americans who served in France.
Lagin provided Nello with a detailed narrative of what happened the day Roy died, maps of Jomblets Woods, and photos of the battlefield before and after, among a book of other documents.
Nello said he always wondered what happened to his grandfather, a man his own father was too young to know. He remembers the memorabilia from his childhood, but said he became more interested as he got older and after his dad passed away in 1991.
"When you get this, it really ties all the loose ends together," he said. "It brings closure."
[email protected]; 771-2101
PIC: DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS - JASON PLOTKIN
Nello Stover Jr. of York Township saved his grandfather Roy Hassel Stover's World War I memorabilia. The piece includes an American flag, medals for his service, a picture of Roy Stover's former grave in France, and two newspaper clippings after his death.
Pvt. Roy Hassel Stover's family wasn't told much when he was killed in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry in France during World War I.
The Stovers, then of Luray, Va., received a death certificate and a picture of his grave in Cierges, France.
What happened to Roy remained unknown, a common fact of war in those days. Undelivered mail was often returned to sender with the words "deceased" or "killed in action." Most families received telegrams weeks later with the date their loved one died and sometimes a temporary burial location.
The Stovers moved to a farm near Strinestown about a year and a half later.
Roy's brother Edward Stover, 92, of Dover was born a few months after Roy was killed on Aug. 1, 1918. Edward was the youngest of five boys and three girls. Roy was the oldest.
Edward said he doesn't know a lot about his brother, except that he liked taking care of the horses on his parents' farm. His family rarely spoke of Roy's death. If someone brought it up, his mother, Carrie Lee, went quiet.
"I don't think my mother ever got over it," Edward said.
LETTERS HOME
Roy was drafted in June 1917. After training at Camp Lee in Virginia, he was deployed to France in March 1918 with the 126th Infantry, Company A.
He sent 37 letters home from the trenches. Most were about farming and crops. He said he was doing well and hoped his loved ones were doing the same. All letters were stamped with a censor by the military.
His scrawled handwriting is nearly illegible on dirt-smudged yellowed paper. He sent his 2-year-old son, Nello, a French postcard of a young boy and girl looking much too serious for children. He wrote his last letter July 6.
"He was always coming home," said Roy's grandson and Nello Sr.'s son, Nello Stover Jr., who read all of his letters. "He never had an expectation of not coming home."
THE BATTLE THAT TOOK HIS LIFE
On July 31, the 1st Battalion of the 126th Infantry moved toward the woods in the dark. They passed through a heavy barrage of artillery and suffered many casualties. That night, Roy's company sought cover behind the banks of a small creek. The men stood in water all night, under attack by enemy shells.
At 1 a.m. Aug. 1, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 126th Infantry got orders to drive German forces from Jomblets Woods.
Roy's battalion attacked at 3:30 a.m. They advanced about 100 yards from the southern side of the woods, and they were stopped by artillery. They charged a German machine-gun nest with bayonets.
Roy, then 23, died that day, along with 81 others from the 126th Infantry. However, the American Expeditionary Forces took Jomblets Woods.
The 126th Infantry incurred its highest causalities that day, according to "The History of the 126th Infantry in the War with Germany," by Emil B. Gansser, but enemy losses were several times greater.
More than 385 Central Powers soldiers were killed in the woods alone.
Roy received a Purple Heart, a World War I Victory Medal and two battle stars. His grandson, Nello, 52, of York Township, saved those, along with the letters, an American flag and two newspaper clippings about Roy's death.
The headline from a Luray paper reads: "Roy Stover Makes the Supreme Sacrifice." A few years later, a York County newspaper announced that his body had been returned home upon request.
"They didn't want him to be buried over there," Roy's brother Edward said.
Nello also has Roy's draft registration card, his death certificate, a picture of his former grave in France - a wooden white cross among rows of American soldiers - and a photo of his grandfather standing next to a horse.
About five years ago, Nello started researching his grandfather's death. He found French historian Gilles Lagin on the Internet. Lagin, who grew up in Chateau-Thierry, runs a World War I museum and does research for families of Americans who served in France.
Lagin provided Nello with a detailed narrative of what happened the day Roy died, maps of Jomblets Woods, and photos of the battlefield before and after, among a book of other documents.
Nello said he always wondered what happened to his grandfather, a man his own father was too young to know. He remembers the memorabilia from his childhood, but said he became more interested as he got older and after his dad passed away in 1991.
"When you get this, it really ties all the loose ends together," he said. "It brings closure."
[email protected]; 771-2101
PIC: DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS - JASON PLOTKIN
Nello Stover Jr. of York Township saved his grandfather Roy Hassel Stover's World War I memorabilia. The piece includes an American flag, medals for his service, a picture of Roy Stover's former grave in France, and two newspaper clippings after his death.
The Stovers, then of Luray, Va., received a death certificate and a picture of his grave in Cierges, France.
What happened to Roy remained unknown, a common fact of war in those days. Undelivered mail was often returned to sender with the words "deceased" or "killed in action." Most families received telegrams weeks later with the date their loved one died and sometimes a temporary burial location.
The Stovers moved to a farm near Strinestown about a year and a half later.
Roy's brother Edward Stover, 92, of Dover was born a few months after Roy was killed on Aug. 1, 1918. Edward was the youngest of five boys and three girls. Roy was the oldest.
Edward said he doesn't know a lot about his brother, except that he liked taking care of the horses on his parents' farm. His family rarely spoke of Roy's death. If someone brought it up, his mother, Carrie Lee, went quiet.
"I don't think my mother ever got over it," Edward said.
LETTERS HOME
Roy was drafted in June 1917. After training at Camp Lee in Virginia, he was deployed to France in March 1918 with the 126th Infantry, Company A.
He sent 37 letters home from the trenches. Most were about farming and crops. He said he was doing well and hoped his loved ones were doing the same. All letters were stamped with a censor by the military.
His scrawled handwriting is nearly illegible on dirt-smudged yellowed paper. He sent his 2-year-old son, Nello, a French postcard of a young boy and girl looking much too serious for children. He wrote his last letter July 6.
"He was always coming home," said Roy's grandson and Nello Sr.'s son, Nello Stover Jr., who read all of his letters. "He never had an expectation of not coming home."
THE BATTLE THAT TOOK HIS LIFE
On July 31, the 1st Battalion of the 126th Infantry moved toward the woods in the dark. They passed through a heavy barrage of artillery and suffered many casualties. That night, Roy's company sought cover behind the banks of a small creek. The men stood in water all night, under attack by enemy shells.
At 1 a.m. Aug. 1, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 126th Infantry got orders to drive German forces from Jomblets Woods.
Roy's battalion attacked at 3:30 a.m. They advanced about 100 yards from the southern side of the woods, and they were stopped by artillery. They charged a German machine-gun nest with bayonets.
Roy, then 23, died that day, along with 81 others from the 126th Infantry. However, the American Expeditionary Forces took Jomblets Woods.
The 126th Infantry incurred its highest causalities that day, according to "The History of the 126th Infantry in the War with Germany," by Emil B. Gansser, but enemy losses were several times greater.
More than 385 Central Powers soldiers were killed in the woods alone.
Roy received a Purple Heart, a World War I Victory Medal and two battle stars. His grandson, Nello, 52, of York Township, saved those, along with the letters, an American flag and two newspaper clippings about Roy's death.
The headline from a Luray paper reads: "Roy Stover Makes the Supreme Sacrifice." A few years later, a York County newspaper announced that his body had been returned home upon request.
"They didn't want him to be buried over there," Roy's brother Edward said.
Nello also has Roy's draft registration card, his death certificate, a picture of his former grave in France - a wooden white cross among rows of American soldiers - and a photo of his grandfather standing next to a horse.
About five years ago, Nello started researching his grandfather's death. He found French historian Gilles Lagin on the Internet. Lagin, who grew up in Chateau-Thierry, runs a World War I museum and does research for families of Americans who served in France.
Lagin provided Nello with a detailed narrative of what happened the day Roy died, maps of Jomblets Woods, and photos of the battlefield before and after, among a book of other documents.
Nello said he always wondered what happened to his grandfather, a man his own father was too young to know. He remembers the memorabilia from his childhood, but said he became more interested as he got older and after his dad passed away in 1991.
"When you get this, it really ties all the loose ends together," he said. "It brings closure."
[email protected]; 771-2101
PIC: DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS - JASON PLOTKIN
Nello Stover Jr. of York Township saved his grandfather Roy Hassel Stover's World War I memorabilia. The piece includes an American flag, medals for his service, a picture of Roy Stover's former grave in France, and two newspaper clippings after his death.
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