A Life of Travel and Work

By Rachel Paraschiv and Liam Doherty

Garrett Samuel Voorhees

August 31, 1892 – April 5, 1967

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Garrett Samuel Voorhees was born in Denver, Colorado in August of 1892 to parents Ralph C. Voorhees, and Fannie Bomberger. Garrett had three siblings, one brother named Ralph and two sisters named Mary and Ruth.[1] Seemingly, Garrett travelled frequently throughout his life, having lived in Colorado and Texas. When Voorhees was about 7 years old—around July 2, 1900—he visited his grandparents, Emma and Samuel Voorhees, in Brooklyn, New York, and as a result, Garrett was noted in the 1900 New York census; Garrett was also listed in the Colorado census in 1900 as well, so his time in New York must have been relatively short for him to be penciled in on both census documents.[2]

By 1910, Garrett had completed high school and was ready to enter the workforce. His first job was as a clerk for a business, followed by a position as an elementary school teacher at Sherman Elementary School in Denver, in 1917. When Garrett was 24, he enlisted for the American army during World War I, where his draft letter was sent to Fort Omaha in Nebraska on June 5, 1917.[3]

During the war, Garrett Samuel Voorhees was a Second Lieutenant in the aviation sector with the army’s American Expeditionary Forces in France. The American Expeditionary Forces, formed in May of 1917, were stationed along the Western Front, and led by General John J. Pershing.[4] Around 14,000 men arrived in France by June 1917, and eventually fought alongside French, Canadian, British, and Australian troops. By May of 1918, over one million troops were stationed in France. Garrett Samuel Voorhees was most likely deployed around January 1918 when one of the biggest influxes of American men were brought to France. When Germany signed the Armistice on November 11, 1919, Garrett,

and the rest of the A.E.F forces were recognized as one of the most modern, combat-smart army in the world.[5]

The 1920 census indicates that Garrett returned to the United States and moved to Texas, rooming with a friend named Paul Odus on Pleasant Grove Road.[6] In 1923, Garrett married his wife, Garland Wright Marion (from Tulsa, OK). In 1935, the couple moved to Houston, Texas after the birth of their daughter, Barbara Voorhees in Tulsa. Together, they had two more daughters, Beverley (born 1936) and Roberta (born 1939). When Garrett was 47, Garland, 43, and the children all 13 years and younger, the family lived at 3811 Poe West University Place, Harris, Texas. Garrett worked for a number of companies in the oil industry before shifting careers to work as a lease broker. Unfortunately, Garrett Voorhees’ father died in 1936 and his mother later passed in 1939. After the death of his parents, Garrett moved from Tulsa Oklahoma to Houston, Texas, where he worked as an inspector for the Public Works Administration, a New Deal Program started in 1933. In July of 1942, Garrett Samuel Voorhees sent a draft card for WWII, but did not serve in the war, presumably being too old for service; at this age, Garrett described himself as a 5’9” male, weighing at 152 pounds, with blue eyes, gray hair, and a ruddy complexion.[7] His draft card lists his place of work as the M&M building for U.S Engineers.

The dates are unclear, but at some point, Garrett Samuel Voorhees relocated back to Colorado, where he worked in the commerce department at the University of Denver. Garrett Voorhees passed away on April 5, 1967, at the age of 74 in Lakewood, CO.[8] Garrett and Garland were both buried at Fort Logan National cemetery.

Footnotes ↓

[1] U.S. Census Bureau (1900). 1900 United States Federal Census. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1900usfedcen&h=48773544&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

[2] Ancestry.com. “The Peregoy Family Tree: Garrett Samuel Voorhees.” Ancestry.com, 1997-2021. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/family-tree/person/tree/23323342/person/1375572071/facts.

[3] Ancestry.com, Garrett Voorhees Draft Card from Tree. Accessed from https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6482/images/005241956_00170?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=08715e2e8bda4d48f39ad6446a9521cc&usePUB=true&_phsrc=SxQ33&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=19302046

[4] Library of Congress. “\Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918 to 1919.” The Library of Congress, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/collections/stars-and-stripes/articles-and-essays/a-world-at-war/american-expeditionary-forces/.

[5] Library of Congress. “\Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918 to 1919.” The Library of Congress, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/collections/stars-and-stripes/articles-and-essays/a-world-at-war/american-expeditionary-forces/.

[6] Ancestry.com 1920 Census

[7] Ancestry.com, WWII Draft Cards from Tree Timeline. Accessed from https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/1002/images/004162231_03321?usePUB=true&_phsrc=SxQ62&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=12673769

[8] Ancestry.com, Death Records in 1960s.

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