Big Parade in Pelham to Honor Those Who Registered for World War I Draft

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The North Pelham fire whistle sounded its piercing blast at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 1917.  The whistle blew five blasts -- ordinarily the signal for summoning police throughout the Village.  The five blasts awakened the entire village, but no one was alarmed.  Rather, the whistle signified the beginning of a day-long patriotic celebration.  That day the whistle summoned all residents of North Pelham to gather at the firehouse.

All three Villages of Pelham that day honored all townsmen who registered for the draft.  World War I was raging and the nation sought men for military service.  

At 6:45 a.m., the volunteer police force constituting the Home Defense Forces of all three villages in The Pelhams assembled at Village Hall in the Village of Pelham Manor.  At 7:00 a.m. that day, church bells began ringing at churches throughout Pelham.  The bells rang continuously for thirty minutes.  Also at 7:00 a.m., a 21-gun salute was fired, awakening any residents who had not yet been jolted out of bed by the fire whistle and the church bells.  At the same moment, the flags on all public buildings in the Town were hoisted.  In addition, the Home Defense Forces began a parade that wound its way from Pelham Manor Village Hall through Pelham Manor, the Village of Pelham (Pelham Heights), and the Village of North Pelham.  

The United States joined the allied forces of Britain, France, and Russia and, on April 6, 1917, entered World War I. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on battlefields in France during the war.

To gear up for the fight, on May 18, 1917, the President signed into law the Selective Service Act (Pub.L. 65-12, 40 Stat. 76) authorizing the Federal government to raise a national army through conscription for service in World War I.  The law required all males aged 21 to 30 to register for potential draft into the military service.

Pelham showed its appreciation for its young men who complied with the new law through a day set aside to honor them on June 5, 1917.  In addition to the festivities described above, all three Pelham village presidents issued proclamations that, among other things, provided:

"The people of the several villages are earnestly urged to display the national flag and to assist the demonstration in honor of our defenders in every way possible, and to devote their entire day if feasible, to 'the men of the hour.'"

The little Town of Pelham was preparing for war -- World War.

Iconic World War I U.S. Army Recruiting Poster

Designed by Pelham Manor Native James Montgomery

Flagg.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"PELHAMS GOING TO HONOR MEN WHO REGISTER THERE
-----
Parade Arranged Through All the Villages -- Church Bells to Ring.
-----

North Pelham, June 4. -- All three villages in the town will take official cognizance of registration tomorrow.  In honor of those who register, a parade has been arranged to pass through the three villages.  This will begin at 7 o'clock tomorrow and will include the Home Defense forces.  The church bells will ring for a half hour and a national salute of 21 guns will be fired.  In North Pelham, the people will be summoned to the fire house at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning when the fire whistle will sound the police call which is five blasts.

The following proclamation was issued today by the village presidents in the town:

To the Citizens of the Villages of North Pelham, Pelham Manor and Pelham:

Whereas, pursuant to the provisions of an act of congress, approved May 18, 1917, as the day upon which all citizens between the ages of 21 and 31  years shall register their names for military service, and 

Whereas, pursuant to the requirements of such act of congress, some ten million men will offer their names from which are to be chosen the future defenders of the country, and

Whereas the act of these men in so registering their names is of vital interest and importance to every citizen of the United States and marks a new era in the life of the nation.  

Now therefore, we the undersigned, presidents of the respective villages set opposite our names for the purpose of affording the people of our villages an opportunity of expressing in part, their grateful appreciation of the sacrifices our young men are making, have made the following arrangements for June 5, 1917:  At 7 a.m., the hour of opening the polls, all the church bells in the several villages will be rung for one-half hour.  The flags on all public buildings will be hoisted.  A national salute of 21 guns will be fired at the place of assembly.  The volunteer police force constituting the Home Defense forces of all three villages will assemble at 6:45 a.m. at the village hall in the village of Pelham Manor, and at 7 a.m. a parade will form and will march through the villages of Pelham Manor, Pelham and North Pelham.  The people of the several villages are earnestly urged to display the national flag and to assist the demonstration in honor of our defenders in every way possible, and to devote their entire day if feasible, to 'the men of the hour.'

This is signed, William Edinger, president of the village of North Pelham; Joseph C. Wilbering, president of the village of Pelham Manor; A. C. Field, president of the village of Pelham."

Source:  PELHAMS GOING TO HONOR MEN WHO REGISTER THERE -- Parade Arranged Through All the Villages -- Church Bells to Ring, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 4, 1917, No. 8384, p. 5, col. 5.

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Pelham Taxpayers Funded Westchester County Bonds to Pay Bounties During the Civil War

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By 1863, it was clear to President Abraham Lincoln and to the U.S. Congress that the Civil War was progressing slowly and would require massive numbers of additional men.  On March 3, 1863, President Lincoln signed into law The Enrollment Act, 12 Stat. 731, also known as the Civil War Military Draft Act.  The statute required the enrollment for conscription purposes of every male citizen between ages of twenty and forty-five and every male immigrant who had filed for citizenship and who was between the same ages.  The Federal government promptly established quotas of new troops to come from each Congressional District.  

The controversial statute repealed an earlier ban on sending "substitutes" to serve in place of those drafted who did not want to serve.  It authorized "any person to furnish an acceptable substitute to take his place" and limited the amount that could be paid to such a substitute to $300 (under the philosophy that the price should not be unreasonable out-of-reach of less wealthy men and thus, should be limited).  Nevertheless, the allowance of substitutes was widely criticized as an effort to protect affluent draftees by allowing them to hire the poor to fight the war.  Controversies surrounding The Enrollment Act led to the New York Draft Riots July 13-16, 1863.  

"ENROLLMENT!" Poster Dated June 23, 1863

Posted in New York City After Enactment of The

Enrollment Act.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Despite the controversy, as the year progressed, President Lincoln called for 500,000 additional men to fight on behalf of the Union.  Local newspapers filled with summaries of the enrollment and what was required in local Congressional Districts.  For example, the September 5, 1863 issue of the Rockland County Journal included such information for Pelham and others within the 10th District:

"Recapitulation of the Enrollment in the 10th District.
-----
Showing the number in each Class in each Sub-District, with the number required from each town on the basis of one-fifth of the First Class, and the number, including the 50 per cent added, to be taken from the wheel. . . . .

No. 22
SUB-DISTRICTS New Rochelle and Pelham
No. of Whites. 744
No. of Colored 52
Total number enrolled 796
First Class. 604
Second Class. 192
Quota Called for 121
50 per ct. added 181"

Source:   Recapitulation of the Enrollment in the 10th District, Rockland County Journal, Sep. 5, 1863, Vol. XXV, No. 10, p. 2, cols. 5-6

Local authorities undertook to use taxpayer funds to offer bounties to volunteers and to substitutes who met the call.  (In the case of substitutes, such bounties could be paid in addition to the $300 paid by the draftee to his substitute.)

The substitution system was rife with abuses.  According to one account:

"The policy of substitutions was continued throughout the war.  The problem with substitution was that it provided substitutes with powerful incentives to desert soon after enlisting.  Career 'jumpers' made a living off of enlisting as a substitute, collecting their compensation, deserting before their units were dispatched to the front, and repeating the process.  The problem was well known to the military commanders who regularly saw the same recruits repeatedly.  In addition, troops furnished by substitution were considered to be of an inferior quality in comparison to regulars and volunteers."

Source:  "Enrollment Act" in Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Feb. 20, 2017).  

"THE RECRUITING BUSINESS"

A Political Cartoon that Appeared 

in Harper's Weekly, Jan. 23, 1864.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

During 1864, the County of Westchester sold $562,000 worth of County Bonds to raise money to pay bounties to volunteers and substitutes.  The County apportioned the funds and distributed them to the various towns within the County for those towns to use the money to pay the bounties necessary to meet their various conscription quotas.  The County Board of Supervisors apportioned responsibility for the principal of the bonds and future interest payments among the various towns within the County and enacted legislation to require the various towns within the County to levy, assess, and collect taxes to pay the principal and interest due.  

Various of the Westchester County bonds sold had principal redeemable in each of the years 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, and 1881.  Pelham was apportioned responsibility for $11,000 of principal on the bonds (plus $27.41 of the expenses for issuing and printing the bonds, etc.) plus its proportionate share of future interest payments on the principal.  

Until the first series of county bonds became redeemable in 1876, Pelham was required to make its proportionate annual interest payments of $771.92.  Beginning in 1876, when the first series of county bonds became redeemable, Pelham would have to make annual principal payments of $1,962.18 through 1780 (plus successively smaller interest payments as each successive series of bonds was redeemed).  In 1881, Pelham would have to make a final principal payment on the last series of maturing bonds totaling $1,216.57 (plus some interest), thereby ending its obligation to repay the funds provided it by the county to pay bounties to volunteers and substitutes.

Although only secondary sources are available, it appears that Pelham's quota for helping meet the President's most recent call for 500,000 men was twenty men.  It further appears that Pelham chose not to make bounty payments to substitutes, but only to volunteers.  Thus, on January 21, 1864, the Town of Pelham held a special meeting at 10:00 a.m. "to take into consideration the propriety of raising money by tax for payment of bounties to such men as may enlist in the service of the United States."

On that day, the electors of the Town of Pelham voted to approve the following resolution:  "Resolved:  That the Town offer a bounty of $325 to each man who shall volunteer, to be paid when mustered into the service of the United States."  

In short, as the Civil War continued to drag into early 1864, the citizens of the Town of Pelham continued their work on the home front to support their nation's dire need for the men and resources necessary to fight the good fight.

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Below is the text of several items that shed light on the subject of today's Historic Pelham article.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON COUNTY TREASURER, ON THE REPORT OF THE COUNTY TREASURER.

To the Honorable the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester:

The Committee on County Treasurer respectfully report that they have examined the accounts of the Treasurer and the vouchers for the charges therein stated, and find them correct. . . . 

During the current year the Treasurer has undertaken [illegible] the purpose of paying bounties to volunteers or to those furnishing substitutes under the last call of the President for 500,000 men -- 

To the amount of.........................................$562,000.00
Which be negotiated at a premium of.........      5,593.13

Maturing as follows:

$100,000............................March 1, 1876
  100,000............................March 1, 1877
  100,000............................March 1, 1878
  100,000............................March 1, 1879
  100,000............................March 1, 1880
    62,000............................March 1, 1881

And under like authority in anticipation of the issue
of said bonds, borrowed the sum of............106,000.00
Total...........................................................$673,593.13

Which he has disbursed as follows:

Paid Supervisor's bounty money....................$560,600.00
Paid for temporary loans and interest............  106,655.89
Paid for printing bonds...................................         327.50
Paid for advertising for proposals for bonds..           77.21
U.S. Internal Revenue stamps upon
     notes and bonds.......................................         266.00
Treasurer's fees (1 per cent on
     amount of bonds issued)..........................      5,620.00.  --  $673,546.60
Leaving in the Treasurer's hands..................                                       46.53
The amount of bonds issued as above is......                           $562.000.00
The amount paid to Supervisors is................                           $560,600.00

Making the net expense attending
     the issue of these bonds..........................                                $1,400.00

-- to be borne by the towns which have availed themselves of the issue, in proportion to the amount taken by the towns.

For particulars regarding the issue of bonds your Committee refer the Board to the annexed statement (marked A) showing the amount of money paid to the Supervisors, who, on behalf of their towns, have availed of the issue:  an apportionment of the $1,400; expenses according to the amount taken; and the total amount chargeable on each town; -- also to statement B, showing the amount due from each town for interest payable during 1865, with Treasurer's fees; -- also to statement C, showing the amount of interest payable by each town annually after 1865 until maturity of first series of bonds; -- and, finally, to statement D, showing the amount of principal due from each town upon the maturity of the bonds.

Your Committee offer for adoption the following resolutions: . . . 

Resolved, That there be levied, assessed, and collected, upon the taxable property within the town of --

Cortlandt.................$8,276.85
East Chester...........  1,266.86
Mount Pleasant......   1,274.84
North Castle...........      890.65
New Castle.............   1,036.51
New Rochelle.........   1,827.33
North Salem...........      929.62
Morrisania..............    5,244.05
Poundridge............        545.14
Ossining.................    3,300.59
Mamaroneck..........        583.53
Pelham...................        844.67
Scarsdale...............        276.41
West Farms............    2,549.09
White Plains...........    1,144.62
Yonkers..................  11,056.27 
Yorktown................     1,407.26

-- together $43,042.63 -- to pay the interest due in 1865 on $562,000 -- County bonds issued in 1864, to pay bounties to volunteers or substitute soldiers under the last call of the President for 500,000 men, and Treasurer's fees. . . .

Your Committee have found the books of the Treasurer posted to the date of this report, vouchers for all the charges therein, and the business of the office systematically conducted.  By law the Treasurer is entitled to fees of one per cent. on the amount of money received and disbursed, under the resolutions of your Board and authorizing the issue of bonds for the payment of bounties, and to borrow money in anticipation of such issue, but he has liberally waived his claim for fees on the temporary loan, charging only on the nominal value of the bonds issues.

Respectfully submitted,
ISAAC H. KNOX,                    ]
COFFIN S. BROWN,              }  Committee on County Treasurer.
FRANCIS M. CARPENTER   ]

Dated November 28, 1864

-----

(A.)

APPORTIONMENT OF THE BONDS ISSUED TO PAY BOUNTIES, &C., WITH THE EXPENSES.

                               Principal
                            used by each
Towns                        Town.          Expenses.       Total.

Cortlandt................$107,800         $269.21        $108,069.21
East Chester..........    16,500             41.20            16,541.20
Mount Pleasant.....     16,600            41.45             16,641.45
North Castle..........     11,600            28.94             11,628.97
New Castle...........      13,500           33.71             13,533.71
New Rochelle........     23,800           59.44             23,859.44
North Salem..........     12,100            30.22            12,130.22
Morrisania.............     68,300          170.57            68,470.57
Poundridge...........       7,100            17.73              7,117.73
Ossining................     49,500          123.62            49,623.62
Mamaroneck.........       7,600             18.98             7,618.98
Pelham.................      11,000             27.47           11,027.47
Scarsdale.............        3,600              8.99              3,608.99
West Farms..........      33,200            82.91            33,282.91
White Plains.........      14,900            37.21             14,937.21
Yonkers................     144,000         359.62           144,359.62
Yorktown..............       19,500           48.70             19,548.70

Totals...................     560,600     $1,400.00        $162,000.00

(B.)

INTEREST PAYABLE IN 1865, WITH TREASURER'S FEES.

                                Principal                              Treasurer's
Towns                        sum.             Interest             fees.          Total.

Cortlandt.............$108,069.21       $8,194.90          $81.95      $8,276.85
East Chester.......    16,541.20         1,254.32            12.54        1,266.86
Mt. Pleasant.......     16,641.45         1,261.92            12.62        1,274.54
North Castle........    11,628.97            881.83              8.82           890.65
New Castle..........   13,533.71          1,025.25            10.26        1,086.51
New Rochelle......   23,859.44          1,809.24            18.09        1,827.33
North Salem........   12,130.22             919.82              9.20           929.02
Morrisania...........   68,470.57           5,192.13            51.92       5,244.05
Poundridge.........     7,117.73               539.74              5.40          545.14
Ossining..............   49,623.62           3,762.26            37.63       3,800.59
Mamaroneck.......     7,618.96              577.75              5.78          583.53
Pelham................   11,027.47              836.21              8.36          844.57
Scarsdale.............    3,608.99              273.64              2.74          276.41
West Farms                                             [All Illegible]
White Plains                                            [All Illegible]
Yonkers                                                   [All Illegible]
Yorktown..............  19,548.70            1,482.38            14.82        1,497.20
Totals.................$562,000.00        $42,616.46      $436.17     $43,042.63

(C.)

INTEREST PAYABLE ANNUALLY AFTER 1865, UNTIL MATURITY OF FIRST SERIES OF BONDS.

Towns.                         Principal            Interest
Cortlandt....................$106,099.21       $7,564.84
East Chester.............     16,541.20         1,157.88
Mount Pleasant.........     16,641.45         1,164.90
North Castle..............     11,628.94             814.03
New Castle...............     13,533.71             947.35
New Rochelle...........     23,850.44          1,670.16
North Salem.............     12,130.22             849.11
Morrisania................     68,470.57          4,792.94
Poundridge...............      7,117.73              498.24
Ossining...................     40,623.62          3,473.65
Mamaroneck............       7,618.98              553.33
Pelham.....................     11,027.47             771.92
Scarsdale.................       3,608.99             252.63
West Farms..............     33,282.91         2,329.80
White Plains.............     14,987.21         1,045.60
Yonkers....................   144,350.62       10,105.20
Yorktown..................     19,548.70         1,368.41
Totals.......................$562,000.00      $39,340.00

(D.)

MATURITY OF PRINCIPAL

                                                                Principal
                                                              redeemable
                                     Principal            in each of
                                     of bonds            the years             Principal
                                  used by each      1876, 1877,         redeemable
Towns.                           Town.              1878, 1879,         in the year
                                                               and 1880.              1881.

Cortlandt...................$106,099.21        $19,299.40          $11,923.22
East Chester.............    16,541.20            2,943.27              1,824.85
Mount Pleasant.........    16,641.45           2,961.11               1,835.90
North Castle..............    11,628.97           2,069.21               1,282.92
New Castle................    13,533.71           2,408.13              1,493.06
New Rochelle............    23,859.44           4,245.45              2,632.19
North Salem..............    12,130.22           2,158.40              1,388.22
Morrisania.................    68,470.57          12,183.38             7,568.67
Poundridge...............       7,117.73            1,266.50                785.23
Ossining....................    49,623.62            8,829.83             5,474.47
Mamaroneck.............      7,618.58            1,355.69                840.53
Pelham......................    11,027.47            1,962.18             1,216.57
Scarsdale..................      3,608.99               642.17                398.14
West Farms...............    33,282.91            5,922.22             8,671.81
White Plains..............    14,987.21            2,657.87             1,647.86
Yonkers.....................   144.359.62         25,686.77           15,925.77
Yorktown...................     19,548.70           3,478.42             2,156.60
Totals.........................$562,000.00      $100,000.00       $62,000.00"

Source:  REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON COUNTY TREASURER, ON THE REPORT OF THE COUNTY TREASURER, The Statesman [Yonkers, NY], Dec. 29, 1864, Vol. IX, No. 463, p. 3, cols. 2-3.

"PRESIDENT'S ANCESTORS MADE PELHAM POLITICAL HISTORY
-----
Elbert and Peter Roosevelt Appear in Old Minutes as Justice Of Peace, School Commissioner and Highway Director
-----
(Special To The Daily Argus)

PELHAM, Oct. 15.  --  Pouring over the old minute books of the town meetings of a century ago, one learns the Roosevelts were doing pretty well politically in Pelham.

The Town meeting of 1805 (that's 129 years ago) states Elbert Roosevelt was elected Commissioner of Highways.

In 1834, Peter C. Roosevelt was Justice of the Peace.  In the next year, 1835, Peter was elected as one of the three School Commissioners, and in that year Elbert, either the same Elbert or his son, perhaps, was again Commissioner of Highways.

F. D. R.'s Antecedents

It's a pretty safe guess that Elbert and Peter were antecedents of Franklin D., because Pelham Manor has been a Roosevelt stamping [sic] ground in recent years.  

Stephen S. Pell and David Pell were also names prominent in those days.  The Pell names and the Roosevelt names appear frequently as Town officials.

Oct. 10, 1834, almost an exact 100 years ago a town meeting voted to raise $100 by taxation 'for the support of the Town District School that it may be kept throughout the year.'

Today the running of the School District hits well over the half-million dollars mark.

Civil War Epoch

Further along in the minute books one gets the smell of gun powder and reverberations of Gettysburg and other major Civil War engagements.

Jan. 21, 1864, at a special meeting held in the Town House at 10 A. M., here's what the electors did:

'Resolved:  That the Town furnish its quota of 20 men under the last call of the President of the United States at the expense of the Town.'

Also -- 'Resolved:  That the Town offer a bounty of $325 to each man who shall volunteer, to be paid when mustered into the service of the United States.'

The meeting had been duly advertised in bulletins posted Jan. 11.  They gave the purpose of the special meeting as 'to take into consideration the propriety of raising money by tax for payment of bounties to such men as may enlist in the service of the United States.'"

Source:  PRESIDENT'S ANCESTORS MADE PELHAM POLITICAL HISTORY -- Elbert and Peter Roosevelt Appear in Old Minutes as Justice Of Peace, School Commissioner and Highway Director, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 15, 1934, p. 11, cols. 6-7.  

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Tue., Dec. 13, 2016:  Rare and Stunning Images of Civil War Pelham Engraved from Photographs Taken In 1864.  

Thu., Nov. 24, 2016:  An Important Thanksgiving Sermon Delivered in 1865 at Christ Church at the Close of the Civil War.

Mon., May 02, 2016:  Additional Research on the Confederate Prisoner of War Camp During the Civil War on Hart's Island in the Town of Pelham. 

Wed., Feb. 24, 2016:  What is Pelham's Connection to the Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor that Fought in the First Battle of Ironclads?

Mon., Feb. 22, 2016:  Report on Prisoner Deaths at the Confederate POW Camp in Pelham During the Civil War. 

Wed., Oct. 21, 2015:  Ministering to Troops on Hart and Davids Islands During and Shortly After the Civil War.  

Mon., Jul. 07, 2014:  More About Pelham Residents Who Served Their Nation During the U.S. Civil War.

Thu., Jun. 12, 2014:  Eyewitness Account of Prisoner of War Concentration Camp That Once Stood in Pelham. 

Fri., May 21, 2010:  The Announcement of President Abraham Lincoln's Assassination in Pelham, NY on April 15, 1865. 

Tue., Mar. 30, 2010:  Obituary of William McAllister Who Built Civil War Gunboats in Pelham.

 Mon., Mar. 29, 2010:  Nathaniel H. Bouldin, a Poor Confederate Prisoner of War Who Died in Pelham in 1865.

Tue., Nov. 03, 2009:  Pelham Students Help Civil War Soldiers on Davids' Island in 1864.

Fri., Nov. 18, 2005:  A List of Pelham Residents Who Served the Union During the Civil War.

Mon., Jul. 11, 2005:  Pelham Cemetery on City Island. 

Fri., Jun. 3, 2005:  Davids' Island Off the Coast of Pelham Manor During the Civil War. 

Tue., Apr. 12, 2005:  Pelham and the Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor.

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Pelham Marches Into World War I in 1917

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This year marks the centennial of the entry of the United States into World War I on April 6, 1917.  That day, the United States entered the fight with its allies, Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, and Japan.  With the Centennial of that historic date approaching, it is time to document the role Pelham and its citizens played during World War I.  The task, however, has proven exceedingly difficult since no copies of the local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, exist for that period.

Pelham men lost their lives in the war.  Pelham men were wounded in the war.  Pelham developed a sophisticated home defense program.  Pelham founded the Pelham Comfort Society and the Junior Comfort Society to assist Pelham soldiers.  Pelham created its famed Pelham Service Flag.  Pelham participated in the Liberty Loan Program.  It participated in the United War Work Program.  The Pelham Red Cross Society Program supported the war effort.  Young war recruits were quartered in Pelham homes before they shipped out.  Pelhamites grew Victory Gardens in support of the War effort.  Native Pelhamite James Montgomery Flagg created the famous "I Want You" Uncle Sam recruiting poster.  Pelham men and women drove ambulances at the front.  Pelham residents even won the French Croix de Guerre for their service during World War I.

Over the course of the year, the Historic Pelham Blog will include a series of articles intended to document Pelham's role in World War I.  Today's is the first such article.

Despite years of effort by President Woodrow Wilson to keep the United States neutral and, thus, out of World War I, those efforts ended in 1917.  In the beginning of that year, with the war raging in Europe, Germany decided to resume attacks on every commercial ship en route to Great Britain.  Though Germany knew that, as a consequence, America likely would enter the war, its submarines began sinking American ships in the North Atlantic.  On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany.  Months later, on December 7, 1917, the United States also declared war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  

Within days of the nation's entry into the war, the Westchester County Commission of General Safety's "Committee on Enrollment for Military Service" began calling for local men to enter into the service "for Liberty, Democracy, Honor."  Westchester County was assigned a quota to provide half a million men for the war effort, as indicated in the advertisement that appeared in a local newspaper below.

Local Newspaper Advertisement Published on May 9, 1917

Seeking First 3,500 "Loyal Stalwart Men" to Begin Fulfillment

of Westchester County's Quota of Half a Million Men to Fight

the War.  Source:  Service for Liberty, Democracy, Honor

[Advertisement], The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], May

9, 1917, p. 9, cols. 1-8.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The full text of the advertisement that appear above is transcribed immediately below to facilitate search.

"'The supreme test of the nation has come.  We must all speak, act and serve together'
-- WOODROW WILSON

Service for Liberty, Democracy, Honor
-----
WESTCHESTER COUNTY'S QUOTA OF HALF A MILLION MEN NEEDED
To Bring Up To Full Fighting Strength, the REGULAR ARMY, the MARINE CORPS, and the NATIONAL GUARD is
3,500 LOYAL STALWART MEN
Young Men of Westchester Volunteer To Serve NOW.  Don't Wait:  Apply To Your Local Recruiting Committee.

COMMITTEE ON ENROLLMENT FOR MILITARY SERVICE
WESTCHESTER COUNTY COMMISSION OF GENERAL SAFETY
COUNTY COURT HOUSE, WHITE PLAINS, N. Y."

At about the same time, Congress enacted and the President signed into law the Selective Service Act, Pub. L. 65-12, 40 Stat. 76 (enacted May 18, 1917).  The Act provided for a compulsory draft that, unlike the draft during the Civil War, did not permit those drafted to send substitutes in their stead.  The Act required all males aged 21 to 30 to register for the draft.  The law was amended more than a year later to expand the age range to include all men 18 to 45.  The men aged 21 to 30 who were registered for the draft became known as the "First Call Men."

The first National Registration Day for the draft was held on June 5, 1917 for all men between the ages of 21 and 31.  Within about a month, on July 20, 1917, local authorities held the requisite draft lottery.  The local draft lottery encompassed young men in Pelham, Bronxville, and Tuckahoe.  More than one hundred Pelham men received the news that their numbers had come up  (See the list of draft lottery numbers with names and addresses of the men from Pelham below.)  

Even before exemption boards began considering appeals from First Call Men who sought exemption from the draft, young men in Pelham began volunteering before they were formally drafted into the service.  In July and early August, 1917 it seems that there were two military units that accepted Pelham volunteers.  One was "Mount Vernon division" of naval militia that was formed when officers of the U.S.S. Granite State visited the City of Mount Vernon "to see if enough young men were willing to enlist so that a division, to be a part of the new fifth battalion, could be formed."  Continue Recruiting For Naval Militia Division, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 26, 1917, p. 1, col. 1.

Once again, Pelham and its young men were marching off to war.

*          *          *          *          *

Below are the names of the young men of Pelham who were among the "First Call Men" whose numbers were selected in the early draft during July, 1917.

2         Murel H. Consorty  (52 Young Avenue, Pelham)
3        Gong. Chang          (300 Fifth Avenue, Pelham)
5         Salvatore Cortaino (River Place, Pelham)
7         Thos. F. Carraher  (221 4th Avenue, Pelham)
12       Thos. A. Cornwall  (318 3rd Avenue, Pelham)
21       Geo. M. Clegg       (8 2nd Avenue, Pelham)
22       John Costello        (412 Fifth Avenue, Pelham)
24       Leslie S. Clark       (314 Seventh Avenue, Pelham)
26       Louis F. Edinger    (222 5th Avenue, Pelham)
28       Joseph Enright      (444 5th Avenue, Pelham)
30       Marno Barr            (19 Linden Avenue, Pelham)
34       Albert Brennley      (18 Storer Avenue, Pelham)
35       Luciano DeFillippi  (580 Sixth Avenue, Pelham)
39       Joe De Guglielmo  (582 Seventh Avenue, Pelham)
42       Wm. Daull              (520 River Avenue, Pelham)
44       Leon E. Leighton   (146 3rd Avenue, Pelham)
45       Martin J. Lowery    (21 5th Avenue, Pelham)
47       Edward Lambert    (56 Fourth Avenue, Pelham)
53       Allen Ferguson      (719 Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham)
55       Thos. F. Flanagan (423 1st Avenue, Pelham)
57       Jesse A. Miller       (224 Fourth Avenue, Pelham)
60       Valentine Miller     (15 Linden Avenue, Pelham)
66       George Merz, Jr.   (534 River Avenue, Pelham)
68       James W. McGovern (65 Harmon Avenue, Pelham)
70       Angelo Gianico      ([Illegible] 5th Avenue, Pelham)
73       John Godfrey         (345 7th Avenue, Pelham)
74       John Godfrey         (345 7th Avenue, Pelham - same as above)
78       Salvatore Giordano (522 6th Avenue, Pelham)
80       Marno Barr (19 Linden Avenue, Pelham)
82       Fred W. Broege     (113 3rd Avenue, Pelham)
86       Joseph E. Bolding (34 5th Street, Pelham)
97       Geo. Kurtze           (226 5th Avenue, Pelham)
98       Gordon Kann         (222 1st Avenue, Pelham)
101     Angelo Tesero       (618 5th Avenue, Pelham)
110     William C. Penny   (31 Linden Avenue, Pelham)
106     Dominic Tardio      (439 7th Avenue, Pelham)
108     Edwin Pickhardt    (46 6th Avenue, Pelham)
110     William C. Penny   (31 Linden Avenue, Pelham)
111     Charles M. Pickhardt  (43 Sixth Street, Pelham)
116     Sabato Pesano     (439 7th Avenue, Pelham)
123     Francis J. Walker, Jr.  (24 Clifford Avenue, Pelham)
132     Geo. W. Saul         (137 3rd Avenue, Pelham)
134     Nicholas F. Spor    (30 1st Street, Pelham)
135     Frank Sattarelle     (133 6th Street, Pelham)
137     Peter F. Satterale  (138 6th Avenue, Pelham) (also listed as 138 6th St.)
139     Dominick C. Smith (65 Harmon Avenue, Pelham)
141     Ralph Renouf        (101 Fifth Avenue, Pelham)
143     Edwin W. Rottach  (413 First Avenue, Pelham)
145     James E. Reilly      (454 3rd Avenue, Pelham)
149     Jos. P. Ryan          (510 River Avenue, Pelham)
152     Albert C. Rice        (214 3rd Avenue, Pelham)
155     Sidney W. Tuttle    (50 Boulevard, Pelham)
159     Joseph P. Ryan     (510 [illegible] Avenue, Pelham)
162     R. D. Kenee           (489 Willard Avenue, Pelham)
165     John Asfendiancs  (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
166     Carracos Ciriacos  (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
167     James Akostulu     (Travers Island, Pelham)
170     Wilson Austin         (525 Willard Avenue, Pelham)
171     Samuel Abernathy (464 Siwanoy Place, Pelham)
172     Arthur Augur          (516 Fowler Avenue, Pelham)
173     Jas. H. Archer       (4745 Boston Post Road)
176     Albert J. Lambert   (Bolton Priory, Pelham)
177     Edward B. W. Luce (919 Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham)
178     S. Lowy                  (Travers Island, Pelham)
179     Jas. R. Lawler        (283 Corlies Avenue, Pelham)
182     Guiseppe Clerice   (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
184     John F. Connolly   (139 Reed Avenue, Pelham)
186     Thos. Bahan          (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
188     F. S. Babcock        (Pelham)
192     Barclay Beaver      (132 Manor Circle, Pelham)
195     Edward F. N. Beck (207 Carona Avenue, Pelham)
196     Henry T. Boland    (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
197     Edward H. Bragg   (Loring Avenue, Pelham)
198     Robert D. Brooks   (211 Secor Lane, Pelham)
200     Joseph A. Brown   (245 Corona Avenue, Pelham)
201     Clarence McGuire  (Monterey Avenue, Pelham)
203     Joseph Meribelli    (105 Wolfes [sic] Lane, Pelham)
204     Robert J. Miller, Jr. (Witherbee Avenue, Pelham)
208     John J. Miner        (Travers Island, Pelham)
215     Lyall Dean             (Willard Avenue, Pelham)
217     Walter M. Dotts      (248 Monterey Avenue, Pelham)
219     John Dickerson      (562 Monterey Avenue, Pelham)
226     James Sagules      (Travers Island, Pelham) [See below]
226     James Siagules     (Travers Island, Pelham)
227     John Simohojlon    (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
232     W. V. K. Gillett        (Pelham)
233     Frederick Gaeng   (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
234     William G. Graham (165 Boulevard, Pelham)
235     Estonestas Gilagaran (155 Corona Avenue, Pelham)
238     Roy H. Gardener   (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
239     William Geist          (Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham)
242     Christos Papacostintinoce (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
243     Alfonse Paggano   (100 Wolfe [sic] Lane, Pelham)
252     Henry Tilford          (109 Hunter Avenue, Pelham; see also 253)
253     Henry Tilford          (109 Hunter Avenue, Pelham)
259     Imari Heino             (71 Witherbee Avenue, Pelham)
261     Frank L. Harrington (211 Secor Lane, Pelham)
263    Allen S. Hubbard     (James Street, Pelham)
264    Lenox Harve           (262 Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham)
266     Chas. Ronccare     (New York Athletic Club, Pelham)
273    Cozo Thara             (Pelham Manor Road, Pelham)
276    Nelson H. Jewett     (444 Pelham Manor Road, Pelham)
277     Stephen Thomas Jones (1022 Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham)
281     Charles A. Voight   (541 Rochelle Place, Pelham)
286     Wallace White        (177 Nyac Avenue, Pelham)
289     Shawbut C. Walz    (200 Elderwood Avenue, Pelham)
290     Edgar Walz            (200 Elderwood Avenue, Pelham)
293     Henry C. Wolffenstein (226 Highbrook Avenue, Pelham)
295     Edward F. N. Beck  (207 Corona Avenue, Pelham)
316     Northrop Dawson    (400 Pelham Manor Road, Pelham)

Source:  MEN OF VICINITY CALLED TO COLORS, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 25, 1917, p. 3, cols. 1-4.

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