PFC Willmer Dale Gisinger, also known as Dale, was born on 23 October 1925 in Decatur, Illinois, to Ferrill and Chloe (Higgins) Gisinger. Dale grew up with his two older sisters and younger brother in central Illinois, where his family resided in communities such as Cisco, Magnolia, and Wenona. In July 1938, the Gisinger family suffered a devastating loss when Chloe passed away shortly after the premature birth of a baby daughter, Ruth Ann, who also did not survive. Following Chloe’s death, Ferrill remarried and relocated his family to Altamont in Effingham County, where he worked as a lineman for…
PVT Robert F George, Service No. 36689944
Private Robert Francis George was born on 20 June 1925, in LaSalle, Illinois, into a family that knew both joy and sorrow. He was the second son of Frank George and Marie (Essl) George. His older brother, Francis, was stillborn the year before Robert’s birth. Robert’s early years were shaped by family hardships and the strength of those who surrounded him. His mother’s health had been frail since childhood, a consequence of surviving a severe smallpox epidemic that claimed her father when she was still a teenager. When Robert was almost two years old, tragedy struck again. His mother went…
PVT Donald J. Geyde, Service No. 36029433
Donald Joseph Gedye was born on 31 December 1917, in Davenport, Iowa, to Charles and Ann (Pryde) Gedye. He spent his formative years in Oglesby, Illinois, a small city nestled along the Vermilion River. The youngest of three brothers, Donald grew up in a close-knit family that valued hard work and community. His father, Charles, and his two older brothers, Robert and Charles Ronald, worked as electricians at the local cement mill, a key industry in the area. Donald, too, worked at the cement mill but distinguished himself by taking a laboratory position. The Gedye family had deep roots in…
PVT Edward Dombrowski, Service No. 36397242
Edward Dombrowski was born on 13 February 1917, in Peru, Illinois, to Vincent and Mary (Mikus) Dombrowski. About 10 years before his birth, Edward’s father, Vincent, emigrated to the U.S. from near Ostrołęka in Poland. Edward’s mother, Mary, was born in Illinois to Polish immigrant parents, John and Ann Mikus. The couple married on 01 October 1912, at St. Valentine’s Church in Peru and made their home in the small community, with Vincent working as a laborer at a local zinc company. Edward was the couple’s fourth child. Tragedy struck the Dombrowski family early and often. When Edward was just…
SGT Walter Jerome Domkoski, Service No. 36314241
Walter Jerome Domkoski was born on 30 October 1919, in Oglesby, Illinois, to Polish immigrants John and Antoinette (Kruswicki) Domkoski. His mother had immigrated to the United States with her parents in the late 1800s, while his father arrived from Poland in the early 1900s. The couple married on 6 February 1907, and initially settled in Peru, Illinois, where John worked as a coal miner, like many of their neighbors, who were also Polish immigrants. By 1920, the Domkoski family had moved to, a neighborhood in Oglesby known as Crocketville. By 1930, they relocated to 773 Hazen, just west of…
Using ChatGPT (AI) to Write a WWII Soldier’s Story
Genealogists love to research. It’s the thrill of the hunt and the rush of new discoveries. It’s meeting new ancestors and learning their stories. Many of us eventually want to share what we find with others and in trying to do so can get overwhelmed with putting all that wonderful research into words. Even for those of us who love to write, just getting started can often be a hurdle we need to overcome. To help me with this, I have started using AI to get the party going so to speak. While I occasionally leverage AI when I get…
Map Your Civil War Soldier’s Experience using AI
In the past I have spent considerable time figuring out where a Civil War soldier was stationed as his regiment navigated its mission throughout the war. Sometimes I have been able to extract this information from a book and other times I have relied on the National Park Service (NPS) website. The NPS typically lists places a battle unit has been and battles or other action in which it participated. Here is an example of their listing for the 65th Regiment, Indiana Infantry: As you can imagine getting all of this information into a simple list of locations and actions…
PFC Ladislaus Anthony Zawacki, Service No. 36696116
Ladislaus “Lad” Zawacki was born on 25 July 1912, in Peru, Illinois, to George and Anna (Kotecki) Zawacki. His parents were both life-long residents of Peru who had married the year before his birth. The couple had two sons following Lad’s birth: Edward who was born in 1918 and Raymond, born in 1923. Tragically, when Lad was 13, his brother Raymond passed away at the age of two due to broncho-pneumonia. Growing up in Peru, Lad attended the local grade school and lived a modest life. By 1930, his parents had purchased a home at 1803 Pulaski Street, where Lad,…
PFC Adolph Edward Yagodich, Service No. 0849923
Birth and Early Life Adolph Edward Yagodich was born on 8 January 1919, in Peru, Illinois, to George and Mary (Remsek) Yagodich. His father, George, was an immigrant from Yugoslavia, arriving in America in 1907. His mother, Mary, was from Austria and arrived in the U.S. in 1913. The couple married in January 1914, and by December of that year, Adolph’s older brother Theodore was born. Two years later, his older sister Sophia joined the family. Initially, the Yagodich family resided in LaSalle on Third Street while George worked as a miner. They later moved to a home they owned…
TEC5 Edward William Sell, Service No. 36312542
Edward William Sell was born on 13 September 1915, in Peru, Illinois, to Max and Anna (Fitzsimmons) Sell. Edward’s father Max was a German-born immigrant who traveled to the U.S. as a young boy with his parents and sister and brother. Edward’s mother was born in Illinois. Max and Anna married in Peru on 7 August 1907. As a young boy Edward lived in a home his parents rented at 1409 Pulaski street in Peru with his three sisters, two older and one younger, and two younger brothers. His father was an electrical engineer at the local Zinc Works for…