James Enose (or Enos) Henry

*Note that the lower left corner of his WWI draft registration was cut off, as was the custom to designate those registrants of "African" descent in order to mark them for placement in segregated units. (Fighting for Respect article)

Birth: 7/24/1886, Hartford, Connecticut

Address: 1950 E. 101st St., Cleveland, OH and 10014 Quebec Ave., Cleveland, OH

Demographics: age 30 at draft registration; single; "African;" (described elsewhere as colored and negro) native-born; occupation Chauffeur for "Mr. Bonds" at 1720 E. 82nd St., Cleveland, OH; he requested exemption due to his mother being a dependent

Appearance: Height medium, Build medium, Eyes black, Hair black

Draft Date/Enlistment Date/Rank: 6/5/1917; 10/27/1917; Private

Service Number: 1972856

Deployment: 6/10/1918 from Hoboken, New Jersey aboard USS Mt. Vernon

Action: 43 Co 158 Dep Brig to Feb 21/18; Co D 317 Engrs to death. Pvt. Pvt 1cl Dec 5/17. Meuse-Argonne; Defensive Sector. AEF June 10/18 to death.

Death: January 8, 1919 at age 32; cause of death Died of Disease: Bronchopneumonia (presumably due to the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic)

Burial: 1/11/1919 buried in an American Cemetery in Le Mans, Sarthe, France; 7/29/1922 remains disinterred and reburied at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Seringes-et-Nesles, France, Plot D Row 38 Grave 28 (Grave marker not found on the cemetery website)

Next of Kin:  Charles Walter Garfield Martin, friend, 10014 Quebec Ave., Cleveland, OH and later 2750 Hampshire Rd., Cleveland, OH

Additional Information:

The Army's 317th Engineer Regiment, in which Private James E. Henry served, was an African American unit that served with the 92nd Infantry Division during WWI. It was responsible for engineering tasks such as road and railroad construction and repair in France. The 92nd Division was one of two segregated divisions in WWI and known as the Buffalo Soldiers. They dispelled the myth that African American soldiers were inferior by fighting heroically and valiantly throughout the war. They were originally organized at Camp Sherman, Ohio in 1917. The 317th Engineer Regiment's band was considered one of the best in the army and performed widely.  

No additional information was located about Private James E. Henry's life or family. His friend, Charles Walter Garfield Martin (1882-?) was also Black, was self-employed as a Plasterer,  and was married to Golda Martin with whom he had at least one child; his parents were born in Virginia.