Is this Uncle Gus?

     My grandfather, Elmer J. Armstrong, enlisted in the Army on Jan. 26, 1905 in Springfield, Illinois.  A year later he was discharged at Fort Logan, Colorado and the re-enlisted for a period of three years.  While at Fort Logan he served in the Hospital Corps.  The picture below show him behind a counter dressed in white.  Recently, my older brother saw this picture for the first time and asked where I had gotten the picture of Uncle Gus.  He is certain the the soldier standing in front of my grandfather is Uncle Gus.  

     August F. Uhl, Jr., our Uncle Gus, was born in New York to German Immigrants.  Based on records that I have found he enlisted in the army in 1909.  He married my grandmother's sister, Maud Blandford in 1916 in Colorado.   I have a couple pictures of Uncle Gus when he was much older so it is time to compare.   

Uncle Gus is pictured here with his niece, Dorothy Armstrong.  Dorothy was born to Elmer Armstrong and Mary Catherine Blandford the same year that Uncle Gus married Aunt Maud.   

Uncle Gus top right

So, what so you think?  Is the first picture of Uncle Gus?  If it is, did Grandpa introduce Aunt Maud and Uncle Gus?

Was Elmer J. Armstrong Responsible for the Birth Records of His Children?

     One oral tradition that came down from my father pertained his birth certificate.  My father, John B. Armstrong was born on a military post, Fort Logan, Colorado.  His father, Elmer J. Armstrong was a sergeant in the U. S. Army Hospital Corps at the time of his birth and in that capacity filled out the birth certificate.  

     I decided to see if I could verify that Elmer did in fact fill out the certificate so I took a copy of it and tried to compare the handwriting with a known example of Elmer's handwriting.  The first example is from his Officer's Record Book.  Another example of Elmer's writing is taken from an Officer's Log Book kept by Elmer during World War I.  Keep in mind that these notes were written at different times while on the battlefield.

    I am not an expert in handwriting but to my eye the signature is the same, as well as most of the letters and words that I compared: A, B, M, Ilinois, Mary, F, H,...

    Based on my comparison of these documents and the birth record of Jane Armstrong (Elmer's oldest child), I feel comfortable that the story that Elmer filled out the birth certificates of John and his older sister is true.

Elmer J. Armstrong (right)

Quite the Host

     On the society page of the Denver Post on Tuesday, February 22, 1910 an article shows Elmer J. Armstrong (my grandfather) as one of the members of the Leisure Hour Club who had been responsible of a party on the previous Saturday evening.  The event could have been in honor of George Washington's birthday which was celebrated on Feb 22.  Elmer J. Armstrong was not an officer yet so the enlisted men had probably been put in charge of the event.
     I don't know exactly when Elmer met Mary Blandford but she lived in the area at that time. The following is a picture of them on an outing but the date was either 1910 or 1911. If they had known each other at the time of the party would Mary Catherine have helped with the plans?  I know that if I was in charge of a party I would have gotten help from Jayme.

Rear left to right: Mary Catherine Blandford, Elmer J. Armstrong, Maud Blandford, Milby Hayes
Front: Bess, Ella B.

     Maud Blandford was Mary Catherine's younger sister.  Milby Hayes was in the Hospital Corps with Elmer.  Milby was another soldier listed in the article above.  Milby Hayes was also a witness at the marriage of Elmer and Mary Catherine in April 23, 1911.  Bess and Ella B. were nieces of Mary Catherine and Maud.
     The article mentions that they served ices.  While trying to figure out what ices were, I found a book online: Ices, And How To Make Them: A Popular Treatise (1900). The overview says  On Cream, Water And Fancy Dessert Ices, Ice Puddings, Mousses, Parfait, Granites, Cooling Cups, Punches.  One can buy the book online, but I don't think I need that book in my collection.  I would guess ices are like ice cream.