From his Declaration of Intent #11732, filed on 16 August
1917 in Chicago, Illinois, I leaned that Gottlieb Gerlinger was a wagon maker
who was born in Orlawski, Russia on 07 January 1887. He had a fair complexion, was 5’8” tall, 155
lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair. He
emigrated from Bremen, Germany aboard the George Washington which pulled into
the port of New York on 14 April 1913. He was single and lived at 506 W 81 Place,
Chicago, Illinois.
The enlistment record shows that Gottlieb Gerlinger enlisted
in the U. S. Army on 07 Oct 1917 in Chicago.
He was promoted to Sargent on 20 June 1918 and served with the A.E.F.
from 18 Sept 1918 to 25 Apr 1919. He was
single and of excellent character.
On 07 May 1919, Gottlieb Gerlinger, 20585-19, Sargent,
Company A, 306 Infantry, received an Honorable Discharge from The United States
Army at Camp Grant, Illinois.
Gottlieb’s Certificate of Naturalization was issued on 14
June 1918 in Chicago. He was described
as being 31 years old, 5’7”, white,
complexion light, blue eyes and red hair.
The next document dated 08 July 1957 was from the Veterans
Administration and addressed to Hart Funeral Home, 8608 Summit Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois and CC to Mrs. Emma Runkel, 506 W 81st Place, Chicago,
Illinois. It referenced 3028/215A, XC-20 444 068 George
Gottlieb Gerlinger. The letter stated that an
allowance $150.00 had been approved covering the funeral and burial expenses of
the veteran.
The final document was dated 14 May 1957. It was from Wilbert Manufacturers Association
and guaranteed the Wilbert Burial Vault purchased by Mrs. Emma Runkel for
interment of the remains of George Gerlinger in St. Mary’s Cemetery located
near Evergreen Park, Illinois.
And there you have it. How did these documents from Illinois end up in Warsaw, Indiana? We may never know. If you are a relative of Gottleib "George" Gerilinger or Emma Runkel and would like to have the documents, please contact me.
