Blitch Parrish
Blitch Parish was born in Register Ga in April of 1896. He was the son of William and Jamie Parish
and lived with them, six siblings consisting of four brothers and two sisters, and a relative. He worked as a farm hand, presumably with his father and brothers, for Joe Riggs of Statesboro. He married Alice Williams on March 17, 1917, shortly before the United States entered the war in Spring 1917 and listed her as a dependent at the time of the draft. However, he was not given exemption.
After he was given notice of draft, he reported to Camp Gordon on October 5th of 1917 to report for duty. Here he was initially enrolled into the Signal Corps, but by November was transferred to Company F of the 302 Stevedore Regiment then to Company F of the 303 Stevedore Regiment. He was presumably stationed at the port of Embarkation in Hoboken, NJ after having been organized with his fellow servicemen at Camp Hill, NJ. Here he contracted meningitis and died on November 27, 1917.
His body was shipped back to Metter, GA in Candler County and was received by a Mrs. Sam Fine. He was then buried in an unmarked grave located at Mount Zion Church Cemetery in Pulaski, GA, where he is interred today. In August 1930, Mrs. Sam Fine of Metter, GA requested a headstone for Parish's grave from the War Department. The request was granted and a tombstone now marks his final resting place. The stevedores were an organization of men who kept the flow of resources and information unbroken to their troops on the fronts and the sacrifices of all troops like Parrish who died in service to their people will not be forgotten, no matter the contribution.
1930 Application for a War Department headstone.
Works Cited
Marriage License, Blitch Parrish and Alice Williams, 17 March 1917, Bulloch County, GA. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/64214:4766?tid=&pid=&queryId=35ca8124-de4e-419a-9ba8-51af0a6a8af8&_phsrc=Tih319&_phstart=successSource
Parish, Blitch. Draft Registration Card, 5 June 1917. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/11798060:6482?tid=&pid=&queryId=cd3bf192-a1d8-40db-8fc4-2a28d611f213&_phsrc=Tih325&_phstart=successSource
Parish, Blitch. WWI Service Card. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/44902:3129?tid=&pid=&queryId=d8841606-b8bc-4266-a146-7d6baa26be51&_phsrc=Tih327&_phstart=successSource