Veterans Day became an official national holiday in 1938, to honor the service members of World War I. The date was chosen as a nod to Armistice Day, November 11th, 1918, when fighting stopped on the battlefield, effectively ending World War I.
Above is an image of Peabody Square on November 11th, 1918.
The end of World War I was very bittersweet for many local families, as 30 Peabody men lost their lives serving their country:
Fedor Borovik
James M. Burke
Eugene F. Connelly
Daniel Augustus Driscoll
John F. Dunlavey
John James Durkin
Franklin Jewett Farnsworth
Joseph F. Hingston
John J. Hourihan
Charles James Howley
Charles S. Hutchinson
Daniel Francis Keefe
Peter Kosranis
Louis W. Love
Frank F. Martinack
Peter Alfred McDonough
Leroy Edmund Nelson
George Linwood Nickerson
James O’Connell
William Henry O’Donnell
Gregory Paleologos
William J. Quinlan
Carroll Savage
Michael Theodosian
Arthur Francis Tracey
George Eaton Tracey
Ksenofonm Uvanor
Harold G. Van Norden
Thomas Francis Walsh
Delmar Joseph Warner
Their names may sound familiar. In fact, you may see them everyday.
Burke, Driscoll, Hingston, Hourihan, Howley, Martinack, Nelson, Nickerson, Paleogolos, Tracey and Walsh had streets, roads or avenues named after them.
Parks were named for Connelly and Savage.
Schools were named for Farnsworth and Keefe.
Who were these men?
Here is just one story of many.
Peabody brothers, Sergeant Arthur Francis Tracey and George Eaton Tracey, died as a result of wounds received in action in France in October 1918 and were buried overseas.
Their parents were William H. and Anastasia T. Moran Tracey of 4 Aborn Place. Both men were born in Peabody and worked in the leather industry. George’s death notice tells us that he was known locally as a musician. They were survived by their parents, their sister Alice Marie Burkinshaw and brother William E. Tracey.
Their mother was contacted by the government in 1929, for what was referred to as the Mothers’ Pilgrimage. The government offered mothers an opportunity to visit their sons’ graves overseas. Mrs. Tracey declined, what a difficult and painful decision it must have been.
This year, let us stop, reflect and give thanks for the sacrifices of Peabody’s veterans and their families.