Harry W. Georgeson was born November 30, 1917 in Oneonta, NY to William James (abt 1888-1970) and Contilla (Anna) Georgeson (1895-1990). Both his parents were from Greece and immigrated to the Unites States in 1915. I was unable to find their marriage records. According to 1930 U.S. Census records , his dad was a salesman at the time and he was the second of five sons. Later, his dad becomes a cook and then operated a restaurant on Chestnut Street in Oneonta for many years. He had four brothers, James was the oldest and John, Christopher and George were younger. The family lived at 17 Broad Street in Oneonta, NY for a time and then moved to Chestnut St. in Oneonta.

Harry graduated from Oneonta High School in 1938 where he was active in football, and competed in numerous boxing tournaments in the Southern Tier (and area of south central NY that includes Binghamton). By 1940, U.S. Census records indicate the family had moved to Main St., Oneonta, NY and that his dad was working as a cook and Harry was looking for work. His younger brother John was also living with them and he was working as a dishwasher. Sadly, his younger brother George died in 1941.

Arriving Passenger records show Harry travels overseas to Greece and returned to the U.S. aboard the SS Byron in 1939. He reports that he is returning to his father's living on Broad St. in Norwich, NY. Harry finds a job working for his uncle, Harry Lambros on Main St. in Oneonta at the well known Diana's Restaurant. He registers for the draft on October 16, 1940 and was drafted into the U.S. Army on April 4, 1941, just 8 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, with service number 32045973. He was 5'-4" tall and weighed just 134 pounds. He had brown hair and blue eyes.

He received his basic training at Camp Stewart, Georgia and served as a guard at points in New Jersey (Eatontown, Oct. 1943) and Long Island. He was assigned to Camp Pickett, Virginia for a time in April 1944 before being transferred to Ft. Meade, Md. that same April. Later he was assigned to the 60th Infantry and sent overseas. On June 10, 1944 (D-Day +4) he went ashore at Utah Beach with them. From there, the 60th Infantry was on the move making it all the way to Roetgen, Germany by September 14. Here the German defenses stiffened and a long series of battles collectively known as the The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest began. The Hurtgen Forest battles were some of the most horrific of the war with thousands of casualties on both sides. Fighting that would result in Pvt. Harry Georgeson being killed on September 22, 1944. Hospital Admission Card File records indicate he was hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell. His family had received word just two days earlier that he had been "slightly wounded."

Pvt. Georgeson was buried in Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium Plot G Row 7 Grave 26. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. He is memorialized on a plaque that hangs to this day in the main hallway of his hometown high school.

If you notice anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact Jim Greenberg at nez13820@gmail.com. 

Sources:

1932; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 19; Page Number: 19

"American Battle Monuments Commission" database with images Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/853/american-battle-monuments-commission: accessed November 29, 2022) at https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/georgeson%3Dharry.

Beckers, Yuri, 9th Infantry Division in WW2 website at https://9thinfantrydivision.net/battle-of-the-hurtgen-forest/, accessed on December 1, 2022.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/230045389/contilla-georgeson: accessed 19 January 2024), memorial page for Contilla Lambros Georgeson (1895–2 Aug 1990), Find a Grave Memorial ID 230045389, citing Oneonta Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, USA; Maintained by KimDe1NY (contributor 47339055).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/230045403/william-j-georgeson: accessed 19 January 2024), memorial page for William J Georgeson (1888–1970), Find a Grave Memorial ID 230045403, citing Oneonta Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, USA; Maintained by KimDe1NY (contributor 47339055).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56281411/harry-w-georgeson: accessed 19 January 2024), memorial page for Pvt Harry W Georgeson (30 Nov 1917–22 Sep 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56281411, citing Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium; Maintained by WWII History Fan (contributor 48178484).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/237214976/george-b-georgeson: accessed 19 January 2024), memorial page for George B Georgeson (1923–1941), Find a Grave Memorial ID 237214976, citing Oneonta Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, USA; Maintained by KimDe1NY (contributor 47339055).

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

Oneonta Star (Oneonta, New York) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data:Oneonta Star. Oneonta, New York, United States Of America. Database created from microfilm copies of the newspaper.

The Echo, Student Newspaper of Oneonta High School, Oneonta, NY

The Oneontan 1938, Oneonta High School Yearbook, Oneonta Historical Society, Main St., Oneonta, NY.

"U.S. WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954" database with images Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/1088/us-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954: accessed November 29, 2022)

"World War II Army Enlistment Records" database with images Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/831/wwii-army-enlistment-records: accessed November 29, 2022)

Supporting Files