Photos and Documents of Jim Thompson

Photo of James at the home place in Indian Gardens - Courtesy of Janet Thompson Cluff

Image of James Thompson WWI dogtag courtesy of Marianne Ozmun Wells.  It was given to her by her mother,
Garnet Thompson Naslund

Death Certificate

Application for military headstone, showing dates of service

Headstone 

Letters from Charles Smith Thompson

Avis Hedges & Charles Thompson

Letter 1 - May 28, 1918

Letter #1 addressed to Mrs. Maggie Thompson
Sedona, AZ    Postmarked May 29, 1918

Camp Cody
N. M.
May 28, 1918

Dear Mother;

I guess you all will be waiting to hear from us by now.  We left Flagstaff Sunday morning at 8 o’clock.  Eat breakfast at Winslow, dinner at Gallup and supper at Beleens and then traveled all night.  Slept a little in the seats, but about half of the men were drunk and they made so much noise we couldn’t sleep much.  We got here to Camp at half past five and then we had to report in to places and let them get the names of all those come.   So we were either standing in line or walking until after eleven o’clock before we had breakfast.  

I guess we won’t have much to do for a few days.  I think they examine us next and there are so many I don’t know when they will get to us.  There are three other men in the tent with us.  We have to wrap the tent around the center post in day time so the sun can shine on our blankets so I am setting out in the sun writing this letter.  But I ain’t alone, for there are men on all sides of me and the most of them are writing.  Well I will close for this time.   One of us will write again in a few days. 

(crossed out)
I got the address again and it is different.   Address your letters Private and then our name.
                                  Casual Camp #2
                                  Camp Cody
                                  NM

(Under that)

Private Charles Thompson
Training Co. #2
Casual Camp
Camp Cody
NM

Postcard showing the tents of Camp Cody wrapped up around the center post for airing,
as described in Charley’s letter.

Letter 6 - July 14, 1918

Letter #6 addressed to Mrs. Maggie Thompson
Sedona, AZ

Postmarked July 15, 1918

Co B 134 Inf
Camp Cody, NM
July 14, 1918

Dear Mother

I got your letter that Green mailed in Flagstaff four or five days ago but I went on guard again that night and haven’t had time to write since.  My CO is quarantined now.  One of the boys broke out with measles.  I have been using a handsaw the last two days.  They have been moving some tent floors and I help saw the timbers I n two so they could load the floors on the truck.

Denny Hibbon got shot in the jaw a few days ago he is in the base hospital now.  They took some skin off his arm and feet and put on his face.  There was a man in Co. E killed his self yesterday morning.  He was from Phoenix but I forgot what his name was.  He took his rifle and shot his brains out.  There was a big fire in Demming a few days ago.  They took my co. up there after it had been burning for some time but we didn’t have to do anything but carry back something that was piled out in the street.  It burned one whole block in the middle of town.

Did Pendley ever get a letter from me.  I wrote to him after I had been here about two weeks and I have never heard from him.  Jimmie got a letter from Lizzie and she said she never got the letter I wrote her.   Well I don’t know anything more to write just so you know we are getting along all right that is all that is necessary.  

As ever, Charley

I haven’t had any pictures taken yet.

Letter 7 - July 25, 2018

Letter #7 addressed to Mrs. Maggie Thompson
Sedona, AZ     Postmarked July 25, 1918

Co B 134 Inf
Camp Cody NM
July 24, 1918

Dear Mother,

I got your letter day before yesterday just before we left to go out to the rifle range.  We shot out there yesterday and came back in the evening.  We have been out there twice now and I think we go twice more.

Well I guess you heard from Jim since he had the measles.  When I seen him Sunday he said he had wrote.  I went over to his tent after I came back off the range before and a man in the tent next to his said that one of the men in his tent got the measles and they took Jim and rest in the tent to the contact camp, so Sunday I went down there and they said there wasn’t anybody there by that name but I looked around until I found the men that had been in the tent with him and they said it was Jim that got the measles but they didn’t know what hospital he was in.  So I came back to his co. and found out from the Sargent where he was.  And Sunday afternoon I went up to the base hospital and thy told me he was in ward 22 and I went there and they said he was sent there but there had been some letters come there for him and they has sent them back to the receiving ward.  But they told me that he may be in 21 as that was a ward for measles.  So I went there and found him out on the porch.  He said he hadn’t had any mail since he had been there and I went back to the receiving ward and found three letters, one from you and one from Ab and the other from Lin Derrick.  I guess he will be there about two weeks.  Yet he was up and looking good but they won’t let him leave until he has been there for 21 days.

I got a letter from Earl Germany the same day I got yours.  He is in Fort Sill Okla. He said that place there was a paradise beside this pace but the water wasn’t as good.  You don’t need to send me anything to read as there is a YMCA here and I can get all kinds of books there.   I sent you a picture of the fire in Deming a few days ago.  I had a man here in camp take a Kodak picture me.  He said he would have some ready this evening if he does I will send one in this letter.  Did Frank get the second letter I wrote him.  Tell him that I would rather not sell that mare if he can get a horse somewhere else.  She wouldn’t be good to work on that mail route anyway with a young colt.  I didn’t sell her to Fred last fall because I wanted to sell her.  I let him have her because he wanted her and then he decided he didn’t.  Have they ever found Tom Hunt yet?  Jim Ivy joined the army to get out of his trouble.  He is in this camp.  Mrs. Grey or his wife came down when Dach Wyatt’s wife came.  I think they are still in Deming.

Well this is all I can think of this time.  As ever, Charley

You can give these pictures around to whoever wants them.

A soldier’s camera that was used at Camp Cody in 1918

Letter 8 - July 31, 1918

Letter #8 addressed to Mrs. Maggie Thompson

Sedona, AZ     Postmarked August 1, 1918

Co B 134 Inf

Camp Cody NM

July 31, 1918

Dear Mother,

I will write a few lines today.  I haven’t had any letters for over a week now but I guess there is some on the road somewhere.  There was two French officers drowned in a river somewhere around here and they are to be buried today so the Captain said we wouldn’t drill today that we could go to the funeral if we wanted to but none of us went and there won’t be any mail today on account of the funeral and we go to the range this evening so we won’t get any more mail until tomorrow evening when we come back so I thought I would write a little as I think it has been over a week since I wrote before.  There has been talk of us leaving here for some time now but I don’t know whether there is anything to it or not.  I think though we will go to some other state before long.  I hope so anyway since I am this far away I would rather we saw more country than to stay in one place all time.  

I have one of them fine pictures that I want to keep myself so I think I will mail it to you and let you keep it for me.  I think I will be back there before fall.  The Germans are losing every day.  One of our officers said the other day that he thought all of the drafted men would be home within sixty days.  Well I will write again when I get your letter.  There ought to be some here when I get back to (unclear – in margin…)

As ever, C S T

Letter 11 - Aug 15, 1918

Letter #11 addressed to Mrs. Maggie Thompson
Sedona, AZ     Postmarked August 15, 1918


Camp Cody NM
Aug 15, 1918

Dear Mother,

I am writing in answer to your letter of the 8^th.  We are still getting ready to leave but I don’t know where yet.  I have had it easy the last two days we have been going out and scattering out over the country in lines and making out like we were slipping up on the Germans and I have been in the front line both yesterday and today and we would walk a little ways and then drop down until about 9 o’clock.  We stopped and let the other lines go ahead and my line would all stick our heads under a mosquito bush and go to sleep until about 2 o’clock and come back to camp.  We got quarantined again this evening.  Somebody in the Co got the measles.  I heard a man say just now that we leave in a week from today but I will believe it when we get started.  We have been having lots of rain here lately and it isn’t as hot as it was in June and the grass is coming up green.  I don’t think we can go to any healthier place than this is especially when it rains enough to keep the sand from blowing.

I mailed a picture this evening to myself.  It is a picture of a boy I have been running with since I been here.  You can keep it for me.  I have some more of them pictures like I sent before.  I will put them in this letter.  I promised Clifford and Pendley a picture but I intended to have some good pictures taken before I send them one.  But I don’t know now when I will have some taken.  Well I had to quit writing and go in the mess hall and listen to a talk on gas and now it about to dark to write.  I got that letter from the forest service and I will write them a letter and if I have to pay that I will have them send the bill to Green.  Well I will have to close for this time.

As ever Charley

Seen Jim yesterday and he is getting along all right.

Training about the dangers of mustard gas

Camp Cody soldiers lining up for "chow".