By: Mark Holtsberry
Carl Frederick Payson was born in Paulding, Ohio, on June 14, 1896. He was the son of Minnie K. Payson, born December 7, 1878, in Ohio. Minnie was the daughter of Carl Frederick Payson, born in 1840, and Eliza Dorothea Payson, born in December of 1847. Both of her parents were born in Germany.
In 1890, Minnie’s father, Carl Frederick Payson, passed away and was buried in St. Paul Cemetery in Paulding, Ohio. By 1900, young Carl was living with his mother Minnie, his grandmother Eliza, and his uncles John and Simon.
On June 17, 1901, Minnie married Hiram Garrett Timberman in Paulding, Ohio. Hiram was born on November 19, 1877, in Jackson County, Ohio.
By 1910, Carl was living on Shaw Road in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio. He resided on the family farm with his grandmother Eliza Payson and his uncles John and Simon Payson. Carl was a student at the time.
In 1913, Carl moved to Michigan, living at 1022 East 2½ Street in Monroe. He enlisted in the Michigan National Guard, also known as the “Monroe Light Guard.”
On October 21, 1915, Carl’s grandmother Eliza passed away and was buried in St. Paul Cemetery beside her husband.
In August of 1917, Carl’s National Guard unit left for training in Grayling, Michigan. On September 12, 1917, the unit was transferred to Waco, Texas. Carl was described as medium height and build, with blue eyes and black hair. He was single and working as a millwright for the Boehne-Rauch Company in Monroe, Michigan. Prior to that, he had worked as a welder for the Van Blerck Motor Company.
His unit was consolidated into Company C, 125th Infantry, 63rd Brigade, 32nd Division, United States Army. On February 9, 1918, Carl was sent to Hoboken, New Jersey, to board Ship #36, which took him to France.
In July of 1918, Carl was promoted to Corporal. On August 1, 1918, during the attack on Cierges, Carl was mortally wounded in the head. Despite the severity of his wound, he remained on his feet and continued to lead his men in the assault. The wave of soldiers advanced until they noticed Carl had fallen under enemy fire. His mother, Minnie Timberman, was notified of his death.
Corporal Carl F. Payson was known for his sunny disposition and is sorrowfully remembered by a great number of Monroe acquaintances. He was Monroe, Michigan’s first casualty of World War I.
Minnie was heartbroken by the loss of her only child. Carl was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery, as well as the World War I Victory Medal. On December 15, 1918, the family received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, the highest honor awarded by France.
Carl’s body was never recovered. His name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. The American Legion Post #60 in Monroe, Michigan, is named in his honor.
Years after the war, General John J. Pershing was asked to name 100 men he considered true heroes—Carl Frederick Payson was one of them.
After spending seventeen years in and out of the Michigan State Hospital in Ypsilanti for mental illness, Minnie passed away on January 31, 1936. She is buried in Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery in LaSalle, Michigan.
… Unitl Next Time!
