What Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb And My Great-Great-Grandfather Had In Common
Stepping Up to the Plate for World War I
World War I touched every American life, from my great-great-grandfather to larger-than-life sports legends like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. I’m humbled to be descended from a man who — though he didn’t serve — stepped up to the plate when he was called.
The United States entered World War I in 1917 and faced an issue: People stopped volunteering. So in 1918, at the height of World War I, the U.S. hit the American people with a curveball. They expanded the draft from all males ages 21-30 to 21-45.
Using Ancestry.com, I discovered that my great-great-grandfather, Ralph Palmer, wasn’t drafted in 1917. At 31, he narrowly missed the 21-30 cut. But when the U.S. expanded the range, Ralph filled out a draft card in 1918. The U.S. Military never called Ralph Palmer’s number, probably to the relief of his young family. He and his wife, Tillie, had two kids under age ten, one being my great-grandfather. Though Ralph didn’t get called to war, his draft card is a genealogical gold mine.
It looks like I fell far from the Palmer tree. Ralph wrote that he was short (he was 5’5”), had brown eyes and dark brown hair; I am 6’1”, have green eyes, and light-brown hair.
I love sports and autographs, so his signature sparked an idea… Did baseball legends playing ball in the 1910s fill out draft cards? They sure did.
Babe Ruth, born George Herman Ruth, arguably the greatest baseball player of all time, was just 23 when the U.S. entered WWI. He was playing his 4th season for the Boston Red Sox. On his draft card, he wrote just that: What is your present trade, occupation, or office? “Base Ball”. He listed his place of employment as Fenway Park! That sounds like a pretty sweet office to me.
Another top-five all-time professional baseball player, Ty Cobb, was in the middle of his 13th season in Detroit when the U.S. called for men. He called himself a “ball player” and he sure was, posting an unbreakable all-time career batting average of .357 that still stands today.
Jack Palmer is a History and Psychology double-major at Duke University. I’ve done genealogy research since I was 10 and love writing about it for family, friends, and anybody else who might enjoy a blast from the past.
Great story, Jack! My dad had his own brush with baseball at war. He had played some very semi-pro ball – in the days before WW2, it seems there was a loose system of teams who would hit the road in the summer and travel from town to town to play local teams. Some members of my family had built a field in Jamestown, PA where their team took on all comers. In addition, my grandfather knew some folks in the Indians organization, and as a teen my dad was able to meet Bob Feller, and they became pen pals. (My dad showed me a letter once, but they've all disappeared.) In the late days of the war in Europe, my dad was part of a league that included a few pros and lots of strong amateurs like my dad. He shared some great stories, including re-connecting with Feller over there, which I have captured on video in a box somewhere.
I corresponded with an official Army historian a few years ago and asked him if the history of this league had been documented, and he had never heard of it, and a quick search didn't turn anything up. Could be my life's work. Anyway, thanks for sharing your stories here.
Great post!