Year: 1932
James Harvey Booth was born on February 6, 1895, in Nanaimo, Canada. Though born abroad, his family—originally from Virginia—returned to the Roanoke area during his early years, closely tying his life to southwestern Virginia. As a young man, Booth moved west in search of work, settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, he was employed as a chauffeur for the Guarantee Tire Company before the United States entered World War I. In 1917, Booth enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to the 8th Coastal Artillery. He served as a company cook, an essential role that provided sustenance to soldiers stationed at fixed defensive positions. During the war, he was posted at Fort MacArthur, California, one of the Army’s primary coastal defense installations. Following the armistice, Booth was transferred to Fort Bayard, New Mexico, where he continued serving as a cook at the post hospital. After completing his military service, Booth returned to Roanoke, Virginia, and worked as a laborer. Later in life, he returned to Fort Bayard—a post closely associated with military medical care—where he died on January 21, 1932. James Harvey Booth is buried at Old Lick Cemetery in Roanoke, Virginia. His life reflects the quiet service of many World War I soldiers whose contributions were not made on the battlefield, but through steady and essential work that kept the Army functioning during wartime.
Notes / sources:Private First Class James Harvey Booth is also documented through the Everyday Patriot Project