Wilbur Oglesby

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Wilbur Oglesby was the son of South Georgia Railway president James Wood Oglesby Sr. He managed the railway during his uncle Zenas Wise Oglesby's final years, became superintendent in January 1915, and left the railroad for Army service in 1917. He died of pneumonia in France in 1918.[1-7]

He must not be confused with his brother James Wood Oglesby Jr. Wilbur held the superintendent's job before entering the Army. James Jr. became general manager after Wilbur's death.[2][8]

Family and marriage

The 1908 Men of Mark in Georgia biography of James Sr. names four sons: James, Pope, Wilbur, and Hugh. Contemporary marriage reports identify Wilbur's wife as Lamar Lewis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Lewis of Valdosta. They married at the Lewis home on November 1, 1911.[1][3]

A 1919 memorial article gives Wilbur's birth date as June 29, 1891. No birth certificate, Bible entry, or census image was inspected for this dossier, so the date is accepted as a contemporary published claim rather than a vital-record finding.[7]

Railway career

Wilbur's documented railroad work began before the superintendent years. The 1911 marriage report in the Atlanta Constitution called him the South Georgia Railway's soliciting freight agent.[3]

He was already handling the superintendent's work before he received the title. After Zenas died, the board appointed Wilbur superintendent on January 15, 1915. Reports published the next day said he had been acting superintendent for more than a year, placing the operational transition by about 1913.[2]

A December 1915 report still called him superintendent. Wartime coverage did the same in October 1917. A November article called him the former superintendent when it reported his transfer into the Army's Railway Engineering Corps.[4-6]

The record does not support combining every title printed for him. His acting-superintendent and superintendent service is verified. A November 1918 obituary also called him secretary and treasurer, while an August 1919 memorial article called him superintendent and general manager.[6][7] Those later titles may describe additional duties, but no board minutes or annual report located in this research confirms their dates. Superintendent is the title supported across the strongest contemporary sequence.

Army service and death

An October 1917 report placed Wilbur at Camp Gordon and said he was expected to join the Army railway service with the rank of captain. The next month, the Macon Telegraph reported that he had received a commission as first lieutenant in the Railway Engineering Corps and had been ordered to Rockford, Illinois.[5][6]

He later served in France in railroad repair and depot work. Contemporary reports agree that he died there of pneumonia in 1918, but they conflict on the exact date. A December 1 report, citing a War Department message received by the family, printed October 30. An August 1919 memorial article printed October 28. Huxford later gave October 18. Without a service file, burial record, or other controlling military document, the exact date remains unresolved.[7][9][10]

The 1919 article says he was a University of Georgia graduate, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and a baseball player. Huxford repeats the university and baseball claims. They are strong probable, but no university register or yearbook was inspected.[7][10]

Memorials

In August 1919 the Valdosta Times reported the laying of the cornerstone for Oglesby Memorial Hall at Brenau College. It described the building as a memorial to Wilbur and printed a tribute from Capt. Harold B. Hayes, who had served with him.[7]

An October 1919 Atlanta Journal report identifies the local organization as the Wilbur Oglesby Post of the American Legion. Huxford's separate Legion chapter calls it Wilbur Oglesby Post No. 48 and dates its charter to October 11, 1919. The contemporary newspaper verifies the name; the original charter was not inspected.[10][11]

Evidence summary

Research limits

No original birth record, census image, university register, Army personnel file, overseas burial record, or American Legion charter was inspected. The exact death date conflicts among published sources. No child is identified in the sources reviewed, but that is not proof that the marriage was childless.

Sources

1. William J. Northen, ed., Men of Mark in Georgia, vol. 4 (Atlanta: A. B. Caldwell, 1908), James Wood Oglesby sketch, pp. 341-344, Internet Archive.
2. Macon Telegraph, January 16, 1915, p. 2, Newspapers.com image 825534874; parallel Atlanta Constitution, January 16, 1915, p. 7, image 26881920.
3. Atlanta Constitution, November 2, 1911, p. 6, Newspapers.com image 34107396; parallel Valdosta Daily Times, November 2, p. 5, image 889693698.
4. Atlanta Journal, December 19, 1915, p. 14, Newspapers.com image 970914066.
5. Americus Times-Recorder, October 1, 1917, p. 1, Newspapers.com image 809526868.
6. Macon Telegraph, November 17, 1917, p. 10, Newspapers.com image 826890757; November 26, 1918, p. 1, image 825951341.
7. Valdosta Times, August 2, 1919, p. 7, Newspapers.com image 889146649.
8. Atlanta Journal, December 23, 1919, p. 21, Newspapers.com image 970557775.
9. Macon Telegraph, December 1, 1918, p. 20, Newspapers.com image 825951514.
10. Folks Huxford, The History of Brooks County, Georgia, 1858-1948 (1948), pp. 349-353 and 527-528.
11. Atlanta Journal, October 15, 1919, p. 15, Newspapers.com image 970696149.