| Notes |
- DeWitt is the son of Juliett DeWitt & John M Willson.
* 1900 Jan. Fifth Generation,
1st child, Nelson DeWitt: Born May 14th, 1896, died March 30th, 1918.
1918 April 5, Friday, OBITUARY: Death of Dewitt Willson
First of Sussex Volunteers Passes Away at Naval Hospital, Newport. Nelson DeWitt Willson, oldest son of Mr. Mrs. J.M. Willson, a volunteer in the U.S. Navy, died in the Navy Base Hospital at Newport, Rhode Island, at 6:30 o'clock Saturday morning from acute diabetes. He would have been 22 years of age on the 14th of May, had he lived.
The announcement of his death was a great shock, not only to his parents but a large circle of friends & the townspeople generally, the more so from the fact that a letter written his brother, Lawrence, on Wednesday & received here on Friday night, told of his feeling fine, & was in the best of spirits, anticipating a visit from his brother, who had arranged to call on him on his way back to college.
A few hours previous to the receipt of the letter came a telegram to his brother, stating that he was in the hospital. Early Saturday morning his father wired the hospital, asking the cause of his being taken to the institution, & shortly afterward a telegram was received announcing his death. Soon after Mr. Willson & his son, Lawrence, Ford Ackerson & Clarkson Potter started for Newport in Mr. Ackerson's car.
On arriving at Newport the next morning particulars of his illness were ascertained. He had been taken to the hospital Thursday. His symptoms were not alarming at first & the boy seemed of good cheer. Early Saturday morning the nurse in charge reported that DeWitt was not doing well. His case was diagnosed as acute diabetes. Everything known to medical skill & good nursing was at once brought to bear in his case, but to no avail. He passed away as above stated. The body was brought to Sussex Monday.
DeWitt was born & raised in Sussex. He passed though all the grades of the local school. At the end of his second year in High School he entered the Irving School for Boys at Tarrytown, NY, & graduated with honors. The next fall he entered the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, & later became a member of the Sigma Phi Sigma fraternity. At the close of his college year he went into the first agricultural battalion of the University of Pennsylvania, under government supervision, with about a hundred others of his class at Wilson, NY, returning late in September.
Like nearly all of his college & schoolmates, he became imbued with patriotism & the military spirit, & late in October [1817], after the death of his grandfather, he enlisted in the United State Naval Reserve Force at Newport, RI. He got the training accorded all the navy volunteers & seemed to enjoy the work & preparedness experiences & wrote frequently to his parents & friends, always most cheering & hopeful.
His last visit home was in January. Then he was as happy as ever. He was the last boy in the world that anyone would imagine would fall victim to a natural disease. Nearly six feet in height, he was always robust, jolly, pleasant & courteous to all. He sure was a young man of promise, & equipped with a good education, good habits & a clean life, his future seemed assured so far as human insight could conceive.
He did his bit while in life, & died a hero in the service of his country, never murmuring for a minute at the exacting duties & personal sacrifices demanded of all who enter the service. Like with his home companions & chums of his school days, he was popular & loved by his navy associates & friends.
His death brought indescribable grief to the dear ones at home. We can recall few instances more sad in a long life of newspaper work. In this they have the most profound & heartfelt sympathy of all who know them & the circumstances of his death. The tender memories of his happy life, as boy & young man, will ever linger green in the hearts of the who knew DeWitt.
Ref: Sussex Independent Newspaper. - - - [1]
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1896 - 1918 (21 years)