John G. Ferneding

World War I

John Ferneding was born northwest of Templeton on June 25, 1890 to Heinrich (known as Henry) and Marla (known as Mary) (Olberding) Ferneding. His father was a farmer and both of his parents had been born in Germany. They came to the United States in the 1870’s.

When the US joined the fighting in World War 1 in 1917, John was unmarried and was designated as a group 1 inductee. He enlisted in the US Army in Carroll on July 26, 1918. He, along with other Carroll County boys, were transported through Camp Dodge near Des Moines to Camp Gordon near Atlanta, Georgia. He was assigned serial number 4006853.

After receiving limited basic training, John was assigned to the “September Automatic Replacement Draft #5” along with at least three other Templeton boys. These troops were to be transferred to other units already in Europe to replace killed or wounded soldiers. John’s unit was then transported to Camp Merritt, New Jersey to prepare for their voyage to Europe. Groups of one to two thousand troops would be marched for an hour from Camp Merritt to the ferry to Hoboken where the ships would be boarded.

Based on a review of ship’s logs, John and his unit boarded the USS Mercury for their transit across the Atlantic Ocean. This ship was a passenger liner that had previously been owned by a German company and called the “Barbarossa.” It was seized by the US government when war was declared. It needed several repairs to fix damage done by its German crew before the seizure. It was refitted as a troop ship and all enlisted men were berthed in third class accommodations.

The ship left Hoboken, NJ on September 9, 1918 in a convoy with destroyer escort. Course changes and evasive maneuvers were made as a result of numerous U-boat sightings. This was a time when the Spanish flu pandemic was beginning and many soldiers became ill during the voyage. Two fellow soldiers from Templeton contracted the virus on this ship and subsequently died after arriving in France. USS Mercury arrived at Brest, France on September 21, 1918.

Once in France, John was assigned to the 258th Prisoner of War Escort Company which was a part of the Army Service Corps. There were 22 such companies in France at this time and their mission was to process, guard and provide services to German prisoners. This was done in concert with French authorities who had suffered much at the hands of the Germans and were not always ready to put prisoners in the care of the US Army.

The 1910 Census indicates that John’s parents spoke German at home. It is likely that John was familiar with the German language if not fluent. This may be the reason he was chosen for this duty as he could understand and report on the prisoners’ conversations. As with all troops, John’s unit was involved in the occupation of European areas after the fighting ceased. At the end of hostilities, the US Army was holding over 48,000 German prisoners. While many US soldiers were heading back to the US in May and June, 1919, John’s unit did not sail until September, 1919. This was again likely due to the French reluctance to release the German prisoners, many of whom were not repatriated until 1920.

He left Europe from the port of Brest, France on September 27, 1919 aboard the “Orizaba,” a US liner. He arrived back in the US on October 6, 1919 at Hoboken, NJ. He was processed through Camp Merritt and discharged at Camp Dodge on October 12, 1919. He was never married and farmed until his retirement in 1948. He died in Manning on March 24, 1973 at the age of 82.