Lawrence James Wildes b. 31 May 1917 Charlton, Georgia, USA d. 13 Jul 1999 College Park, Fulton, Georgia, USA: acw

1917 - 1999 (82 years)

Name	Lawrence James Wildes [1, 2, 3, 4]
Birth	31 May 1917	Charlton, Georgia, USA [1, 2, 3, 4]
Gender	Male
Residence	1920	Folkston, Charlton, Georgia, USA [3]
Residence	1930	Militia District 32, Charlton, Georgia, USA [4]
Military	29 Jul 1940	Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, USA [1]
SSN issued	Texas, USA [2]
Occupation	Retired Railroad
Residence	Charlton, Georgia, USA [1]
Social Security Number	465-12-1255 [2]
Death	13 Jul 1999	College Park, Fulton, Georgia, USA [2]
Death	Lawrence J. Wildes Sr., 82, took part in 1937 Earhart search Author: Kay Powell; Staff While he participated in the massive naval search for missing pilot Amelia Earhart in 1937, Lawrence J. Wildes Sr. of Fayette County had no sense of the future impact of his mission. "He was not aware he was a part of history because he wasn't aware of the part she'd play in history," said Mr. Wildes' daughter, Carolyn Cunningham of Mableton. "Later it hit him." Mr. Wildes, 82, died Tuesday at Vencor Hospital Atlanta of complications from open heart surgery in 1998. The funeral is 11 a.m. today at H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill. He joined the Navy in 1934 and was a fireman on the USS Lexington in July 1937 when Ms. Earhart disappeared on her attempt to fly around the world. Ms. Earhart was last heard from on July 2, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a massive naval search that included the Lexington. Before the search was called off July 18, the Lexington crossed the equator and international dateline at their intersection, the first time that had been done in more than 100 years. Mr. Wildes had a certificate commemorating that July 14 event, said his wife, Edwina Wildes. "He thinks she and that navigator were probably charting -- I don't mean they were spies -- maps for the United States," said Mrs. Wildes. The Lexington's charts of the area were used in World War II, his daughter said. Mr. Wildes spent four years in the Navy. "He had kind of been rebellious toward someone in authority over him," said his daughter, and he was dishonorably discharged. But in 1940, he enlisted in the Army, fought in Europe in World War II and received five medals. One was the Good Conduct Medal and another was the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver service star for his participation in five campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge and the Normandy invasion, she said. The war made him an inventor. "It was just so hard for the soldiers to get shells extracted and keep the machine guns going," said his daughter. "He invented a device to put in the barrel and get it out real quick and keep going." Working for Atlantic Coastline Railroad, now CSX, after the war, he moved to East Point in 1968. He specialized in timber inspection and treating railroad ties. Ties had to be air dried before they were preserved with creosote. Mr. Wildes devised a drying shed to improve the process, and it gained widespread use, said Mrs. Cunningham. Survivors other than his wife and daughter include a son, Lawrence J. Wildes Jr. of College Park; a sister, Aderine Reynolds of St. Marys; and three grandchildren. Copyright 1999 The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution
Burial	College Park Cemetery, College Park, Clayton, Georgia, USA
Person ID	I3263	tng Genealogy

Father	James Maximillan Wildes, b. 6 May 1877, Traders Hill, Charlton, Georgia, USA d. 22 Jul 1951, Folkston, Charlton, Georgia, USA (Age 74 years)
Relationship	natural
Mother	Katie Sophrenia Altman, b. 6 May 1881, Charlton, Georgia, USA d. 31 Oct 1974, Camden, Georgia, USA (Age 93 years)
Relationship	natural
Marriage	3 Oct 1900	Charlton, Georgia, USA
Family ID	F1022	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Edwina Cox, b. 7 Oct 1920, Dunwoody, De Kalb, Georgia, USA d. 22 Jan 2012, Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia, USA (Age 91 years)

Marriage 17 Jun 1948 Folkston, Charlton, Georgia, USA

Children

+	1. Living
	2. Living

Family ID F1424 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Event Map

Load the map

	Birth - 31 May 1917 - Charlton, Georgia, USA
	Residence - 1920 - Folkston, Charlton, Georgia, USA
	Military - 29 Jul 1940 - Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, USA
	SSN issued - - Texas, USA
	Residence - - Charlton, Georgia, USA
	Marriage - 17 Jun 1948 - Folkston, Charlton, Georgia, USA
	Death - 13 Jul 1999 - College Park, Fulton, Georgia, USA

= Link to Google Earth

Photos
Lawrence James Wildes photo

Sources

[S302] National Archives and Records Administration, U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, (Name: Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005;).
Online publication - NARA. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2005.Original data - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the NARA, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.
[S344] Ancestry.com, Social Security Death Index, (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;).
Social Security Death Index.
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=ssdi&h=67269911&indiv=try
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=ssdi&h=67269911&indiv=try
[S347] Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census, (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2005;).
Year: 1920; Census Place: Folkston, Charlton, Georgia; Roll T625_238; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 55; Image: 458.
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1920usfedcen&h=63790830&indiv=try
[ View Federal Census Document]
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1920usfedcen&h=63790830&indiv=try
[S337] Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census, (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2002;).
Year: 1930; Census Place: Militia District 32, Charlton, Georgia; Roll 343; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 3; Image: 584.0.
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=18985572&indiv=try
[ View Federal Census Document]
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=18985572&indiv=try