Albert Carl Arterberry
Albert Carl Arterberry and his cousin, John Henry Arterberry, are sponsored by Mary Linehan. To view his cousin John’s sponsorship page click here.
The Arterberry family first came to Smith County, Texas around the late 1870’s. Sam and Nancy Arterberry are listed on the 1880 Smith County Census with their 6 sons: Jeff, James, Aaron, J William, Sam, and Henry.
Albert Carl Arterberry was the first of seven children born to parents Joseph William and Elizabeth “Berta” Arterberry. He was born on January 23, 1896 in Troup, Texas and lived there with his family until he left for the war. Albert grew up on a farm and worked the land with his father and brothers from a young age. Educated, Albert was able to read and write. According to the 1910 census he did attend school although a grade level was not marked.
He married his wife Louvinia Cooper in January of 1918 in Smith County, Texas. By the time of his marriage, it appears that Albert had moved from Troup to Arp, Texas.
Inducted Date and Location: June 19, 1918- Tyler, Texas
Army Serial Number: 3,066,142
Discharge: May 21, 1919
Overseas: July 26, 1918 to April 29,1919
Unit: 332 LB Co A (332 Labor Battalion, Company A)
Albert was inducted in the Army in Tyler, Texas on June 19, 1918. He was originally assigned to 13 Co 4 Bn 165 Dep Brig (13 Company 4 Battalion 165 Depot Brigade), but was reassigned to Co A 332 LB on July 16, 1918. He remained with this unit until his discharge on May 21, 1919.
African American men were typically assigned roles with Stevedore Regiments, Pioneer Infantry Regiments, or Labor Battalions. Each of these regiments were responsible for the labor of the war– building roads, digging trenches, building and designing cemeteries overseas, etc. Albert and his Labor Battalion did serve overseas from July 26, 1918 until April 29, 1919, and during his service he would have constructed and labored for the success of American Troops on the front.
As for his traveling to and from the United States, Albert is listed on two US Transport logs. He first traveled on the Caserta which sailed from Newport News, VA on July 26, 1918 and would have arrived in France sometime in August 1918. The next transport list he is found on is the U.S.S Kroonland which departed from St. Nazaire, France and arrived in Hoboken, N.J. on April 29, 1919; however, on this transport list he isn’t listed with his unit but instead is being moved with the sick and wounded. It appears that before he left France to come back home he fell sick with Chronic Bronchitis.
Nearly a month after returning back from France, Albert was honorably discharged from the Army and returned back home to his wife and family.
Albert returned home from the war to be greeted by his wife, Louvinia “Louise” Cooper Arterberry and their infant daughter Lois Arterberry born October 10, 1918 in Arp, Texas. The couple had a second daughter, Ernestine Arterberry, on April 16, 1920 in Tyler, Texas. It is unclear if the family relocated to Tyler close to the birth of their daughter, but it is unlikely. From his return from the war until his death it appears that he continued to farm and would have remained on his land.
Between 1920 and 1923 it appears that Albert and his first wife, Louvinia, have divorced or separated. On December 31, 1923 a daughter was born to Albert Arterberry and Bell Roberts in Troup, Texas. This separation between Albert and Louvinia is further corroborated by Belle Arterberry signing his Texas Death Certificate in 1928.
It appears that after Albert’s death in 1928 his children and families dispersed. The 1930 Census for Smith County, Texas shows his 2 oldest daughters, Lois and Ernestine, were living with his parents and were identified as the couples granddaughters. There is another child on that census listed as a grandson, Joe C, but I have yet to find sufficient information that he is Albert’s son.
Additionally in the 1930’s census his second wife, Bell, is listed as living with her parents and her 2 daughters– Jewel and Mary B. There is some confusion with this census as Bell’s surname is listed as Jasper and the 2 children’s surnames are listed as Draper; however, I do believe these to be Albert’s girls. To further confuse the situation, the family is listed in the 1940’s census as Bell Noble, married to Will Noble, with her 3 children: Jewel Arterberry, Mary B Arterberry, and Harold Arterberry. Again, I have yet to find sufficient information on Mary B and Harold.
Unfortunately, Albert’s death certificate is all but bare and we are unable to report on how he died. We do know that he was buried at Liberty Cemetery in Troup, Texas with a veteran’s headstone to mark his resting place.
Listed below are the different records and collections that Albert Carl Arterberry can be found in.
Census Records: 1900, 1910, 1920
U.S. Find A Grave: Click here to view this page.
Fold3 Memorial Page: Click here to view this page.
Ancestry.com: The majority of information gathered for this sponsorship page can be found in the documents collected by Ancestry.com. A selection of these documents can be found throughout this page and are sourced from this site.
We have been unable to find him listed in the Chronicles of Smith County, Texas or the City Directories.
The information provided on this sponsorship page is an accumulation of work and research completed by our Society and volunteers. Thank you to Scott Fitzgerald, Andy Leath, Tiffany Wright, Randy Gilbert, and Savannah Cortes for your efforts. If you are interested in correcting or adding information to this page, please leave a comment below or email us at info@smithcountyhistoricalsociety.org.
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