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WWI USMC PHOTO ARCHIVE — PURPLE HEART MARINE & NATIONAL GUARD CAPTAIN GRAHAM B. COWHERD — 30 ORIGINAL PHOTOS, SCARCE QUANTICO BARRACKS, IDENTIFIED FRIENDS & FAMILY LOCKET — DIRECT FAMILY PROVENANCE
This is the personal, WWI photo archive of Graham B. Cowherd of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It includes 30 original photographs, a compiled set of printed records documenting Cowherd and the friends pictured with him, and the engraved sweetheart locket of his wife, Huel. Inside the locket are childhood photos of Graham and Huel, which she kept close while he was away at war.
This isn't just a pile of anonymous, unresearched vintage photos. This is a preserved piece of my family’s history that captures the reality of a young Marine's life, from the trenches of the Western Front to his hometown ties and the wife who waited for him.
INCLUDED ITEMS
* 30 Original Photographs, c. 1918–1920s (sizes vary).
* Huel's Engraved Sweetheart Locket with childhood photos of Graham and Huel inside.
* Printed Documentation Archive (Research copies, not period originals; see details below).
QUANTICO, 1918
Marine Corps muster rolls show Cowherd transferred in July 1918 from Parris Island to the Overseas Depot at Marine Barracks Quantico, Virginia, assigned to Company "A," 4th Separate Battalion. Many photos in this lot were taken there: group portraits outside barracks "A-25," Marines posing with rifles, and the tent rows and quickly built wood-frame barracks of the brand-new wartime camp.
Images of Quantico from this period are scarce. The camp opened in 1917 and was built in a hurry from temporary wood barracks and tents meant to last only through the war, and those buildings were later replaced by permanent construction. Few enlisted Marines had cameras, so few snapshots of daily camp life survive. Today, Marine Corps Base Quantico is an active, heavily secured military installation. Due to strict modern military operational security (OPSEC), base protections, and privacy regulations, current photography of barracks and facilities is highly restricted and heavily guarded.
GRAHAM BROWN COWHERD (1901–1952) — WWI Marine & Kentucky National Guard Captain
Cowherd enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on May 6, 1918, at just 17 years old (Pvt., Service No. 4604884). After Parris Island and Quantico, he went to France with the 96th Company, 6th Regiment, USMC (2nd Division), and saw heavy action in the bloody Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Casualty records state he was "wounded in action on the Argonne Front" on November 10, 1918, just a single day before the Armistice. He was later awarded the Purple Heart.
He returned home with St. Aignan Casual Company #7415 in July 1919 and was honorably discharged with a service character of "Excellent." The lot includes an awesome snapshot of him sitting on a rock and smiling over his official USMC Honorable Discharge paperwork.
Back in Hopkinsville, he joined the Kentucky National Guard in 1922 and rose to Captain and Company Commander of Company C, 113th Quartermaster Regiment. His service is fully documented in the 1938 National Guard of the State of Kentucky (Please note: the photo of the book's cover is shown only to identify the source; the book itself is not included. The book pages shown after it are printed and included).
THE "HUEL" SWEETHEART LOCKET
Graham Cowherd married Huel Hammond in Hopkinsville on December 23, 1919. Her antique Victorian locket, approximately 1¼" across, is engraved "Huel" on one side, with an engraved bird (a symbol for a safe return home) and three red stones on the other. Inside are childhood photographs of Graham and Huel. A copy of their marriage record and photos of their headstones are included in the archive.
IDENTIFIED FRIENDS
* Hugh McShane Jr. (b. 1899), Hopkinsville, KY: . A large portion of this archive is McShane's photos, many with his handwritten notes on the back. A copy of his WWI draft card is included in the documentation.
* Claud Davis Wade, Hopkinsville, KY: Period notations identifying "Lieutenant Claude Wade." A copy of his WWI and WWII draft cards are included. His name is spelled both "Claud" and "Claude" across his records, which is common in paperwork at the time.
DOCUMENTATION ARCHIVE
This lot includes printed copies of: USMC muster rolls (Parris Island, Quantico, France, and the St. Aignan Casual Co.), Cowherd's WIA/Purple Heart card, his 1919 return passenger list, his WWII draft card, four pages from the 1938 National Guard book, his marriage record and death certificate, and headstone photos of Graham and Huel. Also included are the WWI and WWII draft cards for Wade and McShane's WWI draft card. These are printed copies and images of records, NOT original documents.
PROVENANCE
This archive comes directly through the family of Graham B. Cowherd. I am a direct descendant, and these items have stayed in the family for generations. This is the first time they are being offered outside the family. Additional identified photographs from this collection are available in my other listings.
CONDITION
These are original vintage photographs, not modern reproductions. Condition varies, with typical edge wear, curl, toning, light creasing, and surface wear consistent with age. Please review all photos carefully, as they are part of the description. I'm happy to answer questions or send additional photos.
SHIPPING
Free shipping with tracking! Ships same or next business day, carefully packed. Delivery estimates are set by the carrier. Once the carrier accepts the package, transit time is outside seller control.
