WWII Veteran Theodore A Ylen
I am searching for a veteran of WWII, Theodore Ylen, wo served in the 561st Field Artillery Battalion in Europe. He would have been born between 1906 and 1925.
|
Re: WWII Veteran Theodore A Ylen
Howdy
My wife, Erdine Walter, has an uncle named Theodore Adolph Ylen, born in 1909, and died in 1983. He was born and died in Praire Lake, MN, which is a few miles south of Floodwood, and due west from Duluth. He is buried in the Praire Lake Cemetery.
His obituary doesn't mention any military seravice, and my wife can't remember any mention of such service. Of course, she was a child and living in the Los Angeles area.
Please, provide us with somefurther information on Ted's military service -- and why you are looking for him.
Thanks
Don Walter
|
Re: WWII Veteran Theodore A Ylen
Howdy again,
I forgot to mention that my wife is related to almost every Ylen in the US. Also, Ted was never married. He does have one sister still living, but she is 96.
Don
|
Re: WWII Veteran Theodore A Ylen
Donald,
My purpose is to find as many living veterans of the 561st as I can, and as many descendants or family of deceased veterans as I can to ask them if them wish to be placed on a mailing list maintained by a lady name Becky Carter, daughter of Virgil Donze, XO of C Battery, 561st FA BN.
There is an informal association (meaning no dues paying, etc.) that is really just a gathering of living veterans, their families and friends, and descendants and family of deceased veterans at a reunion once a year.
I learned of the reuion and attended as a descendant of a veteran this last May in Lincoln, NE. There were 6 veterans there, all from C Battery, and I realized after I returned home that there had to be more. Therefore, I resolved to find as many as I could, including descendants and family. Thus far, I've found 7 living veterans in addition to the 20-25 already known about, and I've found family of about 12-13 deceased veterans. I always ask about forwarding their names and addresses to Becky Carter, and with their consent, I do just that. I enjoyed talking to the veterans and their families at the reuion.
I started with a roster that Becky Carter gave me. Mostly, all I had was a first name, last name, and a fair number of MI, but in some cases, I only had a last name. I began my search with the Social Security Death Index and the 1930 Census. Then I searched the National World War 2 Memorial website Registry page. Lately, I learned of an Archive database listing soldiers of WW2 that gave a me a lot of information on where they were at the start of the war and their age.
There were roughly 500 men in the battalion, and of course, some of those have rather common names like Smith, Jones, Curtis, etc. It has been an uphill battle, but the few I've found, including some starting with only a last name, has been gratifying. Myabe I'll eventually be able to talk to some men that served with my dad.
I found a lot of Ylen men in the Fine Lakes, St Louis County, MN area on the 1930 Census, some were also found in the SSDI. I surmised from the census records that Ylen is of Scandinavian origin. Theodore was one of those. I placed all the names in my list since they were in the right age group. Recently, I found and used the NARA AAD database to find men who had enlisted in the army. It turns out that Theodore was not one of those, but Peter, William, Carl, and another that I can't make out the first name are listed. I am fairly sure one of those men served in the 561st, B Battery. I posted Theodore on the message board before I found him NOT listed in the NARA database. My mistake. I'll search for the others when I get a chance.
I'll give a brief history of the 561st.
The unit was formed at Camp Robina, AR, trained at Camp Polk, LA, left New York in early 1944 on the French liner Il de Fance, trained more in England, and landed on Utah Beach on June 30, 1944, D-Day+24. They fired the "Long Tom" 155mm guns. They were in 5 major campaigns on the European continent. They were roughly 20 miles from Berlin when the Germans surrendered in May, 1945. Most of the unit left The continent from La Harve, France in July, 1945 for eventual return home and discharge from the army.
My dad has an entery in the National World War 2 Memorial web site Registry page. His name was Walsie Vowell.
That about covers it all. It likely is more than you asked for though.
Thanks for any help you may be able to give, especially on the other Ylen's that I found that were in the army in WW2.
Gerald Vowell
|
Re: WWII Veteran Theodore A Ylen
Howdy
Well, I can also help you with Peter, Carl and William Ylen
Kaarlo (Carl) Mattias Israel Ylen, born 1920 in Prairie Lake, MN, died 1975 in Portland OR. His wife died in 2001. His only child, Carl Roger Ylen lives in Clatskanie OR. He served in the Army during WWII, and later worked as mechanic for the Navy.
Toivo William Ylen, born 1915 in Prairie Lake MN, and died 1985 in Clatskanie OR. My wife informs me that he had a heath deferment during WWII.
Peter Ernest Ylen, born 1922 in Fine Lake MN, died 1985 in Garden City MI. He served in the Army during WWII, and was a POW in Germany.
These area the only possible persons with those names in my wife's family, and as said she is related to almost every Ylen in the country. Carl and William were brothers, while Peter is related to them a little farther back.
Don
|
Re: WWII Veteran Theodore A Ylen
well, if you're interested in finding out more about the ylens, here's something for you: my name is sofia ylén and i'm from finland. i really don't know where my last name comes from, so just reading about other people called ylen in the us is kinda weird..does your wife know whereabouts from finland her relatives are from?
|
Ylen's of Terakoksi, Janakkala & Minnesota
Howdy,
My wife's grandfather, Adolf Gustof Ylen, was born in Tervakoski, Janakkala parish, Hame, Finland. I know this in located a few miles north of Helsinki. He is reported to have been a professor at the university. He immigrated, with his very young daughter (the mother died in childbirth), in 190 to Superior WI, and later homesteaded a farm outside of Duluth MN..
I have been unable to get any information about his family, or relatives, in Finland. Google, a search engine, only gives me listing of finish sites in finish, or information from/about a radio/TV station with the call letters of YLEN. I'm hoping you can provide further information.
As you said, it seems strange to locate a current Ylen from Fnland. Almost every Ylen in the US is a relative of my wife. The story goes that the identity papers of one of the original US Ylen's was stolen on a train trip. The thinking is that the non-related Ylen's are the descendants of the thief.
|
Re: Ylen's of Terakoksi, Janakkala & Minnesota
emigrant record, he was traveling alone Detailed passenger information
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last name Ylén Search in other databases Passport records
Reference records
Australian Finns
New Zealand Finns
In "Full Package" only: Finnish North Americans
Finnish Sheriff's Records
Finnish Farm Names First names Adolf Age or age group 1M Port of departure Helsinki Place of destination W. Superior State of destination WI Country of destination USA Price of ticket FIM 317 Ship from Finland Capella Date of departure from Finland 14.06.1902 Ship from England * Date of departure from England 99.99.9999 Ocean Line American Line Port of departure in England * List and page 26/88 Remarks alicia
|