Service Flag article leads to more surprising discoveries

DOUG SCHRODER PHOTO The Gazette
Speaking from behind his work counter, Brad Hieronimus talks of what he remembers his grandmother told him about Luke Hieronimus Jr., the first soldier from Pecatonica to lose his life in WWI.

By Doug Schroder
CORRESPONDENT
The front page of the July 4 edition of the Gazette featured the story about Service Flags in America, the Service Flag that was in Pec and what Pecatonica Historical Society member Vi Johns found while researching about the first Gold Star service member on the Pec flag.
Luke Hieronimus Jr. was the first Gold Star service member on that flag. Gold Star meaning he had died in service. Blue stars were affixed to Service Flags when the men left for service. If they were to die while in service a gold star was sewn over the top of the blue star, with the edges of the blue star showing from underneath the yellow.
Johns had uncovered that Hieronamus was in fact the first soldier from Pec to die in WW I, not Eugene Barloga as the American Legion in Pec has claimed ever since the Post 197 Hall was dedicated in 1925. From this information I posed the question, “Should American Legion Post 197 be renamed?”
At the end of the article I asked if anyone had any additional information about the subject regarding Luke Hieronimus they could email me.
On Monday, July 8, I received an email from a Mr. Duane Peterson, a Pecatonica native who now lives in Wisconsin. Duane’s mother, Janet Peterson, had forwarded my email to him.
Peterson was a wealth of information about the Hieronimus family. We emailed back and forth a few times exchanging information.
In one of those emails Peterson mentioned how the Hieronimus family was related to the DeVoe families in Winnebago.
This was a huge surprise to me as I am also related to the DeVoe families in Winnebago. My grandmother’s twin sister, Bea Marsden, was married to Bill DeVoe, while the twins’ younger sister, Myrtle Marsden, was married to George DeVoe. Bill and George were brothers. Many remember George from his time as Fire Chief at Win-Bur-Sew Fire Department.
As it turns out the DeVoe boys’ mother, Hilda DeVoe, was born a Hieronimus. She also had two other children, named Minert and Harriett. She was married to William Art DeVoe. Hilda was a second cousin to WW I solder Luke Hieronimus Jr.
Before Duane Peterson contacted me, I had attempted to get in touch with a Brad Hieronimus, whom I heard was also related to Luke Hieronimus Jr.
I was able to track Brad Hieronimus down and interview him at Nite Equipment, where he is the Parts Department manager. Brad is the son of Don Hieronimus. Don still lives in Pecatonica in the home purchased by his parents.
Brad’s grandmother, Myrtle Hieronimus, was married to Hillard Hieronimus, who was Luke Junior’s brother.
Brad remembers his grandmother sometimes speaking of Luke Jr. when Brad was a kid.
“I remember her telling me he was the first to die in World War I from Pec. She always said that a lot of people from town thought the Legion Hall should have been named after Luke instead of Eugene Barloga. Grandma said that he (Eugene) was probably here before we were here. We were outsiders and he was here longer maybe,” recalled Brad.
Brad’s grandfather was from Pec, but his grandmother came from Chicago.
“Grandma was never upset about it though.” added Brad.
None of the information found so far definitively answers why American Legion Post 197 was named after Eugene Barloga instead of Luke Hieronimus Jr. It’s still anyone’s guess.
One other Hieronimus relative still lives in the Pec area, that’s Rena Lupps. She will be turning 103 in August. I reached out to her by phone to ask her about Luke Hieronimus Jr. She didn’t have any real info to share about him, but she does have other memories from growing up in the area. Those will be shared in another story to come out closer to her birthday.
If you have any addition information about this subject, or ideas for other subjects I can cover, contact me at [email protected].