We’ve all walked by this majestic WWI bronze plaque located on the wall of the narthex, but have you ever stopped to look at the names of the church members who served during WWI?  As Memorial Day approaches, I wanted to highlight some of the names listed, which includes our 9th Pastor John Keedy, Albert Thompson, who lost his life in 1918 during the Battle of Château-Thierry, France, William J. Miller who was a fighter pilot and later became a member of the House of Representative and two remarkable women Agnes M. Godfrey and Dorothy Moody.  I was so curious to know who these women were and learn their stories.  So, with Dorothy in the office’s help we donned our historical sleuth hats and dove into our archives and the internet to find out who were Dorothy Moody and Agnes Godfrey.

Agnes M. Godfrey

Born April 26, 1894, in North Andover, Agnes was a graduate of Johnson High school class of 1911, and Framingham State University class of 1915. She graduated after 3 years with a degree in Domestic Science majoring in Household Arts.

Agnes enlisted in the US Army serving at Camp Wheeler, Georgia as a Nutritionist.  At the time Camp Wheeler served as an Army training camp from 1917-1919.  After her service in the Army, Agnes married Ralph Davenport, had a son William, and moved to Montclair, NJ, where she worked as the Director of Nutrition at Bloomfield High School for 20 years, retiring in 1954.  Agnes moved back to Massachusetts and lived in Boston until her death on August 1, 1963.

Interesting fact: In the August 1913 edition of the Boston Globe, Agnes offered a $100 reward for the return of her Boston Terrier Caesar.

Dorothy Moody

Born August 15, 1894, in North Andover, Dorothy graduated from nursing school and served as a nurse in the US Army. She left Hoboken NJ on July 14,1918 on the steamer Northland heading for France.  She served in the Army from April 2, 1918, to May 21, 1919, and worked at Base Hospital No. 44 in France. During WWI Base Hospital No. 44 was made up of 38 physicians and 100 nurses recruited mostly from Boston homeopathic hospitals. Upon her return to the US, she married Harry Lane in August 1919 and moved to Mendocino California, had two children Harry and Dorothy, and worked as a private duty nurse until her retirement. Dorothy died November 22, 1989, in California.

Interesting fact: According to a military record we found on Ancestry, Dorothy left Brest, France April 9, 1919, aboard the Zeppelin L1SNT arriving back in Hoboken NJ on 4/20/1919.

The church had a special ceremony dedicating this plaque to all those who served during WWI, on June 29, 1919. This is the program as well as a picture of the decorated sanctuary displaying the plaque.