Private First Class Solomon Sturdivant
Private First Class Solomon Sturdivant, 231st AAA Searchlight Battalion
PFC Solomon Sturdivant of the 231st AAA Searchlight Battalion[1] was born in Wytheville, Virginia[2] on April 25, 1915 and died on March 5, 1945.[3] He was the ninth of James and Mary Sturdivant's ten children.[4] His mother passed away when he was eight years old,[5] and his father remarried.[6] As an adult, Sturdivant relocated to Atlantic Beach, Florida, where he worked as a carpenter.[7] He married his wife, Dorothy Ann Simpson, or Dollie, on June 10, 1937.[8] Five years later, war separated them.
The Army drafted Sturdivant in December of 1942 and assigned him to the 231st AAA Searchlight Battalion,[9] which would go on to work its way through France and then Belgium, before finally reaching Germany.[10] Sturdivant, however, lost his life on March 5, 1945, still in the fight through France. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown, but his family believes that he was killed transporting ammunition when the truck he was driving encountered a landmine.[11] [12]
In 1946, the Atlantic Beach City Council passed a motion to rename a street in his memory.[13] It is still known as Sturdivant Street to this day. Additionally, Atlantic Beach has commemorated him by engraving his name on a monument standing at Bull Memorial Park, found just a few blocks away from the street that bears his name.[14] The public had largely forgotten about this monument until 2002, when city officials and the local VFW undertook a project to revitalize it.[15]
Written by Casey Dunn
[1] "Solomon C. Sturdivant," American Battle Monuments Commission, accessed October 12, 2016, https://www.abmc.gov/node/398005#.V_6z7vkrLIU.
[2] "Person Details for Solomon Sturdivant in Household of James P Sturdivant, "United States Census, 1920" — FamilySearch.org," Free Family History and Genealogy Records — FamilySearch.org, accessed October 12, 2016, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJJK-F9V.
[3] "Don-Sturdivant - User Trees - Genealogy.com," Genealogy.com: Genforum & Family History Search, accessed October 12, 2016, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/t/u/Don-Sturdivant/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0021.html.
[4] "Solomon Sturdivant in Household James P Sturdivant”
[5] "Person Details for Mary Geneva Akers Sturdivant, "Find A Grave Index" — FamilySearch.org," Free Family History and Genealogy Records —://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV28-M9QX.
[6] "Person Details for James Sturdivant, "United States Census, 1930" — FamilySearch.org," Free Family History and Genealogy Records — FamilySearch.org, accessed October 12, 2016, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CJYS-VPZ.
[7] "Person Details for Solomon Billis Sturdivant, "Florida Marriages, 1830-1993" — FamilySearch.org," Free Family History and Genealogy Records — FamilySearch.org, accessed October 12, 2016, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRCV-XKL.
[8] "Person Details for Solomon Cillis Sturdivant, "Florida Marriages, 1830-1993" — FamilySearch.org," Free Family History and Genealogy Records — FamilySearch.org, accessed October 12, 2016, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRZH-P51.
[9] "Solomon C. Sturdivant," American Battle Monuments Commission, accessed October 12, 2016, https://www.abmc.gov/node/398005#.V_6z7vkrLIU.
[10] "Dominic Lombardi Obituary - Newington, CT," Hartford Courant, accessed October 12, 2016, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=dominic-j-lombardi&pid=2963743.
[11] "PFC Solomon C Sturdivant ( - 1945) - Find A Grave Photos," Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records, accessed October 12, 2016, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=56375799&PIpi=96944087.
[12] "Where Will All the Memories Go?," :: Www.skylighters.org -- The Official Web Site of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion Veterans Association, Inc. ::, accessed October 12, 2016, http://www.skylighters.org/tributes/#sturdivant.
[13] "The Ahern Family - Lt. John Joseph Ahern, Jr," RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative, accessed October 12, 2016,http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~aherns/ltjahern.htm.
[14] "World War II Memorial in Bull Memorial Park," Waymarking - A Scavenger Hunt for Unique and Interesting Locations in the World, accessed October 12, 2016, http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=5a2de595-7a53-4c83-9882-229642b00d5f.
[15] Burmeister, Caren. "WWII Memorial to Gain Attention." Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), August 28, 2002.