Pedro (Peter) Matanane: CHamoru World War I Army Infantry Veteran
Service No. 2278333
It’s pretty cool to work on a research project that ends up leading to a sidebar manifesting towards the development of working on another research topic of interest. While working on the CHamoru Mess Attendants/Stewards Project, I became fixated with members of the Matanane family. I am drawn to their family because I am related to the ones that also have Anderson roots, specifically manggåfan/familian CHe’. This journey has led me to discover more about the life of Pedro Matanane, who is the first CHamoru World War I Army veteran I have come across with the CHamoru Roots Genealogy Project.
Pedro was born on Guam, April 14 1895. He is the son of Josefa Matanane[1] and Joaquin Matanane Martinez[2]. From the 1920 church census Pedro was recorded as living in San Francisco, California. I am also able to ascertain that he had a brother named Jose (Peping), who married Maria Pereda Anderson (manggåfan CHe’, my grandmother’s sister). His Uncle, Juan Matanane (brother of Josefa), although listed with his family, was also noted as residing in San Francisco, California. All the families in the census figure below appear to be adjoining neighbors and reinforce that they were very close in their day-to-day relationships.
[1] Josefa Matanane and her son Pedro are listed on page 95 of the 1920 church census of Guam. Because this was a church census led by a Spanish priest, the names were recorded using Spanish conventions and notes. Therefore, females were recorded with their first names and maiden surnames, and males were recorded with their first name followed by their paternal surname and then maternal surname.
[2] Pedro’s marriage certificate identifies his father as Joaquin Martinez Matanane and his mother, whose surname was listed as a question mark but with the first name as “Josephine.”
In 1917, he completed his World War I Draft Registration Card. Pedro’s date of birth was recorded and he was listed with a residence of 5606 Beardry Street, Emeryville, California. He was employed by the Western Electric Company[1], listed as single and his race was recorded as Malayan. In the Registrar’s Report (4-1-25. A) he is described as medium height and medium build, with dark brown eyes, black hair, not bald and not disabled.
Figure 2 - 1917 WWI Draft Card
Figure 3 - 1917 WWI Draft Card
Citizenship, Wild West Division and World War I[2]
The United States went to war with the German Empire April 6, 1917. The "Wild West," consisting of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and Alaska, was classified as the 16th Draft Area. It was to furnish as soon as possible a National Army Infantry Division. Its training camp was at Camp Lewis (today known as Joint Base Lewis-McChord), located about 17 miles south of Tacoma, Washington, and named for Captain Meriwether Lewis, commander of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition made to the Northwest in 1803. As the National Army Infantry Divisions were numbered from 76 up, in the numerical order of their draft areas, this division became the 91st.
The following units soon grew up together at Camp Lewis, as the pride of the Far West: 361st, 362nd, 363rd, 364th Infantry Regiments; 346th, 347th, 348th Machine Gun Battalions; 346th, 347th, 348th Regiments of Field Artillery; 316th Trench Mortar Battery; 316th Regiment of Engineers; 316th Field Signal Battalion; 316th Train Headquarters and Military Police; 316th Ammunition Train; 316th Supply Train; 316th Engineer Train; 316th Sanitary Train, including 361st, 362nd, 363rd and 364th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals; 181st Infantry Brigade, including 361st and 362nd Infantry Regiments, and 347th Machine Gun Battalion; 182nd Infantry Brigade, including 363rd and 364th Infantry Regiments, and 348th Machine Gun Battalion; 166th Field Artillery Brigade, including 346th, 347th, 348th Regiments of Field Artillery and 316th Trench Mortar Battery. The authorized strength of the division thus organized, became substantially 28,000 officers and men.
Sometime after Pedro’s draft registration, he was drafted by the United States Army[3] on September 8, 1917 and called to duty on September 23, 1917. He was one of 18 men transported from California to Camp Lewis, Washington for training. They all became soldiers assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 361st Infantry Regiment of the 91st Division. On the Initial Muster Rolls, there were a total of 227 Men assigned to Company D. By the end of September 1917 the 91st Division had reached its manning strength. They continued to train at Camp Lewis until they received orders to deploy to France.
While a small advance party detachment left on June 19, 1918. Private Pedro Matanane and his Regiment departed Washington on June 22, 1918 on train No. 4. Each train was fitted with two kitchen cars. The men traveled in tourist cars and the officers in standard Pullmans. Food was served to the men from the kitchen cars by bringing it through the tourist cars in large containers from the which the men filled their mess kits. Stops of an hour were usually made at least once a day for physical exercise consisting of setting-up drill or marching.
Pedro’s Regiment finally detrained close to Camp Merritt, New Jersey, and marched to the Camp. At Camp Merritt the soldiers underwent clothing and re-equipment to ensure they were properly outfitted and ready for war in France.
On July 2, 1918 Pedro was granted citizenship by naturalization[4].
By the evening of July 4, 1918 and following morning, the 361st Infantry Regiment moved out of Camp Merritt and into Hoboken Pier.
And on July 6, 1918, Pedro[5] was aboard the S.S. “Karoa,” of Britain’s fleet. The Karoa left the pier at daylight. By about 11:00 o’clock Karoa sailed from the Lower Bay as part of the 91st Division convoy of sixteen ships. The ships were painted with weird cubist camouflage, evidently intended not so much to conceal the ship as to mislead the hostile observer as to the ship’s outline, size or course.
Figure 4 - Extract from 1918 Karao Passenger Manifest
After 11 days on the sea, the Karoa reached the Firth of Clyde to Glasgow, Scotland on July 17, 1918. The following day the troops disembarked. Each man was handed a neatly engraved greeting form the King and then, led by the Regimental Band and some Scottish Pipers, the troops were marched a short distance to the railroad.
When Southhampton was reached, the regiment detrained and forced a long march to a British “rest camp” where there was much mud but little rest and food. The troops had arrived late in the night of July 18/19. On the afternoon of July 19th they marched to the Southhampton dock, boarded the small channel boats and filled them in much the manner that sardines fill a can. The rapid and rough channel passage to Le Havre (Seine Inferieure) was safely accomplished.
On July 21st a detachment from Pedro’s Company D commanded by Lieutenant Bissett, participated in a ceremony held in honor of the Allies. That afternoon the Regiment were transported to Le Havre (Seine Inferieure) to Chauffort (Haute Marne), Southeasterly, by train, 345 miles. However, Pedro and Company D were on train No. 3 that arrived in Andilly on the evening of July 23rd. After detraining, they marched to their billets in Epinant.
The Montigny-Le-Roi area was one of the large compact American group-areas straight south of St. Mihiel and Verdun. This area was said to be the “Desert of France” for the soil was not as fertile there as elsewhere in the Republic. The 361st Infantry was the first organization to occupy the billets there. Here an education, not only in the French language, but also the French customs, progressed rapidly.
From a summary extract of General Pershing’s acknowledgement of the 91st Division’s war efforts:
"…the Division was thrown into the active fighting in the Meuse-Argonne offensive without previous training in the line. From September 26th to October 3rd it was actively engaged in this offensive, making an advance of 13 kilometers against strong opposition, capturing the towns of Very, Gesnes, and Epinonville. When the Division was withdrawn on October 3rd, the 181st Brigade remained in the battle line until October 12th, its units operating with the 32nd and 1st Divisions. In the middle of October the Division was attached to the 7th French Army Corps of the 6th French Army in Flanders. Between October 31st and November 2nd, the Division made an advance of 1 1 kilometers, capturing the town of Audenarde. Crossing the Scheldt River on November 10th and 11th, the Division was in pursuit of the enemy when the armistice ended hostilities."
From November 12, 1918 to December 31, 1918, Pedro’s Regiment was assigned to Belgium for post-war duty and training. It is fortunate to note that the Regiment was not affected by the influenza epidemic or any other disease while abroad. After their tour of duty in Belgium they made their way to Belleme, France with the final objective of demobilization.
Private First Class Pedro Matanane and his unit were aboard the U.S.S. Mexican[6] departing out of St. Nazaire on April 1, 1919 and arriving at Hoboken, New Jersey on April 16, 1919. They were further destined for Camp Mills, New York.
While enroute back to Camp Lewis, Washington, these soldiers received many receptions along the way, which included the cities of Marion, Ohio, St. Paul, Minnesota, Dickinson, North Dakota, Butte & Helena, Montana, and finally the great ovations and parades in Spokane, Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.
The 361st Infantry Regiment finally completed its term of active service on April 26, 1919. However, Private First Class Pedro Matanane was not officially discharged from the Army until May 4, 1919.
Back to Being a Civilian
In the 1920 Census (January, 7, 1920) Pedro is recorded as a Lodger, age 24, single and with the occupation of wood finisher, residing with an unrelated family on Haste Street, Berkeley, California[7].
Later that year on August 18, 1920, Pedro’s mother Josefa, is listed on the U.S. Army Transport Sheridan’s manifest with a final destination of San Francisco, California[8]. One year later after her arrival, Josefa married Manuel Castro[9] on August 21, 1921. Within that certificate of marriage revealed that Pedro’s maternal grandparents were Reta Matanini [sic] and Ciroco Pannleta.
On June 20, 1924, Pedro married Mary Raconi in Oakland, California[10]. His residence was 2225 94th Avenue, Oakland, CA. Pedro’s occupation was recorded as a wood finisher for an electric company.
1930 Census. I am unable to currently find Pedro and his wife Mary in the 1930 Census.
During the 1940 Census[11], Pedro and his family were recorded on April 7, 1940 as residing on Shafter Avenue, Oakland, CA. He was listed with his wife Mary and three children: Josephine R. age 15, Jeanette M., age 10 and David A. age 7. He was a painter for a contractor.
On December 9, 1945, Pedro’s mother Josefa passed away at the age of 76 years in Oakland, California[12]. She is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Oakland.
In 1951, Pedro was recognized and awarded by General Motors, his employer, for 25 years of service[13].
Sometime after working for General Motors, Pedro’s occupation was listed as a Janitor for the Dominican College in a 1962 U.S. Cities Directory.
Pedro’s wife Mary passed away on March 9, 1974 in Alameda, California[14]. A couple of years later Pedro passed away on April 20, 1976 in Alameda, California[15]. Pedro was survived by his three children and several grandchildren:
- Josephine Ranconi Matanane who married Alfred Joseph Soares[16].
- Jeanette Marie Matanane[17].
- David Angelo Matanane who married Charlotte Catherine McDonald[18].
Their families remain among the CHamoru diaspora to this very day.
[1] It is currently not known if the Western Electric Company had any business ties to Guam in the early 1900s.
[2] H.H. Burton. 1921. 600 Days of Service: A History of the 361st Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. Portland, OR, James, Kerns & Abbott co. (Much of which the historical information on Pedro’s unit in France was taken.)
[3] Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
[4] Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Soldier Naturalizations, 1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
[5] Ancestry.com. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
[6] Ancestry.com. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
[7] Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
[8] Ancestry.com. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
[9] Ancestry.com. California, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Ancestry.com. California, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
[12] Oakland Tribune, December 11, 1945.
[13] San Francisco Chronicle, January 14, 1951.
[14] Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
[15] Fold3, Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File (/title/848/veterans-affairs-birls-death-file :accessed April 15, 2020), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/title/848/veterans-affairs-birls-death-file
[16] Oakland Tribune, January 20, 1954.
[17] California Birth Index
[18] Oakland Tribune, June 27, 1953.
