TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: William Clinton Fetter

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: William Clinton Fetter (1875-1940) On a recent visit to the Port Lavaca Cemetery, I came across a very weathered tombstone sitting on the far west side of the original portion of the cemetery that at one time was called Lynnworth. After closer inspection, I realize that it is an Army marker of a Spanish American War veteran, and my interest was piqued.   Rubbing my fingers across the lettering, I find that this is the grave of William C. Fetter, CO. D 2ND INF.  SP. AM. WAR.  William Clinton Fetter was born on August 4, 1875, in North Carolina, the second son of parents Charles and Elizabeth Fetter who were both well-respected schoolteachers.  In 1894, when Clinton, as he was called as a boy, was 19, his father was ordained in the Episcopal church and began pastoring a church in Wadesboro, N.C.  Then in June of 1898, Clinton enlisted in the Army, in response to President McKinely’s call for troops, after the United States had declared war on Spain on April 25. The Spanish American War originated with Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain, which had begun in 1895. From 1895-1898, the violent Cuban conflict was graphically portrayed for the American public by several sensational newspapers engaging in yellow journalism, and American sympathy for the Cuban rebels rose.  The term yellow journalism was coined around this time to describe journalism that relies on eye-catching headlines, exaggeration and sensationalism to increase sales. By early 1898, tensions between the United States and Spain had been mounting for months.  Then after the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor under mysterious circumstances on February 15, 1898, the public outcry for U.S. military intervention in Cuba increased and war was eventually declared in April.

Clinton was mustered in as part of Company D of the 2nd North Carolina Volunteer Infantry on June 21, 1898. After six weeks of camp instruction at the State Fairgrounds, he and the other members of Company D were detached for duty to Land’s End, South Carolina and were charged with defending the area against potential Spanish naval attacks. On August 31st, the company was hit by a hurricane of 135-mph winds and heavy rains, which made landfall at the south end of Hilton Head Island, near Land's End. Tents and personal property of the soldiers were lost, and the camp was submerged under water, but fortunately there was no loss of life.  The war was short-lived, and fighting was stopped on August 12 with the signing of a Protocol of Peace between the United States and Spain. After months of negotiations, the formal Treaty of Paris was signed in Paris on December 10, 1898. The United States acquired Spain's colonies of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the treaty. 

Clinton mustered out on November 12 and returned home to Wadesboro. He soon found work as a Night Watchman, patrolling the streets at night, checking doors and windows, and sounding the alarm in case of fire. On May 11, 1899, Clinton married Mary Steele Allen at small family gathering. The local newspaper describes his bride as “one of Wadesboro’s sweetest and prettiest girls.” In June of that year, Clinton filed to run for Constable of Wadesboro but lost the election in August. I found a record where in January 1901, Clinton and Mary along with her sister and another couple purchased 275 acres for $825, so it seemed things were going well for the young Fetter couple. Tragedy struck, however, later that year when Mary died on June 11, 1901, after complications in childbirth. I sense that his wife and baby’s death set Clinton adrift in life. I next find him living with his younger brother Robert St. Clair in Newton, Texas in 1918. On both of their WWI registration forms they list their occupation as Farmer. Clinton is described as tall, medium build with blue eyes and dark hair. In the 1920 census, he is shown living in Henderson Texas (northeast part of the state) and working as a laborer. In 1924, at 49 years old, he files for his war pension citing “invalid”, meaning he was probably suffering from some sort of illness. In 1930, I find he and his brother living in Burleson, Texas near Dallas and both are listed as working as a “timber cutter”. I found a May 1939 Kerrville Mountain Sun newspaper article which names William C. Fetter as being hospitalized. Clinton passes away on May 14, 1940, at 64 years old and was buried in Lynnworth (Port Lavaca) Cemetery.  His death certificate states that he had been living in Port Lavaca for 3 years and shows his occupation as lumberjack. His brother Robert, applied for and received a veterans marker for his brother, which was shipped to Port Lavaca in November 1940.  Robert never served and I imagine he had always been proud of his big brother’s service and wanted to honor him in death. Robert is still living in Port Lavaca in 1942. His WWII registration certificate names R.L. Tanner, Jr. as someone that will always know where he lives. Robert died in February 1955 in Kennedy, Texas after suffering 3rd degree burns on his leg. His death certificate indicates his usual place of residence was Port Lavaca and the informant was Mrs. Preston B. Roemer. I had thought perhaps he was buried in an unmarked grave next to his brother, but a closer look at his death certificate indicates his body was donated for medical research. Researching the lives of these brothers, I can’t help but wonder what brought these men to Port Lavaca in the late 1930’s. 

When I pass his marker now on visits to the Port Lavaca Cemetery, I don’t just see a weathered stone - I see the young soldier facing a hurricane in South Carolina, the grieving husband in North Carolina, the timber cutter in Texas, and the brother who remained by his side. Clinton’s life may have taken him far from home, but thanks to his service and his brother’s devotion, his story lives on here in Port Lavaca.

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Tombstone Tuesday is written and compiled each week by Jody Weaver and Sheryl Cuellar of the Calhoun County Historical Commission, sharing the people and stories behind Calhoun County's history.