Corporal John H. Prettyman (1919–1942)

*John H. Prettyman as a private 1st class (Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives)*

Residences	Civilian Occupation
Delaware, New Jersey	Worker at the DuPont Seaford nylon factory
Branch	Service Number
U.S. Army	20264911
Theater	Unit
Zone of Interior (American)	Battery “C,” 261st Coast Artillery Battalion (Harbor Defense)
Military Occupational Specialty	Entered the Service From
608 (gun crewman, Coast Artillery)	Seaford, Delaware

Early Life & Family

John Hoyt Prettyman was born on the evening of October 23, 1919, in Blades, Delaware. He was the second child of Ford Elwood Prettyman (a farmer, 1893–1952) and Bessie Prettyman (née Morris, 1896–1971). He had an older brother, Morris F. Prettyman (1918–1995), and a younger sister, Gertrude Elizabeth Prettyman (later Royal, 1921–2002). Census records and several newspaper articles called him Hoyt Prettyman, suggesting that he went by his middle name. The 1920 census recorded Prettyman living with his parents and older brother in the 4th Representative District in Sussex County, Delaware.

By the time his sister was born on December 31, 1921, the Prettyman family had moved from Blades to outside nearby Seaford. The next census, taken in April 1930, found the Prettyman family living at 3012 Merrimac Road in Camden, New Jersey. Prettyman’s father was working as a produce salesman. Census records indicate that Prettyman had returned to Seaford by April 1, 1935.

Journal-Every Evening reported that Prettyman “attended Seaford Central School.” Census records and a U.S. Army data card state that he completed three years of high school.

Prettyman was working at DuPont’s new nylon factory in Seaford when he married Mary Virginia Allen (1918–2002), in Hurlock, Maryland, on December 30, 1939. His bride, a graduate of Seaford High School, was working as a stenographer and bookkeeper at the time. Journal-Every Evening reported that both were residents of Seaford and

were married at the Hurlock Methodist parsonage by the Rev. Roy L. Tawes. Miss Eleanor Milligan was bridesmaid and Mr. Philip Moore best man. A reception followed the wedding at the log cabin, and a New Year’s party was held at the new home of the couple on Poplar Street.

The couple was recorded in Seaford on the census in April 1940 as Hoyt and Grace Prettyman. Prettyman was described as a laborer at a textile mill. According to his mother’s statement to the State of Delaware Public Archives Commission, Prettyman was living at 106 Poplar Street in Seaford and working as a machine operator at the nylon plant in Seaford prior to entering the service.

Military Career

According to rosters, Prettyman joined the Delaware National Guard on December 30, 1939. By January 27, 1941, he had been promoted to corporal and was a member of the Medical Detachment, 261st Coast Artillery Battalion (Harbor Defense). On that day, the 261st was federalized and Corporal Prettyman went on active duty in Laurel, Delaware. The 261st was initially stationed at Fort DuPont, located on the Delaware River near Delaware City.

*Roster listing members of the Medical Detachment, 261st Coast Artillery Battalion when it was federalized on January 27, 1941 (National Archives)*

Corporal Prettyman requested a transfer to a firing battery even though it meant temporarily relinquishing his corporal’s stripes. On March 21, 1941, he joined Battery “C” as a private. In a tribute to Prettyman, Sergeant Paul J. Desmond (1918–1971) explained:

After serving two months [on active duty] with the Medical Detachment, his likeness for Artillery caused him to transfer to Battery “C”. This an[x]iety to be in a gun battery is the reason he had established himself as the outstanding non-commissioned officer in the Battery.

On April 16, 1941, all but ten members of Battery “C” moved to Cape Henlopen, Delaware, by road, to a site which would be known as Fort Miles from August 14, 1941, onward.

Prettyman was promoted to private 1st class on June 16, 1941, and back to corporal on July 9, 1941. The July 1941 roster, the earliest for which duty codes are included, listed his as 521, basic, indicating he was still retraining following his transfer.

*Private 1st Class Prettyman c. 1941 (Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives)*

*Morning report recording that Prettyman was promoted to corporal on July 9, 1941 (National Archives)*

On the morning of October 2, 1941, Battery “C” returned to Fort DuPont by road. However, they returned to Fort Miles on October 31, 1941. The unit returned to Fort DuPont again on January 2, 1942. Morning reports suggest that for at least part of subsequent months, the unit was split between Fort DuPont and nearby Fort Delaware, with a detachment also located at Liston Range Front Lighthouse.

Corporal Prettyman was hospitalized on May 13, 1942, but returned to duty on May 16. On May 22, 1942, the battery returned to Fort Miles.

*Corporal Prettyman in a photo from William H. Duncan’s album (Courtesy of the Delaware Military Museum)*

Fort Miles defended Delaware Bay at Cape Henlopen, east of Lewes, Delaware. The small German surface fleet was totally outclassed by the American and British navies and was never a serious threat to North America. German submarines were a potential threat, but during the war, no U-boat commander was foolhardy enough to try to run the gauntlet of American shore batteries and underwater minefields in search of potentially valuable targets in Delaware Bay or the Delaware River.

The February 1942 roster listed Prettyman’s duty and military occupational specialty (M.O.S.) as changed to 608, Coast Artillery gun pointer or gun crewman. The May 1942 roster left Corporal Prettyman’s duty as 608 but changed his M.O.S. code to 650 (switchboard operator, local battery). However, the June 1942 roster changed his M.O.S. code back to 608.

Battery “C” experienced some teething issues when firing 3-inch guns for the first time at Fort Miles on June 15, 1942. Two of the battery’s guns went out of service after firing a single round. However, on June 24, 1942, they resumed target practice.

On June 22, 1942, Corporal Prettyman went on furlough, returning four days later.

Sergeant Desmond wrote of Prettyman:

His personality at all times had always won him the respect of those under him and the admiration of those over him in the service. With never even a slight misdemeanor committed or punishment given him, this rarely outstanding quality is evident of his character and splendid standing as a soldier and perfect gentleman. The qualities that he possessed were a perfect example for those who are aware; and, the good example he had shown to those under him should always be an inspiration to those who were his friends, which consists of all who knew him.

On July 10, 1942, Corporal Prettyman suffered a severe injury in the line of duty. Journal-Every Evening stated the following day that Prettyman was “reported in a serious condition in Beebe Hospital, Lewes.” The article added:

Corporal Prettyman and members of his company were on a hike down the beach and took time out for a swim. Corporal Prettyman dived into a wave in shallow water and broke a vertebra in his neck, injuring his spine, and causing paralysis of his body. His wife, the former Virginia Allen of Seaford, is at his bedside.

Four days later, the paper reported:

The condition of Corp. John Hoyt Prettyman of Seaford, who suffered dislocation of a vertebra in his neck last week by diving into the ocean at Fort Miles, where he is stationed, is reported as favorable. A specialist from Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, was called into consultation with the Beebe Hospital, Lewes, physicians, where he is a patient.

On August 11, 1942, Corporal Prettyman was transferred to a premier military facility, Walter Read General Hospital in Washington, D.C. His condition failed to improve, and he died there on August 26, 1942. Following services at Saint John’s Methodist Church on August 28, 1942, Corporal Prettyman was buried nearby at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Seaford. His parents, brother, and widow were also buried there after their deaths.

*A copy of a telegram reporting Prettyman’s death to his unit was included in the battery morning reports (National Archives)*

*Sergeant Paul J. Desmond’s tribute to Corporal Prettyman (Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives)*

Prettyman’s widow remarried in Seaford on April 20, 1946, to William Frederick Pegelow (1919–2004), a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, with whom she raised three children.

Prettyman’s name is honored at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, on a memorial at the Fort Miles Museum, and on a plaque of fallen employees from the DuPont nylon factory formerly displayed at the factory and now in the Seaford Museum.

Notes

National Guard Service

According to rosters, Prettyman enlisted in the Delaware National Guard on December 30, 1939. These rosters did not distinguish between initial enlistment and reenlistment, since they were recording the most recent enlistment date, but his mother wrote that her son “Joined National Guard in late 39 or 40[.]” That suggested he was on his first enlistment.

Unit

Prettyman’s unit was also known as the 261st Separate Battalion Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense).

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Delaware Public Archives and the Delaware Military Museum for the use of their photos.

Bibliography

“Allen-Prettyman.” Journal-Every Evening, January 2, 1940. https://www.newspapers.com/article/152756586/

“Alumni Meet Of University Set for Jan. 24.” Journal-Every Evening, December 22, 1939. https://www.newspapers.com/article/152753695/

Census Record for Hoyt J. Prettyman. April 15, 1930. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RC3-6KY

Census Record for Hoyt J. Prettyman. April 20, 1920. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R6Z-2BH

Census Record for Hoyt Prettyman. April 9, 1940. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MR-M97Y

Certificate of Birth for Gertrude Elizabeth Prettyman. December 21, 1921. Record Group 1500-008-094, Birth Certificates. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6FX7-HKM

Certificate of Birth for John Hoyt Prettyman. October 23, 1919. Record Group 1500-008-094, Birth Certificates. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D4X3-2CW

Certificate of Marriage for William F. Pegelow and Mary Virginia Prettyman. April 20, 1946. Delaware Marriages. Bureau of Vital Statistics, Hall of Records, Dover, Delaware. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XSM9-2Z

“Corp. Hoyt Prettyman Dies Following Mishap.” Journal-Every Evening, August 27, 1942. https://www.newspapers.com/article/152763015/

Desmond, Paul J. “Obituary Corp. John H. Prettyman.” Undated, c. 1942. Record Group 1325-003-053, Record of Delawareans Who Died in World War II. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://cdm16397.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15323coll6/id/20406/rec/2

Enlistment Record for John H. Prettyman. January 27, 1941. World War II Army Enlistment Records. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at College Park, Maryland. https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&q=20264911&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=1902714

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“Mary Virginia Pegelow ‘Jinny’.” The News Journal, August 15, 2002. https://www.newspapers.com/article/152763433/

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“Monthly Personnel Roster Mar 31 1941 Btry C 261 Sep Bn.” March 31, 1941. U.S. Army Muster Rolls and Rosters, November 1, 1912 – December 31, 1943. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/st-louis/rg-064/85713803_1940-1943/85713803_1940-1943_Roll-0604/85713803_1940-1943_Roll-0604_07.pdf

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Prettyman, Bessie. Individual Military Service Record for John Hoyt Prettyman. Undated, c. 1945. Record Group 1325-003-053, Record of Delawareans Who Died in World War II. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://cdm16397.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15323coll6/id/20400/rec/2

“Seaford Cantaloupe Dealers Prepare for Bumper Crop.” Journal-Every Evening, July 15, 1942. https://www.newspapers.com/article/152753763/

Last updated on September 28, 2024