William Yerks
Early Life
William Benjamin Yerks was born on August 12, 1891, in Bedford Hills, New York, the son of George Oakley Yerks and Annie Dora Cutler. He was raised in northern Westchester County, living in communities including Lewisboro, Somers, and Bedford during his youth. By the time of his adulthood, he had established a connection to Rye, New York, residing on Purchase Street prior to his military service.
Before entering the Army, Yerks worked as a teamster, a physically demanding occupation that involved the transport of goods and materials. His early life reflects the working-class experience common among many men who entered military service during the First World War.
World War I Service
William B. Yerks entered military service on June 6, 1917, when he enlisted in the United States Army at Fort Slocum, New York. He was initially assigned to Company L of the 47th Infantry Regiment before being transferred to Company L of the 9th Infantry Regiment, a unit that would become part of the American Expeditionary Forces deployed to Europe.
Yerks served overseas from September 17, 1917, through October 1918, placing him among the early American troops sent to France. During his service, he was wounded in action, though the degree of his injury is not specified in surviving records. His wounding indicates direct exposure to combat conditions during a critical period of the war.
Following his injury and continued service, he was honorably discharged on March 13, 1919, during the postwar demobilization of American forces. His record reflects both early deployment and participation in active combat operations overseas.
Life After Service
Following his return from military service, Yerks married Myritannia “Myrtie” Gant in 1919, and the couple had two sons, Clarence Leroy Yerks and Donald William Yerks. In the years after the war, he relocated to New Jersey, where he established his home and remained for the rest of his life.
He was active in his community, including membership in the Silverton Methodist Church, and maintained his identity as a World War I veteran throughout his life.
William Benjamin Yerks died on February 9, 1960, at the Veterans Hospital in East Orange, New Jersey, at the age of sixty-eight.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his sons, Clarence L. Yerks of Silverton and Donald W. Yerks of Bayville; his brother, Roy Yerks of Connecticut; and two grandchildren.
He was buried in Silverton, New Jersey, concluding a life that included both wartime service and long-term residence in the region.