Ron Allen Ames
"I’m merely a conduit, relaying the information given to me about the past."
All About Me
Ron Allen Ames is a history enthusiast who attributes his 46 years of life experience as a hands-on business co-owner, for giving him insight into human nature, a benefit when portraying the lives of others. The information he received, dating1914 to 1919 is what prompted Ames to bring this history to light in ‘An Echo of Ashes.’ Ames lives with his wife Cathy in Pennsylvania. They have two grown sons.
Other books previously written by Ron Allen Ames:
‘Vessels of the Strand,’ a work recognized by Captain Robert Jornlin of the USS LST 325. Through a storyline, this book is derived from letters written home by the Author’s father who was stationed on a tank landing ship (USS LST 246) in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War Two. The LST 246 earned 6 battle stars.
‘Metal Horses,’ a narrative that touches on the sociocultural implications of the muscle car era, and through story, tells of how those cars were actually driven and street raced in the early 1970s.
From Ron:
"I don't see myself as the author of this book, but more of a conduit relaying the information given to me about the past. The family letters, postcards, journals, newspaper articles, and photographs found in a tattered old box contain a record of a somewhat forgotten time when a great war and a pandemic simultaneously struck the world. History records major events, statistics, details of destruction, and world changes, but it often overlooks the home front and the emotional impact of such a perilous time. An Echo of Ashes is just one of many stories from this era."
My HP Books
An Echo of Ashes is a story lost to time, then found again in century-old letters that lay in a
tattered box. Based on actual events taken from the pages, this story tells of when the Great War and the Spanish Influenza forever altered the lives of millions, including a family of subsistence farmers who also worked the oil fields of Pennsylvania.
Ella and Almon make their home in the backcountry. Almon and his sons work in the oil fields,
just as their forefathers before them. As war and influenza break out, the parents seek to shield their family from the impending perils.
Earl, the eldest son, is a gifted trombone and piano player. He is captivated by Lucile Lake, a girl from a higher social status. All he has to win her heart are his music and his words as the military draft looms in the foreground. Jack, a friend as close as a brother, faces the horrors of war at the Western Front. Albert's free spirit creates chaos as he searches for direction. Arthur's patriotism leads him to the Mexican border. Young Russell must suppress his fear to save a life, while Little Clara remains protected from the distress.
World War One and the Spanish Influenza Pandemic are most often documented separately, yet they intersected in 1918. For those who endured sacrifice and loss during this time, looking
forward seemed their only choice. The sharp echo of tragedy, carried through the ashes of what once was, likely dulled but never vanished from their minds. This is just one of countless family stories from such a perilous chapter in American history.
BOOK EXCERPT
We are born into a specific moment in history and a particular place on Earth. These factors, whether advantageous or challenging, profoundly shape our lives, steering us down paths that, in another time and place, we might not have chosen.
Before my father passed, he told me of a box in his house that he wanted me to have. My wife and I are keepers of the family genealogy and assumed that was why he was leaving it to us.
My mother had passed four years before my father. Their home sat empty for months after they were gone. When the family had healed enough to clear out the memories, we discovered the box. I recognized it as the one I had seen in my grandparents’ home years before. We glanced through its contents of faded photographs, discolored letters, postcards, and yellowed newspaper clippings, before closing it again.
Months later, my cousin, Craig Ames, learned of what I had received. He contacted me and brought more information from his side of the family, including an old trombone. Whether it was my father’s words that echoed in my mind, or that old trombone, something spurred me to reopen the box. I rummaged through the contents again, realizing it was all from the years 1914 to 1919. The time of World War One and the Spanish Influenza Pandemic.
Then I spied my Great Uncle Earl’s journal. As a child, I remembered seeing Earl’s gravestone at Cheney Cemetery. Throughout my life my grandparents said little about the past, so all I knew of Earl was that my father had been named after him. I never understood when my Grandad Arthur once said of his older brother, “Earl was something more.”
Through Earl’s journals, I got to know him. His words describe his life of subsistence farming while operating oil leases, just as his family had for generations. He was also a gifted piano and trombone player. His musical brilliance had been nurtured by his musically inclined mother. His words also tell of a romance, hidden by time and now exposed after more than a century.
Earl’s journals, along with the hundreds of other articles in the box, and what Craig had brought, were a window in time. I read on, becoming acquainted with the other family members of that era and the tribulations they faced in their time in history.
The information unveiled sparsely known local and national historic events, along with world issues dealing with the war and the pandemic.
Firsthand accounts of the home front filled page after page, along with letters from the western front of the Great War, and descriptions of the devastating consequences of the Spanish Influenza. There were pictures and letters about the US 13th Cavalry.
The sparsely talked about oil business of that age is also chronicled in the words of laughter, love, and sorrow of a family of seven. How miraculous it was that this box had survived for so many years.
World War One and the Spanish Influenza Pandemic are two events that have been well-documented—but rarely portrayed together. Yet, they happened simultaneously in 1918. The people of that era endured hardship and loss. From the ashes, many picked up their lives and sought hope and happiness anew. This is but one of the countless stories from such a tragic chapter in history.
Written in story form, fiction surrounds the actual events. It is used to personalize the individuals, add depth, and recreate the emotional impact of living in such a pivotal time.
BOOK information
Background Information on the years the book An Echo of Ashes is based on.
An Echo of Ashes is set in the years 1914 to1919, with a significant focus on the pivotal year of 1918. Inspired by information willed to the author, this book vividly brings history to life through its storyline that weaves through actual events.
World War One broke out in Europe in1914, America did not officially enter the war until April 6, 1917. The Spanish Influenza began its devastation in 1918. The simultaneous occurrence of these two cataclysms profoundly affected nearly every aspect of life.
Courtship and marriage were immensely affected by the swift changing events. The closure of social venues such as churches, schools, movie theaters, and other gathering places were meant to curb the spread of the disease, but also created a form of social isolation.
An Echo of Ashes follows the information it was derived from, which put Lucile and Earl’s romance beginning before the closure of social venues.
It is of my opinion that it was not only class difference that weighed on Lucile, but also the real fear many young people held at this time of losing a potential spouse to either the war or the influenza. Marriage rates plummeted as many brides-to-be waited, hoping their betrothed would return from duty and that they both would survive the influenza.
Families lost their income earners as husbands, fathers, and sons were drafted, or enlisted. Shell Shock (PTSD) was recurrent among returning soldiers. A spouse dying or being crippled in the war, or either or both spouses succumbing to the influenza caused massive hardship. Shortages of essentials, from sugar to writing paper, restrictions on train travel, and sudden price increases only added to the struggle.
Worldwide death estimates from the Spanish Influenza range from a low of 17 million to a high of 100 million. In America, the influenza claimed approximately 675,000 lives. Pennsylvania bore the brunt of the pandemic, recording the highest death toll of any state in the union. October 1918 was the deadliest month for America in both the war and the pandemic. Newspapers often listed local Spanish Flu victims on one page, while another page would list local servicemen who had died, were wounded, or were missing in action. www.statista.com/statistics/1103622/mortality-rate-per-us-state-spanish-flu/
When the American Expeditionary Forces first landed overseas, they were held behind the front lines for further training in specific warfare tactics. Initially, American soldiers were somewhat ill-equipped for this kind of combat compared to their European counterparts who had already been fighting for nearly three years. The first American soldiers wore only cloth insignia hats. England supplied metal helmets until America could produce its own.
Significant advances in armaments led to mass casualties for all sides. Despite the tremendous bravery of those facing the guns in France, 9 to 11 million military personnel died on all sides. Including civilian casualties, the death toll reached 15 to 22 million. Approximately 116,500 Americans lost their lives, including over 400 American women who died overseas in various supporting roles from nursing to telephone operators.
A large share of America’s casualties occurred in the last year of the war with over 26,000 American soldiers dying in just 47 days of fighting during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. An Echo of Ashes offers a glimpse into what Jack could have experienced in this battle.
Around 30,000 World War One American soldiers lie buried in Europe, and 4,400 remain listed as missing in action. www.nps.gov/wwim/wwioverview.htm www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/militaria-weapons/us-world-war-i/headgear-united-states-world-war-one
Telegrams were infrequently used during World War I due to the high cost, leaving letters and postcards as the main correspondence venue. Soldiers overseas were not required to use postage. Instead, they wrote ‘soldier mail’ where the stamp would go. Sensors read all mail and removed anything detrimental to the war effort. Only then was the envelope given a round blue ink stamp and allowed to pass on to loved ones and friends. With a vast number of Americans away from home, a writing paper shortage developed in some areas. Many people resorted to using any kind of scrap paper available to write on. Frequently, the pages, and the envelopes held messages from multiple people. At times every open space on the paper was used, including around the outside edges.
War Letters: Communication between Front and Home Front
Imagine a world without cellphones, TV, computers, email, texting, social media, the internet, telephones, or radio. Most rural areas were without electricity at this time in history. Manual labor made up the bulk of the work available. People in the countryside would rise with the dawn and spend the daylight hours working. For many, the workday ended with sunset. Evenings were spent by candle or lantern light. Common personal activities included reading, music, journaling, letter writing, crafts, and singing. Sundays were social days, often including church and other gatherings. Learning to play a musical instrument was common. Earl (Top) was an exemplary trombonist and pianist. His talent provided the opportunity for him to know Lucile. Although not mentioned in the book, information shows that Earl was also proficient with the trumpet and violin.
An Echo of Ashes touches on the dangers of oil production and how an average Pennsylvania oil lease operated in the 1900s. Earl was unique in that he employed his horse Dolly in his tasks of operating oil leases, while the majority of lease operators at this time traveled on foot.
Oil changed the world into what it is today. Oil is not only used to make fuel for our vehicles but also medical drugs, cosmetics, plastics, many of the colors we see, lubricants, waxes, solvents, asphalt for roads, synthetic fibers for clothing, floor coverings, tires, and a host of other products.
Oil saved the whales, as whale oil was the primary source for lamp fuel before kerosene, made from oil, became common.
All of this is possible because of a group of visionaries led by Colonel Edwin Drake, who developed the first successful oil well in 1859, just outside of Titusville, in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Oil exploration spread across the country and then the world. Oil and the products derived from it will always be a part of our modern-day lives. To learn more about oil and its history, visit www.drakewell.org
The Mexican Revolution started in 1910. America reinforced its border with Mexico in 1911. The build-up included the US 13th Cavalry along with other cavalry units. The added strength was to protect border towns and America’s sovereignty due to the lawless environment in Mexico that could have spilled over onto American soil. America added further forces to the border after the “Zimmerman Telegram,” a correspondence sent from Germany to Mexico, proposing a joint alliance to fight the United States. The disadvantage of having two fronts was then within the realm of possibility for America. The US 13th Cavalry did not leave the border until 1921.
For military and firearms enthusiasts, in one letter in the book my Great Uncle Albert (Albo) refers to his 38 caliber sidearm as being the same as his brother Arthur’s, (Artie) who was in the US 13th Cavalry. I too was confused about this being an army issued sidearm to the rank and file during World War One. The M1911 produced by Colt and Springfield, and the M1917 Smith and Wesson 45 caliber handguns were the most common. After some diligent research the answer is that due to production issues there was a shortage of 45s. The army began to issue the Colt M1892 and M1901, 38 caliber sidearms to those other than higher ranks. Many of these 38s were refurbished, older guns.
World War I and the Spanish Influenza profoundly impacted America. The war created a mix of fear, anticipation, and a sense of patriotism. The influenza brought on helplessness and uncertainty, yet it also fostered in a stronger sense of caring and community. Both events caused widespread economic hardship and anxiety. Many families experienced loss and mourning. The far-reaching impact affected America's social dynamics, politics, and culture for years to come. World War I reshaped America's role in the world. www.neh.gov/humanities/2017/summer/feature/world-war-i-changed-america-and-transformed-its-role-in-international-relations
In conclusion, the generation that endured World War I and the Spanish Influenza are to be revered for their fortitude, perseverance, and sacrifice. Most of their selfless acts remain unrecorded. Of those who lost the most, many moved forward to find hope and happiness again. An Echo of Ashes is just one of countless stories from this perilous chapter in history that has somewhat faded into the annals of time.
Music referred to in, An Echo of Ashes:
‘The Girl with the Flaxen Hair’ (piano) by Claude Debussy
‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ by Francis Scott Key
‘Cover Them Over with Beautiful Flowers’ by E.F. Stewart
‘Battle Cry of Freedom’ by George Fredrick Root
‘Stomp Off, Let’s Go’ by Evergreen Classic Jazz Band
‘Gymnopedies’ (piano) by Erik Satie
‘Reverie’ (piano) by Claude Debussy
‘Mazurka in A Minor, Opus 17, Number 4’ (piano) by Frédéric Chopin
‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee’ by Samuel Francis Smith
‘America the Beautiful’ by Katharine Lee Bates
‘Clair de Lune’ (piano) by Claude Debussy
