PVT Howard Alexander Brown (WWII)


Remembering PVT Howard Alexander Brown (Fairmont)

July 10, 1912 - August 1, 1944

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PVT Howard Alexander Brown (service # 35934127) was born in Clarksburg, WV on July 10, 1912, the son of Alexander and Georgia (Thorne) Brown. When Howard was born, his family was sharing a house on 169 Elliott Street in Clarksburg with Alexander's family: his parents, his sister, her husband, and Howard's two older sisters- five adults and three children (1910 Census). Alexander and his father both worked at the local glass factory, with Alexander working as a glass blower.

Howard's immediate family remained at 169 Elliott Street through at least 1927 (1920 Census, 1927 City Directory), but by 1930 had moved to Fairmont (1930 Census). According to the 1930 census, Alexander was a laborer at the bottle factory.

Education and Marriage:

Howard graduated from East Fairmont High School in 1930.

At some point in 1935, Howard married Jeanette Nuzum, and the duo moved to 114 Pleasant Street. They had two kids: Frederick (1936-1995) and Jeanne (1937-2011). 

Military Service:

Howard entered the draft on October 16, 1940. At the time, he worked for the Railway Express Agency on Cleveland Avenue. He was 5'11" and 179 lbs, with brown hair, brown eyes, and ruddy skin. He enlisted in the Army at Fort Hayes in Ohio on January 4, 1944. He served in the 63rd Infantry, 202 Infantry Battalion, Co. F.

PVT Howard Alexander Brown died on August 1, 1944 from "injuries suffered while on duty" (The Fairmont Times, August 8, 1944). According to the Fairmont Times article, Jeanette had received a letter from Howard that he was injured and likely to be furloughed home. The next letter she received was notice of his death, signed by the commanding officer of Camp Blanding.

A very perplexing hospital admission card read: 

  • Diagnosis: [withheld by NARA]; SecondLocation: Neck, generally; ; CausativeAgent: Instrument or object, Cutting or Piercing (includes enemy)
  • Type of injury: disease
  • Injured in the Line of Duty: Not in line of duty, existed prior to service
It is unclear that the diagnosis that was withheld by NARA was a preexisting condition that contributed to his death after the neck injury, but a detailed death certificate was not available for this inquiry.

Legacy and Survivors:

Howard was buried at the Pisgah Cemetery in Smithtown (off Rt 73 outside of Fairmont). He was survived by his entire immediate family. Howard's son, Frederick, went on to serve as a TSGT in the US Air Force during Vietnam.

More Information and Sources:

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