J.R. Gurley giving his grandson Harold Erkman a ride ca. 1918. James Robert Gurley was born in Wayne County, IL Jan. 23, 1866 the son of Leonard & Susanna (Morehead) Gurley. He married Lou Emma Speer in Glenarm, IL in 1892. They had five children the middle of which was Edna. She married Henry Erkman January 9, 1916 and had Harold Erkman on June 23rd. J.R. & Lou owned a farm on the western edge of Wayne City, IL. He also owned land north of town which had belonged to his parents so I'm not sure where this photo was taken. J.R. died at home on July 4th, 1941. Harold had enlisted in the Army Oct. 15, 1940 in East St. Louis and shipped out June 9th 1943 for north Africa. He was killed in action February 11, 1944 in Italy while serving in Company A of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division. They are both buried in Thomason Cemetery in Wayne City, Illinois.
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