Willie Albert Champion was born August 4, 1915, in Georgia. His parents were Charles and Alma Champion. The 1910 Census listed his parents in Worth County, Ga., as follows: Charlie, age 23; Alma, age 21; J. D., age 6 months. Family members report that Charlie died about 1918 or 1919, but do not recall the circumstances of his death.

The 1920 Census listed Alma, age 30; Mary L., age 12; Julia, age 7; Albert, age 5; and Carter, age 7 months. They were enumerated in the home of Alma's parents, Jessie and Sarah Hammontree, at Coosawattee, Gordon County, Georgia. Starling Hammontree, age 10, was also listed.

Alma married Jae B. McElrath between the Censuses. In 1930, the household listed Jae B. McElrath, age 42; Alma McElrath, age 41; John McElrath, age 4; Jewell McElrath, age 2; and Ola Mae McElrath, 2 months. Also living in that household in 1930 were Albert, age 14, and Carter Tate Champion, age 10, both listed as stepsons.

Jo Mae Smith, half sister to Albert, said that Albert did not get along well with his step-father, so he left home and went off somewhere, she thinks Louisiana, where he married a woman he called Abby. She knows nothing about Albert's wife and whether they had a family.

Albert's brother, Carter Champion, also served in the Army, in World War II. He was living in Polk County, Tennessee, with a wife (name unknown) when he enlisted.

So far as Albert's death, Jo Mae said that the family was told by the Army that he had been injured (no details), spent several months in a hospital, and recovered sufficiently that he was returned to duty. He then got pneumonia and died February 7, 1945, but family does not know where he died.

Eventually the Army returned his body and he was buried in Hopewell Baptist Cemetery, just off of Highway 411, approximately 1 mile north of Oakman.

Interestingly, both Murray and Gordon County listed this man as one of their dead soldiers of World War II. Yet neither had any public records detailing his life and death. After the museum had an article in the Chatsworth Times, Calhoun Times, and Dalton Citizen, headlined "Who Was Willie A. Champion?" with an accompanying photo of his grave marker, did someone come forward with helpful information regarding this man.

Special thanks are due to Jo Mae Smith, Albert's half-sister, and her granddaughter, Sherry Smith, for providing basic family details which enabled the museum to find relevant Census records for Willie Albert Champion's family.

They have also promised to provide pictures of the dead soldier to the museum soon.

UPDATE in May 2019. The family never provided the pictures and stopped communicating with our museum website. Consequently, we continue to seek pictures of this man for the museum.

Email us at: murrayveteransmuseum@yahoo.com

 

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