Need your help returning a dog tag

[Matt872]

Hello All

I find WWII dog tags almost every week but never tried to return one untill today. I have been trying to research the name but have not found much. Ive looked throu past posts and tried the web sites listed but nothing as far as service record or any info Can you help

Name :Theodore E Higginbothem
I.D. # 32590733
Blood Type: O
Next Of Kin: Mollie Higginbotham
18 Governor St
Newark, Nj

Any help you can give is much appriciated..

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Mackaydon]

Matt:
Welcome to Treasure Net !!

For starters, note that you have spelled the last names differently; which is correct?

Suggestions:

Write a ‘blanket’ cover letter to the three American Legion Posts in Newark:
1. 20 Washington Pl # 436 Newark 07102
2. 212 Elizabeth Ave. Newark 07114
3. 20 Cortland Place Newark 07105
Or call them at (973) 623-6298; (973-645-0685) and (973) 589-9721, respectively.
Tell them your story; where you found it and you’d like to return the tag to the owner or his next of kin. Ask for their assistance.

Do the same with the Veterans of Foreign War post in Newark:
40 Barbara Street, Newark, NJ 07105-3302
(973) 344-4020

Don.....

 

[Matt872]

THANK YOU The correct spelling is Higginbothem

 

[Mackaydon]

Matt,
Your soldier was 21 years old when he enlisted in 1942 in Newark (Essex County), New Jersey.
My intial concern (that his wife's listed town, Newark, may not have coincided with where he enlisted) has now been removed. The fact that he lived and enlisted in Newark should make the VFW's and the Foreign Legion's search process easier.
And if he survived the war, there's a good chance he was a member of one of the vet organizations and shown in their records--maybe even forwarding addresses, etc.
Don.....

 

[aa battery]

Matt,
Your soldier was 21 years old when he enlisted in 1942 in Newark (Essex County), New Jersey.
My intial concern (that his wife's listed town, Newark, may not have coincided with where he enlisted) has now been removed. The fact that he lived and enlisted in Newark should make the VFW's and the Foreign Legion's search process easier.
Don.....

 

[Bramblefind]

Here's some additional info on that soldier. Social Security records show he died in 1992.

Name: Theodore E Higginbotham
Birth Year: 1921
Race: Negro, citizen (Black)
Nativity State or Country: Tennessee
State of Residence: New Jersey
County or City: Essex

Enlistment Date: 16 Nov 1942
Enlistment State: New Jersey
Enlistment City: Newark
Branch: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Branch Code: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Grade: Private
Grade Code: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source: Civil Life

Education: 3 years of high school
Civil Occupation: Unskilled occupations in laundering, cleaning, dyeing, and pressing apparel and other articles
Marital Status: Single, with dependents
Height: 68
Weight: 170

Name: Theodore E. Higginbotham
SSN: xxxxxxx
Born: 7 Oct 1921
Died: 13 Mar 1992
State (Year) SSN issued: New Jersey (Before 1951)

 

[Mackaydon]

The property at that address has sold four times since 1996 so I'll assume that neither Mollie (if she is still alive) nor her family still lives there. Assuming that he died in Newark, the obits of the day might state the name(s) of the next of kin and their town(s) or residence.
Don.....

 

[Matt872]

Thank you all for your info. It was a huge help

Bramblefind where did you find the info? I would like to continue to look up additional tags that i have and dont want to bother you all with the same question over and over ...