Claude S. Beach, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Claude S. Beach
CLAUDE S. BEACH was born November 6, 1889, in Valparaiso, Indiana, the son of M. J. and Mary (Brown) Beach of that city. The paternal grandparents were Sheldon and Experience Beach, both of whom were born in Canada; they were the parents of the following children: M. J.; Ascenith, the wife of Henry Black of Lake County, Indiana, and the mother of four sons who served in the World war; and Amelia, who is the wife of J. R. Blake of Porter County. M. J. and Mary Beach were married in Valparaiso in 1886, and to them were born two sons, of whom the subject of this sketch is the younger. The other son is Clarence, who was united in marriage with Emma Winslow of Battle Creek, Michigan.
Claude S. Beach attended Valparaiso High School, and subsequently completed the commercial course at Valparaiso University. He then became associated with his father in the plumbing and heating business under the name of M. J. Beach & Sons.
He enlisted for service in the World war as a member of the Motor Transport Corps, his service dating from April 27, 1918; he was first assigned to Purdue University, and on June 21, 1918, he was sent to Camp Mills, Long Island, to join the Ninetieth Division, Three Hundred Forty fourth Field Artillery. He embarked July 6, 1918, and disembarked at Liverpool. He eventually arrived at South Hampton, and after a rest at that place his contingent was sent to LaHavre, France, then to Bordeaux, and later to Camp Haut, an old camp which had been a base for Napoleon's operations long before. On September 1, 1918, his contingent was sent to Andelot, and soon they received orders to go forward; the advance, however, was interrupted by the signing of the armistice and they were then merged with the Army of Occupation and sent to Verdun and Stenay. Leaving there December 12, 1918, they hiked into Germany by way of Luxembourg and subsequently occupied Kempfeldt in the Rhineland. The departure from Germany was on May 21, 1919, by rail to St. Nazairre; from there they went to Charleston, South Carolina, and later to Camp Taylor, Kentucky, where he was mustered out in June, 1919.
Mr. Beach then returned to Valparaiso to again enter business with his father. He assisted in the organization of the Charles H. Pratt Post No. 94 of the American Legion and was one of its charter members, subsequently serving as the fourth commander of that post. Mr. Beach is a member of the Elks lodge also.
Reverting to his maternal grandparents, they were John and Sarah Brown, the former of Scotland and the latter of Connecticut. John Brown served in the Civil war, and died in that service.
Source: Cannon, Thomas H., H. H. Loring, and Charles J. Robb. 1927. History of the Lake and Calumet Region of Indiana Embracing the Counties of Lake, Porter and Laporte. Volume II. Indianapolis, Indiana: Historians' Association. 827 p.
Page(s) in Source: 251-252
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook