Elmer Charles Norquist

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Elmer was born to Gustaf Ferdinand (22) and Christine (Lingwall) (19) Norquist on March 18, 1892 in Kewanee, Henry, Illinois.  He was the first of twelve more children born (7 boys and 5 girls)​. About the time that his brother William was born (11th sibling), the family had moved to Rock Rapids, Lyon County, Iowa. At around the age of 14 they found their way to White, South Dakota. When the United States joined up for the war, Elmer was 25 years old and living in the White, South Dakota area and farming.

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Elmer and Elmer Bentsen and Magnus Bentsen enlisted in the Navy and went to Omaha for the physical examination and then returned to White to wait for the 'call' which could come at any time. Elmer's draft card of June 1917 lists him as medium build, medium height, light colored hair and blue eyes. Elmer's call came on June 15, 1915. He became a Fireman 1st Class (no ship mentioned or found in research) and served until April 10, 1919.

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When Elmer returned to White, he married Nellie 'Marie" Lamb on December 23, 1919. They lived east of town where Elmer farmed. Marie gave birth to a daughter that died same day (February 14, 1921). Either due to the difficult birth or the loss of the daughter, Marie did not recover and also passed away on November 11, 1921. Elmer married again on June 18, 1924 to Helga Thomsen of White. Helga and Elmer owned and operated a cafe in White from 1936 until 1943 and Elmer also served as a policeman for a short time. While busy with all that, they also found time to add five children to their family. Lois, Norman, Shirley, Beverly, and Vernon (per the 1940 Census they had all lived in Huron, Beadle County, South Dakota in 1935).

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Helga passed away on December 29, 1964. Elmer lived until February 3, 1978 and is buried in Fairview Cemetery in White, South Dakota.

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Fireman 1st Class WWI

A Fireman 1st Class (F1c) in the U.S. Navy during World War I would have been responsible for:

• Fire and tending boilers

• Operating, adjusting, and repairing pumps 

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Other duties of a Fireman (FN) in the Navy include:

• Standing engineering watches

• Cleaning engineering spaces and equipment

• Making minor repairs to engineering equipment

• Recording readings of gages

• Participating in general drills

• Performing general detail duties 

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Firemen in the Navy undergo an 8-week basic training course that covers:

• Elementary arithmetic and geometry

• Blueprint reading

• Study of engine room equipment and ship plans

• Study of steam power installations and equipment

• Study of boilers, piping, auxiliaries, winches, refrigeration and distillation units, electrical equipment, motors, and gasoline and Diesel units 

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AI Generated Overview per Google

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