The Mysterious WWI Service of Hortense Schoenfeld Doob

It began with discovery of this compelling photocopy in our files, labeled on its rear as simply, “Hortense Schoenfeld Doob.” Nothing more. Fortunately, some sleuthing has helped us to shed at least a little light on the service by this Beacon woman – while also illustrating how historical research like ours has been revolutionized by the internet.

Sure enough, we found Hortense in an online search, and we learned she was born in 1884 and died in New York City in 1970. The uniform implies she was a Great War ambulance driver. But internet genealogical records indicate that Hortense and her husband Hugo had twin sons in 1913 and a daughter in 1914, making it unlikely that she found time to be an ambulance driver overseas. We also could find no mention of her in any national WWI service listings. So, was she over there?

Then we uncovered the February 21, 1919, edition of The Poughkeepsie Eagle-News and solved the photo mystery. At a time when few women drove motor vehicles, Hortense had become one of 54 volunteer members of the Dutchess County unit of the Women’s Motor Corps, which had been organized June 10, 1918, and became the only such unit in New York State to be called into active service. Throughout the course of the war, Hortense and the other women transported troops, volunteered during the influenza epidemic, supported Red Cross drives and participated in events such as the draft and peace parades. The volunteers, who covered all their own expenses (often in their own vehicles), were even deployed for a full seven weeks to the Emergency Military Hospital set up in Ossining to handle all patient transportation. They were required to undergo strict training in first aid, emergency mechanics and driving, ensuring they could manage vehicle repairs in the field.

Now we wondered: how did the Doobs end up Beacon? Back to the search – but closer to home: Using our collection of Beacon city directories of 1922 and 1924, we found them living on Monell Place, when Hugo is listed as the General Manager of the Glenham Embroidery Mills. Emboldened by these discoveries, we reached out to the online genealogical community to connect with family members and were delighted when Barbara Dickey replied. “Hortense Doob was my grandmother. My great-grandfather Doob had a lace factory in Czechoslovakia, which he relocated to Beacon, New York. When fashions changed and there was less of a demand for lace, the factory closed down and the family moved to New York City. This is what my father told me, but I know nothing else about my grandmother.”

Now at least we know a little about Hortense and her WWI service.

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