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Source: Findagrave
Anna Mary Setley
Pittsburgh, PA
Army Nurse Corps
US Navy
Served:
September 25, 1918 – April 11, 1919
September 17, 1921 – January 1, 1936
Fort Caswell, US Army Post Hospital:
September 25, 1918 – Feburary 13, 1919
Anna Mary Setley was born in Starr, PA, a small community about 130 miles NE of Pittsburgh. There is a family tree in FamilySearch. The Findagrave entry for the family is completely populated also.
In 1900, her father was listed as a stonemason. There were ten children. Anna, 11 years old, was the sixth. One daughter had died previously. Three more children would be born, for a total of fourteen, thirteen living, confirmed by the 1910 Census.
Her life is discovered from many documents. It also matches closely with another nurse who served at Fort Caswell during WWI: Faye Elmo White.
In 1910, Anna was not included with her family. One possibility is this 1910 Census, which shows a Mary Sittay working as a waitress at a hotel not too far from her family’s home.
By 1918, when she began her military service, she had graduated from Allegheny General Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, PA, as written in her obituary shown below. Her PA WWI Service Card shows she served at Fort Caswell, followed by Fort Lee, VA.
Three brothers (Charlie, Harold, and Roy) of her 12 siblings served overseas during WWI. Two were wounded. In addition, one older sister (Ida) became a nurse, although there’s no indication she entered the military.
After her discharge in April 1919, no records were found to describe her activities until 1921, when she enlisted in the US Navy. She served until January 1936. The table below lists many of the locations from various historical documents.
| 1922 – 1924 | Haiti [Source: US Marine Corps Muster Rolls] |
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| 1925 | US Naval Hospital, Brooklyn [Source: 1925 NY Census] |
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| 1928 | US Naval Hospital, Norfolk [Source: 1928 Norfolk City Directory] |
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| 1930 | Navy Yard Mare Island Naval Res. CA [Source: 1930 US Census] |
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| 1934 | Canacao, Philippines [Source: PA Veterans’ Compensation File] |
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In 1940, Mary, age 50, was living at home with her mother and several siblings. In 1945, a Nurse Anna M. Setley is shown in the NYC City Directory. Between 1947 and 1950, City Directories for Ansonia, CT, show a Nurse Anna M. Setley employed at Laurel Heights State Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
Anna Mary Setley passed away on May 17, 1972. The following obituaries were found.
Anna M. Setley was Navy nurse
Miss Anna Mary Setley, 82, of 154 Atlantic Ave., died at 8:15 p.m. Sunday in the Franklin Hospital.She was born in Tionesta Aug. 18, 1889, the daughter of Winfield and Elizabeth Thompson Setley.
Miss Setley was a member of the Free Methodist Church and the Mission Society of the church.
She enlisted as an Army nurse in September 1918, after graduating from Allegheny General Hospital School of Nursing. She was discharged from the Army in April of 1919.
On Sept. 15, 1921, she enlisted as a Navy nurse. She served with the Navy until her discharge on Jan. 1, 1936.
Surviving are two sisters, Katherine Setley of Franklin, with whom she made her home, and Mrs. Vernon (Nina) Johnson of Erie.
Preceding her in death were five brothers, Harold, Roy, Sylvester, Ralph and Charley, and five sisters, Dora and Ida Setley, Mrs. Maude Brady, Mrs. Rida Henderson and Mrs. Helena Goodnow.
Friends may call anytime after 7 p.m. Today at the Leverne L. Burger Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Today and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Services will be held in the funeral home at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Rev. Adolph Steed, pastor of the Free Methodist Church, will officiate. Interment will be in Starr Cemetery in Forest County.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that contributions be made to a favorite charity.
“Anna M. Setley was Navy nurse.” The News-Herald (Franklin, PA), 15 May 1972, p. 24.
Miss Anna Setley
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Leverene L. Burger Funeral Home for Miss Anna Mary Setley, 82, 154 Atlantic Ave.Miss Setley, a retired U.S. Navy nurse who served in World War II [WWI], died Sunday in the Franklin Hospital.
The Rev. Adolph Steed, pastor of the Franklin Free Methodist Church, officiated. He read the hymns, “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” and “I Won’t Have to Cross Jordan Alone” and the 23rd Psalm.
Interment was in the Starr Cemetery, Forst county. Pallbearers were Robert and Harold Parkhurst, Johnny Setley, Lee and Linn Reynolds and Mark Ives.
At the cemetery, the flag was presented to Miss Setley’s sister, Miss Katherine Setley.
Attending from a distance were Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Goodenow, Harold Parkhurst, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Parkhurst, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Orton and Mrs. Gerald Beeman of North East; Mr. and Mrs. Mark Ives of Sherman, N.Y.; John Setley of Rochester, N.Y.; Mr. and Mrs. O.V. Johnson of Erie; Mr. and Mrs. Vorman Reynolds, Townville; Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Brady, Slippery Rock; Harvey Brady and Mrs. Hazel Albaugh, Starr; and Mr. and Mrs. Fay Henry and sister of New Bethlehem.
The News-Herald (Franklin, PA), 18 May 1972, p. 28.
In the obituary above, it shows that Mrs. Fay Henry was present at her funeral. Faye White Henry was also a WWI Fort Caswell nurse. Anna trained and served with Faye for many years and apparently remained friends.
Nurse Anna was laid to rest with her family in Starr Cemetery, in PA. Her service in the Navy is written on her headstone, as shown at top.
If you would like to help us honor Anna Mary Setley or another Brunswick County WWI veteran, please use the following links:
Click here for the announcement: Announcement: Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
Click here for directions to donate and honor a veteran: How to Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
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