Personal recordFamily and census research
Born in Houston, Missouri
Family research identifies Walter as the son of John Emory Dutton and Sarah E. Wolfe. Census matches place his childhood in Upton Township, Texas County, Missouri.
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World War I · United States Army
Walter Allen Dutton
Sergeant
5th Field Artillery · Regular Army
Regular Army service · 1911–1919 · France
Hover to reveal colorWalter Allen Dutton
His story
A life remembered beyond the service record.
Walter Allen Dutton was the patriarch of the Dutton family represented in this archive: a Regular Army veteran whose service began years before the United States entered World War I, carried him from Alaska and the Philippines to the Mexican border, and ultimately took him to France. He and his wife, Pearl Elizabeth Davis, raised the generation whose service stories form much of this archive.
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Related collections
Long-form sources are kept in separate reading rooms so Walter Allen Dutton’s profile can remain a clear guide to his life, service, and surviving records.
At a glance
The known record.
Every statement is phrased according to the strength of the evidence currently held or identified.
- 01Born on 22 February 1892 in Houston, Missouri; died on 18 July 1965 in Sparta, Wisconsin.
- 02Son of John Emory Dutton and Sarah E. Wolfe, according to family-tree research gathered for the archive.
- 03Husband of Pearl Elizabeth Davis and father of Pauline, Eldon, Kenneth, Ralph, LaVerne, Wayne, and Roland Dutton. Pearl was the daughter of Levi Emanuel Davis and granddaughter of Israel Davis.
- 04Entered the Regular Army at Fort Logan, Colorado, on 28 July 1911 and re-enlisted at Portland, Oregon, on 10 August 1914.
- 05Served with the Ordnance Department, Quartermaster Corps, and 5th Field Artillery before departing for France in July 1918.
- 06Later lived in the Angelo and Sparta area of Monroe County, Wisconsin, where census research identifies him as an independent automobile repairman.
Operational timeline
Reconstructing the story, one record at a time.
Personal eventCompany eventDivision contextDirectly documented
Service recordService summary
Entered the United States Army
Walter entered service at Fort Logan, Colorado, and trained there until 5 September 1911.
Service recordService summary
Alaska and the Philippine Islands
The service summary places Walter at Fort Davis, Alaska, from September 1911 to June 1912; Camp Stotsenburg in the Philippine Islands from July to September 1912; and again at Fort Davis from October 1912 until July 1914.
Service recordService summary
Re-enlisted in the Regular Army
After returning to the United States for discharge, Walter re-enlisted at Portland, Oregon, for service with the Ordnance Department at Benicia Arsenal, California.
Service recordService summary
Transferred to the Quartermaster Corps
Walter transferred to the Quartermaster Corps while remaining at Benicia Arsenal.
Service recordService summary
Joined the 5th Field Artillery
Walter transferred to the 5th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, then served at Fort Brown and Fort Bliss, Texas. The summary records that he joined expeditionary forces in Mexico before returning to Fort Bliss in November 1916.
Service recordService summary
Prepared for overseas service
Walter served at Camp Robinson, Wisconsin; Camp Wheeler, Georgia; Camp McClellan, Alabama; and Camp Merritt, New Jersey before departing for France on 28 July 1918.
World War I serviceService summary
Departed for France
The service summary records Walter’s departure for France. It does not identify his precise overseas station, battery, or engagements, leaving those as priorities for further research.
Service recordService summary
Returned home and entered the reserve
Walter returned to the United States on 22 January 1919 and was furloughed to the Regular Army Reserve at Camp Grant, Illinois, on 15 February. The summary states that he suffered no sickness or wounds during service.
Family lifeCensus research
Family life in Angelo, Wisconsin
Census-based research places Walter and Pearl with their children in Angelo, Monroe County, Wisconsin, and records Walter working independently as an automobile repairman.
Family legacyFamily archive
A father whose children served
Walter’s own World War I service preceded the wartime service of sons Eldon, Kenneth, Ralph, LaVerne, and Wayne. Their records make his family a central thread running from World War I through Vietnam.
Family recordKenneth Dutton IDPF
Brought Kenneth home to Angelo
Kenneth Dutton’s burial file records Walter as next of kin. He selected the return of Kenneth’s remains to Angelo Cemetery in August 1947, received shipment notices in 1948, pursued interment reimbursement, and received paperwork for a bronze grave marker in 1949.
Personal recordFamily and memorial research
Died in Sparta, Wisconsin
Family and memorial research records Walter’s death in Sparta at age seventy-three. His Find a Grave memorial is linked in the archive collections below.
Beyond the uniform
The person the family knew.
A military file can record a rank, unit, wound, or death—but not a laugh, a favorite story, an occupation, or the way a person was known at home. This section is reserved for photographs, letters, memories, and the details of Walter Allen Dutton’s life outside his service.
Family & homeWork & interestsLetters & photographs
Documents & evidence
Building the paper trail.
Read the original records beside selected transcriptions, then follow their evidence directly into the timeline.
Document 01
Walter Allen Dutton Service Summary
Regular Army service · 1911–1919
A condensed service chronology following Sergeant Walter Allen Dutton from his 1911 enlistment through assignments in Alaska, the Philippines, California, Texas, Mexico, domestic training camps, France, and the Regular Army Reserve.
Selected transcription
Sergeant Walter Allen Dutton — Born February 22, 1892, at Houston, Missouri. Entered service July 28, 1911, at Fort Logan, Colorado.
Trained at Fort Logan until September 5, 1911. At Fort Davis, Alaska, from September 20, 1911, to June 18, 1912. At Camp Stotsenburg, Philippine Islands, from July 9 to September 25, 1912.
Again at Fort Davis from October 17, 1912, to July 16, 1914, and returned to the United States for discharge. Re-enlisted at Portland, Oregon, August 10, 1914, for Ordnance Department, Benicia Arsenal, California.
Transferred June 7, 1915, to Quartermaster Corps at same station. Transferred March 2, 1916, to the 5th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Left Fort Sill June 26, 1916, for Fort Brown, Texas. At this fort from June 29 to July 14, 1916. At Fort Bliss, Texas, until July 29, 1916, then joined the expeditionary forces at ‘Augea Pretta,’ Old Mexico.
Returned to the United States and stationed at Fort Bliss from November 11, 1916, to May 24, 1917. At Camp Robinson, Wisconsin, until November 9, 1917. At Camp Wheeler, Georgia, until June 22, 1918.
At Camp McClellan, Alabama, until July 19, 1918. At Camp Merritt, New Jersey, until July 28, 1918, then left for France.
Returned to the United States January 22, 1919. Furloughed to Regular Army Reserve at Camp Grant, Illinois, February 15, 1919. Had no sickness nor wounds during service.
What this establishes
- Walter served in the Regular Army from 1911 through 1919 and held the rank of Sergeant.
- His prewar assignments included Alaska, the Philippine Islands, California, Texas, and expeditionary service in Mexico.
- He transferred to the 5th Field Artillery in March 1916.
- He departed the United States for France on 28 July 1918 and returned on 22 January 1919.
Further records
Still being sought
DOC 01
Known recordService summary card
Provides a station-by-station outline of Walter’s Regular Army service from 1911 through 1919.
DOC 02
Known recordKenneth Dutton Individual Deceased Personnel File
Documents Walter’s role as next of kin and his work to return Kenneth’s remains to Angelo Cemetery.
DOC 03
Family accountFind a Grave memorial 34593991
An external memorial and burial reference linked from Walter’s profile.
DOC 04
Research leadOfficial Military Personnel File and unit records
Needed to identify Walter’s battery, overseas stations, operations, awards, and final discharge details.