2LT. John Augustine Lane: a mystery of history

Second Lieutenant John Augustine Lane was born in Eagle, Wisconsin on November 14, 1888. He was the 6th of seven children born to John Lane and Ellen Crowley. Given what's known about 19th century Eagle, the family likely owned a farm. Father John Lane was a Civil War veteran and known a pillar of this small community who served as a Trustee of St Theresa Catholic Church local church (est. 1852).

John Augustine eventually went to college and moved to Chicago after graduating, becoming an accountant. John Sr. passed away in 1912. We can assume the 24-year-old accountant helped manage his father's burial arrangements, and likely traveled between Chicago and Eagle at least several times a year.

In June of 1917, John Augustine Lane registered for military service, entering with the rank of Private in October, Over the next year, John was transferred from the Infantry to the Artillery, and was promoted several times. He thus likely commanded subsequent classes of trainees at locations including Camp Grant, Camp Taylor, and Camp Jackson. Lane was never deployed to Europe, so was promptly discharged in December of 1918, returning to Chicago as a retired second lieutenant.

The details of Lane's adult life can only be inferred. Mother Ellen Crowley Lane died in 1920, likely long before five years John Augustine had even met Margaret Hyde, whom he married in 1925. Lane rose to become VP and comptroller in a Chicago company, so likely provided quite well for the couple's two sons, John and William (born 1927 and 1933, By 1933, when William Bernard was born, the family lived in the village of Evergreen Park on Chicago's SW side. The Lanes could thus have been unwilling witnesses to the 1934 shootout between John Dillinger and local police!

Like his father, John Augustine before seeing his sons come of age; son William was only 14 when John A. Lane died on July 7, 1947. Lane was buried in Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, which is visible from Interstate 294 just south of the Chicago Ridge exit.

Imagining the life of any individual person more than a century ago can be challenging, and often leaves historians with more questions than answers.

"Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQYQ-B9Q : 10 March 2021), John A. Lane, 07 Jul 1947; Public Board of Health, Archives, Springfield; FHL microfilm 1,991,635.

"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K68L-YKM : 10 March 2021), John Augustine Lane, 1917-1918.

"Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, Cemetery Records, 1864-1989," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2HJ-CHMF : 9 March 2021), John A Lane, 10 Jul 1947; citing Worth, Cook, Illinois, United States, Worth, Cook, Illinois, United States,Holy Sepulchre, Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,613,745.