Scrapbook, In the Matter of the Claim of Emmett Gallagher

This scrapbook consists of documents related to the veterans disability claim of Emmett Gallagher, who was born in Greece, New York, in either 1895, 1896, or 1898. Gallagher was conscripted for service in the United States Army in 1918 and fought in World War I. He served as a mechanic (what would today be called an armorer) with the 311th Infantry regiment in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. During his service, he already showed signs of what today is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before being gassed. After the war, his disability claims in 1921 were denied. The documents in this scrapbook were assembled to back later claims in 1926 and 1933, which successfully led to his reception of a disabled veteran’s pension. Gallagher passed away in 1955.

This scrapbook was assembled by Martha Davis Rothstein, a psychologist and documentary film maker originally from Rochester, New York. Rothstein’s grandparents lived in the same area of West Ridge Road in Greece, New York, as the Gallaghers; Martha knew Emmett Gallagher as a child. Martha’s mother was a close friend of the Gallaghers, going so far as to provide a home for his brother Ray after Ray’s wife passed away (Emmett was already deceased). She found the papers in this scrapbook among Ray’s possessions while helping him pack. After Ray’s passing, Martha’s mother ensured the papers were not lost. Martha, in turn, organized and preserved the papers, as she writes in the forward to the scrapbook, because “they tell an extraordinary story in the plain talk of ordinary people.”

Rothstein donated the scrapbook to the Rochester Public Library in 2023.