About
Harmon Boultbee Vedder, the son of Harmon and Effie (Boultbee) Vedder, was born on October 9, 1896, in New York City. Harmon attended Columbia University before joining the service, and he would have graduated in 1918. It is unknown why Harmon is commemorated at Vale Cemetery and on the Schenectady World War I memorial. The Vedder family is all buried in Vale Cemetery, however Harmon's parents were not born in Schenectady. Because the Vedder family was prominent in Schenectady, he may have visited relatives there frequently.
On June 22, 1916, Harmon enlisted in the United States Army. He was a Mess Sergeant with the 107th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. Harmon had been commended for his courage on September 29, 1918, for the effective distribution of hot food to the troops of his unit immediately before the Hindenburg Line onslaught. Harmon had been under heavy fire while doing this task. Harmon died of influenza on November 5, 1918, only a week before the armistice. Harmon's brother James was killed in action while leading a squad into battle in September 1918. They are both buried in the Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, France.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry