About
James Outwater Vedder, the son of Harmon and Effie (Boultbee) Vedder, was born on November 4, 1897, in New York City. James attended Columbia University before joining the service, and he would have graduated in 1919. It is unknown why James is commemorated at Vale Cemetery and on the Schenectady World War I memorial. The Vedder family is all buried in Vale Cemetery, however Jame's parents were not born in Schenectady. Because the Vedder family was prominent in Schenectady, he may have visited relatives there frequently.
On April 11, 1917, James enlisted in the United States Army. He was a Private First Class with the 107th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. James was injured while leading a machine gun squad on September 29, 1918, and died several days later. Harmon, Jame's brother, died of influenza during the war on November 5, 1918, a week before the armistice. They are both buried in the Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, France.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave