Tieskotter publishes book honoring Webster County's military heroes

Carmelita Tieskotter is now a published author of the book titled “Webster County Missouri’s Military Heroes”, which was inspired by her granduncle and all of the names on the military monument at the Marshfield Square. 

With parents native to Webster County (Bob and Joe Ann (Bruton) Brinkley), interests in genealogy, traveling and scrapbooking, Tieskotter was a perfect fit as a volunteer at the Webster County History Museum when she and her husband moved back to the area in 2008. Little did she know at the time, she would also finish a book that made its mark on Webster County History. The book took her four years to write from the start of her research to the final product of it being finished and published. She was inspired by the framed picture of a soldier on a bedroom wall in her grandparents’ home in Elkland.

“I was fascinated by the picture and would eventually learn the soldier was Pvt. Erastus W. Price, my grandmother’s brother. During World War I, he died in a hospital in France, one of the thousands of U.S. soldiers who fell victim to the Spanish influenza virus,” Tieskotter explained.

“One hundred years later, on the eve of Armistice Day in November 2018, I found myself standing in front of the military monument on the Marshfield Square staring at the name of Erastus W. Price and remembering the framed picture on the wall at my grandmother's house.”

As she walked around the monument, reading the list of names, she realized that these other men were also a face on a wall; they also had a story and had a family that they left behind.

“From inside of me came a voice that I simply could not ignore – Tell their stories,” she said. “When I had approached the monument that day, my intent was to pay my respects to my granduncle. When I walked away, I knew that I was going to write a book.”

The book contains the biographical sketches of 120 men, all of whom had ties to Webster County and died while serving in the military. 

“My fear is that someday these heroes and the sacrifices they made will be forgotten,” Tieskotter added. “If one of my stories sparks a conversation about that person or sends someone to a cemetery in search of his tombstone, then I have succeeded in keeping his memory alive.”

Copies of the book can be purchased at the Webster County History Museum in Marshfield (417-468-7407) and the School Mom’s Museum & Gallery in Seymour (417-935-4983) for $40. Shipped copies are also available for $7.50 more.

Profits from the sale of the book will benefit the Honor Flight of the Ozarks, Missing in America Project, Missouri's National Veterans Memorial, and Webster County Historical Society. For any shipped orders, checks should be made payable to the Webster County Historical Society and mailed to P.O. Box 13, Marshfield, MO 65706.