When George Vernon Goldsmith was born on October 27, 1891, his father, John, was 36 and his mother, Mary, was 31. He had four brothers and two sisters. He went into service in May of 1918, trained at Camp Gordon, Georgia, and arrived in France in August of the same year. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Private in Company C, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He died from his wounds received in battle on October 19, 1918 and is now buried in Wadsworth Cemetery, Hoffman, Clinton County, Illinois, USA.