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Chaplain John W. Beard
Chaplain John W. Beard (1883-1951) was the former chaplain of the 91st Division and the Oregon National Guard.
He was born in Kirwin, Phillips County, Kansas, the son of Sam and R...view moreChaplain John W. Beard (1883-1951) was the former chaplain of the 91st Division and the Oregon National Guard.
He was born in Kirwin, Phillips County, Kansas, the son of Sam and Rosetta (Mowers) Beard. At around age 9, his mother remarried, and the family moved to Sioux City, where he attended Worcester school.
As a boy, Chaplain Beard already displayed great interest in the history of Sioux City, often stopping at Floyd Monument with his brother Frank and talking about the Oregon Trail. He attended Buena Vista, at Storm Lake, and Omaha Theological seminary to become a Presbyterian minister. He went on to serve churches in Randolph and Wayne, Nebraska, as well as Third Presbyterian in Sioux City. He served as Pastor at Mount Tabor Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon for twenty-five years.
During World War I, John was a chaplain with the 91st Division. Ministering to the wounded in some of the most dangerous places, Chaplain ‘Chappy’ Beard was called, ‘the fighting chaplain’. He became a captain, and received the French Croix de Guerre, the Silver Star, and was cited for the Distinguished Service Cross award. He was chaplain with the 41st Division before World War II. He later became chaplain of the Oregon National Guard.
In 1919 he traveled the Missouri River from Sioux City to St Louis and, a few years later, finished the trip by canoeing 1,200 miles from Three Forks, Montana, to Bismarck, North Dakota. In 1948, John and his wife Lu rode the Oregon Trail on horseback from Oregon City to Independence, Missouri. An account of their trip is recorded in his 1949 book, Saddles East.view less