From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (African American Women Veterans in and from Kentucky)
Military Branch
Women's Army Auxiliary Corps
Women's Army Corps
Active Duty Entered
August 8, 1942
September 1, 1943
Active Duty Exit
October 24, 1945
Exit Rank
Sergeant
Notes
Rose Ann Gazaway was born in Williamsburg, KY, the daughter of Carrie Short and Nelson Gazaway. The family was enumerated in the 1920-1940 U.S. Censuses when they were living in Cincinnati, OH. On December 24, 1931, Rose Gazaway married Carey Moore in Cleveland, OH. The marriage had ended by November 1934 when Carey S. Moore married Nancy Covington. Rose Gazaway resumed using her birth name and returned home to live with her family.
In 1942 Rose had remarried and was separated from her husband when she enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati, according to her record in the National Archives, Access to Archival Databases. Rose Simpson is included in a photograph published in The Cincinnati Enquirer of women who had enlisted in the army; the women were said to be the first from the area to enlist in the Army, and Rose Simpson appears to be the only African American in the picture.
Either during or after her military service, Rose Simpson divorced her husband. In 1949, she married Virgil Spears in Dayton, OH. Rose Ann Gazaway Moore Simpson Spears died in Cincinnati and is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery.
Sources: 1931 Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes (Ancestry); 1934 Ohio, County Marriage Records in Ancestry; "Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana women join WAAC's," The Enquirer, 8/8/1942, p. 20; "City and County Statistics: "Vital Statistics: Marriage Licenses," The Journal Herald, 3/28/1949, p. 19; Cincinnati, OH Spring Grove Cemetery Index in Ancestry; and Rose Ann Spears at Find A Grave.
In 1942 Rose had remarried and was separated from her husband when she enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati, according to her record in the National Archives, Access to Archival Databases. Rose Simpson is included in a photograph published in The Cincinnati Enquirer of women who had enlisted in the army; the women were said to be the first from the area to enlist in the Army, and Rose Simpson appears to be the only African American in the picture.
Either during or after her military service, Rose Simpson divorced her husband. In 1949, she married Virgil Spears in Dayton, OH. Rose Ann Gazaway Moore Simpson Spears died in Cincinnati and is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery.
Sources: 1931 Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes (Ancestry); 1934 Ohio, County Marriage Records in Ancestry; "Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana women join WAAC's," The Enquirer, 8/8/1942, p. 20; "City and County Statistics: "Vital Statistics: Marriage Licenses," The Journal Herald, 3/28/1949, p. 19; Cincinnati, OH Spring Grove Cemetery Index in Ancestry; and Rose Ann Spears at Find A Grave.
Kentucky County & Region
Read about Whitley County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Kentucky Place (Town or City)
Read about Williamsburg, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Item Relations
Cited in this Entry
| NKAA Source: National Archives, Access to Archival Databases (online) |
| NKAA Source: Ancestry (online) |
| NKAA Source: The Cincinnati enquirer (newspaper) |
| NKAA Source: The Journal herald (newspaper) |
Related Entries Citing this Entry
| none |
Cite This NKAA Entry:
“Spears, Rose Ann Gazaway Moore Simpson,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed December 2, 2023, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/300004504.
Last modified: 2023-05-10 18:02:50