World War I and the Contributions of the

Black Population of Honey Grove​

Honey Grove Signal, June 8, 1917

​The registration for army service in Honey Grove was much heavier than was expected.  All told, 435 men registered for service at the two Honey Grove boxes.  Of these 292 were whites and 143 colored.

Honey Grove Signal, November 2, 1917

Negroes to the War.

Fifty Fannin county negroes left Bonham Tuesday for training camps to fit themselves as soldiers for the great war in Europe.  This is the first consignment of negro troops called out, but doubtless there will be others. And let no one dream that the negro troops will not give good account of themselves on the battlefield. In the engagements in which negroes have participated they have shown that they have all the qualities that go to make good soldiers.  Negro troops saved Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders at San Juan hill, and in the campaign against Villa in Mexico negro troops covered themselves with glory, The negro is a loyal American citizen, he loves his country and will fight for its honor.
A patriotic service was held at the colored Baptist church in this city Sunday in honor of the negro boys who went from here. It was a very fine service, with a few white people participating and lending assistance. Honey Grove and the surrounding country furnished ten of the fifty negro boys who left for the training camp Monday.

Honey Grove Signal, March 1, 1918
Colored Man's Appeal.
To the Colored Farmers and Colored inhabitants in and a round Honey Grove, Texas:
This comes to say to you that we, with the whole world, are confronted with conditions that never have been before us in all the world’s history.
Unwillingly we were forced into this world-wide war. Since our sons, relatives, neighbors and friends have gladly gone and are willingly going to the front for the sole purpose of winning this war in order to establish a wide-world Democracy, it behooves us who are left behind the firing tines to do our bit.
Let us begin now by doing all in our power to grow everything we can from a good garden to all farm commodities. If all can't farm we can make a good garden. Let each one be determined to let no man grow a better variety of crops, and a better garden than he, let him be white or black. If you have not planted your garden, plant it as once.  I have commenced, and before completing gave it a name known as "win the war" garden.  May I persuade you to do your best along the above-named lines, so when this war will have ended with our victory, and the roaring of the cannon ceased and the smoke is cleared away, we all will be able and can truthfully say, we helped win this war.
Dr.  P. R. Robinson