The Wyeth and Wythe Families of America: October 2026

Friday, October 30, 2026

The Reality of War

I am getting a little closer to finishing volume two of the Wyeth and Wythe Families of America so I thought I would share a bit of research for next month's Veterans' Day about Wayne Harvey Wyeth, who died at age 80 on this date in 2003. Wayne was a descendant of Gad Wyeth whose father, Ebenezer Wyeth Jr., fought in the first battle of the American Revolution on 19 Apr 1775. Following in his fourth great grandfather’s footsteps, Wayne’s obituary mentions he was in the military and was held as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Four months before his capture, Wayne, in Company A, 116^th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, was in the first wave of assault troops landing on Omaha Beach’s Dog Green sector shortly after H-Hour (6:30 AM) on D-Day, 6 Jun 1944. The troops of riflemen were the spearhead of the massive Allied invasion aimed at restoring freedom and liberty by smashing Hitler’s tyrannical grip on the European continent. Company A suffered devastating casualties within minutes of reaching shore and was among the hardest-hit American units of the invasion.

D-Day Omaha Beach Into the Jaws of Death

Although he survived the deadly landing at Omaha Beach, Wayne later reflected that he did not fully understand the reality of war until reaching Saint-Lô, France, where he saw the bloated body of a German soldier lying in the street. The experience brought home the human cost of the conflict in a way that combat alone had not.

Sources: "Wayne H. Wyeth," St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO), 31 Oct 2003, citing Newspapers.com page 92; Wayne Harvey Wyeth, I did it my Way, 1995, story courtesy of his grandson, Matthew Joseph Wyeth; Samuel J. Cox, "H-Gram 031: Operation Neptune, 6 Jun1944–Special "D-Day" Edition" (Naval History and Heritage Command, 6 Jun 2019), 16, H-Gram 031; Sons of Liberty Museum, "Wayne H. Wyeth," 29th Infantry Division World War II Records, accessed 26 Oct 2026; Joshua Shepherd, “D-Day Landing at Omaha Beach,” Warfare History Network, May 2019 and Robert F. Sargent, Into the Jaws of Death, photograph, Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, 6 Jun 1944, National Archives and Records Administration.

THE WYETH AND WYTHE FAMILIES OF AMERICA

Written by Christina Wyeth Baker and published by Heritage Books of Berwyn Heights, MD, 2019, 8½x11, paperback, 558 pages, B5897, ISBN-10 0788458973 is $55.00 plus shipping and handling. To buy the book and have it inscribed by the author, please click here to email Christina Wyeth Baker. Additionally, the publisher, Heritage Books, sells the book on their website as well as through several well-known booksellers. For more information, please check out and like our Facebook site @WyethWythefamilies

About Jeff Wyeth

In 1977, while stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany, Jeff began writing letters of inquiry to family all over the U.S. One of the first responses came from Palm Beach architect Marion Sims Wyeth who designed the exterior of Mar-a-Lago. Marion sent Jeff his privately published booklet detailing the discovery of Nicholas Wyeth's birthplace in Saxtead. On page three of the booklet, Marion said he “is issuing this account at the present time in its very incomplete condition for fear that the notes might be … lost to some other member of the family who may be interested in carrying on this search.” Jeff took the word "search" literally. Finally after 33 years of searching, in 2010, Jeff convinced his sister to write a book based on his collections. Jeff and Christina are from the line of Nicholas' 3rd great grandson, Stephen Wyeth, who transplanted the Wyeth name from MA to OH. Stephen’s father Ebenezer Wyeth III, the oldest child of Ebenezer Wyeth Jr. and Mary Winship, grew up on the shores of Cambridge’s Fresh Pond. In 2020, Jeff and his wife Teresa celebrated 40 years of marriage. They are the proud parents and grandparents of one son and three grandchildren. Jeff serves as an evangelist for the Church of Christ in Grayling, MI.

ABOUT JAMIE WYETH

Celebrated artist, James Browning “Jamie” Wyeth really needs no introduction. Undoubtedly, Jamie is now the most famous Wyeth-named descendant of Nicholas Wyeth. For over six decades, Jamie has painted portraits of pigs, presidents and ballet dancers with equal skill. Walking in the legendary footsteps of his father, Andrew, and grandfather, Newell Convers "N. C.", Jamie has distinguished himself in his own right as a contemporary realist painter. Like his father and grandfather, Jamie’s creativity thrives in the unique environments of the Brandywine region of Pennsylvania and Delaware as well as the mid-coast of Maine. Jamie descends from Nicholas Wyeth’s great grandson, Noah Wyeth. Interestingly, when her mother died, Jamie’s third great grandmother, Lydia Convers Francis, age nine, went to live with Christina and Jeff’s ancestors, Ebenezer Wyeth Jr. and Mary Winship, on the shores of Cambridge’s Fresh Pond. At age 25, Lydia married the nephew of her benefactors, Captain Job Wyeth.

Library Holdings for Christina Wyeth Baker's Book

The Wyeth and Wythe Families of America is owned by The Library of Congress, Washington, DC; the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA; the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN; the Saint Louis County Library, St. Louis, MO; the Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO; the Wichita Public Library, Wichita, KS; the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, DC; the Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, MA; the Framingham Public Library, Framingham, MA; and the Licking County Genealogical Society at the Licking County Library, Newark, OH.