Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
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1925 - 2022 (97 years)| Name | James Monroe PROSSER [3, 4, 5, 6] | |
| Suffix | Sr. | |
| Birth | 1925 | Lamar, South Carolina  [5] |
| Gender | Male | |
| Education | he graduated from Edmunds High School, Sumter, South Carolina, in 1947 | |
| HIST | of Sumter, South Carolina Sumter vet to receive French honor Resident was a machine gunner in World War II James Prosser’s platoon poses for a picture in France during a break in action in 1944. Prosser, sitting in the front row, fourth from right, said several of the soldiers in this photo were killed in action the next day. PHOTO PROVIDED Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2014 6:00 am BY JIM HILLEY JIM@THEITEM.COM The sounds of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” and the “Star-Spangled Banner” will waft across Main Street at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, as French military dignitaries recognize the World War II service of Sumter resident James Prosser and his unit. Prosser, thought to be the last surviving member of D Company of the 16th Regiment of the 29th U.S. Army Division, will be awarded the Legion of Honor (Légion d’Honneur) and the rank of Knight (Chevalier) on the steps of the old Sumter County Courthouse by Monsieur Bernard Marie from the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Prosser was born in Lamar in 1925. His father worked for a railroad, and as a youth he lived in several towns in the state including McBee, Darlington and Sumter. He was drafted into the Army in November 1943. After 17 weeks of basic training at Camp Wheeler in Georgia, Prosser was assigned to Fort Meade, Maryland, and Camp Shanks, New York, before embarking for Glasgow, Scotland. He was assigned additional Ranger training in England. His company landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy six days after D-Day, which occurred June 6, 1944. Prosser’s unit fought in the hedgerows and was among those who pushed German forces across northern France toward the Rhine River in the months after D-Day, suffering unusually high casualty rates but participating in the liberation of St. Lo and Brest from German occupation. Serving as a machine gunner, Prosser was wounded when a mortar shell landed near his location, lodging shrapnel in his back. After being field dressed by a member of his unit, he reportedly declined the opportunity to be sent behind the lines for medical treatment. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries. Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Dutch” Holland, who is the executive director of the Shaw-Sumter Partnership for Progress, said Prosser is the kind of man who makes his family and the entire community proud. “He is such a humble guy that he would probably tell you that if he had his druthers, he wouldn’t have this ceremony,” Holland said. “On the other hand, this is an opportunity for the community and the French government and everyone else to just say ‘thank you’ and recognize what he did for his country and the free world in World War II. It is also an opportunity to come and recognize more than just this one individual but recognize that we have a lot of great veterans who have done some great things, not just in World War II, but in all the conflicts. I appreciate his allowing the community to have the ceremony in his honor because we’ll probably get more out of it than he will.” After being honorably discharged in January 1946, Prosser stayed in the Army Reserve and achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4th Grade. He returned to Sumter and graduated from Edmunds High School in 1947. He worked for several years for Dixie Home Co. before entering the insurance business, from which he eventually retired. Prosser married Betty Dennis, and they have two children, James Prosser Jr. and Jennifer (Prosser) Barrett. For more information, call Denise McLeod at (803) 436-2102. JAMES MONROE PROSSER SR. Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2022 6:00 am James Monroe Prosser Sr., 96, widower of Elizabeth M. Dennis Prosser, died on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at his home. Born on July 21, 1925, in Lamar, he was a son of the late James Monroe Prosser and Mary Lometa Plummer Prosser. Mr. Prosser was an active member of Sumter First Baptist Church, where he served faithfully as an usher for many years. He served in the U.S. Army and was a decorated veteran of World War II, where he was awarded the Purple Heart medal. He was the last surviving member of D Company, 116th Regiment, 29th Division. He was also awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honor Medal by the French Government, the highest French order of merit, both military and civil, and confers Knighthood upon the recipient. Mr. Prosser retired from the insurance industry after many years of service with Capitol Holdings Insurance Co. and Liberty Life Insurance Co. Survivors include two children, James M. Prosser Jr. (Emma) of Manning and Jennifer Barrett (Michael) of Sumter; five grandchildren, Jeremy Prosser (Diann), Joshua Prosser (LeAnn), Tyler Barrett, Reagan Barrett and Carlie Barrett; three great-grandchildren, Lily Prosser, Silas Prosser and Lyra Prosser; and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by five siblings, Odell Prosser, Willie Prosser, Letha Prosser Lloyd, Carl Newton Prosser and Ruth Prosser James. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Sumter First Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Dan Barber and the Rev. Dr. Bob Calvert officiating. Burial will be in the Lamar Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Walter McGee, John Jones Jr., Marvin Burress, Don Morris, Eddie Harrison, the Rev. Friendly Gadson and Larry Matthews. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the home, 110 Chappell St. Memorials may be made to the 29 Association, "29 Let's Go" Support Fund, P.O. Box 2008, Staunton, VA 24402-2008. Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements. [2, 4, 5] | |
| MILI | He served in the U.S. Army and was a decorated veteran of World War II, where he was awarded the Purple Heart medal. He was the last surviving member of D Company, 116th Regiment, 29th Division. He was also awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honor Medal by the French Government, the highest French order of merit, both military and civil, and confers Knighthood upon the recipient. Sumter vet to receive French honor Resident was a machine gunner in World War II James Prosser’s platoon poses for a picture in France during a break in action in 1944. Prosser, sitting in the front row, fourth from right, said several of the soldiers in this photo were killed in action the next day. PHOTO PROVIDED Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2014 6:00 am BY JIM HILLEY JIM@THEITEM.COM The sounds of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” and the “Star-Spangled Banner” will waft across Main Street at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, as French military dignitaries recognize the World War II service of Sumter resident James Prosser and his unit. Prosser, thought to be the last surviving member of D Company of the 16th Regiment of the 29th U.S. Army Division, will be awarded the Legion of Honor (Légion d’Honneur) and the rank of Knight (Chevalier) on the steps of the old Sumter County Courthouse by Monsieur Bernard Marie from the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Prosser was born in Lamar in 1925. His father worked for a railroad, and as a youth he lived in several towns in the state including McBee, Darlington and Sumter. He was drafted into the Army in November 1943. After 17 weeks of basic training at Camp Wheeler in Georgia, Prosser was assigned to Fort Meade, Maryland, and Camp Shanks, New York, before embarking for Glasgow, Scotland. He was assigned additional Ranger training in England. His company landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy six days after D-Day, which occurred June 6, 1944. Prosser’s unit fought in the hedgerows and was among those who pushed German forces across northern France toward the Rhine River in the months after D-Day, suffering unusually high casualty rates but participating in the liberation of St. Lo and Brest from German occupation. Serving as a machine gunner, Prosser was wounded when a mortar shell landed near his location, lodging shrapnel in his back. After being field dressed by a member of his unit, he reportedly declined the opportunity to be sent behind the lines for medical treatment. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries. Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Dutch” Holland, who is the executive director of the Shaw-Sumter Partnership for Progress, said Prosser is the kind of man who makes his family and the entire community proud. “He is such a humble guy that he would probably tell you that if he had his druthers, he wouldn’t have this ceremony,” Holland said. “On the other hand, this is an opportunity for the community and the French government and everyone else to just say ‘thank you’ and recognize what he did for his country and the free world in World War II. It is also an opportunity to come and recognize more than just this one individual but recognize that we have a lot of great veterans who have done some great things, not just in World War II, but in all the conflicts. I appreciate his allowing the community to have the ceremony in his honor because we’ll probably get more out of it than he will.” After being honorably discharged in January 1946, Prosser stayed in the Army Reserve and achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4th Grade. He returned to Sumter and graduated from Edmunds High School in 1947. He worked for several years for Dixie Home Co. before entering the insurance business, from which he eventually retired. Prosser married Betty Dennis, and they have two children, James Prosser Jr. and Jennifer (Prosser) Barrett. For more information, call Denise McLeod at (803) 436-2102. The 29th Infantry Division - zyjr 29th Infantry Division was created in July 1917, a few months after the United States entered World War I, and is one of America’s most illustrious military units. The 29th Division entered its first major battle on October 8, 1918, by launching an attack in the Meuse-Argonne region of France. In World War II, the 29th Infantry Division played a decisive role again when it successfully assaulted Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as part of the greatest amphibious invasioin in history. The D-Day landings turned the tide of World War II and marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. * The 29th Infantry Divisions’s nickname “Blue and Gray” derives from the lineage of the mid-Atlantic states’ National Guard units that formed the division, many with service on both sides during the Civil War. * The 29th Division Association is an organization dedicated to keep the 29th Infantry Division and its spirit alive. A large family of veterans, current soldiers, and their families and descendants continue to share and embrace the glorious history of the beloved 29th Division. * Preamble - To perpetuate the friendships we cherish; to keep alive the spirit that never knew defeat; to glorify our dead, and to further keep before our country, the record of the 29th Division in all the wars; we associate ourselves in an....... [2, 5, 6] | |
| _UID | 4C309E0A8D37415DA8D6C99708D3DDDFFB73 | |
| Death | 19 Feb 2022 | at his home, (Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina) |
| Burial | 23 Feb 2022 | Lamar Cemetery, Lamar, South Carolina [2] |
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| Person ID | I152606 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 25 Feb 2022 | |
| Father | James Monroe PROSSER d. Bef 19 Feb 2022 | |
| Mother | Mary Lometa PLUMMER d. Bef 19 Feb 2022 | |
| _UID | 0E508272220A47B7A1A360970FBC3BD4911B | |
| _UID | 0E508272220A47B7A1A360970FBC3BD4911B | |
| Family ID | F224462 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Elizabeth M. “Betty” DENNIS, b. 7 Oct 1928, Shiloh community of Sumter County, South Carolina d. 31 May 2010, at her home (Age 81 years) | |||||
| _UID | 76BE78B313124CC68293221727166576FC33 | |||||
| _UID | 76BE78B313124CC68293221727166576FC33 | |||||
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| Family ID | F104260 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||||
| Last Modified | 23 Mar 2026 | |||||
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