Some of the Navy’s WWI “fingerprint girls,” including Blanche Stansbury, second from right. James Noonan in the photo is never referred to as a “fingerprint boy.”
Featured in my new collection In Their Own Words: American Women in World War I are some of the “fingerprint girls” of the Navy. Through fingerprint records, they assisted in identifying sailors who were involved in criminal activity or who had deserted. The fingerprint girls included Yeoman (F) Blanche Stansbury of Alexandria, VA. Stansbury married James Randall Caton Jr. (a major in the 155 Depot Brigade in World War I and a partner in an Alexandria law firm with his father), was a member of the American Legion, and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Grave of Blanche Stansbury Caton, Arlington Cemetery. Photo by Elizabeth Foxwell.
