Claud and William "Will" Bock, Jr., were brothers from New Castle, Indiana, who served in the 161st Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War. They left New Castle for Camp Mount, in Indianapolis, on July 1, 1898. From there, on August 7, they learned they would be heading to Jacksonville, Florida, and eventually to Cuba. They stayed in Jacksonville for two months and then went to Camp Onward near Svannah, Georgia. Before they went to Cuba, combat had ended so when they arrived, they helped form an army occupation until the newly independent Cuba could be stabilized. On January 1, 1899, the regiment participated in the official transfer of power as an American flag was hoisted over Morro Castle. In late March 1899, the regiment returned to the U.S., and mustered out in Savannah in April. Claud and Will Bock brought back more than fifty photographs that they had bought from various itinerant photographers. At the time of the 1900 census, Claud and Will were back in New Castle, Indiana, with Claud working in a factory and Will listed as a day laborer. At the time of the 1910 census, they were still living with their parents, with Claud working as an electrician and Will as a salesman of drugs and books.
From the description of Bock Brothers collection [graphic], 1898-ca. 1920. (Indiana Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 70116220
