The Limestone County Archives is raising Cain — or to be more specific, William M. Cain.

The Archives is seeking the public’s help in identifying family members of Cain, a local soldier whose Purple Heart is the centerpiece of a statewide World War I exhibit on display now through Jan. 5 in the Archives.

William Cain was working as a 29-year-old farmer, husband and father in Belle Mina when he was drafted to serve his country in the war. He sought an exemption from the draft to care for his family, but he was denied.

On the very last day of the war, Cain was wounded by gas near the village of Pont-a-Mousson, and he was ultimately awarded the Purple Heart for his service.

The Purple Heart, along with Cain’s enlistment records, are on display in “Remembering the Great War: Alabama and World War One,” a traveling exhibit created by Auburn University and the Alabama Department of Archives & History. The exhibit, on display at the Limestone County Archives exhibit space, commemorates the centennial anniversary of the state’s involvement in the war and enlivens an important period of history which often goes overlooked. Remembering the Great War tells the story of the war from the perspectives of Alabamians whose lives were shaped by the conflict.

Limestone County Archives records show that a William Cain married a Frances Peebles in Greenbrier in 1904, and that by the end of the war, Cain was listed as single. In 1919, William M. Cain married Mildred Cosby in Belle Mina. His military discharge records list him as being in good health and of “very good” character.

But the records do not show that Cain was publicly acknowledged in local newspapers when he was awarded the Purple Heart. The Archives would like to change that by recognizing the descendants and Limestone County family members of William Cain. Anyone with information about Cain and his family can contact Limestone County Archivist Rebekah Davis at 256-233-6404 or archives@limestonecounty-al.gov.

The exhibit can be viewed during Limestone County Archives hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It will also be open during the Sippin’ Cider Festival, 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9.