WWI plaque and monument for
Concord’s WWI heroes at Memorial
Field. Photograph Elizabeth Mace,
used with permission.
Thomas Harold Whitcomb Abbott was born 13 July 1896 in Concord NH, the son of Francis U. & Alice A. (Toof) Abbott. He grew up in Concord attending the local schools. In 1900 and 1910 censuses he can be found living in Concord NH with his parents and siblings: Helen, Joseph Arthur, Mark F., Francesca and George F.
The U.S. Army Transport Passenger lists show us his service. On 29 October 1917 Private Thomas H. Abbott departed Hoboken NJ aboard the ship Mount Vernon bound for Europe. He was then assigned to the 4th Company Training Battalion, 28th Infantry. When the war ended his remains were returned to the United States from Calais, France to Hoboken NJ on 14 March 1921 aboard the ship, Somme. At that time he was a Private First Class, Service Number 105048, assigned to 2nd Co., 1st Div. M.G. Bn. [The 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment was assigned 8 June 1917 to the 1st Expeditionary Division and later re-designated as the 1st Division].
American troops inspecting a German machine gun. American infantry during their advance on the Rheims Soissons salient are inspecting a German machine gun. National Archives.
Thomas H. Abbott was killed in action in France, but there is a discrepancy in his death date. His death certificate issued by the State of New Hampshire shows he was killed in action on 29 May 1918 and buried Blossom Hill Cemetery. The N.H. Adjutant General list shows that he was killed in action 5 May 1918 Concord. Thomas H. Abbott is indeed buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery, Concord NH. There were several newspaper notices of his death:
Boston Post, Boston MA 9 June 1918, page 6
Private Thomas H. Abbott of 10 Charles Street, Concord NH, who yesterday was named as killed in action on the casualty list, was a member of a field artillery unit of the regular army. He was 21 years old and enlisted last fall at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. He sailed for France a month later. He arrived “over there” about the last of November. Although a Concord boy he had been out West for two years previous to his enlistment.
Boston Globe 9 June 1918
Mrs. Alice A. Abbott of Concord, N.H. has been notified by the War Department of the death of her son, Thomas H. Abbott, in action in France May 29. Abbott was 21 years of age last July and enlisted in October going across the water the following month in a field artillery unit. Before enlisting he was in the employ of the Boston & Maine Railroad. Besides his mother he is survived by three sisters, Ruth, Helen and Francesca Abbott, and by two brothers, George and Arthur Abbott, the latter being in military service at Fort Doniphan, Oklahoma.
The name of Thomas H. Abbott is inscribed upon the Roll of Honor in the New Hampshire State House’s Doric Hall. His name can also be found on the bronze plaque of WWI heroes at Concord (NH) Memorial Field at 70 South Fruit Street.
As a byline. Thomas H. Abbott was a descendant of the early settlers of Concord, N.H. as follows:
Thomas Harold Whitcomb Abbott
parents: Frances U. Abbott & Alice A. Toof
grandparents: George Thomas Abbott & Mary P. Sanders
great-grandparents: Aaron Abbott & Nancy Badger
2nd great-grandparents: Levi Abbott & Mary Carter
3rd great-grandparents: Nathaniel Abbott & Miriam Chandler
4th great-grandparents: Capt. Nathaniel Abbott & Penelope Ballard** (partial bio below)
Captain Nathaniel Abbott , eldest child of Nathaniel and Dorcas (Hibbert) Abbot was born in Andover, Massachusetts in 1696 and died at Concord New Hampshire in 1770 aged seventy four years. He removed to Penacook (now Concord) when about thirty years of age and was one of the original proprietors of the town His name appears on the petition to Governor Shute of Massachusetts for the granting of Pennycook, and he was admitted as one of the number of settlers at the meeting February 4 1725. His house lot was No 12 second range where the North Congregational Church now stands (1855) and he had a house built and his family there by October 1731.
[Editor’s Note: this story is part of an on-going series about heroic New Hampshire men and women of World War I. Look here for the entire listing].
Pingback: New Hampshire World War I Military: Heroes of The Great War | Cow Hampshire
Pingback: World War I Memorials in Concord New Hampshire | Cow Hampshire
Note spelling of Maine in Boston & Maine RR, also Pennacook is not now Concord, but is just north of Concord (03301) with its own distinct zip code (03303). That said, I used to live on Abbott St. (now renamed Aztec St.) in Concord and surmise it must have been named after Pvt Abbott. I’ve been to Blossom Hill cemetery (where Abbott is buried) many times; incidentally, the name of the cemetery itself has an amusing story — reportedly named after a cow named “Blossom” that liked to graze on the hill.
Pingback: New Hampshire World War I Military: Heroes of Concord | Cow Hampshire