New Hampshire WWI Military: Heroes of Antrim

Old postcard showing the James A. Tuttle
Library in Antrim and the WWI monument on
the front lawn. Property of J.W. Brown.

In 1922 the town of Antrim decided to create a memorial for all its veterans of the World War (later called World War I). Antrim’s Historic and Cultural Resources document states that “an 8 foot high, 15 ton boulder was moved from Gregg Lake Road to the James A. Tuttle Library lawn [45 Main Street].” To this boulder was attached a bronze tablet on which was inscribed the names all of Antrim’s heroic men and women in service.

Closeup of Antrim NH WWI memorial. Photograph courtesy of Richard S. Marsh. Used with permission.

The inscription of the plaque is as follows [Editor’s note, comments in brackets or parentheses are my personal additions and are not found on the original].

ERECTED BY THE TOWN OF ANTRIM
IN MEMORY AND RECOGNITION
OF THOSE WHO SERVED IN THE
WORLD WAR

CHARLES H. ABBOTT
ALBERT A BAKER
*FRANK O. BEMIS
[RANDWICK A. BISSELL] (Capt. DE.T Service, War Dept. Representative. Father Henry E. Bissell, Greystone Lodge Antrim NH)
LAWRENCE K. BLACK
CLARENCE H. BRADSHAW
CARLTON L. BROOKS
FANNIE BURNHAM
GRACE E. BURNHAM
BYRON G. BUTTERFIELD [2nd Lieut, Battery F, 106th Field Artillery]
PHILIP H. BUTTERFIELD [Corp., Battery F, 43rd Artillery C.A.C.]
JOHN W. BRYER
DONALD K. CAMERON
ROBERT H. CLEAVES
CHARLES H. CLOUGH [Cook, 264th Aero Squadron, Air Service]
PAUL R. COLBY
WILLIAM CONGREVE JR.
D. WALLACE COOLEY
DONALD B. CRAM
CARL W. CRAMPTON
NELSON F. CRESSY
MATTHEW N. CUDDIHY
FRANK E. CUTTER
BERNARD M. DAVIS
*ORRIN H. EDWARDS
CRANSTON D. ELDREDGE
H. BURR ELDREDGE
ROY D. ELLIOTT
LEWIS E. EVANS
[RAYMOND R. FARRANT] (1st Sg, Co. G, 101st Ammunition Train. Father, Nathaniel Farrant)
ARTHUR FLURI
KASIMIR FLURI
ANDREW S. FUGLESTAD
A. WALLACE GEORGE
HARRY L. GERSTENBERGER
HOWARD C. GOKEY
ROGER R. HILTON
W SCOTT HILTON
BURT T. HODGES
*DAVID H. HODGES
GEORGE A. HODGES
JAMES M. HODGES
OSCAR E. HUOT
[LEON E. HUDSON] (Pvt, Battery A., 303rd Field Artillery. Father John E. Hudson, Antrim NH)
RALPH G. HURLIN
WILLIAM H. HURLIN
IRA C. HUTCHINSON
JAMES W. JAMESON
GEORGE H. KIBLIN
[ALBERT P. KINGHAM] (Pvt, Co. D, 53rd Pioneer Infantry. Sister, Miss Elsie R. Kingman, Antrim NH)
DONALD B. MADDEN
REXFORD H. MADDEN
JOHN W. MATSON
HAROLD G. MINER
LEO E. MULHALL
WILLIAM L. MULHALL
CHARLES MYERS
*WILLIAM M. MYERS
ERNEST H. MCCLURE
HENRY E. NEWHALL (P1c Co. B 103rd Machine Gun Battalion, father Daniel E. Newhall)
JOHN L. NEWHALL
ROBERT M. MYLANDER
HOWARD E. PAIGE
PAUL F. PAIGE
WALTER F. PARKER
ARCHIE D. PERKINS
OTIS W. PIKE
*CECIL H. PRENTISS
PAUL W. PRENTISS
MARGARET M. REDMOND (Nurse, American Red Cross Military Hospital No. 3, Army Nurse Corps, served in Europe.  James A. and Addie E. (Young) Elliott of Antrim were her uncle and aunt and when the war was over she lived in Antrim NH)
WALDO A. ROBB
CHARLES N. ROBERTSON
DON H. ROBINSON
*HARRY J. ROGERS
HELEN N. STOWELL
C. HAROLD TEWKSBURY
NORMAN A. THOMPSON
JOHN W. THORNTON
EDSON H. TUTTLE
FRED A. WHITNEY
JOHN S. WHITNEY
FRANCIS A. WHITTEMORE
ALBERT J. ZABRISKIE
ROBERT W. JAMESON
WILLIAM J.B. CANNELL
*DIED IN SERVICE

Antrim’s WWI Memorial on the lawn of the library. Photograph
courtesy Richard S. Marsh. Used with permission.

✫★✫★✫★✫★✪🌟✪✫★✫★✫★✫★
Heroes of ANTRIM NH
Died In Service During WWI
✫★✫★✫★✫★✪🌟✪✫★✫★✫★✫★

Frank O. Bemis |Private | Killed in action 17 July 1918, France | Co. E, 103rd Infantry|Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, France | Name also on Hillsborough NH monument | Credited to Antrim NH |[1]

Orrin H. Edwards* | Private | Killed in Action 2 August 1918 in Aisne-Marne Offensive | Co. H or L 110th Infantry, Regular Army | Maplewood Cemetery, Antrim NH | [see story] |[2]

David H. Hodges | P1c | Died of Disease 22 Nov 1918 France | Headquarters Troop, 86th Infantry Division | Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Plot D Row 27 Grave 24, France | Cenotaph in West Cemetery, Bristol CT |[3]

William M. Myers |Private | Killed in action 18 July 1918 Second Battle of the Marne, France | Co. B, 103rd Machine Gun Battalion | Tablets of the Missing,  Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, France | Cenotaph in Arms Cemetery, Shelburne MA | [4]

Cecil H. Prentiss |Private |Died of Disease 4 November 1918, Military Hospital, South Stoneham, Hampshire Co. England | Medical Detachment, 604th Engineers |Maplewood Cemetery, Antrim NH | [5]

Harry J. Rogers | Private |Died of Disease (pneumonia) 4 April 1918, Vancouver Barracks, Vancouver Washington |U.S. Army, 4th Prov. Squadron, 2nd Prov. Reg. Signal Corps Cantonment | Maplewood Cemetery, Antrim NH| [6]

✫★✫★✫★✫★✪🌟✪✫★✫★✫★✫★
 B I O G R A P H I E S
✫★✫★✫★✫★✪🌟✪✫★✫★✫★✫★

[1] Frank Oliver Bemis was born 22 September 1891 in Raymond NH, son of William M. & Nellie J. (Colby) Bemis. In 1900 he was living in Bennington NH with his parents and sibling: Herbert Clifton, William Edward, Robert Lester, Frederick A. “Fred,” and Laura M. (who m. John Campbell). Frank O. Bemis’ WWI Registration form was completed 5 June 1917 in Antrim, NH. At that time he was living in Antrim NH, working for George W. Hunt. He was single and described himself as short, of medium height with gray eyes and light brown hair. The U.S. Army Transport Passenger List shows that he was a Private in Co. E., 103rd Infantry departing New York, NY for Europe on 25 September 1917 aboard the ship Saxonia. Frank was killed in action on 17 July 1918 in France. He was probably first buried near the battlefield, then when the American Monuments were build, he was moved to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. He lies in Plot B., Row 1, Grave 60. He is credited to Antrim NH on the New Hampshire Adjutant General’s WWI Casualty List, and his name is found on the Roll of Honor in Doric Hall of the New Hampshire State House.

[2] Orrin Herbert Edwards was born 26 May 1893 in Derby, Orleans Co. Vermont, son of Gertrude Edwards. It is unknown whether any sublings survived him. He grew up in Sheffield Vermont, removing to Antrim NH between 1910-1914 where his mother then lived. Orrin also lived briefly in Hancock NH around the same time. During WWI he served as a Private in the regular army, 110th Infantry. He was killed in action in France on 2 August 1918 during the Aisne-Marne Offensive. His remains lie in Maplewood Cemetery, Antrim NH .  [For more detailed story, read here.]

[3]  David Hunting Hodges was born born 17 November 1895 Chicago IL, son of George W. & Ella M. (Hunting) Hodges.  Between 1917 and 1920 his family removed to Antrim, New Hampshire.   He had siblings, Burt Taylor, George A., James M.  David H. Hodges completed his WWI registration form on 5 June 1917 in Chicago IL, aged 21 living at Arlington Heights IL. His occupation was dairying at Buffalo Creek Farm in Arlington Heights. He was single, and described himself as being of medium height and weight, with brown hair and brown eyes.  He served during WWI and on 19 September 1918 he departed New York City for Europe aboard the ship, Empress of Asia, at that time he was a Private in the Headquarters Troop, 86th Infantry Division.  His service number was 2055074.  He was not there long before he died of disease on 22 Nov 1918 in France.  His service is attributed to Illinois, not New Hampshire, and so his name does not appear on the NH Honor Roll in the State House.  His remains lie in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Plot D Row 27 Grave 24, Fere-en-Tardenois, France.  His family placed a cenotaph in West Cemetery, Bristol, Connecticut.

[4] William M. Myers/Meyers was born28 May 1897 Buckland, Franklin Co. MA, son of Ludwig “Lewis” &  Mary (Schalanf) Meyers.  In 1900 he was living with his family in Buckland, MA along with siblings: Carrie, George John, and Louis Fred “Alfred.”  In 1917 William M. Meyers’ brother Louis Fred had a business in E. Jaffrey, New Hampshire.  Though military records show William’s surname as Myers, almost all other family documents of parents and siblings show it spelled ‘Meyers,’ and this spelling caused some research difficulties.  William Myers served during World War I as a Private in Company B, of the 103rd Machine Gun Battalion and his name is listed among the dead in “Book of Salutation to the Twenty-sixth (“Yankee”) division.” The Boston Post of Wednesday, May 19, 1920, page 3 shows: “L.F. Meyers of East Jaffrey, N.H., sent $5 in memory of his brother, Private William M. Meyers, B. Company, 103d Machine Gun Battalion, Yankee Division, who was killed in action in the second battle of the Marne. He now rests at Chateau Thierry with 800 American soldiers. This is one of the cemeteries which the American Memorial Day committee in Paris has assured the Post will be decorated by the contributions of Post readers to the Memorial Day Fund.”  William M. Myers apparently was at first missing in action, and then when his body was not found was declared killed in action on 18 July 1918. His name appears engraved on the Tablets of the Missing, as a strangely anonymous ‘W.M. Meyers’ at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France and his family placed a Cenotaph in Arms Cemetery, Shelburne MA. His name can be found on the Roll of Honor, Doric Hall of the NH State House.

[5] Cecil Henry Prentiss was born 18 August 1898 in Antrim, NH, son of Charles W. & Mabel J. (Sawyer) Prentiss. In 1910 living with his parents and brother Paul W. [there spelled Prentice] in Antrim NH.  The U.S. Army Transport Service Passenger List shows that on 1 September 1918 he departed for Europe aboard the ship, SS Carmania, a Private in the Medical Detachment of the 604th Engineers.  The records show that Cecil Henry Prentiss died on 2 months later on 4 November 1918 in a U.S. Military Hospital at South Stoneham, Hampshire County, England.  At first, on 13 November 1918 he was buried in Magdalen Hill Cemetery in Winchester England. The records of that cemetery show that his remains were exhumed by HQ order 26 April 1920.  Military Passenger Lists show “Casuals Deceased” whose remains were returning to the United States, and Cecil H. Prentiss was brought home aboard the ship Princess Matoika arriving in Hoboken NJ on 23 May 1920. His service # was 381128.  Cecil Henry Prentiss was reinterred in Maplewood Cemetery, Antrim NH. His name appears on the Roll of Honor in Doric Hall of the NH State House.

[6] Harry John Rogers was born 20 Oct 1894 in Antrim NH son of Albert Clifford & Jennie Florence (Boutwell/Boutell) Rogers. In 1900 he was living with his family in Antrim, NH including siblings Florence E. (who married Francis A. O’Brien, d. 1935), Walter Albert (who m. Helen E. McClure, d. 1953), and Perley Alfred (who m.Janis Martha Chase and d. Oct 1966). Harry J. Rogers completed his WWI registration form on 5 June 1917 in Antrim NH. At that time he was aged 22, working at a steam saw-mill, Burr Lumber Co. He was single, and gave a description as tall, of medium weight with dark gray eyes and black hair.  A NH Death and Disinterment Record for Harry J. Rogers shows that he died at Vancouver Barracks, Washington of bronchial pneumonia. A separate death record verifies his death as 4 April 1918 in Vancouver, Clark Washington.  The inscription on his tombstone adds more details: “4th Prov. Squadron, 2nd Prov. Reg. Signal Corps Cantonment.”  He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Antrim NH.  His name appears on the Roll of Honor, in Doric Hall of the New Hampshire State House.

The Antrim Historical Society held a World War I exhibit, Over There and Here at Home: Antrim’s Role in World War I, from August 8 2017 to October 2017.

Kudos to the local Boy Scout Troop who created a spreadsheet of military veterans buried locally (PDF).

[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].