East Kingston New Hampshire is a small town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, wedged between the towns of Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, South Hampton, and Newton. In 1910 its population had already been dropping for a decade. During the World War I years, its citizen count would drop even more, to 384 in 1920. The town population would not start to grow again until after the Great Depression.
In 1917 when the United States announced it was to go to war, the young men of the East Kingston–18 men as shown on the WWI memorial, but 24 to my own count–did their duty. Of those, two would not return, namely Samuel H. Clifton and Leroy F. Goddard. [Editor’s note: Leroy F. Goddard is not recognized on the town’s WWI plaque, but should be]. Continue reading