WW1 Soldiers from Hartford Michigan

1914 « World War 1 » 1919 April 2, 1914 - President Woodrow Wilson delivers war address to Congress at 8:32 pm and asks the House of Representatives to declare war on Germany. June 28, 1919 - Treaty of Versailles signed in Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, officially ending the Great War.
Killed in Action Wounded in action POW/MIA Died during active duty + Contracted disease-illness-disability during service
Beckwith, Glen W.
US Army Private First Class Courier, Dispatch Rider Colonel's Chauffeur b 12-30-1893 in Bangor MI d 4-5-1978 in Grand Rapids MI Age 84y, 3m, 5d Buried in Arlington Cemetery Bangor MI In service 1916-1919 Served at Camp Custer, Battle Creek MI, later renamed Fort Custer. From Bangor MI Attended Bangor High school, from the class of 1901 or 1902 Resided in Hartford 1932-1942	My Dad was born and raised on a farm in Bangor, where he learned to drive a truck and a car. Many men didn't know how to drive when WWI began, so Dad was assigned to drive many different vehicles, trucks, cars, motorcycles, etc. He was a courier, a dispatch rider, and a Colonel's chauffeur. He spent the entire War years at Camp Custer later renamed Ft. Custer. Dad and Mother lived in Pawhuska, Oklahoma in the 1920's. Mother was school teacher. Dad was in the gas station business with oil delivery truck, etc. Great Depression hit in 1929 and Dad lost business, home, auto, etc. The family moved back to Hartford Michigan in 1932. No jobs available, so Dad picked cherries the first year then worked on the WPA* for a year. Went to work as a clerk at Olds Grocery, then hired by IGA Gleaner Store and became manager of that Grocery Store. Continued in that work till WWII began then he went into War production work at Kalamazoo and St Joe. Glen is the father of Bick Beckwith, who served in the US Air Force during WW11. Bick submitted the photo and information on 5-15-2003. *The WPA was President Roosevelt's "Works Progress Administration". The program was created during the Depression as a means to put men back to work. The WPA built bridges, post office buildings, military bases and of particular interest, they built the sewer system for the town of Hartford and the Pine Creek bridge (built in 1935 or 36) out west of town on old US-12, now Red Arrow Hwy.
Burkitt, Orville G. Killed in action See WW1 Memorial HHS Class of 1911	Carpenter, Everard Lorne b 6-18-1890 d 4-30-1963 Hartford MI Winnipeg MB CAN Age 72y, 10m, 15d Buried at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens Winnipeg MB CAN In service 1917-1919 (2 years) Married to Glenna Carpenter NHL Hockey Player 43 years with Canadian National Railways Resided in Winnipeg MB CAN from 1944-1963 Click here for more information
Curry, Howard Arthur US Navy In service 19__ to 19__ +Entered during WW1, given disability discharge. Was later drafted and saw military service again before the armistice. From Allendale, MI Owned Curry Grocery Store in Hartford from 1926-1946	Erwin, John Clarey
	US Army Photo dated 1917 From Hartford HHS Class of 19__ From the album of Roy Davis
	Foster, Dean Dwight
	b 3/7/1892 d 1/20/1980 Age 87y, 10m, 14d From Hartford HSS Class of 1910 Submitted by Virginia Meachum, grandniece, on 11/30/2004
Garrison, Jessie	Helweg, Otto
US Navy HHS Class of 1919	US Navy - Commander In service 19__-1946 Served in WW1 and WW11 HHS Class of 19__
	Horton, DeLeon Officer b 1894 From Tennessee
Kelly, Roy C. Killed in action See WW1 Memorial HHS Class of 19__	Kellogg, Fred D. Killed in action See WW1 Memorial HHS Class of 19
Knapp, LeRoy "Roy"
US Army - Private Company C, 7th Infantry b 4-30-1896 d 1-14-1966 Lawrence MI Hartford MI Buried in Hill Cemetery Lawrence MI Stationed in Europe and was in Belgium For approximately 20 years during the 1940s-60s, Roy was proprietor of the *Green Lantern Restaurant, in the building located on the NE corner of Main and Maple Streets in Hartford. Ray was an older brother to Ray(mond) "Ted" Knapp, who was a photographer in and served as a Hartford councilman and mayor for several years. 3-2005* Photo and information submitted by Donna Knapp Broadhurst HHS 1956, niece of LeRoy Knapp and dauther of Ted Knapp.
Lightner, Daniel Dudley
US Army - Pvt Photo dated 1917 b 2-18-1888 d 12-6-1966 Age 78y, 9m, 19d Buried in Maple Hill Cemetery Sec 8 - Lot 5 Hartford MI In service 19__ to 19__ Both photos of Daniel Lightner are shown to give a clear picture of the Army uniforms worn during WW1 Father-in-Law, Marion Hoover, served during the Civil War, Grandson, Daniel Keith Lightner served in the Army during Vietnam and Great Grandson, Matthew Lightner, served in the Marines during Iraq.
	Lightner, Seward (Pep)
	USMC b 5/17/1899 d 7/21/1996 Alleghany NC Age 97y 2m 6d Seward Lightner in front of plane at Camp Tinemon (?), California in 1918 Letter of Sept 15, 1917 HHS Class of 1917 from Hartford MI
Meachum Jr., Henry James
US Army - Calvary Horse Trainer b 18 Dec 1893 d 30 Mar 1935 Hartford MI Hartford MI Age 41y, 3m, 11d	In service 19__ to 19__ Served at Camp Custer, Battle Creek MI. He was the son of Henry James & Orpha (Sammons) Meachum. Attended Hartford High School and lived in Hartford all his life. Died of pneumonia after returning from a horse buying trip to Wyoming. An interesting story is that the Army was trying to disembark horses into the water and get them to land. When the horses went into the water, they started to drown. Henry jumped into the water behind the horses and started pulling on their tails, at which point they raised their heads above the water line and onto shore. Photo and information submitted by granddaughter, Virginia (Ginny) Meachum in Oct, 2002
Millhouse Sr., Robert US Army - Cook
b 2-5-1892 d 6-10-1974 Platteville WI Keeler MI Age 82y, 4m, 5d Buried in Keeler Cemetery Keeler MI In service 19__ to 19__ Served in France near the border. Resided in Keeler after the war. 2004 Photo submitted by John and Nancy Millhouse. John served in the military during the Vietnam Era.
	Olds, Ralph W. Killed in action See WW1 Memorial HHS Class of 19__
Stoddard, Clinton Co. B, 26th U.S. Inf. - Pvt.
Killed in action See WW1 Memorial Clinton was the first death of a soldier from Hartford Township during WW1. The Hartford American Legion Stoddard Post #63 was named in his honor. Son of Charles Frank (Stanley) Stoddard and Cornelia Stickney Stoddard. Clinton was an Uncle to Martin and Chink Stoddard; both served in WW11. Photos provided by the Stoddard family via Bill Dyer 3-2003
Stowe, Bernard A. US Army - 1st Lieutenant Motor Transport Corps - Repair Unit 304
b 7-8-1870 1-9-1949 Hartford MI Cleveland OH Buried at Lakewood Cemetery Cleveland Hts OH In Service 10-10-1918 to 4-20-1919 Served at Ft. Sam Houston, TX From Hartford HHS Class of 1888 Resided in Hartford 1870 - ? Photo taken in 1918 at a farm in Alamo Heights San Antonio TX with a Mr. Thompson Bernard was the son of Freeman Stowe, a Civil War veteran and pioneer resident and builder of Hartford. Bernard Street was named for him. While working as a contract engineer at an electrical firm in Cleveland, Bernard invented the modern oscillating fan. During WW11, he was engaged as a war production technician. Bernard's great-great grandfather, Francis Delong, was the only known Revolutionary War soldier to have resided in Hartford. Information and photo submitted by Bernard's great niece, Laurie Warner Jacobs 5-2007.
Talpin, Floyd Killed in action See WW1 Memorial HHS Class of 19__
Thornburg, Marvin Frank (aka Almeda Franklin Thornburg) Army National Guard Co. F 4th Infantry - Pvt. Border Patrol b 8-23-1893 d 3-15-1985 Cedar Bluff AL Torrance CA Age 91y, 6m, 22d In service Enlisted July 14, 1916 Gadsden AL Discharged February 28, 1919 Served at Nogales AZ and Sanora Mexico along the Mexican border. Awards » Bronze Victory Button Born in Cedar Bluff, Alabama Lived in Hartford during 1940s and 1970 - 1985 Frank is the father of Henry Shores Thornburg and Lawrence Clifton Thornburg, who both served in the military. He is the grandfather of Emma Thornburg Sefcik, webmaster of the History of Hartford.	Wessendorf, Albert Edward US Army In service 19__ to 19__ Saw action in France. Remained in the US Army until after Germany surrendered.
Whitmore, Wilbur Killed in action See WW1 Memorial HHS Class of 19__	Youella, Lyle C. 1st Division Calvary
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