History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties

"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"

Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others. Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN. ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.

Biography

Bronsted, Henry E. and Martinson, Fred were the first of Tomahawk's sons to fall at the front in the World War, and in both life and death they were closely united. Both were born in Tomahawk, BRONSTED on June 26, 1898 and MARTINSON on September 15, 1895. The former was the son of John M. and Bertha (WALLER) BRONSTED and was a graduate of the Tomahawk High School, while MARTINSON was the son of Christian and Christine MARTINSON and had acquired his education in the grade school. They had been playmates, schoolsmates and comrades, and both enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guards in 1917, being member of the Fourth Infantry. After preliminary training at Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, they went with they company to Camp McArthur at Waco, Texas, where the regiment was broken up and the company to which the boys belonged became Company A, 119th Machine Gun Battalion, 32d Division. On Feb. 18, 1918 they embarked at Hoboken for overseas and arrived at Brest, France March 4. Within four days they were advanced to within six kilometers of the front at Cuperly, near Chalons, and on June 2 they were into the trenches. They served on four fronts, in Alsace Lorraine at Chateau Thierry and at Juvigny. MARTINSON was wounded on the Juvigny front his lung being pierced by a machine-gun bullet, and died later in the hospital. It was on the same front that Henry E. BRONSTED was killed, Aug. 31, 1918, being struck in the heart by the fragment of a shell. Their remains were brought home, arriving at Tomahawk Jan. 1, 1921, and their joint funeral services were held at Maccabee Hall, the entire community turning out to pay them the last tribute. They were buried with military honors. Both being exemplary young men and Post No. 93 of the American Legion has been named in honor of Henry E. BRONSTED.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 593; History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin; Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others 1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co

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