File submitted for USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County page by Doris Martin Jablonski, 1 August 1998.
Letters of P.F.C. Henry Wilbur "Harry" Martin to "Home
Folks"
Uncited clippings from the "Mattie Davis Martin Collection" of Doris Martin
Jablonski, 1998. Letters to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles James Martin, had been
published in a local newspaper, probably the Troy Free Press (Troy, Lincoln Co., MO)
HENRY W. MARTIN - LETTERS TO THE HOME FOLKS
"A Letter to Home-Folks From Henry Martin, With the Medical Corps, Somewhere in
Germany"
Amb. Co., 194th San Fr. A. E. F. December 5, 1918
Mr. And Mrs. C. J. Martin:
Dear Mama and Papa:
I will now write you a few lines to let you know I am well and hope these few lines will
find you all in the best of health. We are still on the march; don’t know how much
farther we have to go or when we will get away from this country, but here is hoping to
get away soon, as I have seen all of Europe I care to see. The roads are very muddy and is
so nasty moving every day. Of course I have not had to hike any as I have a motorcycle to
ride but it is a job to ride it in the rain and mud. Of course it won’t last always
is one
great consolation. The boys have sure done well in the march so far, as the marching has
been so bad. France has good roads but over here the roads are so narrow and so much mud.
There is some real pretty country here; it is real unlevel and hilly. Seems to be fertile
soil. Some of the civilians here are butchering their hogs; have not seen more than one
hog killed at one place. I have gone through a great many towns and villages here and oh
my! The kids are in great numbers. So many small children and an American soldier is
something new for them to see. The most of the citizens are so sociable. Of course we
can’t speak German, I had learned a great deal of French, now I will have to learn
some German to get by in Germany. Ha. Ha. Well as news is scare, I will have to close so
write when you can, I remain your loving son,
P. F. C. Henry W. Martin
[2nd letter from Henry W. Martin:]
Amb. Co. 194th San Fr. A. E. F.
Somewhere in Germany. December 7, 1918
Dear Mama and Papa:
I will now write you a few lines tonight to let you know I am in good health and hope
these few lines will fine you in good health. I am in Laeser, Germany, at present. Just
came in this town tonight, have been on the march for some time. Of course I have it much
easier than the ones that march as I drive a motorcycle and do the running for the outfit.
I see a great deal of the country by that. Have seen lots of the country in France and
also Loraine and will gee to see some of Germany too, so I will be pretty well acquainted
with Europe. We are at a private house, my buddie and I by luck, are very nice people and
treat us very nice. I can talk to them just a little. Of course it is hard to talk German
for I never paid any attention to it and here it is all that is spoken except by us
Americans. I was at Mondorff, a summer resort and a bathing pavilion. I had a swell bath
while there. There is some pretty country here. It is somewhat mountainous but is
cultivated up almost to the top of the hills. I don’t see how they climb them. Mostly
grapes on the mountains. Well, as news is scarce, I will close. Oh, yes, I had a slip to
fill out to get Xmas presents sent to me, but I did not want to bother anyone about
sending stuff over here, so did not send it to you. So will say bye bye, your loving son.
P. F. C. Henry W. Martin
Note regarding clippings from the "Mattie Davis Martin Collection": Mattie Davis Martin (1875-1943) lived all of her life in Lincoln County, MO. She collected a large file of clippings of Lincoln County residents. The majority of the clippings were without citation, and kept stored in an old purse. Doris Martin Jablonski, beneficiary of the collection, has transcribed them for inclusion on our Lincoln County Heritage/Records Page.
File submitted for USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County page by Doris Martin Jablonski, 1 August 1998.
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or their legal representative, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.
Return to USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County, Missouri
Letters Index | Heritage
Page | Home Page