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Henry Weston Farnsworth (August 7, 1890 – September 28, 1915) was one of the first Americans killed as a soldier in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was a "newspaper correspondent, world traveler, adventure-seeker, avid reader, and member of the
French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
."


Early life

Farnsworth was born on August 7, 1890, in
Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...
. He attended
Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...
and then
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
where he was graduated in 1912. After graduating, he toured Vienna, Budapest, Constantinople, Odessa, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.


Family

Farnsworth came from a
Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins or Boston elite are members of Boston's traditional upper class. They are often associated with Harvard University; Anglicanism; and traditional Anglo-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English colonis ...
family. His parents, William and Lucy Holman (née Burgess) Farnsworth, also had a daughter, Ellen Holman Farnsworth, who was said to be "the prettiest girl in Boston." Henry and Ellen were very close. Ellen was married to
Alfred Lee Loomis Alfred Lee Loomis (November 4, 1887 – August 11, 1975) was an American attorney, investment banker, philanthropist, scientist, physicist, inventor of the LORAN Long Range Navigation System and a lifelong patron of scientific research. He estab ...
, Henry's classmate at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. Ellen's great-grandson,
Reed Hastings Wilmot Reed Hastings Jr. (born October 8, 1960) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder, chairman, and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Netflix, and sits on a number of boards and non-profit organizations. A former member ...
, was a co-founder of
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
. He was described as "bookish and idealistic." The Farnsworths had homes on Westfield Street in Dedham and
Beacon Street Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and its western suburbs Brookline and Newton. It passes through many of Boston's central and western neighborhoods, including Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Fenway–Kenmore, the Boston Uni ...
in Boston. The family purchased the Beacon Street home from
Charles Winslow Charles Lyndhurst Winslow (1 August 1888 – 15 September 1963) was a three-time Olympic tennis medalist from South Africa. He won two gold medals: Men's Singles and Doubles at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. Eight years later, in Antw ...
.


Career

Farnsworth worked as a reporter for ''
Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...
'' and ''
The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...
'' during the
Balkan War The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defea ...
. He was working as a reporter in Mexico when US troops occupied Veracruz in 1914 and when
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
began. He wrote a book about his experiences in the Balkans, ''The Log of a Would-be War Correspondent'' as well as several plays and five volumes of short stories. His letters were also posthumously published by his father. After returning home, he worked for his father, a wool merchant in Boston.


World War I

In the fall of 1914, Farnsworth sailed back from the United States to Europe before his family could object. He "got caught up in the military fever that was sweeping London and Paris." Preferring to fight, he refused to be a war correspondent. Farnsworth enlisted with the French Foreign Legion on January 5, 1915, and served in several battles. He was hospitalized several times, but always showed an eagerness to return to the front. He often served the night patrol in
no man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...
. On one such occasion, after Italy declared war against the Central Powers, Farnsworth was part of a group who put newspapers on the barbed wire near the German trenches. On March 15, 1915, he wrote to his mother: “I long to be with you all again, once the war ends. I think it will be this summer some time; then for the rest and peace of Dedham.” Farnsworth was killed in action at the battle of Fortin de Navarin near Tahure, France, on September 28, 1915, in the
Second Battle of Champagne The Second Battle of Champagne ( or Autumn Battle) in World War I was a French offensive against the German army at Champagne that coincided with an Anglo-French assault at north-east Artois and ended with French retreat. Battle On 25 Septem ...
. He was shot in the neck and the spine by a machine gun. Sukuna, a Fijian comrade, pulled Farnsworth into a trench but was unable to save him. After watching Farnsworth die, Sukuna vowed to avenge his death, advanced towards the German line, and was shot in the leg. Farnsworth was one of 642 men from Dedham who served in the war, and one of 18 who died. After his death, those with whom he served spoke of his spirit and bravery. He was posthumously awarded the
Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
on October 1, 1915.


Legacy

At Harvard's
Lamont Library Lamont Library, in the southeast corner of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, houses the Harvard Library's primary undergraduate collection in humanities and social sciences. It was the first library in the United States specifically plann ...
, the Farnsworth Room is dedicated in Farnsworth's honor. The room, which is "devoted to non-curricular leisure reading, houses approximately 4,000 eclectic titles." It "is a treasure trove of bizarre finds." Originally opened in
Widener Library The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, housing some 3.5million books in its "vast and cavernous" stacks (library architecture), stacks, is the centerpiece of the Harvard College Libraries (the libraries of Harvard's Harvard Faculty of Arts an ...
in 1916, and moved to Lamont upon the latter's opening in 1949, it was the first American college reading room dedicated to extracurricular reading. Alumnus
Thomas Wolfe Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was an American novelist of the early 20th century. Wolfe wrote four lengthy novels as well as many short stories, dramatic works, and novellas. He is known for mixing highly origin ...
says he learned more in the Farnsworth Room than anywhere else at Harvard. In 1920, Farnsworth's family erected a monument to him and the 130 Foreign Legionnaires from the 1st and 2nd Régiment Etrangers who died in the Battle of Champagne in
Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. First World War On 9 December 1915 at Souain, a former battlefield with rough terrain and trenches, and in the presence of General Philippe Pétain, a ...
. It is an
ossuary An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the ...
and holds the remains of the 130 Legionnaires. The stones for the monument came from the same quarry as those that form the
Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...
. The monument, which was designed by
Alexandre Marcel Alexandre Marcel (11 September 1860 - 30 June 1928) was a French architect, best known for his Belle Époque interpretations of "exotic" international architectural styles. Marcel studied at the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts in the atelier of ...
, measures by , with the entrance on the north. Due to the poor soil quality in Champagne, fertile soil from
Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne (river), Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square ...
was trucked in to plant fir and pine trees, as well as a thick hedge. An inscription on the memorial was written by
Charles W. Eliot Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transfo ...
, and another contains the names of the men buried in it. It was dedicated on November 3, 1920, by Joseph-Marie Tissier,
bishop of Châlons A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
. Present at the dedication were Farnsworth's parents, sister, Pierre-Georges Duport, and representatives of the French government.
Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...
gave a speech. It is known today as the "American Monument" by the residents of Souain. Rue Henry Farnsworth in Souain was named for Farnsworth at a ceremony in September 1965 that was attended by Ellen.


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farnsworth, Henry Weston Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion Military personnel from Dedham, Massachusetts Groton School alumni Harvard College alumni 1890 births 1915 deaths Military personnel from Massachusetts French military personnel killed in World War I Journalists from Massachusetts Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Dedham, Massachusetts 20th-century American journalists American male journalists