#MIDDLEBURY #WWI
This Ernest William Benson photograph is among those in the Benson Scrapbooks at the Middlebury Historical Society. (Middlebury Historical Society photo)
By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD
No one responded to last month’s request for information on Middleburians who served in World War I, but that it is not unusual. Called the “forgotten veterans,” these men answered our nation’s call to arms and courageously fought in the “war to end all wars.” Wikipedia says the last U.S. WWI veteran, Frank Buckles, died in 2011. The very last veteran of the war, British citizen Florence Green, died in 2012.
One name stands out among the names of Middlebury veterans – Benson. Since I’ve done extensive genealogical research on this family, I was able to put together brief summaries of the five Benson cousins who served in the military during the war. The Bensons exemplified the patriotism and service Middleburians have always shown.
Immigrants Bengt (ca. 1835-1904) and Johanna (Anderson) (1836-1918) Benson of Sweden were the progenitors of the Benson families here in Middlebury. They were a farming family; occupants of Benson Woods live on what was once their farm. They had about eight children, five of whom I researched: John Allan (1862-1938), Andrew (1863-1936), Charles (1867-1928), Oscar (ca. 1872-1947) and Alfred.
John Allen (1862-1938) and Jacobeena “Beena” (Hanson) Benson, the owners of the Benson farm here in Middlebury, were the parents of six children. John had immigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1881 and Beena in 1883; John became a naturalized citizen and enlisted in the Army in World War I. They had six children: Ernest, Rayner, Edwin, John, George and Edith. Two of their sons served in World War I, John Allan Benson Jr. and Edwin.
John Allan Benson Jr. (1895-1960), married Edna Rowland in 1927 and then Flora Waldorf in 1933. He worked for the Waterbury Farrell Company.
Edwin Hjlmar Benson (1892-1971) served in the U.S. Army in World War I and was gassed during combat. He never married. He was a farmer in his family’s tradition, and lived in Middlebury most of his life, moving to Southbury in 1963 after he gave up farming.
Three other Bensons, first cousins to John and Edwin, also served. Bernhardt Theodore Benson was born in 1893 in Nebraska to Andrew and Anna (Peterson) Benson, and the family came here when Bernhardt was young. He married Margaret Murnan in 1918; she died in 1961 and he died in 1967.
Bernhardt’s brother, Lester Julius Benson, was born in 1894 in Nebraska, and died in Cheshire in 1983 at the age of 88. He was a retired house painter and never married.
Harry J. Benson was born on March 6, 1897, in Naugatuck, and died Oct. 30, 1961, in Hartford. He was the son of Oscar Emil and Carblina (Anderson) Benson. He married Anna (Walsh) Benson.
Another cousin, Ernest William Benson (1888-1966), a brother of John and Edwin, married Helen Hickcox. Readers will recognize her name because she and her husband compiled the “Benson Scrapbooks,” eight volumes that show the history of Middlebury from its beginnings through the 1940s. He loved to photograph Middlebury, especially in snowy settings, and an original picture from the scrapbooks is included above. Whenever I am enjoying the beauty of our town, as Ernest did, my mind always drifts back to those men and women whose sacrifice made it possible for each of us to live in peace and safety here.
Bob Rafford is the Middlebury Historical Society president and Middlebury’s municipal historian. To join or contact the society, visit MiddleburyHistoricalSociety.org or call Bob at 203-206-4717.
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