Henry Hendrickson (March 12, 1862 – February 28, 1912) was a

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for bravery.

Biography

Henry "Harry" Hendrickson was born as Uno Henrik Toivonen on March 12, 1862, in

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

, Finland. He went to sea in about 1892 and survived the shipwreck of the Norwegian ship SS Franklin in Townsville Harbour, Queensland in July 1893.Merimiehen ystäwä : Suomen merimieslähetystoimen lehti, 15.02.1893, nro 2, s. 13
(in Finnish) After immigrating into the United States and entering the navy was sent to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the U.S.S. ''Marblehead'' as a seaman. On May 11, 1898, the ''Marblehead'' was given the task of cutting the cable leading from

Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. During the operation and facing heavy enemy fire, he continued to perform his duties throughout this action. He suffered a bullet wound on his left arm and on his belly, and stayed two weeks in a New York hospital. Uudenkaupungin Sanomat, 31.08.1898, nro 69, s. 2
/ref> He married Anna Gustava Kiljunen (born on June 21, 1875, in

Haapavesi Haapavesi is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Ostrobothnia region. The name means "Aspen Water". The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour mu ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

) in Manhattan, New York City, on March 3, 1900. The US Census 1900 show them living in the Borough of Brooklyn, occupation rigger. They returned to

and had two children there before emigrating again. We don't know the departure of Harry but his wife immigrated with the children in 1903. They arrived in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

aboard of the

Cunard Line The Cunard Line ( ) is a British shipping and an international cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its four ships have been r ...

on August 20, 1903. Harry died in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, on February 28, 1912, and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in

Mattapan Mattapan () is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Mattapan is the original Native American name for the Dorchester area, Galvin, William Francis, (Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts)" Archaic Community, Distri ...

, Massachusetts.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 12 March 1862, Germany. G.O. No.: 521, 7 July 1899. N.B. The citation has got his birthday and birthplace wrong. Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Marblehead during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Hendrickson displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.

References

External links

* 1862 births 1912 deaths United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors Immigrants to the United States Spanish–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Boston) {{US-navy-bio-stub

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links