On Saturday, May 17, 2025, Janet Wahlberg, Vice President of the Board of Trustees at the Fenton formally presented a letter written by Chautauqua County’s first Gold Star Mother, Emma Mann, to the Harmony Historical Society. The letter, addressed to Michael Toms—a surviving friend of her son John Henry Mann—was written shortly after John’s death during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
John Henry Mann, a native of Stow, was the first Chautauqua County resident killed in action during World War II. A Staff Sergeant stationed at Hickam Field in Hawaii, he was one of five young men in a close-knit group who were serving together that morning. Toms, the sole survivor of the group, later received Mrs. Mann’s letter in response to his message of sympathy. The original letter was recently donated by Gerald Matthews, Toms’ son-in-law.
Pam Brown, historian for Harmony and North Harmony, accepted the letter on behalf of the Harmony Historical Society.
Wahlberg will give a full lecture on the life of John Henry Mann later this year, on August 13 as part of the Fenton History Center’s 2025 Lecture Series.
