Collections

Start Over Subjects World War, 1939-1945 -- Soldiers' letters Level Collection

Betty Lou Allcock, World War II Era Scrapbook by Resident of Wheeling, 1935/1947 0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 3 in. (1 flat storage box)

Allcock, Betty Lou
Scrapbook by Betty Lou Allcock, resident of Elm Grove, Wheeling, WV. Includes correspondence, photographs, clippings, programs, greeting cards, etc. regarding World War II, Girl Scouts, Girl Reserves, Triadelphia High School, musical performances, and local news. Highlights include letters from soldiers before and during their deployment.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Dorothy Jones Baughman Papers, 1789/1975 7.9 Linear Feet 7 ft. 11 in. (19 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 index card box)

Baughman, Dorothy Jones, 1897-1979
Correspondence and genealogical information of Dorothy Jones Baughman gathered by her great niece Barbara Rasmussen. Dorothy Baughman was born in Doddridge County in October 1897, died in Morgantown in January 1979, and was buried in the Belington Fraternal Cemetery. These papers reflect the life of her family at the turn of the twentieth century in north central West Virginia. Correspondence between Dorothy and her father, her grandmother, and her husband form the bulk of the collection. There are also Civil War letters, photographs, and ephemera such as dance cards, Valentines, and Christmas cards. Names that occur in the collection include Jones, Neely, Baughman, Devecmon, Sinnex, Randolph, Cook, and Shetler, among others.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Harold L. Frankhauser, Incoming Letters Regarding the World War II Home Front, 1942/1946 0.4 Linear Feet Summary: 5 in. (1 document case)

Frankhauser, Harold L.
Letters and greeting cards received by Harold L. Frankhauser of Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1942-1946 while serving the U.S. Navy in a medical detachment on the USS Chilton (APA-38) during World War II. The letters are from family and friends in Parkersburg, friends in the armed forces, and girl friends, reflecting a diverse range of home front experiences. There is an extensive series of letters from Lillian Tosker of New York, whom Harold Frankhauser married, which include numerous references to sentiment, as well as aspects of daily city life, such as transportation, employment, and entertainment. There are references to popular culture in the letters, including movies, big bands, vocalists, and sporting events. There are two photographs that include, presumably, Harold L. Frankhauser with his parents. Harold Lee Frankhauser was born in West Virginia on May 20, 1921.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Joseph W. Parker, World War II Soldier, Scrapbook and Correspondence, 1943/1945 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 3/4 in. (1 folder)

Parker, Joseph W.
Scrapbook and correspondence of Joseph "Bill" W. Parker of Fairmont, West Virginia, who served in World War II and attained the rank of captain. The scrapbook is a pre-made book titled "G.I've Been Around" and published by C. S. Hammond & Co. The cover of the book has been personalized with Parker's name. Parker filled out spaces in the book with his dates of service, locations, advancement and citations, and personal chronology. He also pasted photographs of himself and his wife into the book. The book also contains a chronology of the war, maps of regions of the world, and photographs of important events and locations during the war. The correspondence consists of three letters written by Parker while he was serving in Europe. One of the letters is addressed to his wife Alice (Mrs. Joseph W. Parker) in Fairmont, West Virginia, dated 18 Oct 1943, and regards his safe arrival in England. The other two letters are to his mother-in-law Ora M. Edgell in Fairmont, West Virginia, dated 20 Dec [?] and 2 Feb 1945; the letters thank Edgell for sending care packages and express Parker's homesickness for America.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Melvin Harding Kimble, Soldier, Photographs and Funeral Guest Book, 1930/1948 0.6 Linear Feet 6 1/2 in. (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (1 index card box, 4 in.)

Kimble, Melvin Harding

Melvin Harding Kimble (1920-1944) was born in Moundsville, West Virginia and served in the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion during World War II on the Western Front of the European Theater. Kimble was killed in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and his body was returned to the United States for burial in 1948. The collection contains photographs of Kimble in military and civilian life, as well as photographs of his family and fellow soldiers. Some of the photographs are accompanied by biographical and genealogical information regarding Kimble. The collection also contains the funeral guest book, or register, from his funeral; this book includes a list of attendees as well as one page of a letter from Kimble to his wife with a "theater of operations" pin attached to the letter.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Paul A. Atkins, Soldier, World War II Letters, 1943/1945 1.25 Linear Feet Summary: 1 ft. 3 in. (3 document cases, 5 in. each)

Atkins, Paul A.
Letters from Atkins while serving with the First Cavalry, U.S. Army. Atkins was stationed in Australia in 1943, his unit moving to New Guinea in January 1944, the Admiralty Islands in March 1944, and the Philippines in October 1944. He was wounded in the fight for Rizal Stadium in Manila. Letters deal with routine camp life and more rarely with battles in which the unit was engaged. After the war Atkins became a professor of journalism at West Virginia University.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Ralph John WWII Letters and Other Material, 1897/1962, bulk 1940/1944 2.75 Linear Feet 6 document cases, 5 in. each; 1 flat storage box, 3 in.

John, Ralph J.

Letters, 1941-1944, authored by Private Ralph J. John of the 3rd Battalion, Headquarters Company, 112th Infantry, 28th Division. They document his experiences in the military, including training in the United States and time overseas when stationed in England prior to the invasion of France. He was killed in action near St. Lo, France on August 15, 1944, at the age of 30. Ralph John was a native of Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. There are also family papers of his parents, including greeting cards and postcards. There is also printed ephemera, including a telephone index with Morgantown advertising (1940-1941), an Army Song Book (1941), and a History of the 28th Division, Condensed (18 pp., 1941).

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Thomas Jack Carpenter, Soldier, World War II Narrative and Letters, 1945/1998, bulk 1945/1946 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1 1/4 in. (6 folders)

Carpenter, Thomas Jack
Reminiscence and transcripts of letters by T. Jack Carpenter regarding his World War II experiences. The reminiscence of six pages, written in 1998, chronicles in summary form the life of Jack Carpenter from 1940 to 1946, starting from his high school years in Middlebourne, West Virginia through 1946, the year he was discharged. The letters, dating from 1 May 1945 through 14 October 1946, document in detail his training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and Camp Livingston, Louisiana; trip overseas to Camp Lucky Strike outside Paris, France; transfer to Schwabach in post-war Germany; training at Fontainebleau, France for clerical work; and transfer to U.S. Headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Finally, he was assigned to the staff working for General McNarney, commander in chief, U.S. Forces of Occupation in Germany. The letters, in their detailed rendering of Carpenter's professional and personal life, provide a window through which we can view the world of post-war Europe from the perspective of a U.S. serviceman. There are also a few photographs, including the sea crossing, Camp Lucky Strike, Fontainebleau, headquarters in Frankfurt, and the General's lodge at Oberammergau. There are also photos of Carpenter in Frankfurt.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Wayne J. Chisler, World War II Correspondence, 1942/1945, bulk 1942/1944 0.75 Linear Feet Summary: 8 1/2 in. (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (1 large flat storage box, 6 in.)

Chisler, Wayne J.
Two-hundred World War II letters from Private Wayne J. Chisler, a quartermaster, to his wife Elsie Pullman Chisler, both from Morgantown, West Virginia. Letters discuss camp life, entertainment (including music, movies, sports), and sentiments. Wayne Chisler went to boot camp at Fort Lee, Virginia in July to September of 1942, and then went to the embarkation center of Fort Lawton, Washington state in September, 1942. He was then sent to a base on Umnak, the easternmost island of the chain of islands in Alaska known as the Aleutians, serving there through 1944. The letters from Umnak all originate from APO 948 (Army Post Office). There are only four letters from 1945, three to Elsie Chisler from friends or family, and one to Wayne Chisler from a fellow soldier and friend. The letters also mention the progress of his wife working in a defense plant in Baltimore, Maryland. There are two photographs of, presumably, Elsie Chisler, including one negative and one print.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.