History Commons^™

I Was Looking For God: A Study Of Wehrmacht Personnel And Their Personal Relationships With Religion, Christopher Bishop

Master's Theses

The Wehrmacht was Germany’s fighting force in the field during World War II. Its brutality and discriminatory practices rivaled that of the Nazi paramilitary and police units dispatched alongside them in newly conquered areas during this conflict. Coming from a society that was not at all unfamiliar with Christianity, some within the Wehrmacht related to Christianity in some form and attempted to use it to either justify actions or make sense of the world around them.

While considerable scholarship exists on the Nazi Party’s relationship to Christianity as a convenient propaganda tool for both soldier and civilian alike, the historiography …

No Tolerance For Cowards Or “Yankees:” The Letters Of Reuben Allen Pierson, A Confederate Officer, Erica L. Uszak

Student Publications

Confederate officer Reuben Allen Pierson was a single well-to-do Louisiana slaveholder. He enlisted early in the Ninth Louisiana Infantry, insisting that he joined the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to defend his freedom, family, and new country. He turned his back on the United States, convinced that his Northern counterparts were subhuman and dishonorable. This paper argues that Reuben Allen Pierson remained steadfast in his convictions about Southern duty and honor, arguing in the Confederacy’s favor even in bleak times. The writer will examine why he clung desperately to the Confederacy and how he was influenced by ideas of honor, …

“The Entire Army Says Hello”: Common Soldiers’ Experiences, Localism, And Army Reform In Britain And Prussia, 1739-1789, Alexander S. Burns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation fundamentally questions the state of the field regarding militaries, state building, and narratives of modernity in the Kingdoms of Britain and Prussia. An examination of military stereotyping, common soldiers’ correspondence, religion, localism, and army reform all suggests that the British and Prussian militaries were mutually-intelligible and similar, not radically different. This similarity has broad implications for the modern history of these two European states. Britain was not on a straight road to whiggish parliamentary progress, and Prussia was not on a straight road to militarism and authoritarian rule. Rather, in second half of the eighteenth century, both of …

Be Good: Hatred And Hope In The Letters Of Gerald Koster, Steven M. Landry

Student Publications

To tell an informative story about someone’s life is difficult at the best of times. Gerald “Gerry” Koster’s correspondence during his last year of service in the US Navy towards the end of the Pacific War can thus only paint an incomplete portrait of who he was and what exactly the war meant to him. Nevertheless, there are things that his letters can teach readers, not only about Koster’s role and daily activities in the military, but about his personal character and how that manifested in his interactions with the defeated Japanese and his family. And perhaps, through his personal …

Ms – 246: Papers Of The Bond/Smith Families, Natalie M. Orga, Michelle Williams

All Finding Aids

The collection includes over 500 letters, most of them pertaining to WWI. The majority of these letters are from Norman Bond to his mother, Elizabeth (or “Bessie”) Bond, discussing his experiences as a pilot in the 13th Aero group 2nd pursuit squadron. Norman also wrote to his mother frequently before the war during his time at Harvard University, and during his post-college tour of Europe. The collection includes many of these letters, postcards, and photographs from this time period, as well as Norman’s grades, professor correspondence, a Harvard flag, and other documents and ephemera relating to his school years. It …

Ms – 198: Letters Of Leonard G. Roberts, Olivia R. Simmet

All Finding Aids

The letters from Leonard (Mike) Roberts to Geraldine Smith Roberts are very much the correspondence of a young, homesick husband in love. The first series of the collection includes five letters from Mike dated 1937 and two notes presumed to be circa the same time, marking the progress of their teenage courtship. The collection resumes in 1944 when Roberts begins his military service. Drafted late in the war, Roberts was not posted overseas until January, 1945. The letters detail his deployment and military life with a hiatus between February 3rd April 6th as Roberts is taken prisoner by the Germans. …

An Artist As Soldier: Seeking Refuge In Love And Art, Barbara S. Heisler

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

At the center of this book are the World War II letters (Feldpostbriefe) of a German artist and art teacher to his wife. While Bernhard Epple’s letters to his wife, Gudrun, address many of the topics usually found in war letters (food, lodging conditions, the weather, problems with the mail service, requests for favors from home), they are unusual in two respects. Each letter is lovingly decorated with a drawing and the letters make few references to the war itself. In addition to many personal communications and expressions of love for his wife and children, Epple writes about …

Ms – 211: Earman Family Letters From Wwii, Kayla Morrow

All Finding Aids

The collection contains 389 letters, 15 V-mail , and 166 additional items addressed to members of the Earman family home. The majority of the correspondence is sent from Ernest and Randolph to their mother, Mrs. Earman. Because the Earman brothers did not see much direct combat, the bulk of their letters are updates on health and daily activities, or candid observations on the war, the Army, the weather, and women. The rest of the collection includes letters addressed to the Earman family from distant or extended family, close friends, and Ernest’s foreign and domestic girlfriends. Many of the letters are …

The World War Ii Letters Of Richard Schade, Ashley N. Sonntag

Student Publications

Richard Schade was a newlywed when he was drafted into the United States Army on January 29, 1943, in Camden, New Jersey. While stationed in the United States during World War II, he wrote a series of letters to his new wife, Betty. Many of these letters were love letters discussing deep love as well as the active plan to start a family. Through the letters written over the course of months he records his daily duties, concerns, dreams, and various information about the conditions in the military. His letters developed into a valuable insight into the life of a …

Ms – 202: James W. Davis Letters, Karen Dupell Drickamer

All Finding Aids

The bulk of the collection consists of 23 letters by James W. Davis (1965-1968) from Vietnam, to his wife, Janet W. Davis, Miami, Florida (Series I). Letters from Janet W. Davis home from Europe in 1951 and Hong Kong and Bangkok in December of 1958 (Series II), help to fill in biographical information. Series II contains four letters from various people to either James or both James and Janet. The collection also consists of news clippings and ephemera sent home by James in his letters (Series IV). James did not place a date on his letters, only the day and …

All For Honor: Officer Responses To The Mcconaughy Letters, Olivia J. Ortman

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In Special Collections here at Gettysburg College is a compilation of letters by Civil War officers responding to an invitation to attend the very first reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg. The reunion was initiated by David McConaughy–a lawyer in Adams County, PA who had organized a group of local men to fight for the Union during the war–and was meant to be a time for the officers who had fought here to come together and walk the battlefield. On this walk, they would point out the locations their troops had occupied during the fight so that McConaughy and his …

Ms-161: Ellen Wild Letters, Savannah G. Rose

All Finding Aids

The Ellen Wild Letters Collection contains 21 letters, primarily featuring letters written in 1862 to 1865. The majority of the letters come from 1862, but several also come from her time following the Civil War. The letters recount Mrs. Wild’s time during the Civil War, waiting for news from her husband as well as surviving on the home front. She recounts Edward Wild’s adventures during the war, his life in camp, and his numerous woundings and ailments. Mrs. Wild discusses her husband’s involvement in North Carolina as well as with the free African Americans. She briefly mentions the Battle of …

Ms-181: Papers Of Aaron Andrews (Andreas), 16th Pa Cav., Co. E, Steven J. Semmel

All Finding Aids

The collection contains 31 letters from Aaron Andrews (Andreas) to his wife over a 3 year span during the war (1862 to 1865). Andrews was a Pennsylvania merchant from Luzerne County who enlisted in the army in August 1862. He followed his unit through the Eastern Theater, and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant before mustering out in August, 1865. The collection also contains biographical information done by a family member, census records, and marriage records. Each letter is accompanied by a typewriter transcription by the same family member.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to …

Marriage And Gender: A History Through Letters, Victoria Kern

Senior Honors Projects

Research on the evolution of marriage can be found quite easily, but the opportunity to see into the lives of married couples from the past is rare. Through the analysis of letters between my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, I provide a glimpse of what being married has meant throughout the 20^th Century for heterosexual couples. Societal ideas about what makes a marriage ideal have changed over time, but they have always been closely linked with gender expectations (Berk, 2013), so a feminist approach to the analysis of the evolution of marriage is used with my family’s letters as a …

Damron, Danny Lee (Sc 1133), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1133. Letters and a postcard sent from Damron to Becky Spradlin of Nicholasville, Kentucky. Also included is a photo of Damron, a water bottle label with Arabic captions and a riyal bill from Saudi Arabia.

Wall Family Papers (Sc 1094), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1094. Documents mainly of Wall family members of Cynthiana (Harrison County), Kentucky, and Dallas, Texas. The family correspondence includes three Civil War era letters. The financial receipts include one for the cost of an 1841 servant’s coffin.

World War Ii, 1939-1945 - Letters (Sc 2710), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2710. Three letters written by “Tom” to his brother Summers, mother and “Mary,” from May-July 1942. He describes his work at an unnamed location constructing a galley, mess hall and housing, and the hauling of building materials up a hillside using a cable car system called a “kah-vall-ee.” Includes another soldier’s whimsical story about mishaps with the contraption, titled “Kah-vall-ee: The First in a Series of Battery ‘L’ Incidents.”

Civil War, 1861-1865 - Letters (Sc 956), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 956. Letters, 1861-1864 (3), written by three soldiers from Indiana. Two are stationed in Virginia and describe recent battles and camp life. The letter writer from 1864 speculates that the war is almost over and describes Raleigh, North Carolina, and military affairs there.

World War Ii, 1939-1945 - Letters (Sc 971), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 971. Photocopies of letters (2), written to Milwaukee, Wisconsin residents, chiefly concerning naval life in South America, 1944, and including comments about bombing devastation and V-E Day celebrations in Europe.

Smith, Cooper Ray, 1887-1951 (Sc 983), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 983. Letter written from France by Cooper Ray Smith to his sister Mackie Bennett, Bowling Green, Kentucky, discussing his trip to France, the end of World War I, and inquiring about events in Bowling Green.

Civil War, 1861-1865 - Letters (Sc 364), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 364. Photocopies of Civil War letters (3), 1862, 1864, n.d. The letters were written from camps in Tennessee and Georgia by soldiers from Illinois. Includes letter relative to above letters, 1971.

Hadley, Howard "Buzz" - Letters To (Sc 2472), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2472. Letters to Howard "Buzz" Hadley, stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, chiefly from his wife Alice (Everding) Hadley, Buffalo, New York. She comments on the weather and her job, sends him news of family and friends back home, and reveals her unexpected pregnancy.

Baird, Charles C., 1911-2006 (Sc 2463), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2463. Phonograph record with recorded letter from Charles Baird to Tom Baird in care of Scott Tobacco Company, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mailing envelope is postmarked San Francisco, California and labeled: "This is a recorded message from your Man in Service." Both phonograph and cover note: "Courtesy of Pepsi Cola" and contain the company logo.

World War Ii, 1939-1945 - Letters (Mss 330), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 330. Letters written to parents, friends, faculty and staff of Western Kentucky University by students during their service in Word War II. Includes some press releases, newspaper articles and photos. Also includes a history and travel log of the USS Stevens.

Smith Family Papers (Sc 2302), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 2302. Chiefly letters from Barnett Smith, Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory and Camp Wheeler, Huntsville, Alabama to his mother in Hadley, Warren County, Kentucky, 1898. He describes his military training and ponders being shipped to Cuba. Also includes (Click on "Additional Files" below for scans) an 1865 letter from Union soldier James W. Howard of Butler County, Kentucky, Howard’s discharge certificate, an 1863 slavery bill of sale, and an 1873 receipt for a coffin.

Sprowl, Wilson (Sc 2308), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2308. Brief World War I letters from Wilson Sprowl to family members in Monroe County, Kentucky while he was stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky and Camp Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan. Also, a welcoming letter from King George V to American troops, and a billet for a bunk on the U.S.S. Florida that includes instructions for troop conduct.

Pearson, Murl Douglas, 1920-1970 (Sc 2285), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2285. Letters sent from Murl D. Pearson to his parents, Dewey and Cora Pearson, Bowling Green, Kentucky, in which he relates information about his service in the U.S. Army in World War II. Pearson was working at a desk job in England during the course of these letters.

Sutton, Thomas W. (Sc 2319), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid, scan and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2319. "A Letter on a Record" from World War II in which Thomas W. Sutton, Camp Crowder, Missouri, records an oral letter on a phonograph record to Eva Mae Stone, Washington, D.C. The record has a U.S.O. logo and the paper enclosure has a military theme. A typescript of the letter is included.

Hatfield-Gaines Family, 1834-1981 (Mss 2275), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2275. Chiefy receipts, deeds, wills, and other legal and financial documents of the Hatfield and Gaines families of Simpson County, Kentucky. Includes some Civil War-era correspondence of the Hatfield family.

Newman, Robert Mason, 1910-1988 & Frances Earlene (Holton) Newman, B. 1918 (Sc 2278), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2278. Miscellaneous papers, chiefly items related to Robert Mason Newman's retirement from the U.S. Naval Reserves and pre-marriage letters written to Frances Earlene Holton from her friends.