Albert E. St. Germain collection, 1894-1964 (majority within 1917-1919)

Summary

Creator:

St. Germain, Albert Edward, 1894-1965

Abstract:

The Albert E. St. Germain collection contains correspondence, military documents, and other items relating to the St. Germain family. The bulk of the collection pertains to Albert St. Germain's service in the United States Army's press service in Europe during and just after World War I.

Extent:

0.75 linear feet

Language:

English
French

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Meg Hixon, October 2012

Background

Scope and Content:

The Albert E. St. Germain collection (over 190 items) contains correspondence, military documents, and other items relating to the St. Germain family. The bulk of the collection pertains to Albert St. Germain's service in the United States Army's press division in Europe during and just after World War I.

The Correspondence series (28 items) is made up of personal letters related to members of the St. Germain family. Sisters Clarinda (1 item) and M. Clementina (8 item) wrote French-language letters to their parents from the Convent of Mercy in Meriden, Connecticut, between 1894 and 1900. Other convent correspondents included Sister Teresa, who invited the St. Germain family to a ceremony (August 10, 1896), and Sister M. Augustine, who sent a telegram about Sister Clementina's death in November 1900. A woman named "Leontina" wrote 4 letters to Leon St. Germain from Québec in 1905.

Albert E. St. Germain wrote 6 letters to his mother and 2 letters to his brother Oscar while serving in the United States Army in France during and immediately after World War I. He described his travels in France and discussed some of his duties in the press section. In 1919, an acquaintance named J. Morgan wrote Albert St. Germain a personal letter and a letter of recommendation. Later correspondence includes a letter that one of Albert's children wrote to him in 1959, a letter about the 50 reunion of the Bulkeley High School class of 1914, and a World War II-era greeting card from the South Pacific.

The Documents series is divided into two subseries. Military Documents (97 items) are mostly comprised of news bulletins and intelligence summaries providing details about the Allied war effort in France from September 1918-November 1918, as well as 2 copies of Gerald Morgan's recollections about service as Chief Field Censor for the American Expeditionary Forces, written in February 1919. Department of Labor and Personal Documents (15 items) include intelligence tests, Albert St. Germain's employment history, a blank naturalization form, documents related to Leon St. German's estate, and documents regarding field stations during World War II.

The Photographs series (3 items) contains 2 formal card photograph portraits of an unidentified couple and of Albert E. St. Germain, as well as a photograph of Albert E. Saint Germain, in uniform, shaking hands with a French soldier. The latter photograph is enclosed with a copy of the New York newspaper that ran the photograph on August 4, 1918.

The Writings and Pencil Sketch series is comprised of 7 copies of stories that Albert E. St. Germain wrote around the World War I era. The writings include an account of his interactions with a French citizen during the war, a camping trip, and various other subjects; some of the drafts have manuscript notes. The collection has duplicate copies of 2 stories. The series includes a pencil drawing of "Le Vieux Moulin."

The Printed Items series (29 items) is divided into four subseries:

• The Cards and Currency subseries (4 items) consists of 3 business cards of Albert E. St. Germain and a French banknote.
• The Maps subseries (5 items) contains printed maps of the Moselle River, the Rhine River, and Bar-le-Duc, France; one of the Rhine River maps was produced for members of the army of occupation. Also included is a blueprint map of properties that Leon St. Germain owned in Waterford, Connecticut.
• The Pamphlets subseries (6 items) has the following items: a retrospective and commencement program related to the Bulkeley School class of 1914, a cover from a copy of The Louis Allis Messenger, a page from a printed recipe book, a pamphlet about the United States flag, and a copy of the United States Constitution with additional information for use in passing the country's citizenship examination.
• The Newspapers subseries (13 items) contains around 10 articles about World War I, the Bulkeley School, Albert E. St. Germain, and army censorship. The newspaper articles originate from papers in Connecticut and France. Three copies of The Stars and Stripes, dated 1918, are also present.

The Address Book and Fragments series (14 items) includes manuscript, typed, and printed fragments, and an address book that Albert St. Germain owned while working for the United States Department of Labor.

The Artifacts series consists of a brown leather satchel.

Biographical / Historical:

Québec native Leon St. Germain and his wife Mary immigrated to the United States in 1872 and settled in Waterford, Connecticut. Their nine children included Lottie, Uldrich, Joseph, Oscar, Amos, Ida, Arthur, and Albert Edward. Albert E. St. Germain (March 15, 1894-July 1965) graduated from the Bulkeley School in 1914 and attended the University of Connecticut from 1914-1917. During and just after World War I, he served in France and Germany with the United States Army's press service.

Acquisition Information:

2003. M-4320.7 .

Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series:

• Series I: Correspondence
• Series II: Documents
  • Subseries I: Military Documents
  • Subseries II: Department of Labor and Personal Documents
• Series III: Photographs
• Series IV: Writings and Pencil Sketch
• Series V: Printed Items
  • Subseries I: Cards and Currency
  • Subseries II: Maps
  • Subseries III: Pamphlets
  • Subseries IV: Newspapers
• Series VI: Address Book and Fragments
• Series VII: Artifacts

Each series and subseries is arranged chronologically, with undated items placed at the end.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Alternate Locations

The brown leather satchel is housed in the Graphics Division.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Nuns--United States.
World War, 1914-1918--Censorship.
World War, 1914-1918--France.
World War, 1939-1945--United States.
Soldiers--France.
Soldiers--United States.

Formats:

Address books.
Blueprints (reprographic copies)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Constitutions.
Drawings (visual works)
Examinations (documents)
Letters (correspondence)
Maps.
Menus.
Military records.
Narratives.
Newspapers.
Pamphlets.
Paper money.
Photographs.
Programs (documents)
Telegrams.
Visiting cards.

Names:

United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces.
St. Germain, Leon, 1854-.

Places:

Meriden (Conn.)
Waterford (Conn.)