Alice and Hazel Williams correspondence, 1917-1919

Summary

Creator:

Williams family

Abstract:

This collection is made up of letters that Chelsea Williams and William C. ("Bill") Williams wrote to Chelsea's family while serving with the United States Army's 1st Engineers, Company D, during and just after World War I. They commented on their health and aspects of their service in France and Germany.

Extent:

9 items

Language:

English

Sponsor:

Duane Norman Diedrich Collection

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Meg Hixon, November 2013

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection is made up of 9 letters that Chelsea Williams and William C. ("Bill") Williams wrote to Chelsea's family while serving with the United States Army's 1st Engineers, Company D, during and just after World War I. Chelsea Williams wrote to an unidentified sister (September 14, 1917, and October 7, 1917), to his father (May 17, 1919), and to his sister Hazel (June 26, 1919). He mentioned his inability to provide details about the war, described his leisurely life in occupied Germany in 1919, and responded to news from home, including news of his father's ill health. In his letter of June 26, 1919, he told Hazel that he was not surprised to hear of returning soldiers consuming large amounts of alcohol, as "the first six months over here was enough to make the best of men fall." In his letters to Hazel Williams (4 items, April 11, 1918-June 14, [1919]) and Alice Williams (1 item, January 12, 1919), William C. ("Bill") Williams provided news of Chelsea, who was wounded in July 1918.

Biographical / Historical:

William C. Williams and Chelsea Williams served in the 1st Engineers, Company D, during World War I. Chelsea Williams, a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was the son of Edward and Alice Williams. His siblings included Dinah, Bertha, Hazel, and Belmont.

Acquisition Information:

Donated, D. N. Diedrich, 2006. M-4600.7 .

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 chronologically.

Rules or Conventions:

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

Subjects

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

Subjects:

Soldiers--Alcohol use.
World War, 1914-1918--France.
World War, 1914-1918--Peace.

Formats:

Letters (correspondence)

Names:

United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces.
Williams, Bill (William C.)
Williams, Chelsea.