Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection is made up of correspondence, military records, photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, and other items pertaining to the military career of Charles H. Foster, who served in the United States Navy from 1898-1934.

The Charles H. Foster collection consists of correspondence, military records, photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, and other items pertaining to the military career of Charles H. Foster, who served in the United States Navy from 1898-1934.

The collection's correspondence (144 items) primarily relates to Foster's naval service after 1902. Letters, memorandums, orders, and reports concern his ship assignments and work at the Naval Gun Factory (Washington Navy Yard) during World War I. One group of letters from the early 1920s relates to the acquisition of dependent's pay for Foster's mother. A series of World War II-era documents respect Foster's fitness for active duty. After World War II, he received letters from military acquaintances and veterans of the Spanish-American War.

Charles H. Foster's 1918-1919 diary concerns his travel on the Huron between the United States and France. Notes, newspaper clippings, and a telegram laid into the volume regard deaths, the military, and historical inquiries.

The papers include 4 of Charles H. Foster's scrapbooks, which contain materials related to the USTS Alliance's 1897-1898 training mission; naval ships, personnel, and theatrical and musical programs and performances; the Mexican Revolution and Mexican politics in the mid-1910s; and naval equipment, camps, and weapons tests.

Sixty-three photographs depict U.S. Navy sailors and vessels. One group of pictures show scenes from the Huron's voyage between France and the United States during World War I. The collection also features photographic postcards sent by Charles H. Foster and others from Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, Germany, and Borneo.

Financial records, legal documents, and service records primarily pertain to Charles H. Foster, with a focus on his time on the USS West Virginia in the 1920s and his mother's financial dependency. Documents, blueprints, photographs, and other items relate to devices patented by Charles H. Foster and others. Two service ribbons appear in the collection, mounted onto a wallet printed with "United States Battle Fleet, Sydney, 1925," which also contains a travel pass and membership card for Charles H. Foster.

The collection includes 429 typescripts about early American history, the Civil War, South Carolina Confederate soldiers, the Spanish-American War, aviation, and the US Navy. Rosters of American Navy ships and personnel include information on Union vessels during the Civil War; casualties from the 1898 USS Maine explosion; USTS Alliance naval apprentices in 1898; USS West Virginia officers in 1926; and the names and addresses of members in several naval veterans' associations.

A "Personal Log" by Royal Emerson Foster relates to his service on the SSAC Bedford in early 1919, with descriptions and illustrations of naval equipment, ship construction, signaling, personnel, and other subjects. The navy publication Rules to Prevent Collisions of Vessels also appears in the Log.

US Naval Ex. Apprentices Association materials include copies of Trade Winds, the association's newsletter, from 1939-1964. The newsletters are accompanied by a list of Alliance apprentices in 1898. A copy of Rocks and Shoals, a publication for former crewmen of the USS Memphis, is also present. Other printed works include military publications about equipment and procedures, a handbook on medicine, the Mariner's Pocketbook, A History of Guantanamo Bay, newspaper clippings, a souvenir book from the US Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, a death announcement, and a map of Arlington National Cemetery.

Notes, reports, and a bound volume concern the history of the Foster, Yates, and Lindstrom families.

This collection contains 98 letters that Eric C. Marker wrote to his wife Ruth while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Marker commented on life onboard the USS Fergus in the Pacific Theater from July 1945-February 1946, and described his experiences in the Philippines and Japan after the end of the war.

This collection contains 98 letters that Eric C. Marker wrote to his wife Ruth while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Marker commented on life onboard the USS Fergus in the Pacific Theater from July 1945-February 1946, and described his experiences in the Philippines and Japan after the end of the war.

Marker began his correspondence, at the United States Naval Training Center at Great Lakes, Illinois, around May 1945, where he reported on his daily schedule. He wrote the bulk of his letters on the Fergus, commenting on his work with the ship's boilers, life in port, and his relationship with his wife. After September 1945, he shared additional details about his wartime travels to places such as Eniwetok Atoll and Okinawa Island, and described an encounter with a Japanese submarine. In the fall of 1945, the Fergus was stationed in the Philippines and Japan, where Marker noted the large size of the American fleet and the effects of the war on Manila. He also shared his opinion of sailors and expressed his disapproval of some of their activities while on liberty.

In late 1945 and early 1946, Marker wrote from California, Hawaii, and Guam while traveling on the Fergus. On December 15, 1945, he shared news of a murdered African-American sailor who had been discovered in the water. Marker's correspondence is comprised of V-mail letters, airmail letters, and telegrams; at least 2 of his letters contain sketches of sailors, and his letter of September 29, 1945-October 3, 1945 includes 2 manuscript maps of the Fergus's travels in the Pacific. Marker's correspondence also includes a "Plan of the Day" for the Fergus (January 6, 1946), 2 undated photographic postcards depicting the HMS Hood and HMS Courageous, and a photograph of the USS Fergus.

This collection contains approximately 50 letters that Private First Class George W. Ingram wrote to his mother and siblings in Boyne City, Michigan, while he served with the United States Army between 1943 and 1945. Ingram corresponded with his family while in training in the United States and while stationed in North Africa, Italy, and southern France with a military police unit. The collection also includes a document, 2 postcards, photographs, a photograph album, and ephemeral items.

This collection contains approximately 50 letters that Private First Class George W. Ingram wrote to his mother and siblings in Boyne City, Michigan, while he served with the United States Army between 1943 and 1945. Ingram corresponded with his family while in training in the United States and while stationed in North Africa, Italy, and southern France with a military police unit. The collection also includes a document, 2 postcards, photographs, a photograph album, and ephemeral items.

The Correspondence series contains George Ingram's letters to his family, as well as 2 postcards and 1 document. He wrote regularly to his mother, Sadie Ingram, and less frequently to his siblings, Bob and Guy, between January 1943 and February 1945. In his earliest letters, he commented on his experiences at Camp Grant, Illinois, and Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where he attended basic training. By March, he relocated to Camp River Rouge, Michigan, and anticipated being sent to military police training. In July 1943, he reported that he had been deployed overseas as a member of the "149th Prov. M.P. Det.," and that he would help guard prisoners of war.

Ingram wrote about his service in North Africa, Italy, and southern France, and he frequently responded to news of friends from home. He occasionally mentioned his religious habits. After his return to the United States in late 1944, Ingram discussed his wife Betty, expressing hopes that his family would approve of her and inquiring about their opinions of her. He shared some of his postwar plans and related his efforts to obtain a medical discharge from the army. Ingram spent much of early 1945 as a member of the Army Service Forces at Camp Peary, Virginia. Throughout his service, he occasionally wrote on illustrated stationery, and he sent his mother 1 postcard from Wisconsin, which includes an image of two Mongolian pheasants. The series holds a "War Savings Bond Pay Reservation Application," signed by George W. Ingram in January 1943.

The Photographs series includes 4 individual photographs, a photographic negative, and 1 photo album. The photo album (52 pages) contains snapshots and portraits taken primarily in and around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, Michigan, between 1941 and 1943. Most pictures depict soldiers, young women, and a baby. Other scenes include St. Petersburg, Florida; Niagara Falls; and the United States Capitol.

The Printed items and ephemera series contains newspaper clippings of a poem and an image of a bride, a certificate for Bob Ingram's service in the United States Crop Corps Victory Farm Volunteers program in 1945, and a booklet illustrating methods for creating shadow illustrations with one's hands.

The Realia series consists of a pair of iron ice tongs.

This collection consists of 18 items related to Golden J. Wallis of the United States Navy and his wife Roberta, natives of Memphis, Tennessee. Wallis wrote 10 love letters and 1 telegram to his wife while serving onboard the USS Missouri in 1944 and 1945, and they received 4 additional letters and telegrams from friends and family. Other items are an invitation, a church program, and an unidentified wedding photograph.

This collection consists of 12 letters, 3 telegrams, 2 printed items, and 1 photograph related to Golden J. Wallis ("Goldie") and his wife Roberta, natives of Memphis, Tennessee. Golden Wallis wrote 10 love letters and 1 telegram to his wife while serving onboard the USS Missouri in 1944 and 1945, and the Wallises received 4 additional letters and telegrams from friends and family. Other items are an invitation, a church program, and an unidentified wedding photograph.

In his letters to his wife, Goldie Wallis commented on their separation and expressed his love for her; he also discussed their financial situation, including his attempts to secure her an apartment in New York City. Wallis mentioned traveling to Pacific islands and shared his relief after censorship regulations eased in September 1945. His telegram to Roberta of November 28, 1944, concerns his 3-week leave in San Francisco, California. Roberta Wallis also received 2 birthday telegrams (undated). Golden Wallis's sister, Faye Wallis, wrote 1 letter (undated), as did Billy Burk, an acquaintance who taught school in Clarksdale, Mississippi (April 7, 1943).

The collection also contains a printed invitation requesting Roberta Wallis's attendance at the Missouri's commissioning ceremony on June 11, 1944; a program for a church service held onboard the Missouri on March 25, 1945; and an undated photograph.

This collection contains letters to and between Harold K. Phillips and his wife, Betty Austin. Phillips, a native of Kansas, served on the USS Antares in the years before World War II. The majority of items dated 1938-1939 are letters to Harold and Betty from friends and family members in Kansas, Missouri, and Montana; the majority of letters dated 1940-1941 are letters from Harold K. Phillips to Betty Austin Phillips.

This collection is comprised of letters to and between Harold K. Phillips and his wife, Betty Austin. Phillips, a native of Kansas, served on the USS Antares in the years before World War II. The majority of letters dated 1938-1939 are letters to Harold and Betty from friends and family members in Kansas, Missouri, and Montana; the majority of letters dated 1940-1941 are letters from Harold K. Phillips to Betty Austin Phillips.

The first letter is dated April 18, 1938, around the time of Harold Phillips's enlistment in the United States Navy. At that time, Betty Austin lived in Kansas City, Missouri, where she received letters from friends and from her mother in La Harpe, Kansas. Friends and family members continued to write to Betty after she moved to Long Beach, California, in the summer of 1938. During his naval training, Harold received letters from his father in Spivey, Kansas, and his mother in Topeka, Kansas, as well as from his brother Bill in Great Falls, Montana, and from a girlfriend, Ethel Wardien, also in Great Falls. Harold (sometimes addressed as "Phil" or "Phill") and Betty began to write each other in August 1938, having been introduced by Harold's cousin Vivian. Harold continued to receive letters from Ethel Wardien; one of her letters contains a colored ink drawing of a sailor in uniform (June 1, 1939).

Following their marriage in October 1938, Harold and Betty received letters from family and acquaintances expressing congratulations and surprise. Harold occasionally wrote to Betty about life on the USS Antares while stationed at San Pedro, California; Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; and Mare Island, California. In 1940-1941, Harold wrote to Betty from the Antares, which was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The final letter, written to Betty from her mother, concerns the possibility of Betty moving to Kansas following "hard luck" (August 15, 1942). The collection also includes a birthday card; a printed document about the United States Naval Training Station in San Diego, California; and a pornographic poem by an Antares sailor entitled "A song of ABC's."

Seaman James R. Sturn kept this diary while serving onboard the destroyer Moale in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Sturn commented on sea life, reported the ship's movements, and described his experiences in multiple naval engagements.

Seaman James R. Sturn kept this diary (172 pages) while serving onboard the Moale in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Sturn commented on sea life, reported the ship's movements, and described his experiences in multiple naval engagements.

Before commencing regular diary entries, Sturn recapitulated his experiences in the United States Navy between March 1943 and November 1944. From around November 3, 1944-August 4, 1945, he wrote about daily life on the Moale, which was stationed in the Philippines, near various Japanese islands, and in Hawaii. Sturn noted the ship's movements, listed other ships in the Moale's task force, and reported news of sunken ships and battles. He witnessed kamikaze attacks and described the ship's engagements, which included action in Leyte Harbor, the Battle of Ormoc Bay, the invasion of Mindoro Island, the invasion of Luzon, and bombardment operations. Other entries pertain to Sturn's leisure activities and drinking habits at Ulithi Atoll and Pearl Harbor, where the Moale went for repairs in early 1945. After returning to the Pacific, the destroyer assisted with minesweeping and antiaircraft efforts around Okinawa and other Japanese islands.

Newspaper clippings and parts of the Moale's newsletter are pasted into the diary. Most reflect the Pacific Fleet's progress; one is an article by Ernie Pyle, and one has a drawing of male and female mermaids. Sturn pasted the Moale's daily orders from April 13, 1945, and May 13, 1945 into the volume's endpaper and first pages. Five unlabeled snapshots of a United States sailor and a note about Sturn's genealogy are laid into the volume.

This collection is made up of letters that John Frederick Smith wrote to his wife while stationed on the USS Wasatch in the South Pacific during World War II. He commented primarily on news of their young daughter, Bonnie, and on his love for his family.

This collection is made up of letters that John Frederick Smith wrote to his family from July 29, 1944-October 22, 1945, while stationed on the USS Wasatch in the South Pacific. He commented on news of their young daughter, Bonnie, and on his love for his family.

Smith addressed 66 of the 68 complete letters to his wife and the remaining 2 to his parents. He wrote most frequently (often almost daily) from September-October 1944, from January-February 1945, and in July 1945; most of his letters are 3-5 pages long. He occasionally mentioned the weather, scenery, and his activities, though he concentrated on his love for his family and his anticipation of returning home. Smith responded to news of his daughter Bonnie's development as she learned to hold herself up and began to teethe. His letter of September 21, 1944, encloses a typed letter from H. Gorman of the Bulova Watch Company. Smith's letters to his parents (March 18, 1845, and July 15, 1945) pertain to his family and his welcome receipt of letters from home. A group of Smith's later letters is written on USS Wasatch stationery, which bears printed drawings of the ship.

This collection contains 4 letters that John M. Harris wrote to his parents in Wellsville, New York, while participating in the Navy V-12 training program at the University of Rochester during World War II.

This collection contains 4 letters that John M. Harris wrote to his parents in Wellsville, New York, while participating in the United States Navy V-12 training program at the University of Rochester during World War II. In letters dated July 22, [1943]; March 9, 1944; March 13, 1944; and March 20, 1944, Harris discussed his coursework, roommates, physical training, daily life, and work with the school's paper, The Campus (now The Campus Times). His first letter is written on stationery with a printed picture of a sailor on a boat gazing at a mermaid.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, photographs, printed items, and genealogical papers related to Joseph LaVille Young, who served in the Virginia Militia, United States Army, and United States Navy from the 1890s to the end of World War I. Most of the materials pertain to Young's military career, particularly during the Spanish-American War and World War I.

This collection (1 linear foot) is made up of approximately 200 letters and documents, 15 photographs, 30 printed items, and genealogical papers related to Joseph LaVille Young, who served in the Virginia Militia, United States Army, and United States Navy from the 1890s to the end of World War I. The bulk of the collection is comprised of a partially disassembled scrapbook; the loose items from the scrapbook have been arranged into series of correspondence and documents, photographs, printed items, and genealogical materials.

The majority of the Correspondence and Documents relate to Young's service in the Spanish-American War and World War I. They include commissions, orders, memorandums, and financial records. One small group of items pertains to Theodore Roosevelt's efforts to raise volunteer troops during World War I, including a signed letter from Roosevelt to Young, who had wanted to raise a Virginia regiment (May 25, 1917). Joseph LaVille kept a small memorandum book while stationed in France from January to February 1918. Most of the notes concern his expenses and other financial affairs, and he also copied information about converting English measures to metric units.

Additional manuscripts include some personal letters that Young wrote to his sister Linda while in France during World War I and a small number of documents related to the military service of Joseph LaVille Young, Sr. The later letters and documents concern Young's desire to return to the military during World War II, his real estate career, and the genealogy of the Pritchard family.

The Photographs include group portraits of the "Richmond Light Infantry Blues" during their Spanish-American War service in Cuba, and studio and informal portraits of Joseph LaVille Young as a young man, a Spanish-American War soldier, a member of the United States Navy, and an older man. One image shows Young posing in front of the family home in Portsmouth, Virginia, and another shows an unidentified man flexing his biceps and upper back muscles.

The Printed Items series is made up of 9 picture postcards, featuring scenes from multiple French towns; newspaper clippings, including obituaries for the elder Joseph LaVille Young and other family members; advertisements for real estate in Richmond, Virginia; and a pamphlet titled La Langue Anglaise sans Màître (1915).

The Genealogical Papers series includes histories, tables, and notes related to the Hollowell, Bacon, Hunter, Pettit, Godfrey, Swift, James, and Pritchard families. Included is a family tree showing Joseph LaVille Young's ancestors and a binder containing information on heraldic crests.

This collection is made up of 27 letters that Leroy Stecker wrote to his family while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Stecker, a seaman first class, was based at Norfolk, Virginia, and served onboard the Oceanographer in the Pacific Theater.

This collection is made up of 27 letters that Leroy Stecker wrote to his family while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Stecker, a seaman first class, was based at Norfolk, Virginia, and served onboard the Oceanographer in the Pacific Theater. Stecker addressed his letters to his mother and stepfather in Torrance, California, and to a woman named Joan who lived with them, from July 12, 1942, to September 8, 1943. He was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, until late August, when he joined the crew of the Oceanographer, which served in the Aleutian Islands, Hawaii, and the South Pacific during the war. Stecker wrote primarily about his everyday life and discussed his meals, hobbies, and acquaintances. In Norfolk, he met a woman whose husband had gone to war, and he later discussed a relationship with a married woman, reporting her intention of getting a divorce. Stecker frequently responded to news of acquaintances from home and on one occasion offered advice for a man named "Bus," who considered joining the navy. A pencil drawing of a man in profile is enclosed in Stecker's letter of February 2, 1943.