Collections

The Beatrice and William Ebeling letters concern the couple's life in China in the early to mid-1940s. They wrote to William's parents in Kalamazoo, Michigan, about their work for the China Inland Mission, the growth of their children, and current events.

The Beatrice and William Ebeling letters (32 items) concern the couple's life in China in the early to mid-1940s. Both Beatrice and William composed manuscript and typewritten letters to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Carl Ebeling of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their first 2 letters pertain to the birth of their son, John Carl Ebeling, and their life in Wuyang Xi'an, Henan, in December 1942; the remaining items relate to their experiences after fleeing to "Pinshien" [Binxian?], Shaanxi, in the summer of 1944 and while living in Hancheng, Shaanxi, from around October 1944 to March 1946. They commented on their missionary work, finances, the progress and end of the Pacific war, the growth of their children, and their travels within China. William's letter of June 8, 1944, recounts a bombing raid. A birth announcement for John Carl Ebeling, with a colored drawing of a baby's head, is enclosed in the Ebelings' letter of December 7, 1942. The collection includes a short, undated note to Ebeling's grandfather.

Graflex Sees the War contains a series of 19 mounted gelatin silver prints taken by Allied military photographers in the European and Pacific theaters during World War II.

Graflex Sees the War contains a series of 19 mounted gelatin silver prints taken by Allied military photographers in the European and Pacific theaters during World War II. This collection consists of 19 gelatin silver prints from the fourth edition of the series in their original shipping container (43 x 53.5 cm). The mailing label on the reinforced cardboard container is addressed to the manager of the Rio Theater in Hammond, Indiana. The majority of the photographs depict scenes from the Pacific theater, yet there are images from France as well. All photographs appear to have been taken in 1944. Credit for most photographs is limited to the service branch that provided them, but three items credit individual photographers by name: Cpl. Angus Robertson, Sgt. Ferman H. Dixon, and Sgt. R. B. Opper. Every credit line also includes the phrase "Graflex-made."

Titles, photo credits, and descriptions of images in order of appearance are as follows: "Two Down, Beachhead to Go, Saipan" (U.S. Coast Guard) -- soldiers under fire advancing along a beach; "Shells Away--Guam" (U.S. Navy) -- battleship firing toward shore; "Plane to Pack Train--Burma" (U.S. Army Signal Corps) -- soldiers walking with mule train, transport planes on runway in background; "U.S.-equipped Free French Troops" (U.S. Army Signal Corps) -- soldiers firing from rocky ridge; "Mam'selle 'Welcomes' Nazi Prisoner" (U.S. Navy) -- woman kicking man in city street as crowd looks on; "Hide and Seek with Death, Saipan" (U.S. Marine Corps by Cpl. Angus Robertson) -- soldiers crouching behind tank; "Biak Bound" (U.S. Coast Guard) -- deck of transport ship with convoy in background; "Victory Symbols--Past and Present" (U.S. Army Signal Corps) -- French village square showing World War I monument and advancing American tank; "105mm Howitzers In Action, Guam" (U.S. Marine Corps) -- soldiers and artillery in tropical landscape; "Channel Transfer of Invasion Wounded" (U.S. Coast Guard) -- wounded soldiers (likely injured during the invasion of Saipan) on stretchers on boat deck; "Flame, Camera, Action--Guam" (U.S. Marine Corps) -- soldiers patrolling in battle-scarred jungle; "Alligators Attacking Peleliu" (U.S. Navy) -- fleet of amphibious landing craft; "House to House Fighting--St. Malo" (U.S. Army Signal Corps) -- American soldiers under fire in French village street; "Earmarked for Guam" (U.S. Navy) - ship deck lined with large artillery shells; "Beachhead Altar, Saipan (U.S. Marine Corps by Sgt. Ferman H. Dixon) -- priest in front of makeshift altar on hood of wrecked tank; "Pause for Prayer" (U.S. Army Signal Corps) -- soldiers with rifles sitting in cathedral; civilians praying at altar; "War is H---" (U.S. Coast Guard) -- four sailors showing haircuts that spell out "H-E-L-L"; "Thar She Blows, Saipan" (U.S. Marine Corps by Sgt. R. B. Opper) -- artillery shell exploding close behind two soldiers on battlefield.

Brothers John P. Starbuck and Morgan Starbuck wrote 29 letters to their parents and sister in Nyack, New York, while serving in the American Expeditionary Forces in France and Germany following World War I. They discussed their health, daily activities, travel, and training.

Brothers John P. and Morgan Starbuck wrote 29 letters to their parents and sister in Nyack, New York, while serving in the American Expeditionary Forces in France and Germany following World War I. They discussed their health, daily activities, travels, and training.

John P. Starbuck wrote 20 letters home from March 6, 1919-June 23, 1919. He was stationed in Koblenz, Rhens, and Güls, Germany, where he described his army work, commented on German citizens, and reported news about his brother. He occasionally discussed the possibility and benefits of taking a vocational business course, and he was admitted to the 4th Corps Advanced Vocational School in Bad Neuenahr, Germany, in April 1919. While at the school, he copied his daily schedule, which included lectures, drill, and athletics. In May, Starbuck's regiment went to Malicorne-sur-Sarthe, France, where they awaited departure for home. Among other subjects, he mentioned his fellow soldiers' propensity for spending their money on "French booze."

Morgan Starbuck wrote 9 letters to his family from March [15], 1919-April 12, 1919. His early letters primarily concern his health and recovery from an influenza infection. His later letters pertain to his experiences in France while awaiting departure for the United States. In one letter, he shared his expectation that soldiers returning home would cause an increase in marriages.

The V-Mail Process collection is made up of 8 photographs and accompanying typed explanations, created in April 1944, which demonstrate the process of creating V-mail for the United States Marine Corps 2nd Division. The photographs are individually numbered and the typed explanations occasionally include commentary on the careers of pictured marines.

The V-Mail Process collection is made up of 8 photographs and accompanying typed explanations, created in April 1944, which demonstrate the process of creating V-mail for the United States Marine Corps 2nd Division.

Eight 8"x10" black-and-white photographs illustrate steps in the V-mail creation process, from initial composition to delivery. Eight 1-page, typed documents explain each step and occasionally identify the members of the Marine Corps 2nd Division depicted in the images, variously noting names, ranks, hometowns, and service histories. The explanatory text also provides numerical figures associated with the Marine Corps mail service, including an estimate of total pieces handled daily (image 2D-37), the number of letters on each roll of film and number photographed per hour (image 2D-39), the rate at which an operator prints and cuts images (image 2D-40), and the number of V-mail letters that could fit in one mailbag (image 2D-43). Sergeant J. L. Burns took the first photograph, and Sergeant Andy Knight took the remaining 7; each image is also attributed to Warrant Officer J.F. Leopold, Photo Officer, 2nd Marine Division.