MacDonald family collection, 1930-1950 (majority within 1930-1945)
0.25 linear feet
This collection (0.25 linear feet) contains letters that Wilfrid MacDonald and his family wrote about their lives in China in the 1930s, as well as letters that Constance Stone wrote to Elsie S. MacDonald and others about her service as a medical volunteer in the Pacific during World War II.
Wilfrid MacDonald, his wife Mabel, and their daughters Catharine and Ruth wrote 7 letters to Howard G. MacDonald of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from January 25, 1931-November 16, 1940. The MacDonalds commented on life in China; Wilfrid often mentioned religion, international politics, and the economic crisis in the United States. One letter includes a sketch of a "Valentine" [a person]. In her letter of December 7, 1937, Mabel MacDonald described hearing air raid sirens during the Japanese invasion of China.
Constance E. Stone ("Connie") wrote 32 manuscript and V-mail letters to her former roommates Maxine La Bounty ("Max") and Elsie MacDonald ("Sigh") from September 1943-April 28, 1945. Stone volunteered for the American Red Cross and served at hospitals in Australia and New Guinea, including the 84th Station Hospital and 43rd Field Hospital. She shared news of her life in the Pacific and occasionally discussed her work; in December 1943, Stone sent her friends a Christmas greeting with a drawing of Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto standing over an Axis helmet. Stone wrote at least one letter on captured paper.
Additional correspondence includes a letter that Annie MacDonald of Knoxville, Tennessee, received from her cousin (January 5, 1930); 2 letters that Maxine La Bounty received from Emmy Lou Heald, a Red Cross volunteer; and a letter and Chinese Christmas card that Elsie MacDonald received from her cousin, Jean MacDonald Thomas. Ephemeral items include a military pass issued to Emmett J. Larkin and a billet and ration card.