Collection number: MC 158
Size: 1 box
(0.20 cu.ft.)
About Irving E. White
Irving E. White (1894-1966), of Canaan, New Hampshire, entered boot camp at Camp Upton, New York in September of 1918 and was transferred to France in December of that same year, where he remained until June of 1919. He married Alice Marie Dudley in 1921.
About the Irving E. White Letters
The Irving E. White Collection contains 38 letters, written from Irving White to his sister Elsie "and all the others" (his parents, his sister Myrtie and brother Earl). The letters from Camp Upton describe life in a World War I boot camp and indicate White’s palpable reluctance to go to "that Place," that is, abroad to war. There is a reference to the influenza epidemic of 1918. The letters from France are mainly in response to letters from his family, describing life in New Hampshire more than in wartime France, with the exception of descriptions of food. A trip to Paris and a review of the troops by General Pershing are mentioned (11 April, 1919). The collection also includes a newspaper clipping from Thanksgiving 1918, probably sent to White by his mother or sister, which humorously contrasts the respective feelings of the family at home and the soldier at the front about the holiday, and seventeen “soldiers mail” envelopes.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Irving E. White Letters, 1918-1919, MC 158, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Purchased: Charles Apfelbaum, Watchung, NJ, June 2, 1997 (Accession number: 97.006)
Collection Contents
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | September-December, 1918 | |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | January-March, 1919 | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | April, 1919 | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | May-June, 1919 | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | Newspaper clipping, undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | Envelopes, 1918-1919 | |
