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FAM, 1941 March

 File — Box: 3, Folder: 3

Scope and Contents

From the File:

Craig routinely kept incoming envelopes and replaced both the incoming letter, any enclosures, and a copy of his reply within the envelope. They were mostly filed chronologically by the postmark. Sometimes there are several letters in a single envelope. During processing the contents of the envelopes were removed and flattened. If the envelope had information not included in the heading, it was retained and clipped to the back of the incoming correspondence. If the letter was undated, the processor added the date of the postmark in brackets. Occasionally circa dates in brackets have been added to undated letters without an envelope based on where they filed. Undatable letters and other material are filed at the end of the series. Letters written during WWII often displayed a significant difference between the date of a letter and its postmark which indicates when it entered the U.S. postal system. These letters are arranged by date they were written, with the envelope attached to show when they entered the U.S. Post Office system. Due to the extreme acidity of much of the paper used, many affected letters and enclosed newspaper clippings have been scanned by the family and are present on the CDs and/or thumb drives created by the family. The original items were retained, but are extremely fragile and many of them in are in fragments. These letters give a vibrant description of daily lives of this large family’s members as the siblings grew up, dated, married, had children, joined the military, started businesses, sought employment and generally lived their lives. This group of materials gives a vivid account of the Great Depression and World War II, both in the European and Pacific Theatres of War as well as on the home front.

Dates

  • Other: 1941 March

Creator

Extent

From the Collection: 20 Linear Feet (24 boxes)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Processing Information

Processor’s note: with the entry of the U.S. into WWII fast approaching, the brothers Jon, George and Joe Craig joined the armed services. Jon Robert Craig reported for duty at Fort Bragg, NC on March 25, 1941. George and Jon fought in different places in the Pacific Theatre, while Joe was in North Africa and the European Theatre. Their mail became much more complex as letters of each were sent home where they would be shared among various family members and many were then sent on to the other brothers overseas and then back again. The date of a letter was often days or even weeks earlier than the postmark which indicated when the letters enter the U.S. postal service. Jon Craig’s Christmas note to his mother, for example, was dated December 2 1942 but postmarked March 1, 1943 when it arrived in New York and put in the U.S. mail. The letters are arranged by the date written, if noted by the writer. If not, the postmark date is written in pencil by the processor and bracketed. Letters with no date and no postmark are placed at the end of the year in which they were found.

Repository Details

Part of the Columbus State University Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
4225 University Ave
Columbus Georgia 31907 United States