Physical Description: 0.5 Linear Feet(1 flat box)

This collection contains three small photo albums, approximately 5x7 inches each, containing a total of 279 glued-in and labeled photographs of scenes from the Philippine-American War period. By album: 102 photographs, 96 photographs, 81 photographs.

The photographs were taken by Lieutenant Walling, a United States Army medical officer and passed to Jenny E. Covart and her daughter Isal Amelia Winterscheid née Covart. The images, almost all of which are labeled with typed individual labels, include landscapes of the Philippines, Japan, San Francisco and other locations, as well as soldiers of the 19th Infantry and 24th Infantry Regiment, a unit of Black "Buffalo Soldiers" in the Philippines and aboard ships, as well as some other soldiers, medical officers, and Philippine civilians. Also included is one sheet created by the donor showing the lineage and heritage of the Winterscheid, Phillips, and Covart families. It is presumed that Jenny's brother Robert Phillips served overseas and is somehow the connection to Lt. Walling and how these photographs came into their possession.

Dates of these photographs are unclear, though some written dates and clues provide insight. The inside leaf of one of the albums includes a dedication from the creator to Miss Lillian Wheeler, dedicated at the Presidio of San Francisco, October 5, 1902. Earlier dates include a series of dated photos of Black soldiers and white soldiers playing games and watching a "cock fight" aboard a transport on July 4, 1902. The earliest image, undated, is of a half-mast flag at the governor's palace in Iloilo memorializing the death of President William McKinley (1843 - 1901) who was assassinated September 14, 1901. The image is labelled as the day of his funeral, and can be inferred to be on or near September 19.

Images of locations include the following list. The order is unclear, though it appears they departed to Japan before returning home. The images depict people and landscapes, roads and urban settings, churches/cathedrals, waterways and bays, holiday celebrations, The Pastores (dancing children) and military hospitals and garrisons. Of note are Black soldiers and medical aspects of the military work in the Philippines, including vaccinations, one leprosy patient, and various hospitals; including two white soldiers carrying a Black soldier on a gourney acting as a patient during a demonstration.

Locations:

• Manila, Philippines
• Pasig River, Philippines
• Dumanjug, Cebu, Philippines
• Carranglan, Philippines
• Naic, Cavité, Philippines
• Capiz, Jaro, Molo, Panay, Philippines
• Ilo Ilo (Iloilo), Philippines
• Danao, Philippines
• Opon, Island of Mactan, Philippines
• Humingan (Umingan), Pangasinan, Luzon, Philippines
• Maasin, Leyte, Philippines
• Mariveles, Luzon, Philippines
• Nagasaki Harbor, Japan
• Omura, Japan
• Presidio of San Francisco; 19th Infantry Camp with shot of Alcatraz and Fort Mason
• unknown location, including people sledding in the snow

Military Transports

• United States Army Transport Buford
• United States Army Transport Grant

People mentioned in the photograph labels include the following:

1) White Officers and Medical Staff

• Lieutenant Walling, 19th Infantry; depicted in one image as adjutant for Company C, 24th Infantry during drills
• Dr. Ward, AHS
• Captain J.M. Ward, ASUSV, 4th Infantry (perhaps same as above)
• Colonel MacCauley
• Colonel Osgood
• Major E.B. Bolton
• Lieutenant F.W. Van Duyne, 24th Infantry
• Lieutenant Taylor
• Lieutenant Mitchell
• Major Foster
• Dr. Mason
• E.E. Mansfield, Contract Surgeon, United States Army (CSUSA)
• Najib Taky ud-Deen, CSUSA (Syrian Arab surgeon for the US Army)
• Dicky Regan
• Simonds
• Tollotson

2) Black Soldiers

• First Sergeant R. Curtis, Company G, 24th Infantry; retiring after 30 years of service; depicted mounted on horseback
• Private Frank Thomas, Company G, 24th Infantry; "...of minstrel fame"

Physical Description: 0.2 Linear Feet(2 folders)

Physical Description: The correspondence in this collection is brittle and the paper is torn or falling apart in many places; caution is advised.

This collection contains approximately 60 letters from Claude V. Winterscheid, AEF to Isal Amelia Covart while serving in France with the 137th Infantry during the First World War. Also included are photographs of Claude and Isal, one songbook, as well as copies of service documents.

Ephemeral items in this series include:

• 1 membership card, American Legion, Claude Winterscheid, issued January 3, 1923 in Gridley, Kansas
• 1 US Army songbook, signed by Claude with service dates
• 1 program, memorial service for "The Coffey County Boys who made the Great Sacrifice in the World War," with a list of missing and killed, June 8, 1919, Kelley Park, Kansas. Of note: many soldiers listed were from Claude's unit, including Fenton Hahn, mentioned by Claude in one of his last letters
• 1 photograph, photocopied, soldier in uniform, possibly Claude
• 1 certificate, photocopied, Claude Winterscheid honorable discharge
• 1 enlistment record, photocopied, Claude Winterscheid
• 1 extract of enlistment record, three pages photocopied, Claude Winterscheid, stamped June 1921
• 1 marriage certificate, photocopied, Claude and Isal, October 24, 1920
• 1 wedding photograph, photocopied, Claude and Isal, front and back on separate pages
• 1 photograph, photocopied, Claude and Isal's 50th anniversary
• 2 certificates, photocopied, First Aid and Bachelor of Science, Claude Winterscheid
• 2 obituaries, Claude Winterscheid and Isal Winterscheid née Covart

The correspondence begins with a letter from Alice Carrow to Claude dated April 16, 1917. Alice appears to be one of Claude's teachers, and she tells him,

It seems so terrible to us who can not enlist, to think of the best of our land being offered as sacrifice that we may have a free nation."

In March 1918 the collection continues with a YMCA Red Triange postcard informing Isal that Claude has arrived safely overseas; it is undated. The first letter was sent from a rest camp in Southampton in which he describes the crossing and how green it is, mentioning also "We are not aloud to mention any names of places we have been," regarding censorship. He later (June 18) adds "...to tell the truth about it that is all I know about it I do not have the least idea what part of France we are."

The next undated letter was sent from "Somewhere in France" in May; it is evidently the first in the series of correspondence as he discusses arriving in France and not receiving mail since their departure from the US and a later letter (July 9) explains that he did not date his first letter because he misunderstood orders about including dates in correspondence.

Over the next several letters he muses about the French countryside and people, the weather, and the conditions, and says "This country is sure a pretty one. I would like to see it in peace times when every thing has the best of care" (June 13). Hhe refers to the difficulty getting tobacco, for the other boys since he doesn't use it (later admitting smoking in the trenches), and keeping on the move constantly, except Sundays which they have off, and his duty in the guard house for

On June 25 Claude got paid in Franks and segways the conversation to language:

I sure wish that I had of taken German my last winter in school. I could sure make some use of it now. And then it would help one to speak the French language. Most all the people where we are now talk German. I can talk to them much more than I could the French."

A few lines later he tells Isal that he is "on German soil now;" though by the next letter he continues to head each letter "Somewhere in France."

On June 24 and 27, Claude mentions his unit's work in the trenches.

June 24: "We were over the top once while we were in the trenches. Believe me it sure works on ones nerves. It does not do one any good to get frightened the best is to go right through and if you come out alive alright and if not that is alright also." He says they brought back prisoners and laments,

There was nothing but the mercy of God Almighty that brought back the boys in the company. They did not all get back alive but then that was expected before we started.

June 27: "Say we sure were praised on the work we done while in the trenches. This company made a good record when they went over the top," adding that the captain was to receive a medal. He closes the letter,

Seeing sights that some people might spend a fortune to see. And also some that some people will never have the privelege of seeing. And still there are many things happen [sic] that I rather not experience.

He returned to the trenches and on July 13 he confided in Isal, "Well to tell the truth I have been frightened to the highest degree the last two weeks but now I have almost gotten used to the big shells and bullets flying by."

Continuing to discuss trench warfare on July 21, shortly after leaving the trenches, he mentions seeing Germans and going over the top,

You could not get one of we boys to stick our head over the trench at any other time, but when the captain gives the command, up everyone jumps and over the trench in spite of all the bullets and shells which were flying about eighty times as thick as any other time."

He remained out of the trenches for some time and his letters shifted to discussing the food, weather, people, and the YMCA club as well as the curfew at dark.

In August, Claude discusses the weather and being away from his company, landing in the hospital though he does not say why, mentioning he was fine enough to pick blackberries with the boys and have the cooks make pies; he told Isal in the last letter his toes were sore.

The letter dated September 25, 1918 is torn on the bottom half of the second page; the bottom half is missing.

The next letter in the collection was dated October 12 while two weeks into a stay in the hospital. Claude tells Isal that he is finally responding to her letters that he received just as they were heading back to the trenches; his company went over the top the next morning and two days later, he was wounded in the arm and has been unable to use it to write, including pain in his fingers. In the next letter over a week later he mentions being able to get up and around but his "hand and fingers are a little stiff yet."

In his letter dated November 12, 1918, one day after the armistice and still in the hospital, he begins by reminding Isal that he has still not received any mail forwarded from the company; it has been over two months. He eventually tells her, "Well at last it looks as though we have accomplished that which we came over here for and believe me I am sure glad of it." Speaking of the fighting, he says,

I have been over the top enough times to suit me and I think most all the boys over here are in the same fix. There are a lot of boys that have never been over the top but I am sure they are all ready to return to the U.S. with what experience they have had."

Claude was released from the hospital and returned to duty shortly after and before his next letter, dated November 18. In that letter Claude offers evidence that he and Isal are not yet a romantic item as he mentions her asking after a man named Bill, to which he responds it is not his place to give opinion on whether she should "go with him" or not.

The next letter, the lone letter from Isal to Claude dated November 21, 1918, is stamped all over that it was returned and moved around by the post as unclaimed, with the latest date on the envelope May 13, 1919.

In Claude's letter dated November 26, he finally expresses his location as Le Mans, France after having been traveling for the week prior; though he also expresses his uncertainty of how long he will stay or where he is expected to go next, as he has been told he will not return to Company C. In his next letter, he says both "the way things look I will stay here for a while yet," keeping busy even though there is no fighting, and ends telling Isal not to write to his current address because he is unsure how long he would be there. He returned to Company C in Sampigny by Christmas.

Through the new year, Claudes answers letters and discusses his daily work, military instruction and training, and the weather. On January 3, 1919 he explained how he was wounded: "A machine gun bullet went slick and clean through my arm about two inces above the elbow. But did not break it...I had to have two operations so it took a long time to heal." On January 15 he explains that there were only "sixty two came out out of 243. The rest were either killed or wounded," referring to the "drive" in September.

On February 17, Claude's tells of the 35th Division being reviewed by General John J. Pershing. "I am glad it is over because it had to be done before we start home," a common theme in every letter over this period discusses the conjecture of leaving France. While waiting for news, Claude mentions on February 24th of taking advantage of a break in the rain to climb a hill once occupied by Germans. He tells of seeing German bodies and materials still littering the ground, with some of the boys collecting souvenirs such as a watch found on a coat and some grenades.

The waiting becomes so unbearable that in the letter dated February 28, Claude complains "I have almost given up hope of ever going. I am like some of the boys in my billet. They say they will take out naturalization papers here in France if we do not start for home before long." During this period, to pass the time he takes classes in commercial arithmetic and history.

Finally getting his wish, Claude returned home by March 1919. He sent one postcard from the USS Manchuria March 22, the day before he expected to land in New York. He sent another from New York with the Statue of Liberty on it, postmarked April [2?], 1919.

Physical Description: 0.02 Linear Feet(1 folder)

This collection contains one small booklet diary, small bible, and one letter written by PFC Loren Covart Winterscheid, USA during the Second World War. Also included is one photograph of Loren in uniform, one note from his mother, one US Army Service uniform patch, one lock of hair, one prayer booklet and three small poem clippings. The photograph was kept in the diary, and the other small materials were kept in the bible, which has a zippered cover.

The diary is contained in a German Handbook for Farmers. Its contents include dates of movement during service, between military camps and overseas. The first date is his draft date of March 17, 1944. He arrived in Le Havre, France aboard the USS Santa Rosa on March 27, 1945 and moved through France and Germany, including a note about VE Day:

Nazi Germany - the Third Reich after 5 years 8 months 7 days of war unguided by international law surrendered unconditionally to Russia, Britain, France, and America in Gen. Eisenhower's headquarters in a little school house at Riems, Fr. at 2:41 P.M. May 7, 1945. I was cleaning a .30 cal machine gun in the back yard of the C.P. of our Co. in Berga when I received the news. Thank God it is half over!

There are continued movements through Germany until a note on August 11, "Japan wants to surrender too.," followed by, "2 atomic bombs have been dropped" (undated). A note on Japan's surrender reads:

Japan surrendered 2 A.M. Aug. 15, 1945 unconditionally to U.S., Russia, Britain, China. I was on train (40 or 8's) in Chateau-Thierry, France when I heard the news. It was in afternoon about 4 P.M.

The last entries were his discharge on June 5, 1946 at Fort Lewis, Washington and "To Home" the next day. The remaining pages are blank.

The letter was dated July 30, 1945 and addressed to "folks" on a prefabricated letterhead from the fictional "Foxhole Hotel: Gross Gerau, Germany" and includes his name and unit as "owner and manager" of the hotel. In the letter he complains of his medical duties but follows with "...but I love my job and my work and wouldn't trade it for nothin!"

The note from his mother is a short prayer and the prayer booklet is a Devotional Guide for Service Men of the Presbyterian Church in the US, printed 1941.

It is unclear to whom the lock of hair belonged; it is tied with a white ribbon.