Milward (Frank L.) Papers, 1897-1934, bulk 1898

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Summary

Title:
Frank L. Milward papers
Dates:
1897-1934, bulk 1898
Creators:
Milward, Frank Leslie, 1878-1971
Abstract:
Papers belonging to American Army 6th Cavalry Regiment soldier Frank L. Milward.
Extent:
0.6 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Frank L. Milward papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The majority of the collection is made up of letters written by Frank L. Milward to his family back in New York from May to August of 1898, from the time he enlisted through the end of the war with Spain. His letters include vivid descriptions of his experiences training in Tampa, Florida, traveling to Cuba in the hold of a cramped and overheated ship, fighting and watching comrades die at the Battle of San Juan Hill, and recovering at a hospital on Bedloe's Island from malaria. The collection also includes Milward's letters that he wrote before the war, when he was employed at the famous model farms of the Hudson Valley: Ellerslie in Rhinecliff, owned by Levi P. Morton; and the Altamont farm in Millbrook. The post-war letters describe his life as a logger in Wisconsin and a stoker in St. Paul, Minnesota. Also included are letters written by Milward's mother Mary Jane Waterman Milward, sisters Georgia Milward Cairns and Robia Milward Bailey, and other family members in Delaware County, New York. Also included in the collection are several pieces of ephemera, Frank L. Milward's furlough from 1898, August 28 to September 16, a wedding invitation and a "coloring" recipe. There are also tintypes and cabinet cards of Frank L. Milward, Mary Jane Waterman Milward, Georgia Milward Cairns and other family members. Box 2 of the collection houses several medals awarded to Frank L. Milward including: Spanish War Service Medal, 1918; United States Army of Cuban Occupation Medal (1898-1902), 1915; Cuban Medal for Veterans of the Spanish-American War, 1934; and United States Spanish War Veterans Medal, after 1904.

Biographical / historical:

Frank L. Milward was born on a farm in Sidney, Delaware County, New York in 1878. He enlisted in the 6th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, Troop C, in early April 1898. He left for the regiment's camp in Florida to train and await transport to Cuba. When the command was forced to dismount the troopers and cut the size of the expeditionary force so that they could fit the transport, Milward was among the soldiers headed for Cuba and arrived in the island in the last week of June. He was onboard the Rio Grande, one of some forty transport ships headed for Cuba. He fought in the Battle of San Juan Hill, July 1, 1898, when the troopers managed to take and hold the heavy fire. By August 17, Milward had arrived in Montauk, New York when the returning troops were quarantined for fear of an outbreak of yellow fever. At the end of August, he was granted a month-long furlough, but later was confined to a hospital on Bedloe's Island. He was discharged on December 4 and returned home. Milward moved to Aloha, Washington in 1906 and became a logger. In 1921, he became a "logging boss," known for building a suspension cedar bridge and founding the Aloha Lumber Company's tree farm.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Between the Covers, July 2018.
Processing information:

Brooke M. Black processed the collection in November 2018. In June 2024, she created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in two series: Series 1. Correspondence, documents, photographs; Series 2. Medals.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Brooke M. Black
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-06-20 12:48:26 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Frank L. Milward papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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