Clay, William Graves (First World War correspondence), 1918 January 23 - 1919 April 25

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Summary

Title:
William G. Clay First World War correspondence
Dates:
1918 January 23 - 1919 April 25
Creators:
Pearson, Mary Clay, Clay, William Graves, and Pearson, Acy L.
Abstract:
This collection contains letters, military documents, and ephemera from Pvt. William G. Clay, AEF to his family during the First World War.
Containers:
box: WWI 4
folder: 10-15
folder: 1-6
flat-box: Specimen box 2
Compartment: 1
Extent:
.4 Linear feet (6 folders)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Item title, Box number, Folder number], William G. Clay First World War correspondence (2016.184.w.r), Center for American War Letters Archives, Chapman University, CA.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains letters from Pvt. William G. Clay, AEF to his sister Bessie Tully and brother-in-law Percy Tully during and after the First World War.

Also included in the collection are correspondence from Bessie and Percy Tully to Clay, letters from female homefront friends to Clay, letters from Acy L. Pearson, Clay's mother, Mrs. W.S. Pearson, as well as Army records, hospital records, deposition, and hospital pass and ephemera of William G. Clay: photo, song book, sewing kit with chevron patch, WWI dog tags, mirror, reading material.

Biographical / historical:

Private William Graves Clay, American Expeditionary Force was born in Honey Grove, Texas and was a high school instructor prior to enlisting in the armed forces. He was 5'6" with blue eyes, dark brown hair and a fair complexion. At the age of 29, with no wife or children, Clay enlisted in the army on May 23, 1918 at Texarkana, Texas. Pvt. Clay of Company "C" 127th Machine Gun Battalion, Army Serial # 1415483, suffered from acute rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis, was hospitalized months after enlisting, and thus did not serve in any battles, skirmishes, or expeditions. He was honorably discharged in April, 1919. After the war, Clay attended the North Texas State Teachers College and in 1940, earned a Master of Arts in Public School Administration. His thesis was titled "An Evaluation of the New Boston Secondary School." He later became the superintendent of New Boston, Texas and served in that position for 24 years. His daughter, Mary Pearson, described her father as a quiet, intelligent, caring man that never talked about the war and had a dislike of guns and war. She noted he always observed events on Memorial Day and other patriotic holidays.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mary Clay Pearson. This is a legacy collection from Andrew Carroll.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by author, recipient, and date. Series 1. Correspondence to Tully Family -- Series 2. Army and Medical Records -- Series 3. Correspondence from Tully family to William G. Clay -- Series 4. Correspondence from Homefront Friends to William G. Clay -- Series 5. Correspondence from Acy L. Pearson to Mother, Mrs. W.S. Pearson -- Series 6. Ephemera of William G. Clay

Physical description:
One fragile letter in Series 1 encased in plastic coversheet. Note: sharp needles from army sewing kit in brown pouch, Series 6 Ephemera.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Melody Tehrani
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-02-04 17:50:25 -0500 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions. For further copyright information, please contact the archivist.

Preferred citation:

[Item title, Box number, Folder number], William G. Clay First World War correspondence (2016.184.w.r), Center for American War Letters Archives, Chapman University, CA.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Contact:
(714) 532-7716
privette@chapman.edu
Website