Edward G. Finlay First World War correspondence, June 19, 1918 - June 3, 1919

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Summary

Creators:

Finlay, Edward Grant, Private, 1896-1984 and Lancaster, Bonnie

Abstract:

This collection contains correspondence to and from Private Edward Grant Finlay during the First World War. There are also two photos, a small notebook, identification cards, and ephemera.

Extent:

.4 Linear feet (9 folders)

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

[Item title / description; Box "n" / Folder "n"], Edward Grant Finlay First World War correspondence (2017.203.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:

The bulk of this collection is comprised of correspondence (52 correspondence) from Pvt. Edward Grant Finlay, USA of Co A, 122 Engineers to his parents and youngest sister, Alice, at their home in Westfield, NY. There is also correspondence (19 correspondence) to Finlay from his family, neighbors, and friends. One letter from his father, Asa ("Ace") Finlay, is written on the verso of a letter from Edward. There is also one letter that was sent to Mrs. Asa (Nellie) Finlay from Elizabeth ("Lizzie" and "El"), Pvt. Finlay's oldest sister who worked a clerical job in Washington D.C. during the war.

Finlay's correspondence describe his camp experiences in France. He worked near Le Mans doing construction before moving to Beaune to study agriculture at an AEF university. The correspondence includes commentary, positive and derogatory, about African American and Italian American soldiers. Much of the correspondence concerns family and local gossip, including wages at fruit canneries and railroads in and near Westfield. The influenza epidemic, which affected Asa and Alice Finlay, was also a regular topic. The collection includes reproductions of two photos of Edward Finlay, originally taken in 1912 and 1918. There is also one small notebook in which Finlay recorded the addresses of soldiers, and provided a brief account of his journey home and subsequent efforts to find work. Lastly, there are identification cards and souvenir French currency.

Biographical / historical:

Private Edward Grant Finlay, United States Army (1896 - 1984) was born in Westfield, NY. He was with Company D of 211 Engineers until September of 2018; the 116 Engineers until November of 2018; and then Company A 122 Engineers until discharge in July of 1919. He attended the American Expeditionary Forces University in Beaune from March 1919 to June 1919, where he studied agriculture before returning to the United States. He married Mary Elizabeth Macer of Westfield on June 3, 1925. The couple did not have any children. Finlay worked as a trimmer in an auto factory in Detroit, as a machinist at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation in Dunkirk, and as a carpenter in Westfield. He was a member of the Westfield Fish and Game club and the National Rifle Association, for which he served as a junior hunter's instructor. He is buried in Westfield Cemetery alongside his wife, who died in 1992.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Bonnie Lancaster

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Correspondence -- World War, 1914-1918
Influenza Epidemic (1918-1919)
Names:: Lancaster, Bonnie

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.