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Special Collections

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Manuscript Collections »
World War II

For more information:

Jennifer McGillan, Coordinator of Manuscripts

   (662) 325-3071             jmcgillan@library.msstate.edu

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Atkinson (Sidney Evans and Jimmie Ada) papers
MSS. 551. 1934-1999 (Bulk Dates: 1942-1945). 1 cubic foot.

The Sidney Evans and Jimmie Ada Atkinson papers include the papers of William Bryce Atkinson (1922-1983) who served as a medic in the Pacific during World War II, and various members of his family. The collection contains correspondence, military records, newspaper clippings, an audio recording, and miscellany.
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Ball (Louis) letters
MSS. 157. 1944-1945. 0.08 cubic feet.

Letters and cards from 2 servicemen in Europe to the Ball family, 1944-1945.

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Ballard (Ottis and Jessie Dola Stephenson) papers
MSS. 204. 1943-1944. 1.5 cubic feet.

Letters between Otis and Jessie Dola Ballard written during World War II, military records, Bible and artifacts related to Otis Ballard's military service in Africa and Italy. Also includes four issues (1943-1944) of the newsletter published by the Gulf Ordnance Plant in Prairie, Mississippi, part of the defense industry during World War II. Jessie Dola Ballard worked for the plant during the war.

Baskin family papers
MSS. 22. 1869-1948 and undated. 1 cubic foot.

Includes records created by the family Robert Ren Baskin (1854-1911) and Rebecca J. Simpson Baskin (1863-1962). The collection consists of correspondence, financial and legal records, and miscellaneous personal, political, agricultural, medical, religious, and educational materials. Records created by the family of Robert Ben Baskin (1854-1911), and Rebecca J. Simpson Baskin (1863-1961). Includes Ku Klux Klan material, 1900-1935 and undated, and a greeting card with African-American caricature, undated.

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Bogan (William Neill, Jr.) papers
MSS. 693. 1911-2010. 17.42 cubic ft.

Family papers including scrapbooks, photographs, postcards, correspondence, diplomas, military records, family history, death certificates, diaries and artifacts.

Boswell (Henry G.) papers
MSS. 628. 1899-2004. 0.33 cubic feet.

Photographs, framed photo, military records, homestead exemption forms, flag, 1920 Reveille, and miscellaneous records of the Boswell family found in the abandoned Boswell home in Marshall County, Mississippi, before the house burned in October 2004. Photographs were taken and collected by Michael Hester. Included are materials documenting the military service and death of Henry H. Boswell (1909-1944), and the military service of Jesse Bryan Boswell (1899-1972), a 1921 MSU alumnus, and later college dairy herdsman.

Bourgon (Charles H. "Hubie") collection
MSS. 703. 1861-1999 . 1.5 cubic ft.

WWII items including correspondence, photographs, scrapbook and newspaper clippings, as well as military uniform artifacts.

Bridgforth (Stewart "Bebe") collection
MSS. 740. 1942-1945 . 2 cubic ft.

This collection includes Stewart "Bebe" Bridgforth’s letters to his wife and parents during WWII, photographs, war-time publications, maps, and two Nazi flags (one signed by the men in Bridgforth’s unit). The letters, which date from approximately 1942 to 1945, encompass Bridgforth’s military experience from Mississippi and other domestic locations to the fields of Belgium, France and Germany.

Brougher (William Edward) papers
MSS. 25. 1840, 1906-1975. 3.5 cubic feet.

Papers of William Edward Brougher, army officer. Correspondence, diaries, poems, memos, orders, reports, speeches, and scrapbooks, reflecting the development of the U. S. Army from 1911, service of the American Expeditionary Forces, and military campaigns of World Wars I and II. Includes orders and reports on the Luzon Campaign, descriptions of Japanese prison camps as presented in Brougher's diaries, five books written by other prisoners-of-war, and files of three ex-prisoners of war periodicals, and material on Brougher's postwar service at San Francisco, California, Camp McClellan, Alabama, and Fort Gordon, Georgia.
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Cain (Cyril Edward and Annie Gray) papers
MSS. 467. 1785 (1908-1965). 11 cubic feet.

Correspondence, literacy manuscripts, class notes and school records, genealogical and historical research materials, publications, photographs, and other materials documenting the education, career, organizational, research and publication activities, and the personal affairs of Cyril and Annie Cain. Cyril Cain (1883-1969) was a high school teacher, principal, Mississippi State University faculty member, genealogist, and writer. His wife, Annie Gray Cain (b. 1889) taught in schools around Mississippi, including the Starkville Municipal Separate School District, and assisted her husband with his research and writing.

Calhoun-Kincannon-Orr family papers
MSS. 23. 1837-1959. 0.66 cubic feet.

Correspondence, estate papers, deeds, genealogical material, clippings, and memorabilia, of the related families of Calhoun, Kincannon, and Orr in Lee, Pontotoc, Lafayette, and Lowndes Counties, Mississippi. Includes claim by Mrs. Jane Stuart Orr Calhoun against the government for war confiscations and letter from U.S. Ambassador James L. Orr in St. Petersburg, Russia, to his brother Jehu. Contains article "The Caucasian and the Negro", by William P. Calhoun, Greenville, South Carolina.

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Carter (Hodding II and Betty Werlein) papers
MSS. 127. 1872-2000 (Bulk Dates: 1918-2000). 88.25 cubic feet.

Correspondence, personal papers, literary manuscripts, and publications concerning the Carters and their careers. Hodding Carter (1907-1972) was born in Louisiana and attended Bowdoin College and the Columbia University School of Journalism. He began his career in journalism in the 1920's as a reporter in Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter and Betty Werlein of New Orleans were married in 1931, and soon after started their own newspaper, the Hammond (Louisiana) Courier. With Hodding as editor and Betty as business manager, the Courier consistently opposed the rule of Huey Long. Hodding Carter ran for the House of Representatives in 1935 after Long's death, but was defeated. In 1936, at the invitation of William Alexander Percy, the Carters moved to Greenville, Mississippi and set up the Delta Star. Two years later the Star was merged to form the Delta Democrat-Times. Carter was best known after World War II for his editorials, magazine articles, books, and speeches advocating racial justice in the south. Carter's 1946 series urging racial tolerance earned him the Pulitzer Prize. In 1954, the Mississippi House of Representatives voted him a "liar" for his articles on the Citizens' Councils. The Carter papers document the important events and social movements to which the Carters were witnesses or participants, such as the political careers of Huey Long and Theodore Bilbo, World War II, the Office of War Information, the rise of the Citizen's Councils in the 1950's, the integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962, and changes in race relations throughout the country. Hodding Carter (1907-1972) was the owner of the Hammond (La.) Courier and the Delta Star (Greenville, Miss.), which later became the Delta Democrat-Times. Among other important social and political events of the time, the Carter papers document the rise of the Citizen's Councils in the 1950s, the integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962, and changes in race relations throughout the country.

Catledge (Turner) papers
MSS. 116. 1873-1985. circa 132 cubic feet and microfilm.

The collection consists of the personal and business papers of William Turner Catledge (1901-1983), graduate of Mississippi A&M College, journalist, and editor of The New York Times. The bulk of the files date from 1945 to 1968, the period during which Catledge served as assistant managing editor, executive managing editor, managing editor, and executive editor of the Times. Included are correspondence, memoranda, clippings, reports, photographs, tapes, phonograph records, memorabilia, and publications. The collection is divided into two series: 1 - papers transferred to MSU from the Catledge home in New Orleans; and, 2 - office files transferred to MSU from the Times office in New York.

Columbus Brick Company records
MSS. 378. 1912-1959. 0.66 cubic feet.

Consists primarily of the tax records (1912-1945) of the Columbus Brick Company, in which W. N. Puckett and W. S. Lindamood were partners. Included are tax returns, correspondence, business papers, account ledger (1914-1959), U.S. War Production Board pamphlet, and book on brick manufacturing.

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Crigler (Tom White) papers
MSS. 182. 1848-1945 and undated. 0.40 cubic feet.

Papers of Tom White Crigler (1897-1986), Navy veteran and long-time postmaster of Macon, Mississippi. Includes letters and greeting cards (1848-1895), service records of Troop H, Second Squadron, Mississippi Cavalry, 1917, 28 World War II letters and cards, 11 World War II posters, armed forces newspapers and publications.

Crossley (Gen. Bill) collection
MSS. 711. 1992-2004. 2 cubic ft.

Collection consists of two books (The Air Force Wife and The Army Wife) and several military uniforms.

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Dantzler (L. N.) Lumber Company records
MSS. 140. 1857-1971 (Bulk Dates: 1887-1966). circa 80 cubic feet.

Correspondence, minutes, maps, photographs, ledgers, and other documents concerning the L. N. Dantzler Company and its related companies, based in Southern Mississippi, 1857-1971. At various times the activities of the company encompassed sawmills, lumber sales, shipbuilding, shipping, oil and mineral leases, land sales, naval stores, tung nuts, and forest management. Geographically the collection focuses on the counties of George, Harrison, Jackson, and Stone, although other areas are also represented. Correspondence, minutes, maps, photographs, ledgers, and other documents concerning the L. N. Dantzler Company and its related companies, based in Southern Mississippi, 1857-1971. Includes documents related to Ten Mile Union Chapel Church, 1947.

Delta and Pine Land Company records
MSS. 101. 1886-1982. 104.33 cubic feet and 53 volumes.

Correspondence, annual reports, minutes, financial records, maps, oral history interviews, publications and other records documenting the history of the Delta and Pine Land Company. While headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, the company was owned by a British firm throughout most of its history, and at various times it had offices in Arizona, California, and Texas. Advertised during one period as the world's largest cotton plantation, Delta and Pine Land Company grew a variety of crops and became famous for its research and development of cotton varieties. Among the major subjects in the collection are agriculture, cotton seed research, the tenant farming system, the National Cotton Council, the New Deal, the Mississippi River flood of 1927, the Mississippi Delta, and various agricultural organizations. Correspondence, annual reports, minutes, financial records, maps, oral history interviews, and other records documenting the history of the Delta and Pine Land Company. Includes records about African-American tenant farmers.

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Dunn (Paul and Florence) family papers
MSS. 623. circa 1922-1979. 36 cubic feet.

Papers of Dr. Paul Dunn (1895-1967), geologist and MSU professor, and his wife Florence (1903-2001), photographer and secretary. She was active in the MSU and Starkville Community. The couple made several cross country trips with Geology students. Dr. Paul Dunn served in World War II and during that time corresponded daily frequently with Florence Dunn. Subjects include: World War II (1941-1945); Mississippi State University; Zeta Tau Alpha; Geology; Key West - Florida; Great Depression (1931-1941); United States - Navy; Photographs - United States; Mexico; Great Britain; Syria; Iraq; West Africa; India; Chile. In process.
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Edwards (Earl W. "Lum") family papers
MSS. 655. 1943-2010. 2 cubic ft.

Personal papers and photographs related to WWII and Ernest Hemingway, including photocopies of correspondence, maps, a color poster, books and DVD's.

Eldredge papers
MSS. 191. 1858-1942. 0.16 cubic feet.

Diary, 1858; letters to H.A. Magruder of the Madison Light Artillery from his sister at Sharon, Mississippi (1861), and from R.T. Cheek, Madison Light Artillery (1864); J. Montgomery to his father A.V. Montgomery in Madison County, Mississippi, 1864; World War II letter, 1942. Transcriptions available.

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Farrell family papers
MSS. 735. 1906-1945. 1 cubic ft.

WWII era postcards, correspondence, photographs, obituaries, and newspaper clippings from Farrell family in Canton and Holly Springs, Mississippi.

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George (Mrs. W. L.) collection
MSS. 65. 1893-1945. 0.01 cubic feet.

Tax receipt from Lincoln County, Mississippi, 1893, 1900. Warranty Deed, 1900. Document signed by Governor Longino, 1902. War ration stamps, 1945.
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Hoffmeister family collection
MSS. 665. 1943, 1945-1969. 0.3 cubic feet.

Letters, postcards, receipts, photographs and other materials collected by Henry Emil Hoffmeister and his daughter, Edith Mays Cunningham and her husband, Delbert Cunningham of Columbus, Mississippi, as a result of their correspondence with Hoffmeister and Gaede family members in Cologne, Germany. Includes approximately 175 letters of Otto Gaede, Ruth Gaede Becker, Kathe Hoffmeister and Henny Hoffmeister Gaede. Some of the letters are in German. Topics include the activities of both families during World War II, post-war and later. Postcards depict scenes in Germany.
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Jacks (Arnold M.) collection
MSS. 616. 0.08 cubic feet.

World War II materials concerning Arnold Jacks' service, the refueling of planes, includes photographs in digital and photocopied format, military materials.

Jenning family papers
MSS. 801. 1942. .05 cubic feet.

World War II era correspondence.

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King (John R., Jr.) collection 2014-13
MSS. 705. 1943-2009 . 1 cubic ft.

Newspapers, photographs, correspondence, army citations, periodicals, Hemingway membership card and certificate.

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Laird (Kermit D.)
MSS. 786. 1942. 2 items

WWII era Nazi flag and Belgium flag bunting.

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Minor (Wilson F. "Bill") papers
MSS. 80. 1936-2011. 27.75 cubic feet.

Correspondence, articles, speeches, press releases, campaign materials, clippings, photographs and other documents amassed in the course of Minor's career as a journalist in Mississippi. Minor was born in Hammond, Louisiana, in 1922 and received his degree in journalism from Tulane University. He began work for the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 1942. Beginning in 1947, Minor worked in Jackson as a reporter on Mississippi politics for the Times-Picayune, and continued writing his "Eyes on Mississippi" column until the paper's Jackson bureau was closed in 1976. A specialist in Mississippi politics, Minor in that year elected to stay in Jackson and take over the editorship of the weekly Capitol Reporter. In 1981, Minor became a syndicated political columnist and television commentator. The Minor papers are an important continuous source of information on news and political events, and the issues and personalities of the time period of Minor's career, with emphasis on racial issues and the political development of Mississippi. In addition, they tell the story of a most controversial and influential journalist.

Miscellaneous military hat collection
MSS. 764. undated. 0.5 cubic ft.

A collection of various military hats honoring Veterans of Foreign Wars and the CVA-43 Coral Sea.

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Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei Schutzstaffel Cavalry records
MSS. 645. 1930-1945. 1 cubic foot.

Photocopied records of men who served in the German S.S. Cavalry from 1930 to 1945. Purchased from the Berlin Document Center in 1990 and received in 2006 from Dr. Johnpeter Grill. Records are written entirely in German. Some photocopies of photographs of the men are included in their records.

Newspaper collection
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Raymond (Henry Rodney) papers
MSS. 14. 1850-1949. 0.66 cubic feet and 1 reel microfilm.

Raymond was a lawyer, Presbyterian minister, teacher and president of Marion Female Institute, and Confederate chaplain. Family and professional correspondence (1850-1949) relating to Raymond's activities as minister, chiefly in Mississippi, and in Marion, Alabama, and Weatherford, Texas; diary, Marion, Alabama (1857); Starkville Women Club's programs including a minute book (1891); minutes (1879) of the Presbyterian Synod of Alabama; 3 scrapbooks relating to religious matters, church activities, and family affairs; genealogical and family records (1856-1910), information about various members of the family in Mississippi, Alabama, and other states; and a few Civil War papers. In part microfilm made in 1958 from originals owned by Jesse Owen, Starkville, Mississippi. Addition in process.

Rhodes (Luther and Fannye) WWII letters
MSS. 782. 1942-1949 . 0.66 cubic ft.

Collection of Over 100 letters between Luther and Fannye Rhodes during World War II.

Rice (Nannie Herndon) family papers
MSS. 24. 1824-2003. circa 35 cubic feet.

Family papers of Nannie Herndon Rice, librarian at Mississippi State University. Correspondence, diaries, genealogical data, deeds, ledgers, claims, estate papers, bills of sale for slaves, rent and labor contracts, school reports (1866-71), photographs and other papers of Miss Rice and members of her family. Papers of Miss Rice describe Meadow Woods, the Rice plantation in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, her student days at Mississippi State College for Women, Columbia University, Vassar College Training Camp for Nurses, and the University of Illinois, and associations as a librarian at Mississippi State University. Other papers include those of Miss Rice's grandparents, John W. Rice and Augusta (Hopkins) Rice, her father, Arthur H. Rice, physician and planter of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, her great-uncle and aunt, John James Walker and Maria (Hopkins) Walker, her paternal great-grandfather, Arthur Francis Hopkins, of Alabama, and others, relating to the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Mississippi Legislature, travel in Europe, and other subjects. Correspondents include Braxton Bragg, H.L. Mencken, Pauline V. Orr, LeRoy Percy, LeRoy Pope Walker, Percy Walker, Richard Henry Wilde, and John Sharp Williams. Unpublished guide in the library. Information on literary rights available in the library. Additions: In process.

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Ross (Holt Edgar) papers
MSS. 43. 1916-1966. 1 cubic foot.

Lawyer and representative for labor unions, of Mississippi and New Orleans. Correspondence, articles, poems and speeches by Ross (1897-1968), newspaper clippings, photos, and other papers, chiefly relating to Ross' efforts in behalf of the International Longshoremen's Association, International Hod Carriers', Building, and Common Laborers' Union, American Federation of Labor, and Congress of Industrial Organizations, together with material on Ross' trip to the Trade Union Congress, Blackpool, Britain, 1944, and a trip to Puerto Rico to review labor problems. Correspondents include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Alfred A. Force, Robert S. Green, William Green, Joseph V. Moreschi, Vincent Moreale, Frank Morrison, and Harry S. Truman. In part, transcripts (typewritten).

Rush (Cornelia) family papers
MSS. 625. 1940-1973. 0.5 cubic feet.

Correspondence, notes, news clippings, and photographs of Cornelia Rush (1910-2001) of Starkville, Mississippi, teacher. Purchased at Rush estate auction and given to the Library.

Rutledge (Wilmuth Saunders) papers
MSS. 590. 1931-1995. 2 cubic feet.

Papers of Rutledge (1907-1994), MSU historian and teacher, include materials for her thesis on James A. Lyon and other writings and articles; history class lectures; Mississippi Historical Society materials. Also includes family materials: Will J. Saunders family letters, 1931-1943; materials concerning the World War II activities of Glenn Cowan Rutledge.
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Sessums family collection
MSS. 508. 1896-1975 and undated. 1 cubic foot.

Genealogical notebooks concerning the Sessums family (1942, 1949); photographs of I. D. Sessums, Henrietta Kirksey Sessums and others; portrait of Henrietta Kirksey Sessums; funeral broadside (1896), and yearbooks of the Greenwood Leflore Chapter, DAR, Columbus, Mississippi (1967-1968, 1976-1977); DAR certificate of Carrie Battle Palmer Maddux Howard. Also includes collected materials: newspapers concerning the Kennedy assassination and a scrapbook of clippings and other materials concerning James McArthur.

Smith (Claude Dickens) Navy notebook
MSS. 755. 1940. 0.02 cubic ft.

Navy notebook.

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Taylor (William) collection
MSS. 81. 0.33 cubic feet.

Research material, consisting chiefly of correspondence and clippings for Taylor's M.A. thesis about the "Hell Ships", the Japanese ships that carried American POW's, including many from Bataan and Corregidor, from the Philippines to Japan during World War II.

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Walker (William Clayton) papers
MSS. 600. 1940-1946. 0.46 cubic feet.

Materials documenting the life of William Clayton Walker (1919-1995) of Lauderdale, Mississippi. Included are letters and military records of Walker, who served in World War II in the 123rd Infantry, Co. I, the 20th Infantry, Co. H, and the 6th Quartermaster Company. Most of the letters are written to his mother, Mrs. Sallie E. Walker, from U.S. training camps and New Guinea and the Philippines, 1942-1945. Two grade reports and a registration card (1940-1942) document that Walker was a Mississippi State College agriculture student when he was drafted in 1942. Financial materials include a loan agreement, power of attorney and sugar purchase certificate (1942-1944). The remainder of the collection consists of photographs of Walker and others taken in New Guinea and the Philippines (1943-1944 and undated), military newsletters (1945), and a poem. In addition to the original materials, the collection includes a notebook of photocopies and laser photograph copies, some of which are not included in the originals.

War letters
MSS. 288. 1918-1945. 0.01 cubic feet: 4 items.

3 letters, including one V-mail letter, and one poem.

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Windham (James C.) collection
MSS. 320. 1943-1977. 0.33 cubic feet.

Biographical information about Windham (1913-1977), chairman of the Pabst Brewing Company and resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Noxubee County, Mississippi; clippings concerning the world premiere of the Pere Marquette Symphony, sponsored by the Father Marquette Tercentenary Commission, which was chaired by Windham. 28 issues of Yank: The Army Weekly (British edition) (1943-1944). Copy of Report by the Supreme Commander to the Combined Chiefs of Staff on the Operations in Europe of the Allied Expeditionary Force, 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945.

WWII War ration books
MSS. 761. undated. 0.02 cubic ft.

World War II Ration Books belonging Horace G. Bettersworth.