Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/vhp.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2017655249
In English.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
Arranged into two series: Manuscripts and Photographs. Materials are arranged alphabetically by type of record.
Accessioned, 2016.
Duplication of collection materials may be restricted.
Collection is open for research; access restrictions apply. To request collection materials, please contact the Veterans History Project at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/vhp.contact
Frank Van Pelt Collection (AFC/2001/001/104650), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Frank Van Pelt was born in Arkansas City, Kansas, on July 14, 1890. He was the fifth child, out of nine, born to John Henry and Amanda Van Pelt. He was raised on a farm near Newkirk, Oklahoma, and received a limited formal education at a local county school. Van Pelt worked as a telegraph operator for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.
Van Pelt enlisted in the United States Army on June 1, 1917, in Arkansas City, Kansas, before
receiving a draft notice. He wrote to his family regarding his reasons for enlisting, telling them that he preferred to choose the branch of the military in which he served. He left the next day for Fort Logan in Denver, Colorado. Within a few days,
he departed for Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where he remained for a short period of
time. By July 7, 1917, he was on the move again to the East Coast. He arrived in New
Jersey on July 13, 1917, and remained near the Little Silver area until his overseas
deployment. During this period of time, Van Pelt’s activities included drilling,
wireless telegraph training, and construction. Van Pelt embarked to Europe in February
1918 from Camp Devens on the SS
Following his service, Van Pelt returned to the Kansas-Oklahoma border. He received several job offers before returning to the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway as a telegraph operator. He moved to Pierce City, Missouri, in 1933. He married Fannie Lee Hughes and raised four children. Frank Van Pelt died on August 13, 1949.
The Frank Van Pelt collection documents Van Pelt’s United States Army service during World War I. Spanning 1917-1931, materials include correspondence, memoirs, military papers, and photographs.
The correspondence in the collection spans from 1917-1919, during Van Pelt’s service in the United States and France. Letters are sent by Van Pelt to his family. Topics in the letters include camp and military life; references to personal relationships; short anecdotes about visits to federal prisons and food; weather; wheat; Germany; brief descriptions of visits to the front; YMCA and the Red Cross; family relations; and Van Pelt's thoughts regarding the military and war. Most letters span several days of writing. The memoir in the collection was written by Van Pelt to his children, in 1931. It documents his World War I experience and ends with his arrival at home following the war. Topics in the memoir include sentiments towards the war and draft; French society; descriptions of battles and skirmishes; radio/telegram duties; recollection of the death of French and American pilot, Gervais Raoul Lufbery; thoughts on Reba Crawford of the Salvation Army; YMCA sentiments; short anecdotes; and a general overview of his two year military career. A transcribed edition of the memoir created by an unknown person is also included. The transcription contains numerous copy editing changes. Military papers include Van Pelt’s discharge certificate, enlistment record, and pay receipts from the Veterans Bureau. Photographs include a landscape image and photocopies of Van Pelt in uniform and a suit.
Digital content available
MS01: Letters by Van Pelt to his family while serving in the Army during World War I. Topics in the letters include camp and military life; references to personal relationships; short anecdotes about visits to federal prisons and food; weather; wheat; Germany; brief descriptions of visits to the front; YMCA and the Red Cross; family relations; and Van Pelt's thoughts regarding the military and war. Most letters span several days of writing.
Digital content available
MS02: An account written by Van Pelt about his service in the Army during World War I. Topics in the memoir include sentiments towards the war and draft; French society; descriptions of battles and skirmishes; radio/telegram duties; YMCA sentiments; short anecdotes; and a general overview of his two year military career.
Digital content available
MS03: A typed version of Van Pelt's account about his service in the Army during World War I. The transcription contains numerous copy editing changes.
Digital content available
MS04: Discharge certificate and enlisted record 04/29/1919; and pay receipts with correspondence from the Veterans Bureau 1929-1930.
Digital content available
PH01: An image of a field removed from correspondence (MS01) dated 02/22/1919.
PH02: A portrait of Van Pelt wearing his Army uniform.
PH03: A portrait of Van Pelt wearing a suit.