Floy G. Pearson Letter Collection
6 folders (0.6 linear feet)
(1917 – 1945)
bulk 1917-1919
Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland
Identifier | SC2023.011 |
---|---|
Creator(s) | Blake, Maurice P.; Bull, William F.; Johnson, Carl S.; Pearson, Carl L.; Pearson, Floy G.; Pratt, Butler Hillman, Sr.; Winslow, Percy R. |
Acquisition | Acquired by Dr. Beatriz Hardy (Dean of SU Libraries and Instructional Resources) in 2023. |
Language(s) | English, French |
Use | Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use." |
Preferred Citation | "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland." |
Attribution | Finding aid written by Jennifer Pulsney, December 2023. |
Related Materials |
Diary of an Unnamed Army Lieutenant (1918 – 1919) American Red Cross Hospital Photograph Album (Evreux, France) (1918) Clyde Family Letter Collection (1916 – 1919) Correspondence to Mary E. Mock (1906 – 1920) Estill Ibbotson Green Letter Collection (1913 – 1968) The Dole Family Papers (1917 – 1976) |
Separated Materials | See Nabb Center Staff |
The Floy G. Pearson Letter Collection contains 53 letters addressed to Floy Pearson of West Falmouth, Maine from 1917 to 1919. Written by eight different men, including her brother Carl Pearson, these letters describe daily life as a soldier stationed in various sections of France during World War I and some include reactions to the end of the war. Most of the letters include envelopes showing approval stamps by military censors and some of the letters have parts cut out by the censor. Additionally, there are pieces of ephemera including a prayer card, lyrics to "Our Loved Ones in Heaven," loose envelopes, a page from a letter (most likely by Carl S. Johnson), a receipt for Maurice Blake, and an immunization record for Robert G. Fitzgerald (dated 1943-1945).
Flora "Floy" Gertrude Pearson was born May 2, 1891 to Willard Herbert Pearson (1865-1933) and Annie Maria Leighton (1871-1948) in West Falmouth, Cumberland County, Maine. Willard was a grocer/retail merchant and Floy lived with her family, including her younger brother Carl and grandmother Rebecca Leighton, for most of her life. During World War I, Floy remained single, but was a pen pal to multiple soldiers deployed in the European theatre. She became a music teacher and remained in her family home even after her marriage to Arthur Lawson, a local fireman and road commissioner, in 1937. The couple were married for 50 years until Floy's death in March 1987 at the age of 96.
Carl Leighton Pearson was born January 2, 1893. He eventually enlisted with the military on March 10, 1917 and served in the 54th Artillery, Coastal Artillery Core (CAC). He reached the rank of Sargent and was honorably discharged on March 13, 1919. Carl returned home to his family in Maine and worked as an assistant manager at an auto tire factory. He married Helen G. Ornes (1900-1986) in Ohio on August 18, 1921. Carl passed away in 1980 and was buried in his hometown of Falmouth, Maine.
William "Bill" Frederick Bull was born in Eel River Lake, New Brunswick, Canada on August 31, 1984 to Margaret Ellen MacPherson (1862-1940) and Charles Frederick Bull (1851-1914). Bill was one of 14 children. The family immigrated to the United States in 1899 and settled in Lewiston, Maine. Bill enlisted in the U.S. military on July 2, 1917, was promoted to Corporal, and deployed to France on October 8, 1917. He was part of the 101st Trench Mortar Battery, a sub-unit of the 51st Field Artillery Brigade of the 26th Division. The unit was demobilized on May 26, 1919. When Bill returned home to Maine, he received his naturalization citizenship in 1919. Bill worked as a jeweler and watch repairer and never married. He passed away on May 3, 1947 at the age of 52 and is buried in Alton, Illinois.
Carl Sigfried Johnson was born in Lidkoping, Sweden on January 20th, 1900 to Carl and Marie Johnson. Carl was the oldest of 6 children. The family immigrated to the United States in 1905 and settled in Portland, Maine. Carl enlisted as a Private in the military on May 1, 1917, and reported to Battery E, 60th Artillery on July 25th. He served abroad in France and was honorably discharged from the American Expeditionary Forces on February 24, 1919. When Carl returned to Maine, he also returned to work as a chauffeur. He married Mildred Hazel O'Neal (1900-1958) in Somerville, Massachusetts on June 12, 1921. The couple returned to Portland where Carl worked at Bancroft Martin Company for 35 years and, later, Pine State By Products for 13 years. He retired in 1973 due to illness. The couple had three children - Carl Jr., Evelyn, and Beverly - and Mildred passed away from an illness on January 4, 1958. Carl was a member of the Masons and the Royal Arch Masons. He passed away after a long illness in Portland on August 1, 1983.
Maurice "Mouse" P. Blake was born on January 29, 1897 to Fred M Blake (1859-1951) and Bertha A. Parker Blake (1867-1980). Maurice was one of 6 children. Maurice enlisted in the military on March 12, 1917 as a Private with the 16th Infantry, Battalion E, 103 Reg. Field Artillery. He reported for service on July 25, 1917 and was promoted to Corporal. He served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces from October 9, 1917 to April 10, 1919 and was honorably discharged on April 29, 1919 from Camp Devens, Massachusetts. Maurice returned to Falmouth, Maine and joined the postal transport service in 1921. He was assigned as a mail clerk to the Portland Terminal and Bangor and Boston R.P.O. Additionally, Maurice married Alma C. Ingersoll (1896.1980) on September 13, 1921. The couple had one son, Donald Lewis Blake (1924-1997). Maurice was transferred to the Portland and Boundary Line in 1948 and retired in 1956. He was a long-time member of the American Legion. Maurice passed away on September 2, 1963 after a long illness. After his passing, Alma remarried to Clarence E. Heath.
Percy R. Winslow was born on December 20, 1897 to William Everett Winslow (1859-1930) and Dorcas Ellen Merrill Winslow (1859-1962) in Falmouth, Maine. He was the 2nd youngest of 9 children. Percy enlisted in the military on July 25, 1917 and served in France as a Corporal in Battery E, 54th Artillery Coastal Artillery Corp (CAC). He was discharged from service on March 13, 1919 and he returned to Falmouth to become a banker. He started his career with the Katahdin Trust Company in Patten, then became the treasurer of Ashland Trust Company. On November 24, 1920, Percy married Verna Lora Kneeland (1895-1977), a music teacher in Stacyville, Maine. The couple had two daughters: Dorothy (1922-2011) and Marilyn (1932-2008). In 1928, Percy moved with his family to Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine where he was the Vice President and cashier of Northern National Bank. He also served the Northern National Bank in Limestone and Lorring. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion and served as Chairman of the Aroostook Co. Ward Bond Drive and Director of Civil Defense in Aroostook Co. during World War II. Among many other positions and achievements throughout his life, he was President of the Banking Association, director of the Chamber of Commerce, and one of the first directors of Presque Isle Hotel Company. After battling a long illness, Percy died on April 5, 1974.
Harold "Pete" Robert Osgood was born on February 4, 1894 in Worcester, Massachusetts to Harrison Gerrish Osgood (1859-1929) and Jennie Elizabeth Moffatt Osgood (1866-1953). He was the youngest of 4 children and the family moved to Maine in the early 1900s. After graduation, Pete worked as a draftsman until he enlisted in the military as a Private on June 1, 1917. He served with the Co. C. 14th Engineers in France until his honorable discharge from Camp Devens, Massachusetts on May 2, 1919. After Pete returned to Falmouth, Maine he married Elsie Winifred Lunt (December 23, 1894 - September 14, 1950) on September 18, 1920. The couple had two daughters: Audrey (1921-Deceased) and Muriel (1923-1998). Pete continued to worked as a draftsman in the heating and ventilation industry. Pete passed away on January 3, 1972.
Butler "Butt" Hillman Pratt, Sr. was born on November 19, 1898 to Olive Chandler Pratt (1866-1947) and Abraham Pratt (1867-1934) in Jackson, New Hampshire. A middle child of 4, the family moved to Falmouth, Maine in 1903. Butler graduated from Westbrook Seminary in 1917. He enlisted in the military on March 10, 1917 and reported for duty on April 13, 1917. He was promoted to Private First Class on July 24, 1917 in the 2nd Company Maine Artillery Corps. Butler was appointed to Corporal on June 7, 1918 in Battery D 54th Artillery CAC and was transferred to the 3rd Prov. Anti Aircraft unit on June 18, 1918. He served in France through the end of the war and was honorably discharged at Camp Devens, Massachusetts on January 23, 1919. After the war, Butler worked briefly for Goodyear Tire Co. in Ohio then returned to Portland, Maine to work for Talbot, Brooks, + Ayer Hardware Co. He married Wilma Jones (1897-1991) on November 24, 1921. Later, he operated a grocery store in Cumberland and the couple had a son, Butler Hillman Pratt, Jr. (1924-2007). During World War II, Butler worked for a South Portland shipyard, and in 1942 and 1943, he was a special duty sheriff for Cumberland County. He retired in 1966 as foreman of Maine Turnpike Sign Shop. Butler was a long-time member of the Masons and American Legion, of which he was the organizer of the rifle team. B.H. Pratt passed away at home on November 11, 1984 and is interned at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Blue Star Avenue.
The Floy G. Pearson Letter Collection contains 53 letters addressed to Floy Pearson of West Falmouth, Maine from 1917 to 1919. Written by eight different men, including: her brother Carl L. Pearson, William "Bill" F. Bull, Carl S. Johnson, Maurice "Mouse" P. Blake, Percy R. Winslow, Harold "Pete" Robert Osgood, Butler H. Pratt, and H.B.M., these letters describe daily life as a soldier stationed in various sections of France during World War I and some include reactions to the end of the war. Most of the letters include envelopes showing approval stamps by military censors and some of the letters have parts cut out by the censor. Additionally, there are pieces of ephemera including a prayer card, lyrics to "Our Loved Ones in Heaven," loose envelopes, a page from a letter (most likely by Carl Johnson), a receipt for Maurice Blake, and an immunization record for 1st Lt. Robert G. Fitzgerald (dated 1943-1945).
The collection is arranged by sender then chronologically. Various Correspondence (Folder 5) is arranged chronologically.
Subject Terms
- Topical Terms
- Military History
- Military service --- United States
- Personal correspondence
- World War, 1914-1918
- World War, 1914-1918- France
- World War, 1914-1918- War
- Location Terms
- France
- Maine
Inventory List
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- Correspondence from Cpl. William F. Bull, 1917-1919
- Correspondence from Carl Pearson, 1918
- Correspondence from Harold "Pete" Osgood, 1918
- Correspondence from Maurice Blake, 1918
- Various Correspondence to Floy G. Pearson, 1918-1919
- Envelopes and Ephemera, 1918-1943
Artifacts
See Nabb Center StaffAttachments
None
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