Edgar Eldredge Letters

Collection

Identifier: SA-007

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of roughly 235 letters and postcards written by Edgar Eldredge to his sister Frances Eldredge from August 26th, 1944 to May 25th, 1946. Edgar Eldredge Correspondence August- December 1944 (Original letters) August- December (Transcribed letters) 1944, January-December 1945 (Original letters) January-December (Transcribed letters) 1945, January-May 1946 (Original letters) January-May 1946 (Transcribed letters) May 1946 (Military separation papers).

Dates

Creation: 1944 - 1946

Language of Materials

English .

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is currently open to research use.

Biographical / Historical

Edgar Eldredge (March 9th, 1926-December 3rd, 1983) was a teenager from Center Ossipee, New Hampshire, who enlisted in the Navy at 18 years of age in 1944. During his enlistment from August 1944 to May 1946, he corresponded with his sister Frances Eldredge, while she attended Plymouth Teachers College, later to become Plymouth State University. The letters chronicle a young naval recruit as he negotiates the transition from civilian life in New Hampshire to military life aboard a ship during the last two years of World War II. The letters are poignant, funny, descriptive, and revealing as they give a glimpse into the daily life of a sailor during the war.

Full Extent

1 Linear Feet (2 Archives Boxes) : Personal letters ; 1 Linear feet

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters, postcards, newspaper clippings, naval records, photos, and alumni information.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically into three series and Forty files.

Custodial History

The Edgar Eldredge collection was given as a gift to Plymouth State University from Lucien Trigiano and the USS Rankin Association on October 6, 2014.