Call Number:

F0128

Repository:

University of Delaware Library Special Collections

Extent:

12 item (12 letters )

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

MSS 0098, F0128, Fagan H. Simonton World War I letters to Mrs. W.A. Simonton, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Date:

1918 june-1919 may (inclusive)

Creator:

Simonton, Fagan Hull, 1894-1983 and Simonton, Mrs. W. A.

Form:

Letters (correspondence)

Abstract:

These twelve letters were written by Delawarean Fagan H. Simonton to his mother, Mrs. W. A. (Hettie) Simonton, who resided in Wilmington, Delaware, during his service in the U.S. Army during the first World War. The letters, which date from June 1918 to May 1919, document the experiences of training and embarkment from Camp Meade to France. With references to trenches, gas "the flu," and the armistice, the letters Simonton's experiences in Europe during America's late entrance to the Great War and the period of occupation following the cessation of hostilities.

Fagan Hull Simonton was born on August 1, 1894, in Kansas City, Missouri, to William A. and Hettie Simonton. At age 23, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army, he lived in Wilmingotn, Delaware, and was employed at Dupont Powder Company in Deep Water Point, N.J. While in the Army, Simonton advanced from the rank of Private to Sergeant.

Fagan married Irene Simonton, with whom he had three children: William H., Fagan H., and Shirley Irene. Fagan died on March 17, 1983, in Wilmington, Delaware.

"U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918." Ancestry.com Library Edition. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2004. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com (accessed March 28, 2016)."U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014." Ancestry.com Library Edition. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2004. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com (accessed March 28, 2016).Additional biographical information derived from the collection.

These twelve letters were written by Delawarean Fagan H. Simonton to his mother, Mrs. W.A. (Hettie) Simonton, who resided in Wilmington, Delaware, during his service in the U.S. Army during the first World War. The letters, which date from June 1918 to May 1919, document the experiences of training and embarkment from Camp Meade to France. With references to trenches, gas, "the flu," and the armistice, the letters follow Simonton's experiences in Europe during America's late entrance to the Great War and the period of occupation following the cessation of hostilities.

Accompaniying the letters is a clipping of a newspaper illustration titled "That Letter From Home."