Military

W

Weaver Family Papers, 1941-1943 (S1168)
1 cubic foot, 28 folders

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of correspondence between Jack Weaver and Ruth Riddick, a St. Louis-area couple, during World War II. In Weaver's letters to Riddick, he describes his service in the United States Army, providing insight into his daily life and the training he underwent in the Army's Officer Candidate School. Riddick's letters to Weaver include descriptions of life in St. Louis during the war, as well as her activities in church functions and work at United Motors as a secretary. Weaver and Riddick married in June 1943.

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Weingarten Internment Camp Collection, 1943-1945 (R1161)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

This collection includes a newsletter, a copy of orders, a roster for the 408th Military Police Escort Guard Company, and a pass from the Weingarten Internment Camp, a prison-of-war camp at Weingarten in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, during World War II.

William Welch Letter, 1846 (C1913)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

To John M. Samuel, Columbia, MO, from Walbourn, KY, May 29, 1846.

Letter about the effects of the Mexican War and the relations with England on mule business.

Subjects

Robert W. Wells Papers, 1826-1863 (C1998)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

Primarily letters written by Wells to his daughter containing family news and description of conditions in Missouri prior to and during the Civil War.

Edward Leo Welter Papers, 1918-1919 (R0312)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

This is a diary of overseas service by a native of Kelso, Scott County, Missouri, and an enlisted
member of Co. F, 110th Engineers, 35th Division, U.S. Army. E. L. Welter served in France along
the Somme River and in the Vosges Mountains, was part of the reserve during the St. Mihiel
offensive, and came under fire during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

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Ronald Wenger Photograph Collection, 1943-1950 (R1397)
0.02 cubic foot (1 folder, 25 negatives)

 Finding Aid

The Ronald Wenger Photograph Collection contains photographs and negatives taken by Ronald Wenger during his service in the Philippines and New Guinea during World War II. Also included is a brief description of his service.

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Stephen Werly Diary, 1862-1864 (C1949)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Civil War diary of the movements of the 21st Regiment of Missouri Volunteers, Company K. The original was written in German.

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Merle McDougald "Doug" Werner Interview, 2000 (C3034)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder), 4 audio cassettes

 Finding Aid

Cassettes and transcript of an interview with a war correspondent and foreign service officer who was one of twenty journalists to land at Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

John G. Westover Collection, 1910-1946 (C3733)
1.1 cubic feet (56 folders)

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Correspondence between members of a Missouri family, including three sons in the service, during World War II. The letters deal largely with family matters, but also include descriptions of military bases, a soldier's daily routine and training, and people, cities, and countries in Africa and Europe. Also included are letters from an uncle who was in the service during World War I and in the 1920s.

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John G. Westover Papers, no date (C0442)
0.08 cubic feet (4 folders)

 Finding Aid

Notes, pictures, and clippings assembled by Westover for a master's thesis in the University of Missouri Department of History editing General M. Jeff Thompson's memoirs. Includes working drafts of memoirs.

Aaron Miles Wetzel Papers, 1864 (R1340)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Aaron Wetzel papers consist of photocopies of two letters written during the Civil War by Aaron Wetzel, a Union soldier.

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Edwin D. Wheelock Papers, 1862-1901 (R0654)
0.01 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Edwin D. Wheelock Papers contain photocopied Civil War correspondence written by Edwin D. Wheelock, a soldier in Company G of the 17th Illinois Cavalry. The letters were written from camps at Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Rolla, and Pilot Knob, Missouri; and Fort Scott, Kansas. There is also a letter written by a friend, Emery F. Farnsworth, who was a soldier in the 37th Illinois Infantry, a photographic copy of Wheelock in uniform, postwar information on veterans of the unit printed by the Nunda Herald, and a brief family record.

Green Bery White Letters, 1862-1864 (C3001)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Six letters from a Union soldier in Co. D, 21st Regiment, Missouri Volunteers, from camps at Vicksburg, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia to his parents.

Richard Drace White Papers, 1895-1953 (C3624)
0.5 cubic feet (42 folders)

 Finding Aid

Unpublished autobiography, correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings of a Missourian who graduated from the United States Naval Academy, spent forty years on active duty in the Navy, was made a Rear Admiral, and served in the diplomatic corps.

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Robert M. White II Interview, 1965 (C3398)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

Audio and transcripts of an interview with the editor of Missouri's Mexico Ledger.

J.E. Whitehorne Letter, 1862 (C0478)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

To his sister, from Cockado Barracks, Mar. 10, 1862.

Relates witnessing the naval battle at Newport News, VA, between the MERIMAC and the Union steamers CUMBERLAND, CONGRESS, MONTICELLO, and PATRICK HENRY. Describes the damage to the vessels, and casualties.

Whiteman Air Force Base Dedication Collection, 1955 (K0338)
0.01 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Correspondence regarding the invitation of Kansas City guests to the dedication and includes responses from the invitees.

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Donald R. Whitman Collection, 1874-2008 (SP0079)
2.5 cubic feet (42 folders, 50 photographs, 4 VHS tapes, 5 oversize items)

 Finding Aid

The Donald R. Whitman Collection contains the personal papers of Donald Ray Whitman, including correspondence, genealogical records, and photographs. The collection also documents Whitman’s service in the United States Air Force and his work in the Marshall Islands during Operation Ivy in 1952, as well as his career with the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri.

Lewis Wickens Collection, 1940s-2000s (CA5371)
20 cubic feet, 17 video cassettes

 Finding Aid

Published works, videocassettes, and personal papers primarily relating to World War II fliers and prisoners of war.

Subjects

Margaret Boggs Wight Collection, 1908-1918 (P0521)
5 photographs

Copy images of Boone Co Circuit Clerk's Office, Armistice day broadside, and invitation to a hanging.

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E.M. Wiker Letters, 1885-1887 (C2929)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Three letters to W.S. Fultz of Muscatine, IA, discussing the Company D reunion and some of the men in the company during the Civil War.

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Estella Wilferth Papers, 1912-1962 (C3035)
0.2 cubic feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

A collection of correspondence written to Estella Wilferth from friends and family members, mostly during World War I. The letters cover topics concerning local events, weather, daily activities, and feelings about the war from the perspective of both soldiers and civilians.

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Reginald P. Wilkins Photograph Albums, 1943-1944 (C4599)
0.35 cubic feet (11folders)

 Finding Aid

Photographs taken and collected by Wilkins during 1943 and 1944 while a Civil Air Patrol instructor. Includes photographs of students, aircraft, air fields, friends, and numerous communities: including Columbia, Missouri, and Pittsburg, Kansas.

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Frank Courtney Wilkinson Family Papers, 1862-1958 (K0713)
41 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Wilkinson was an attorney, banker, real estate businessman, and member of the Missouri House of Representatives. Includes notebooks, photographs, memorabilia, correspondence among family member, high school and college coursework, Navy publications and printed material used in son Frank Lee Wilkinson's training during World War II, and genealogical research and family history.

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James L. Wilkinson Papers, 1877-1913 (C0187)
0.25 cubic feet (12 folders)

 Finding Aid

Papers of a Franklin County, MO, area teacher. Includes personal account books, 1884-1911; Grange Mutual Aid Society account book, 1877-1885; Missouri teaching certificates, 1878-1905; a "Manual of Ironton Public Schools;" a pamphlet entitled "Silver Nuggets" by Lon V. Sephens; and miscellaneous pamphlets and essays.

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Francis Marion Williams Papers, 1862-1866 (R0413)
0.02 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

These are Civil War papers of Francis M. Williams, a native of Fredericktown in Madison County, Missouri, who served in the 4th Missouri Militia Regiment and the 50th Missouri Infantry. The collection includes correspondence and military papers concerning duty at St. Francis Bridge and in Iron and Washington counties in Missouri.

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John M. Williams Autobiography, no date (C3367)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains recollections of Williams' Civil War experiences. A sergeant in an Ohio division, he enlisted at age 18 after teaching school in Elizabethtown, OH.

Orsono Ayers Williams Papers, 1861-1903 (C3135)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Civil War correspondence of O.A. Williams, Confederate army surgeon, and his friends and relatives, containing a mixture of family matters and local news.

Sarah Cornelia Williams Diaries, 1845-1889 (S0177)
1 microfilm roll

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of the diaries of a St. Louis wife and mother with references to daily life, servant problems, Civil War, Lincoln's assassination, and the Chicago fire of 1871.

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Williams-Shaw Family Papers, 1796-1904 (C0189)
0.12 cubic feet (6 folders)

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Papers of a Virginia family who moved to Rutherford County, Tennessee, in the 1830s and to Cass County, Missouri, in the 1860s. Includes tax receipts, legal documents regarding land purchases, accounts, and plans and lists of materials for building a barn, 1867.

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Jacob P. Williamson Papers, 1862 (R0664)
0.01 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Jacob P. Williamson Papers contain a Civil War letter written February 27, 1862, from Camp Rolla in Phelps county, Missouri , by a soldier in the 13th Illinois Infantry. The letter notes the Union capture of Springfield, Missouri, by soldiers who had marched from Rolla, and rumors of future movements.

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Wilson Family Papers, 1898-1926 (C0438)
0.08 cubic feet (4 folders)

 Finding Aid

Biographical sketches, 1898, of John Wilson and R.P.C. Wilson, Platte County, MO, politicians; resolution about Platte County delegates to constitutional convention; letter, 1926, with Civil War reminiscences of Confederate troops under Sterling Price.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Papers, 1926-1949 (C4221)
0.2 cubic feet (7 folders)

 Finding Aid

Correspondence and descriptions regarding the Civil War Battle of Wilson's Creek that took place in Springfield, Missouri, on August 10, 1861. Also included are maps, letters from the Shepard of the Hills Association, Lebanon, Missouri, Chamber of Commerce Commercial Club, Civic Groups, the Missouri State Legislature, and other organizations endorsing efforts to make Wilson's Creek Battlefield a National Park/Memorial.

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Elias V. Wilson Papers, 1858-1868, 1962 (C4502)
0.1 cubic feet (1 folder, 4 oversize items)

 Finding Aid

Papers of E.V. Wilson of Edina, Knox County, Missouri. Primarily relates to Wilson's Civil War service as Major of North East Missouri Home Guards; including correspondence, muster rolls, commission papers and provision reports. Includes few earlier and later documents.

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H. Clyde Wilson Papers, 1962-1984 (C0390)
5.6 cubic feet (321 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers contain campaign materials from Wilson’s 1970 challenge to the 8th district’s incumbent U.S. congressman Richard H. Ichord, arranged as county files or research and reference files; Columbia City Council files arranged alphabetically by topic; and material regarding cable television coming to Columbia.

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James Wilson Papers, 1864-1951 (C1994)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The papers of James Wilson contain documents pertaining to the death of Major Wilson, U.S. Army, who was shot by Confederate forces near Union, MO, in 1864.

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Wisconsin, Eighth Infantry Regiment, "Old Abe" Mascot, 1865 (C4150)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Image of "Old Abe," the live Eagle, which was carried through a three year campaign by the 8th Wisconsin Regiment.

Paul Sheldon Wise Papers, 1942-1943 (R1255)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

These are nine letters from Paul Sheldon "Shel" Wise, a Signal Corps trainee at Camp Crowder in Newton County, Missouri, to his parents and family in Steubenville, Ohio. Wise was assigned to the 804th Signal Service Regiment at the Midwestern Signal Corps Replacement Training Center.

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Arthur Witt Jr. Papers, 1913-1995 (C4632)
2.6 cubic feet (73 folders, 32 oversize items)

 Finding Aid

The Arthur Witt Jr. papers document the life of a WWII pilot who served from 1942-1947. After the war, Witt became a zoology professor at the University of Missouri and ended his career as a professor of Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife, retiring in 1983. The papers include military papers and ephemera, aeronautical maps of Asia and the United States, forestry projects, military training manuals, and some correspondence.

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Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Columbia, Mo.) Minute Book, 1884-1888 (C0262)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Book contains constitution and bylaws, minutes of meetings, roll of members, and activities of the organization.

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Women's Hearings of the War in Vietnam Collection, 1972-1973 (S0109)
0.03 cubic feet, 3 folders, 4 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and a transcript, documenting the Committee for the Women’s Hearing on the War in Vietnam’s public hearing on the United States involvement in Southeast Asia, held on June 17, 1972, at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Gordon R. Wood Papers, 1930s-1990s (CA5416)
3 cubic feet, 7 audio discs, 6 audio cassettes, 136 audio tapes

 Finding Aid

Papers and research materials of English language dialectologist and teacher. Also includes family history and World War II papers.

Viola Woodall Papers, 1942-1946 (S0481)
0.4 cubic foot, 25 folders

 Finding Aid

The Viola Woodall Papers contain service men's letters, newsletters, and ledgers. During the 1940s, Viola Woodall directed the Young Men's Choir of Immanuel Baptist Church in St. Louis City. After many choristers joined the armed services during World War II, Woodall organized church women, "service mothers," to write them as a means of bolstering morale.

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James Washington Woodard Papers, 1862-1867 (SP0048)
0.01 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

James Washington Woodard Papers consist of Civil War letters that recount the horror of war, camp life, the fate of comrades at the battles of Corinth and Vicksburg, and the movements of General Sterling Price’s army as they evacuated Missouri in 1862 and 1863. The collection consists of six letters written by a Confederate Lieutenant serving in Company D, 5th Missouri Infantry, 1st Brigade. Also included is a document dealing with an 1867 property transfer from his wife’s family, the Lemmons, to his widow.

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Woods-Holman Family Papers, 1805-1906 (C0191)
0.25 cubic feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Letters, documents, notebooks, accounts, and receipts of two southeast Missouri families. Papers concern family news, business, farming, livestock, religion, teaching, Native Americans, fur trade, economics, politics, Gold Rush and Civil War and descriptions of California, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas.

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Richard Goodrich Woddson Article, 1863 (C3092)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Newspaper clipping from the MISSOURI DEMOCRAT, reporting the capture of General Jeff Thompson and his staff by Colonel Richard Goodrich Woodson of the 3rd Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, at Pilot Knob, MO.

Richard Goodridge Woodson Papers, 1862-1865 (R0410)
0.1 cubic foot (2 folders)

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The Richard Goodridge Woodson Papers consist of the correspondence, orders, and miscellaneous military papers of Richard G. Woodson of Pike County, Missouri, colonel of the 3rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry (New). The papers concern the administration of the post at Pilot Knob, Missouri, and the activities of the 3rd Missouri State Militia Calvary.

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World War I American Expeditionary Forces Legend and Insignias, 1917-1918 (C4161)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Listings of World War I American Expeditionary Forces, divisions/army corps, date of arrival in France, or when organized, and principal activity or activities.

World War I Collection, 1917-1921 (C3223)
1.4 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Clippings largely from Kansas City and St. Louis, MO, newspapers regarding World War I soldiers from Missouri; the 35th, 89th, and Rainbow Divisions; and the Red Cross and hospital work. Also includes political cartoons, war statistics, and county casualty lists.

World War II Collection, 1942-1933 (S0515)
1 cubic foot, 41 folders, 29 photographs, 2 audio cassettes, 1 phonograph

 Finding Aid

The World War II collection is an artifical collection comprised of several small donations documenting the experiences of St. Louis-area men and women who served in the conflict. Included in this collection is correspondence, narratives, photographs, books, and oral histories.

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