Title: American War Mothers, Milwaukee County Chapter Records
Inclusive Dates: 1918-1929

Creator:

• American War Mothers. Milwaukee County Chapter.

Call Number: Local History Manuscript Collection 248

Quantity: 5.3 cubic ft. (19 boxes)

Repository:

Milwaukee Public Library, Frank P. Zeidler Room

Archival Location:

Milwaukee Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Records from the Milwaukee County Chapter of the American War Mothers. Contains correspondence, publications, and various soldier indexes that were created during and shortly after World War I.

Note:

To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0248

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The American War Mothers is a patriotic organization founded in 1917 in Indiana. It was originally composed of mothers whose sons and daughters served in the United States Armed Forces during World War I. Congress chartered the American War Mothers as a national organization in February 1925, and later expanded its membership to mothers whose sons and daughters had served in wars in which the U.S. was engaged after World War I, including World War II, the Korean War, and any subsequent wars or conflicts involving the United States. The goal of the organization is to "keep alive and develop the spirit that prompted world service, to maintain the tide of fellowship born of that service, and to assist and further any patriotic work; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation; to work for the welfare of the Armed Forces of the United States; to assist in any way in their power men and women who served and were wounded or incapacitated in World Wars or Conflicts of the United States; and to foster and promote friendship and understanding between America and the Allies." (Feb. 24, 1925, ch. 303, §3, 43 Stat. 967.)

The collection is primarily comprised of various indexes that contain general information about Milwaukee County soldiers in World War I. Most of this data was gathered in conjunction with the Wisconsin War History Commission and was used to produce the Record of Heroes of Milwaukee County Who Answered Their Country's Call in the World War (1921). There are also programs for state chapter American War Mother Conventions from North Carolina (1922), Kentucky (1928), and Wisconsin (1926–1927). There are two yearbooks: one for Indiana and one for Kentucky. Also included is a program for the 1928 American War Mothers Executive Board Meeting, a banquet program for the 1926 Wisconsin State Convention, and an audit of the organization. The collection also contains correspondence mostly addressed to Elizabeth Martin and the Wisconsin Chapter of the American War Mothers of which she served as president. Some of the correspondence covers Mother’s Day activities, the Lindbergh Reception, internal disputes, and an allusion to a conflict with Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day.

The collection is arranged alphabetically by personal name or subject, then chronologically within each folder.

American War Mothers, Milwaukee County Chapter Records, 1918-1929, Collection 248. Local History Manuscript Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Photographs of soldiers collected by the Wisconsin War History Commission and American War Mothers have been digitized and are available in the WWI Military Portraits Digital Collection.

Archival Collections

• Milwaukee County Council of Defense Records. Local History Manuscript Collection 255.

• War Information Center Collection. Local History Manuscript Collection 256.

• World War I Military Portrait Collection. Milwaukee Historic Photo Collection 21.

Publications and Other Items

Record of Heroes of Milwaukee County Who Answered Their Country's Call in the World War

World War I Cards Index

WWII Military Personnel Name Index

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all in accordance with state law. The public may view Local History Manuscript Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The soldier index materials came to the Milwaukee Public Library after World War I as part of the Wisconsin War History Commission's effort to preserve these materials for historical purposes. The general files were donated by J.W. Martin in 1963. The collection was accessioned as a Local History Manuscript Collection.

Processing Information

Inventory by Arlene Espinoza, Archives Volunteer, 2014. Processed by Bob Jaeger, 2019.

	General Files
Box   6 Folder   1	Audit, 1924
Box   6 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1918-1928
Box   6 Folder   3	Programs and Meeting Booklets, 1922-1929
Box   6 Folder   4	War Tales and Souvenir Program for Victory Festival, 1919
	Record of Heroes, draft
Box   1 Folder   1-7	A-F, 1921
Box   2 Folder   1-5	G-K, 1921
Box   3 Folder   1-7	L-Q, 1921
Box   4 Folder   1-6	R-W, 1921
Box   5 Folder   1	Y-Z, 1921
Box   5 Folder   2	Student Army Training Corps, 1921
Box   5 Folder   3	U.S. Servicemen on Foreign Armies, 1921
Box   5 Folder   4	Women on War Work, 1921
	Soldier Information
Box   7	Index Cards, Ab-Bra, undated
Box   8	Index Cards, Bre-Da, undated
Box   9	Index Cards, De-Fra, undated
Box   10	Index Cards, Fre-Has, undated
Box   11	Index Cards, Hat-Ju, undated
Box   12	Index Cards, Ka-Kud, undated
Box   13	Index Cards, Kue-Marg, undated
Box   14	Index Cards, Marh-My, undated
Box   15	Index Cards, Na-Pot, undated
Box   16	Index Cards, Pou-Scha, undated
Box   17	Index Cards, Schu-Spon, undated
Box   18	Index Cards, Spor-Vu, undated
Box   19	Index Cards, Wa-Zy, undated
Box   6 Folder   5	Miscellaneous Lists, undated
Box   6 Folder   6	Names and Addresses, suburbs, undated
Box   6 Folder   7	Names and Addresses, wards, undated
Box   5 Folder   5	Personnel Lists, suburbs, undated
Box   5 Folder   6-8	Personnel Lists, wards, undated