Summary Information
Matthias J. Lynaugh Papers and Photographs
1915-1990
WVM Mss 699
7.2 linear ft. (11 archives boxes and 14 oversize folders) of papers and 0.8 linear ft. (2 archives boxes) of photographs.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)
Papers and photographs of Matthias J. Lynaugh, a private in the 32nd Division during World War I who was very active in veterans organizations throughout his life. The majority of the collection relates to Lynaugh's involvement with various veterans' organziations in the post-World War I period. Three such groups are particularly well-represented: the Old Company G Veterans Association, the American Legion, and La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (40 et 8). The materials involving these groups do not often relate directly to Lynaugh, but they reflect his interest and membership in the groups by the fact that he collected them. Company G was composed of veterans from the Madison area who fought in the 127th Infantry Regiment, part of the 32nd Division. Its materials include membership and financial records as well as correspondence. Of particular interest is a postcard, sent by Lynaugh while training at Camp MacArthur (Waco, Texas) in 1917, that is in the shape of an artillery shell. Papers from the national, state, and local levels of the American Legion and 40 et 8 are in the collection. Lynaugh's role in graves registration for the Legion is documented through cemetery listings and maps. Other materials in the collection relate to Lynaugh's World War II homefront activities and include Civil Defense schedules from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, political fliers from the 1940 presidential election, and programs for Memorial Day celebrations in Madison. Photographs in this collection are almost entirely unidentified and include shots of an American Legion parade and various pictures of soldiers and dead bodies from World War I.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00699 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Matthias James Lynaugh was born in Madison, Wisconsin on July 23, 1897 to Peter and Mary (Gallagher) Lynaugh. He attended local schools and enlisted into the Wisconsin National Guard in April 1917, where he became a private in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, Company G. When the Guard was federalized into the 32nd Infantry Division, his unit became the 127th Infantry Regiment. By July 1918 he was fighting in Europe and on July 31 he was gassed at Dravegny. He later suffered a shrapnel wound in his left leg. After the war, Lynaugh remained in Germany with the occupation forces until April 1919. Upon returning to the United States, he found work as an electrician in Madison, eventually working for the University of Wiscosnin. He married Anastasia Doyle in November 1923 and the couple had three children: Matthew, Mary, and Kevin. Lynaugh became extremely involved in various veterans organizations including the American Legion, La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (40 et 8), the Dane County Red Arrow Club, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the Thirty-Second Division Veterans Association. He also was intimately involved with the Old Company G Veterans Association, the group that formed among his former comrades from the 127th Regiment. He served various offices in all these groups. During World War II he became involved with Civil Defense at the University. He remained active with veterans causes throughout his life and volunteered at Middleton Veterans Hospital in his retirement. He passed away in Madison on September 22, 1991.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Matthias J. Lynaugh are divided into three series: Veterans Organizations, World War II Homefront, and Photographs.
Veterans Organizations (1915-1990) consists of materials documenting the organization and functions of many different veteran groups, ranging in size from local to national. A majority of the material does not relate directly to Lynaugh, but rather are materials he collected through his membership. The Old Company G Veteran Association consisted of members of Company G, 127th Infantry from World War I, who were largely residents of the Madison and Beloit areas. The group was founded in 1936 and held regular reunions. This series contains administrative and financial records for the group, as well as reunion announcements, correspondence, and some ephemeral items from World War I that the group kept. Similar records from the American Legion and La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux, also known as the 40 et 8, are also in this collection from the national, state, and local level. Lynaugh was a prominent member in local posts of both organizations. His role on the graves registration committee of the William B. Cairns Post 57 (American Legion) is documented through lists of veterans buried in Madison-area cemeteries and maps of several, including Forest Hill Cemetery. The membership records and reports from Voiture Locale No. 683 (40 et 8) in Dane County are particularly comprehensive from the 1920s through the 1940s. Materials from the Red Arrow Club of Dane County, the Thirty-second Division Veterans Association, and Veterans of World War I, and other organizations round out the series.
World War II Home Front (1936-1987) contains materials largely relating to Lynaugh's life during the World War II era. His role in the University of Wisconsin's Civil Defense group is documented through official correspondence, schedules, and a map. Madison Memorial Day programs and materials relating to planning a Madison War Memorial begin in the war era and show Lynaugh's continued interest in local recognition of veterans. His volunteer service at the Middleton Veterans Hospital is shown through log sheets and other materials. Political fliers relating to the 1940 presidential election suggest that many veterans supported Wendell Willkie, a World War I veteran, over Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Photographs (circa 1917-1948) are almost entirely unidentified, though clues from the pictures often suggest at least a partial identity. The first subseries contains shots from the veterans organizations to which Lynaugh belonged. An undated American Legion parade is very well documented through photographs of the floats and parade participants. Other photographs seem to be from the Old Company G Veterans Association and show unidentified members posing individually and in groups. There are some photographs from their pre-war training that the group maintained. A second subseries contains unidentified photographs of soldiers and places in Europe during World War I. There are several shots of ship life as soldiers sailed to Europe, many postcards showing cemeteries and battlefield corpses, and many unknown soldiers, both in groups and individually. The research and informational value of these photographs is negatively affected by their lack of identification.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mary Kraak, Madison, WI, 1994-1997. Accession Number: TR0253, TR0311, and TR0724, and Mss 2012.74. This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).
Processed by Russell Horton in 2004
Contents List
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Series: Veterans Organizations
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Subseries: American Legion
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Department of Wisconsin, 1933-1946
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Camp American Legion, undated
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Ov
14
Folder
14
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Calendars, 1939-1940
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Conferences (Seasonal), 1933-1944
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Conventions, 1936
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Map, 1939
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Ov
16
Folder
4
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Parade route maps, 1936, 1941
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Box
1
Folder
6-12
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Registration packet materials, 1940-1955
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Ov
12
Folder
5
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Signs, 1936-1938
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Correspondence, 1936-1946
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Ephemera, 1936-1941
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Ov
17
Folder
2
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Patriotic signs, undated
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Box
1
Folder
15
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State posts, 1933-1963
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Local Post (William B. Cairns Post 57, Madison), 1932-1963
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Box
2
Folder
2-3
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Announcements, 1933-1959
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Applications, undated
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Certificates, 1942-1989
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Charter, 1919
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Correspondence, 1935-1963
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Grave registration, 1935
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Cemetery listings
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Blooming Grove Cemetery, 1937
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Box
2
Folder
10
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Calvary Cemetery (Madison), 1937
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Dane County cemeteries, undated
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Box
2
Folder
12
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European cemeteries, undated
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Box
2
Folder
13-14
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Forest Hill Cemetery (Madison), 1937
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Map, undated
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Soldier's Rest, undated
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Southern Burial Ground, 1937
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Holy Cross Cemetery (Madison), 1937
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Hope Evangelical Cemetery (Blooming Grove), undated
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Madison area World War I veterans, undated
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Roselawn Mem. Cemetery (Blooming Grove), 1937
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Ov
16
Folder
3
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Map, undated
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Correspondence, 1954-1967
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Membership cards, 1920-1981
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Alternate cards, 1936-1946
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Newspaper clippings, undated
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Officers, 1946-1957
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Box
3
Folder
13
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Roll call of deceased members, 1922-1927, 1948
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Box
3
Folder
14
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National, 1930-1956
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Convention registration packet materials
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Box
3
Folder
15-21
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1931-1939
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Box
4
Folder
1-9
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1940-1959
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Ephemera, undated
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Box
4
Folder
11
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National Defense Questionnaire, 1940-1941
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Box
4
Folder
12
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Catholic War Veterans, undated
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Box
4
Folder
13
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Disabled American Veterans, 1933-1939
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Subseries: La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (40 et 8)
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Grand Voiture (Department) of Wisconsin
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Box
4
Folder
14-16
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Announcements, 1933-1948
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Bulletins, 1937-1938
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Correspondence, 1933-1947
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Box
5
Folder
3-4
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Ephemera, 1937-1948
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Ov
14
Folder
15
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Blueprint of Sidedoor Pullman car, undated
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Membership reports, 1947-1948
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Officers, 1947-1948
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Parades, 1937-1939
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Box
5
Folder
8
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Promenade registration packet materials, 1956
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Box
5
Folder
9
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Wisconsin Voitures (Local posts), 1938-1946
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Box
5
Folder
10
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Voiture Locale No. 85 (Milwaukee), 1934-1947
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Box
5
Folder
11
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Voiture Locale No. 260 (Trempealeau County), 1941-1944
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Voiture Locale No. 410 (Kenosha), 1937, 1947
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Box
5
Folder
13
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Voiture Locale No. 497 (Racine), 1943-1948
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Box
5
Folder
17
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Voiture Locale No. 683 (Dane County), 1935-1962
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Box
5
Folder
18
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Announcements, 1933-1962
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Box
5
Folder
19
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Charter application, 1924
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Box
5
Folder
20-21
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Correspondence, 1924-1939
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Box
5
Folder
22
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Delegate cards, 1933, 1939
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Box
5
Folder
23
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Ephemera, 1940, undated
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Box
5
Folder
24
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Financial records, 1931-1940
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Meetings
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Box
6
Folder
1-2
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Announcements, 1934-1961
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Minutes, 1924-1942
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Membership
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Applications, 1924-1939
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Box
6
Folder
5
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Cards, 1975-1981
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Box
6
Folder
6
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Initiation, 1924
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Box
6
Folder
7
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Lists, 1924-1935
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Reports
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Box
6
Folder
8
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Activity, 1937-1941
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Box
6
Folder
9
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New Members, 1924-1941
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Box
6
Folder
10-12
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Old Members, 1925-1941
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Box
6
Folder
13
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Transfers, 1924, 1941-1942
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Box
6
Folder
14
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Newspaper clippings, undated
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Box
6
Folder
15
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Officers, 1924-1960
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Reports
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Carnival, 1936
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Correspondant, 1934-1935
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Box
5
Folder
14
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Voiture Locale No. 738 (Fond du Lac County), 1940-1948
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Box
5
Folder
15
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Voiture Locale No. 751 (Winnebago County), 1944-1948
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Box
5
Folder
16
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Voiture Locale No. 856 (Beaver Dam), 1945-1948
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Box
7
Folder
3-4
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Voiture Nationale, 1933-1947
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Catalogs, undated
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Box
7
Folder
6
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Ephemera, undated
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Programs, 1936, 1947
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Box
7
Folder
8
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Mexican Border Veterans, 1970
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Military Order of the Purple Heart, 1943-1979
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Ov
17
Folder
4
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Certificate, undated
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Box
7
Folder
10
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Meeting announcements, 1943-1948
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Subseries: Old Company G Veterans Association
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Box
7
Folder
11
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Articles of Incorporation, 1936
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Box
7
Folder
12
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Constitution, undated
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Box
7
Folder
13-17
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Correspondence, 1934-1970
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Box
7
Folder
18
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Ephemera, 1930-1939, undated
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Box
7
Folder
19
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Financial records, 1935-1944
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Box
7
Folder
20
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Bank statements, 1936-1944
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Box
7
Folder
21
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Cancelled checks, 1936-1944
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Box
7
Folder
22
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History, undated
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Ov
17
Folder
5
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Oversized, 1916-1919
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Box
7
Folder
23
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List of deceased members, 1918-1953
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Box
7
Folder
24
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Meeting minutes, circa 1935-1936
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Box
8
Folder
1
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Membership lists, 1935-1956
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Box
8
Folder
2
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Newspaper clippings, undated
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Reunions
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Announcements, 1921-1972
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Guest lists, 1940-1961
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Programs, 1921-1941
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Box
8
Folder
6
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Response cards, 1934-1960
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Ov
15
Folder
8
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Signs, undated
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World War I materials
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Box
8
Folder
7
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Company orders, circa 1919
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Box
8
Folder
8
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Ephemera, 1915-1917
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Box
8
Folder
9
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Matthias Lynaugh, 1917-1919
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Ov
32
Folder
5
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Shell-shaped postcard, 1917-1919
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Box
8
Folder
10
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Firing range roster, circa 1917
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Box
8
Folder
11
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Individual pay record, 1919
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Box
9
Folder
1
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Muster roll, circa 1917
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Box
9
Folder
2-6
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Roster book, circa 1919
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Box
9
Folder
7
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127th Infantry Veterans Association, 1925-1957
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Box
9
Folder
8
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Newspaper clippings, 1934-1955
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Ov
17
Folder
6
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Reunion signs, undated
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Subseries: Red Arrow Clubs
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Box
10
Folder
1
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Chicago, 1939
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Box
10
Folder
2
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Dane County, 1936-1964
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Box
10
Folder
3
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Ephemera, undated
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Box
10
Folder
4
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History, 1961
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Box
10
Folder
5
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Meeting announcements, 1930-1967
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Box
10
Folder
6
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Membership rosters, 1971, undated
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Box
10
Folder
7
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Newspaper clippings, 1958
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Box
10
Folder
8
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Milwaukee, 1939-1970
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Box
10
Folder
9
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Thirty-second Division Veterans Association, 1919-1961
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Box
10
Folder
10
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Applications, undated
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Box
10
Folder
11
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Ephemera, 1919-1976
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Ov
10
Folder
11
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History, undated
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Box
10
Folder
12
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Newspaper clippings, 1975, undated
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Box
10
Folder
13
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Programs, 1920-1950
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Reunions
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Box
10
Folder
14
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Announcements, 1922-1971
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Box
10
Folder
15
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Guest list, undated
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Ov
12
Folder
6
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Signs, 1923, 1940
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Box
10
Folder
16
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Usquebaugh Club, 1948
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Box
10
Folder
17
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Veterans of Foreign Wars, [1932-1988]
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Box
10
Folder
18
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Membership cards, 1975-1981
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Box
10
Folder
19
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Veterans of World War I, 1960-1990
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Box
10
Folder
20
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Ephemera, 1962, undated
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Box
10
Folder
21
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Membership cards, 1975-1991
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Box
10
Folder
22
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Programs, 1968-1975
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Box
10
Folder
23
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Rosters, 1970-1973
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Series: World War II Home Front
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Box
11
Folder
1
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Defense savings bonds, circa 1941
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Box
11
Folder
2
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Home front literature, 1940-1945
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Box
11
Folder
3
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Lynaugh materials, circa 1956
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Box
11
Folder
4
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Middleton Veterans Hospital, Volunteer work, 1976-1987
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Box
11
Folder
5
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University of Wisconsin-Madison Civilian Defense, 1942-1946
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Ov
17
Folder
3
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Campus map, circa 1936
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Box
11
Folder
6
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Madison Memorial Day programs, 1936-1982
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Box
11
Folder
7
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Madison War Memorial, 1946-1949
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Subseries: Political literature
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Box
11
Folder
8
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Anti-Roosevelt materials, 1940
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Box
11
Folder
9
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Willkie materials, 1940
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Box
11
Folder
10
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Red Cross materials, 1943-1944
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Box
11
Folder
11
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Sketches, unidentified, circa 1938
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Box
11
Folder
12
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Veterans affairs, 1936-1947
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Box
11
Folder
13
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War loan brochures, 1944-1945
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Series: Photographs
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Subseries: Veterans Organizations
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American Legion parade
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Box
12
Folder
1
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Cavalry group [7] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
2-3
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Entertainment [8] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
4-8
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Floats [26] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
9-10
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Military groups [9] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
11
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Nurses [5] , undated
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La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux
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Box
12
Folder
12-13
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Groups [7] , 1945-1948
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Old Company G Veterans Association
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Box
12
Folder
14
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Candids [6] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
15-20
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Groups [27] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
21-23
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Individuals [18] , undated
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Training
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Box
12
Folder
24
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Candids [5] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
25
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Scenery [7] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
26
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Soldiers [5] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
27
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Thirty-second Division Veterans Association [3] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
28
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Veterans of World War I [1] , undated
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Volunteer work
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Box
12
Folder
29
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Middleton Veterans Hospital [4] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
30
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Award Presentation [3] , undated
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Box
12
Folder
31
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Award Recipients [4] , undated
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Subseries: World War I
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Box
13
Folder
1-2
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Army life [8] , undated
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Box
13
Folder
3-12
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Groups [51] , undated
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Box
13
Folder
13-17
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Individuals [24] , undated
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Box
13
Folder
18-20
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Postcards [16] , undated
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Box
13
Folder
21
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Cemeteries [2] , undated
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Box
13
Folder
22-25
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Corpses [21] , undated
|
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Box
13
Folder
26-27
|
Scenery [12] , undated
|
|
|
Box
13
Folder
28-29
|
Ship life [10] , undated
|
|
|
