The Arnet Family papers are a small collection, but they include interesting material on the everyday life of the common soldier in both world wars, farm life during the 1940's, and the financial condition of a family farm. The papers consist of correspondence from family members serving in the military during World War I and II, two diaries of a farm woman, financial records, and photographs. There is little non-war correspondence in the collection.
CORRESPONDENCE consists primarily of letters to family members from Philip I, his brother Edwin, and Philip Arnet II; Frank Sheldon, the brother of Laura Arnet; and other relatives in the military. The letters are written from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier and do not contain information on combat or policy. However, the correspondence of Philip I and Frank Sheldon, who both served in World War I, do describe their training and conditions of life on post. Arnet's later letters contain information about life in the trenches in France. The correspondence also includes the letters of Edwin Arnet, the younger brother of Philip I, which describe his service on the office staff of AAFSETC headquarters in Alabama. The letters of Philip II cover his service as a mechanic in Japan immediately after the war. Also included are a few postcards to Arnet family members, miscellaneous identification cards, and memorabilia of Laura and Philip II.
FINANCIAL RECORDS include ledgers, Laura Arnet's farm diaries, and income tax forms. The ledgers cover the years 1928-1933. They were kept in pencil and provide documentation of record-keeping practices and sales of dairy products, poultry, eggs, and livestock. They also note expenditures for feed, groceries, equipment, and clothing. The 1943 and 1946 ledgers include Laura Arnet's diaries. The diaries contain brief entries concerning daily life during the period she was the sole farm operator. They cover only the winter months, running from January through April, 1943 and from January through February, 1946. The income tax forms cover, with gaps, the years 1943 through 1970. In combination, the ledgers and tax forms provide a fairly complete picture of the financial concerns and changing farming strategies of a Midwestern family farm.
PHOTOGRAPHS consist mainly of views of the Oise--Aisne cemetery in France where Philip Arnet I was buried.
