Stevenson S. MacWhinney Papers
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Abstract
The Stevenson S. MacWhinney Papers contain correspondence, diaries, army records, maps, ephemera, clippings, and artifacts relating to Sgt. MacWhinney's tenure in the American Expeditionary Forces during the First World War. The bulk of the material dates from 1918. MacWhinney was from the Bronx, and served as a supply sergeant in Co. E, 308th Infantry, 77th Division ("Liberty Division"), A.E.F.
Biographical/ Historical Note
Missing Title
MacWhinney's home address: 1372 Ogden Ave.; Bronx, NY.
Arrangement
Correspondence arranged chronologically.
This collection is organized into the following seven series:
Missing Title
- Series I. Correspondence, 1915-1919, undated
- Series II. Diaries, 1916-1919
- Series III. Army Records, 1917-1919, undated
- Series IV. Maps, 1918, undated
- Series V. Ephemera, 1920, undated
- Series VI. Clippings, undated
- Series VII. Artifacts, undated
Scope and Content Note
The Stevenson S. MacWhinney Papers contain correspondence, diaries, army records, maps, ephemera, clippings, and artifacts relating to Sgt. MacWhinney's tenure in the American Expeditionary Forces during the First World War. The bulk of the material dates from 1918.
Stevenson S. MacWhinney's letters and diaries, which make up the greater part of the collection, document the daily life of an American soldier on the Western Front. While he mentions combat, shelling, marches, and gas warfare, he also discusses the routine aspects of army life such as food, bathing, sports and entertainment, clothing, sleeping conditions, health, religious services, and lice infestations. MacWhinney's letters do not go into great detail about his own emotions about the war, and he occasionally withheld information he knew would be disturbing to his family, such as a bout with malaria. His diary entries, though brief, sometimes reveal facts and feelings that his letters avoid.
The remaining, smaller series, which include items like registration and permission notices, a pay record book, and equipment lists, further detail MacWhinney's army life. These series also provide a visual context of his experience through maps, postcards, and unit patches.
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Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)
Use Restrictions
Permission to quote from this collection in a publication must be requested and granted in writing. Send permission requests, citing the name of the collection from which you wish to quote, to
Library Director
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the Stevenson S. MacWhinney Papers, The New-York Historical Society.
Provenance
Purchase, 2001.