The collection is arranged chronologically and is comprised primarily of correspondence written by Frank Mitchell to Edna Kessler from 1917 to 1919. There are discharge papers for Frank Mitchell (1921) and his grandfather, Joseph C. Mitchell (1861-1865), and marriage certificates for Frank’s parents (1888) and grandparents (1852). The bulk of the collection dates from 1917 to 1919. There is a gap between 1889 and 1916. The collection begins with Joseph C. Mitchell’s 1852, marriage certificate and discharge papers dated 1861 and 1865. The first company in which Mitchell enlisted, the 10th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was mustered out in July 1861, only a few months after being organized in April. In 1862, he joined the 101st Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Frank C. Mitchell’s postcards and letters began in August 1917, at Camp Pike, Little Rock, Arkansas, where he worked in the camp’s hospital. The correspondence ends in July 1919, after he had sailed to France on the U.S.S. El Sol. The letters are addressed to Miss Edna Kessler of St. Louis, Missouri (812 Market St.). Mitchell wrote to Edna about his work and his friends, with whom he often travelled on the weekends before being assigned to the U.S.S. El Sol. Two of the letters to Edna are from other friends, Louis and Emmett (f.9). Other documents relating to Frank C. Mitchell’s World War I service include his notice of rating from the Labor Board of the Civil Service Commission (f.2). It informed Mitchell that he was assigned the status of Plumber after taking a test. There is also an application for insurance with the Bureau of War Risk Insurance in the amount of $10,000, effective 16 June 1918 (f.2). Mitchell’s naval discharge and his War Service Certificate are filed at the end of the collection.