The collection is comprised of letters written and received by two soldiers who served in World War II and one folder of genealogical information about the Harrington family. The folders are arranged alphabetically by surname: Cunningham, Harrington, and Kelly. The papers span from 1941 to 1946. The correspondence between Mildred (“Millie”) and her brother John Cunningham comprises the largest part of the collection. Most of the letters, some of which are V-mail, were written by John. One letter to “Johnny” was written by Dolores in Grand Rapids, Michigan (July 19, 1943). The four letters written by Mildred in June and July 1944 were returned to her after John’s death on July 6, 1944. The first, postmarked June 20th, remains unopened. The final three are open, contain some family updates, and reveal Millie’s activities at home. She met English sailors and cadets at a dance at the naval air station at Lambert. Millie’s final letter to John was written at Camp Forrest in Tennessee while she took part in a brief USO tour during a vacation from Stix Baer & Fuller (f.6). John Cunningham’s first communication is a postcard from Louisville’s Union Station on his way to camp on May 1, 1941. His first of two letters from Fort Knox are dated November 16, 1941. John tells Millie about his daily routine, entertainment options, the “classroom” that is outdoors rain or shine, and his joy with driving the half-track truck. By May 1942, he was near Trenton, New Jersey (Fort Dix); described his visit to New York City; and sent Millie birthday wishes via a comic illustrated Army postcard with a soldier doing dishes. John’s company arrived in Northern Ireland in May 18 and remained there until December 1942. He wrote three times from Ireland describing the people, the weather, and the food and rations. Due to censor guidelines, John could not share details about his activities or his locations with Millie. His letters passed the censor, per the stamps on the envelopes, without any removals. After significant events, he referred to the latest war news, “the things I would like to tell you you have to read in the papers. That’s a hot one the newspapers tell all we can write nothing” (January 9, 1944). On January 16th, he told Millie he was with the Fifth Army, which gave her an idea of his location. As John discussed how the men spent their time, he explained that the vehicle he drove always needed to be cleaned, since it carried twelve men and their belongings (March 12, 1944). Cunningham wrote letters from North Africa dated from January 17 to October 15, 1943. He told Millie about his living conditions in a pup tent, the weather, the landscape, the food, and the local people. John tried to learn some French to communicate better with the local population. On June 28th, he told Millie, “I was mighty lucky in coming thru the campaign in Africa without a scratch…I saw some pretty rough times alright and now am enjoying a rest” (f.2). He continued describing the Red Cross facility where soldiers could get showers, read, and visit its barber shop. John often mentioned missing ice cream and Coca Cola, which the men received occasionally. John Cunningham married Mary Bishop before he left the United States. On October 2, 1943, he asked Millie if she had news of Mary, as he hadn’t received letters from her for some time. Soon after John received Mary’s letters, and the next month he asked Millie to arrange for flowers to be delivered to Mary for their anniversary on January 24th. (“Being as how I’m married, well I think I am…” November 14, 1943). By November 1943, John was “Somewhere in Italy” as the Allies moved north through Italy. He told Millie about his first impressions of the Italians he met in the countryside and their perceived mistreatment by the German forces. John explained that things were different for them in Italy than in North Africa. Troops at the front were given a pack of cigarettes, gum, and a roll of lifesavers each day (November 28, 1943). They also rotated away from the front lines in order to move back and take showers, have laundry done, rest, and go into a town or attend a show for fun (December 16, 1943). Christmas packages arrived, and John sent a V-mail Christmas greeting from Co. A, 16th Armored Engineers, 1st Armored Division that read, “We pause in our trip to Berlin to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” (December 1, 1943). As his time in Italy progressed, John often expressed his hope to return home: “I guess it will all end some sweet day. Just so I am alive and in one piece when it is over…” (February 1, 1944). In addition to discussing movies and keeping up a Sinatra vs. Crosby debate with Millie, John mentioned friends from home: Roscoe Bryant was a Japanese POW (January 16, 1944); Joe Black was in Sicily (February 20, 1944); Toots Hoffman was nearby (February 20, 1944); he saw Max Hensley a lot; and Willard Brandenburg came into the battalion as a replacement (May 27, 1944). John’s mother told him Jim Marlow was missing. He gave Millie’s address to Ernest Werner, a man in his squad from Illinois who was sent home (May 10, June 29, 1944). After the liberation of Rome, when the Italian people lined the streets to cheer their arrival, Cunningham visited St. Paul’s Cathedral and then St. Peter’s at Vatican City. He told Millie it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. John’s time in the city was limited as the Allies continued to push north after the D-Day landings. His last letter is a V-mail dated June 29th. The Harrington family history written by Edward Hubbard Harrington (1865-1947) in 1946 is a combination of family bible transcriptions, biographies of family members, and family anecdotes. The document is a photocopy of a 53-page journal, which is missing words, or portions of words, along the right side of the pages. The exact relationship of the Harringtons to the Cunninghams or Kellys is unclear. The donor described Edward Hubbard Harrington as a cousin. Edward Harrington (1798-1867) emigrated from Dunlavin, County Wicklow, Ireland, to the United States in the early 1800s (p.7-12). Two of Edward’s siblings also settled in St. Louis: Ann Conran (ca. 1784-1886) and Patrick (1784-1878). Edward’s son and the author’s father, Henry F. Harrington (1837-1892), served on the St. Louis School Board and was active in several catholic societies (p.13-17). The author included his own autobiography and information for his wife and her family, Nellie Teresa Dunn (p.30-38). The author also discussed the Harringtons of St. Joseph, Missouri (p.39-43) and various family anecdotes including damage done to his home by the 1927 tornado and brief mentions of the Know Nothing Riots in 1854 (f.7). The Kelly family file is comprised of three letters written by Olga Kelly to her son, Jefferson P. Davis, in February 1946. Davis, who changed his name later that year to Kelly, was in the U.S. Army Air Force. He enlisted in February 1943 and was discharged in March 1946. Olga was anxious for him to be home after three years, and she felt envious of the returning soldiers she saw at mass. Olga told him about his sister Lela’s social activities and that Millie visited. There are no details in the collection about Davis’s military service, but in her February 8th letter, Olga said it had been twenty-four months to the day since he arrived in England (f.8).