Sunder Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: A3029

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains World War I-era letters exchanged between Leo John Sunder and his family in St. Louis while he was serving in Europe, which mention the injuries Leo suffered in France during a mustard gas attack and an outbreak of Spanish Influenza in St. Louis. The collection also includes military documents relating to the service of Pvt. Leo John Sunder and Pvt. Edward R. Dependahl; a circular letter of General John J. Pershing thanking American soldiers for their service in the World War, dated February 28, 1919; certificates of marriage; State of Missouri Employment Certificates for John O’Toole and Mildred O’Toole; World War II ration books; a confirmation record for Elizabeth Robins (mother of Mildred and Loretta O’Toole); registration certificates of Edward Dependahl in the selective service; and a typed list of rules for patients at a tuberculosis camp.

Dates

1890-circa 1943

Creator

Sunder family (Creator, Family)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.

Biographical Sketch

Leo John Sunder was born on October 4, 1893, in St. Louis. He was the son of Johann Bernard Sunder, who was born in Germany, and Christina Ortbals. He worked as a machinist at the Hoyt Metal Company in Granite City, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Army on October 5, 1917, and served until May 23, 1919. He was assigned to Company M, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, and fought in the Allied advance towards the Vesle River in France, where he survived a gas attack. He spent his remaining time in the military recovering from his wounds at a hospital. After his service ended, he returned to Hoyt Metal Company, and married Loretta O’Toole (born ca. 1900) of St. Louis in June 1926 in Cuba, Missouri. Leo Sunder died on September 19, 1955. John E. Sunder, the son of Leo and Loretta Sunder, was born on October 10, 1928, in St. Louis. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D from Washington University. He served in the United States Army and was stationed in Korea for two years. Later, he moved to Texas where he taught Western History at the University of Texas. He died on April 3, 2011. Edward R. Dependahl (sometimes spelled Dependall) was born on December 16, 1895, in St. Louis. He enlisted in the United States Army on June 22, 1918, in Wyoming, and was discharged in 1919. That same year, Edward married Mildred O’Toole in St. Charles, Mo. Before World War I, Edward worked as a rancher/cowboy in Wyoming, and after the war, he returned to St. Louis and became an automobile salesman. Edward Dependahl died on May 11, 1963. Mildred O’Toole was born on May 6, 1897, in St. Louis, and Loretta O’Toole was born ca. 1900 in St. Louis. Their mother Elizabeth Robins was born in Germany, and their father John F. O’Toole was born in France. Mildred worked as a telephone company operator and later as an assistant manager at a café. Loretta worked at Southwestern Telephone before and during World War I. Mildred O’Toole Dependahl died on September 21, 1980. Casper Sunder, an older brother of Leo Sunder, was born in 1878 in St. Louis. He was a machinist at Commonwealth Steel in Granite City. He died around 1960.

Extent

0.04 Cubic Feet ( (1 folder))

Language of Materials

English

German

Additional Description

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in chronological order.

Physical and Technical Requirements

There are no physical or technical restrictions.

Donor Information

The collection was donated by John E. Sunder in 2008.

Separated Materials

Twenty-eight postcards and photographs were transferred to the Photographs and Prints Department after processing.

Items Transferred

Photograph of Loretta O’Toole and eighteen other girls in her class taken outdoors, 1912-1913. Verso reads, “Loretta O’Toole Sunder –> Mothers’ class picture about 1912-13. Note to Mil, Johnnie & Mother from My grandmother (Mary Eliz Robins O’Toole).” Loretta is identified on the photograph as “Mother.”
Photograph of Loretta O’Toole and eighteen other girls in her class taken outdoors, 1912-1913. Two young boys are also in the photograph. Verso reads, “Mothers class picture c. 1912-13.” Loretta is identified on the photograph as “Mother.”
Photograph of Mildred and Loretta O’Toole with two unidentified girls and a boy, ca. 1913. Verso reads, “Aunt Mil & Mother about 1913. Mildred O’Toole Dependahl Loretta O’Toole Sunder.” Loretta and Mildred are identified on the photograph as “Mil” and “Mother.”
Photograph of Loretta O’Toole and nineteen other girls in her class taken outdoors, ca. 1914. Verso reads “Mothers class picture about 1914.” Loretta is identified on the photograph as “Mother.”
Photograph of Edward R. Dependahl, Henry Freuert, Mildred H. O’Toole, and Loretta A. O’Toole, 1916.
Photograph of Leo J. Sunder in his World War I uniform at a California basic training camp, 1917. “Leo J. Sunder California 1917 My father” written on verso.
Photograph of Leo J. Sunder in his World War I uniform at a California basic training camp, 1917. Verso reads “Return to Mr. Bernard Sunder 4301 Gano” and “Picture of Leo J. Sunder Missing in Action, July 28, 1918.”
Three identical photographs of Leo J. Sunder in his World War I uniform at a California basic training camp, ca. 1917. Verso of each reads “Daddy WWI California 1917 basic training Leo John Sunder.”
Three identical photographs of Leo J. Sunder in his World War I uniform at a California basic training camp, ca. 1917. Verso of two of them reads “Daddy WWI California 1917 basic training Leo John Sunder.”
Photograph of Leo John Sunder and another man, both in World War I uniforms, standing beside a palm tree at a California basic training camp, ca. 1917. Verso reads “Basic training in California 1917 Leo John Sunder.”
Photograph of Leo John Sunder and four other men at a California basic training camp, ca. 1917. Verso reads “Daddy – basic training in California 1917 WWI Leo John Sunder.” Leo is identified on the photograph as “Papa.”
Postcard [of Edward Dependahl] to Miss M. O’Toole, 1912 Dodier, St. Louis, Mo., 1917-1918. Reads, “Everything OK.” The postcard states that Ed is going to Camp Mills and he has been assigned to Battery A, 140th Regiment, 39th Division. The postcard image shows a cartoon of an enthusiastic soldier with his hands in the air next to a dog and a sign that reads “Lil Ol’ U.S.A.” The postcard reads: “Greetings: I’m in the Good Old U.S.A.” Postcard distributed by Knights of Columbus Committee on War Activities.
Postcard with an image of a French soldier and a woman embracingca. 1917. The caption in French reads: “Que nos lévres s’unissent dans un ardent baiser!” (“Our lips unite in a passionate kiss!”). On the verso is a handwritten note: “This picture sure makes me Home sick. for. ?”
Postcard with a photograph of a line of men in drilling formation in World War I uniforms, ca. 1917. The front contains a handwritten note reading, “A picture of a few of us ready to start drilling.” The note on the verso reads, “I love my baby Sweetheart.”
Postcard signed Ed [Edward Dependahl] to Miss Mildred O’Toole, 1912 Dodier St., St. Louis, Mo., May 31, 1917. States, “Arrived in K.C. OK 5 Min to get back to train Will write again from Pueblo ED.” The postcard image shows Northeast High School in Kansas City, Mo.
Postcard signed Ed [Edward Dependahl] to Miss Mildred O’Toole, 1912 Dodier St., St. Louis, Mo., June 1917. Writes that everything is “lovely,” and he is now in Pueblo, heading to Denver. The postcard image shows The Lake, Mineral Park, Pueblo, Colo., with a view of a gazebo, a swan, spectators, and trees at the lakefront.
Postcard signed Ed [Edward Dependahl] to Miss Mildred O’Toole, 1912 Dodier St., St. Louis, Mo., June 1917. Writes that he has arrived in Denver, and he has had a snowball fight. The scenery is very beautiful. The postcard image shows an evening street scene of 17th Street in Denver with the Brown and the Savoy Hotels visible.
Postcard signed Ed [Edward Dependahl] to Mrs. [Elizabeth Robins] O’Toole, 1912 Dodier St., St. Louis, Mo., June 1917. Writes that he will be leaving soon. The postcard image shows a farm scene with haystacks, titled “Results of Dry Farming Under the Directions of Dr. V.T. Cooke, Near Cheyenne, Wyo.”
Postcard signed Ed [Edward Dependahl] to Mrs. O’Toole, 1912 Dodier St., St. Louis, Mo., July 1917. States that he is alright and will write a letter soon. The postcard image shows the Great Falls and Grand Canon [Canyon] at Yellowstone National Park.
Photograph of Edward Dependahl and Henry Freuert in military uniforms, 1917-1918. Verso reads, “Ed and Henry WWI Uncle Ed Dependahl & his friend Henry Freuert 1917 or 1918.”
Two identical photographs of Edward Dependahl in military uniform, 1918. One is a modern copy. Verso of original reads, “Uncle Ed Dependahl (Edward R.) 1918.” Another note in different hand [presumably Mildred’s] reads, “My Sweetheart.”
Postcard signed Pvt. Leo Sunder, Camp Kerny [Kearny] June A.R.D., 151 Co Oversea Casul A.E.F., to Mr. and Mrs. Stengle, 700 Nicholson St., Joliet, Ill., July 11, 1918. Writes that he has arrived overseas, and he is in good health. Image on postcard shows a European street scene, and is titled “The Hundred [last word scratched out].”
Postcard signed Pvt. Leo Sunder, Camp Kerny [Kearny] June A.R.D., 15 Co Oversea Casul A.E.F., to Mr. and Mrs. Gersdorf Jr. [Bernhardt Gersdorf and Jennie Sunder Gersdorf], 2833a Victor St., St. Louis, Mo., July 12, 1918. States that he is at a new camp. Image on postcard shows a street scene of “Bell Street,” although the exact location has been scratched out.
Photograph of Leo John Sunder and seventeen other workers at Granite City Steel Co., ca. 1927-1932. Verso reads “Leo J. Sunder, My father at Granite City Steel Co c. 1927-32.” Leo is identified on the photograph by an ‘x.’