Charles A. Stewart, Jr., Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence from Charles A. Stewart, Jr., to his family, various newspaper articles and clippings, and a scrapbook, that document his military service during World War II and his time as a prisoner of war. The correspondence includes letters from Charles A. Stewart Jr. to his family in which he discusses general conditions as a prisoner of war, but without detail presumably due to censorship. The correspondence also includes a letter from Commander Winfield Scott Cunningham, with whom Charles A. Stewart, Jr., was briefly imprisoned. The scrapbook, presumably put together by Mrs. Grace Stewart, was donated unbound and the original order has been lost. It includes photographs of Charles A. Stewart, Jr., during his service and World War II ephemera. The scrapbook also includes a signed letter from President Harry S. Truman to Charles A. Stewart, Jr., November 29, 1945, expressing gratitude for Stewart’s military service. The newspaper articles headline pivotal moments of World War II before and after the United States’ declaration of war.
Dates
- 1939-1946
Creator
- Stewart, Charles A., Jr., 1921-1978 (Author, Person)
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
Charles Albert Stewart, Jr., was born October 1, 1921, in St. Louis, Missouri, to parents Charles A. Stewart, Sr., and Grace Stewart. He had one brother, Robert Stewart. Charles A. Stewart, Jr., attended Hadley Technical High School in St. Louis, Missouri, before joining the U.S. Marine Corps on January 15, 1940. He began his training in San Diego, California, followed by eight months of service in Tianjin, China. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese on December 8, 1941, while serving as an American Embassy Guard in Beijing, China. His four years of imprisonment by the Japanese in China included time at Woosung Prison Camp, Ward Road Jail, torture at the Japanese “Bridge House,” and two failed escape attempts before he was liberated by U.S. rescue teams on August 18, 1945. He married Delores H. Peterson on April 2, 1946, in Randolph County, Arkansas, before settling in St. Louis, Missouri. He died June 6, 1978, in Houston, Texas.
Extent
1.4 Cubic Feet ( (3 boxes))
Language of Materials
English
Chinese
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series: Correspondence, Biographical Newspaper Articles, Mrs. Grace Stewart Papers, Miscellaneous, Reference, Scrapbook, and World War II Newspaper Articles. Within each series, the arrangement is chronological.
Physical and Technical Requirements
There are no physical or technical restrictions.
Donor Information
Collection was donated to the Missouri Historical Society in October 2009 by Mr. Charles A. Stewart, III, of Adrian, Michigan.
Processing Information
Processed by Madison Sullivan, March 2013.
Creator
- Stewart, Charles A., Jr., 1921-1978 (Author, Person)
- Title
- Inventory of Charles A. Stewart, Jr., Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Jaime Bourassa using ArchivesSpace
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center Repository