John K. Barron Collection

Collection

Identifier: A3052

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of 47 letters and postcards, most of which were written by John K. Barron during his service in the Army during the First World War, and undated notes. Items date from October 1917 to December 1919 with the following gaps: May to September 1918, November 1918 to January 1919, and June to November 1919. The collection is arranged chronologically.

John K. Barron wrote to his mother, father, sister, brother, and friend Myron Maynard while he was away. He addressed his sister Harriet as “Ignatz” and signed his letters to her as “Sween.” John also used a nickname for his brother Sanford, “Samp.” He wrote letters from October 1917 to April 1918 while training at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma. Many men from Missouri were sent to Camp Doniphan, and he mentioned mutual acquaintances: Harry Vaughn (Dr. Vaughn’s son), Ellis Stevens (Steve), John Cunningham, and Bob Newton.

The letters from Camp Doniphan conveyed stories about his military experiences such as drills, guard duty, digging trenches, and other training. He mentioned being homesick, missed going hunting with his father, admonished his brother to do better at school, teased his sister, and discussed family matters such as the automobile. John sent thanks for the packages he received from friends and relatives, which contained fudge, cigarettes, cakes, stamps, and on one occasion, two dozen eggs. John’s uncle, Frank, sent him a Smileage Book, which contained tickets for Liberty Theatres. John mentioned that Camp Doniphan is near an airfield and that planes flew them over most of the day. For most of March 1918, he was in the base hospital with a small boil on his neck and tonsilitis. Upon release from the hospital, John trained on the large artillery and tried to obtain a furlough home before shipping out to France. All letters from France were censored, from October 1918 to March 1919. The four letters dated October 1918 are the only letters written from the front. In the letters, John used the popular slurs of “Huns” and “Fritz” in reference to the Germans. In the October 1918 letters, he remarked upon the German airplanes attacking their positions and saw one shot down by Allied planes. On October 7th, John described to his father the action he had experienced to date in pushing the German line back. The successful Allied offensive allowed the soldiers to see the trenches and dug outs used by German officers. John described them as comfortable and dry, some with carpets, electric lights, and even a bathtub and a piano. In describing the destruction in France, John told his father to imagine towns like Clayton (Mo.) being reduced to rubble. On October 22nd, John wrote to his brother, who had asked John to procure some German souvenirs, and explained the difficulty in collecting items as he travelled in a combat zone. In a letter to his mother on October 25th, John described how he made fudge over a campfire. There are no letters from November 1918 to January 1919. John only mentioned the armistice in a postcard addressed to his brother at Clayton High School. On the front of the postcard was a photo of city hall in Saint Dizier, France, with a building in the background, which was the hotel in which John stayed when peace was announced. John described how the town celebrated. In the remaining letters from France, John described how he and other soldiers made the time pass and shared rumors about his division’s return to the U.S. On February 12th, he told his sister about building a bob sled large enough for five men with scavenged materials using an ax and a saw. The soldiers still drilled a few hours daily and had inspections. On February 18th, John wrote about the entire division being reviewed by General Pershing and the Prince of Wales and his impressions of both men. The final letter from John is dated April 24, 1919. He was at Camp Devens in Massachusetts after the Vedic arrived in Boston with members of the 128th Field Artillery. John described the voyage from France and the reception the soldiers received when their transport arrived in Boston. He expressed his desire to be home, “It’s nice to be back in the States alright but it will be a whole lot nicer to get home.” There are three items in the collection that were not written by John K. Barron. The first is a postcard dated February 3, 1919, addressed to Mr. Sanford Barron (John’s brother) from Mrs. Richmond in Palm Beach, Florida. Mrs. Richmond was likely the mother of Nina Richmond, whom John Barron later married. The final two items are addressed to Alice Barron. There is a letter from Mrs. G. M. Weidhahn while visiting Quincy, Illinois, and a Christmas card from Mayme K. Stone. The final items in collection are not correspondence. There are five blank postcards from The American Boy which were in an envelope addressed to John’s brother Sanford on Price Road, Clayton. The final two items are notes, possibly shopping lists.

Dates

1917-1919

Creator

Barron, John K., 1894-1958 (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

John Keightley Barron was born on June 30, 1894, to Alice Beatrice Keightley (1873-1968) and Will S. (William Sanford) Barron (1873-1939). He was the oldest of four children: John K., Harriet G. Lane (Ignatz, 1896-1989), William Sanford Jr. (Sanford/Samp, 1902-1968), and Alice B. (1909-1913). In 1909, Will S. Barron served as secretary of the Oak Knoll Gun Club.

John enlisted on September 28, 1917, and was sent to Camp Doniphan in Oklahoma, where he was attached to Battery D, 128th Field Artillery, 35th Division, and attained the rank of private first class. He left for Europe on the Saxonia on May 20, 1918. In October, Battery D was part of the final Allied campaign in the Argonne. John returned to the U.S. on the transport ship Vedic in April 1919. He married Nina Richmond, and the couple had two children: Lillian Alice Barron Moberly (1922-1971) and John R. Barron (1928-2009). After the war, John obtained employment with the Lowell Bleachery, where he worked until he died of a heart attack at age 64 on October 25, 1958.