Kindred Avin Ritchie papers, 1939-1977 and undated, bulk 1943-1975

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Summary

Creator:
Ritchie, Kindred Avin
Abstract:
Papers of Kindred Avin Ritchie, a sergeant in the US Army Postal Regulating Section in Europe during World War II. The Kindred Avin Ritchie Papers span the years 1939 to 1977, with the bulk of the collection dated between 1943 and 1945. The papers are primarily comprised of correspondence, particularly between Kindred Avin (K.A.) Ritchie and his wife, Sara Meda Henderson (S.M.) Ritchie, while he was serving in the U.S. Army Postal Service during World War II in various locations in the United States and Europe, primarily in France and England. Smaller amounts of materials also were sent from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Exchanges between K.A. and S.M. Ritchie include candid comments about marriage and sexuality, and references to Army censorship and the scarcity of goods on both sides of the Atlantic. Correspondence from S.M. Ritchie and other family and friends, including K.A. Ritchie's mother Mittie Hahn (M.H.) Ritchie, give a sense of some of the ways in which the war affected those at home. Photographs, programs and playbills, Nazi memorabilia, and other ephemera are included with much of the correspondence.
Extent:
4.7 Linear Feet
2642 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01093

Background

Scope and content:

The Kindred Avin Ritchie Papers span the years 1939 to 1977, with the bulk of the collection dating between 1943 and 1945, and are organized into the Correspondence, Ephemera, Legal, Medical, and Financial Papers, and Photographic Materials Series. The papers are primarily comprised of correspondence, particularly between Kindred Avin (K.A.) Ritchie and his wife, Sara Meda Henderson (S.M.) Ritchie while he was serving the U.S. Army in various locations in the United States and Europe. Playbills and programs, photographs, Nazi memorabilia, and other ephemera are included with much of the correspondence. Additional materials sent to K.A. Ritchie by his mother Mittie Hahn (M.H.) Ritchie and other family and friends make up the rest of the correspondence. Small amounts of financial, legal, and medical papers, photographic material, and miscellaneous ephemera complete the collection. The volume and frequency of correspondence between Kindred Ritchie and Sara Ritchie provide an unusually full portrait of the perspectives and concerns of a married couple separated during wartime. Correspondence from K.A. Ritchie chronicles his leisure activities as well as his encounters with local non-military personnel primarily in England and France, but also in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Due to military censorship, K.A. Ritchie's letters do not include many direct details about the fighting in Europe. Exchanges between K.A. and S.M. Ritchie include candid comments about marriage and sexuality, and references to Army censorship and the scarcity of goods on both sides of the Atlantic. Correspondence from S.M. Ritchie and other family and friends give a sense of some of the ways in which the war affected those at home.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology
Date Event
1916 Aug. 13
Kindred Avin Ritchie born in Cabarrus County, NC
1921 Mar. 21
Sara Meda Henderson born
1940 Aug. 9
Kindred Avin Ritchie and Sara Meda Henderson married
1943 May 25
K.A. Ritchie arrives at Camp Lee, VA
1943 Dec. 19
Ritchie arrives in England
1944 June 12
Ritchie arrives in France
1945 Mar. 13
Ritchie writes from Germany
1945 Dec. 9
Ritchie writes last letter from Europe in London
2002 Nov. 9
K.A. Ritchie dies in Durham, NC
Acquisition information:
The Kindred Avin Ritchie Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2004.
Processing information:

Processed by Christian Ferney, September 2007

Encoded by Christian Ferney, September 2007

Accession 2004-0087 is described in this finding aid.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Kindred Avin Ritchie Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University