Lena B. Rees and James L. Carter family papers

The material that makes up this collection can be useful both for genealogical research for the families involved and as a source for primary history into aspects of 19th and 20th century life.

Although there are only a few letters surviving as photocopies or transcripts, the correspondence to Theophilus Thomas Rees written from Wales between 1796 and 1809 provides insight into the immediate concerns of families separated by immigration, brings news from the old home and neighbors, asks questions about the new country, and airs political concerns during the era of the Napoleonic Wars.

The letters of the Rees brothers, John and Morris, serving in Co.D of the 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, were written from March through November of 1863 when that regiment was engaged in the Western Theater (Evan having already been discharged). Although the letters primarily cover family concerns, religious life, daily duty, and news about friends and neighbors, the letter of April 17, 1863 deals with aspects of the siege of Vicksburg, particularly with the use of artillery and the river blockade of the city.

Robert A. Carter's World War II letters are the most extensive segment of the collection and they provide a very detailed look into the military experience typical of many young men who served during the war, starting with his basic training at Great Lakes, Illinois, continued training to be a torpedoman at Norfolk, Virginia, then finally submarine school at New Haven, Connecticut. Through it all Robert describes the daily routine, special events such as USO shows and instances where the casts of Broadway shows performed at New Haven, the food, the barracks, fellow servicemen, and features of his training, particularly once he is getting intensive introduction into the workings of the submarine service. Letters written once he began active duty on the U.S.S. Herring are more sporadic due to periods when the ship was on station and out of contact. Because of wartime censorship these later letters do not contain many details of service action.

Those printed items that didn't pertain directly to the family, including those associated with Wesley United Methodist Church in Fostoria, have been transferred out of the collection to be cataloged separately and are listed at the end of the inventory.