LaVerne Snyder and Harold Patten letters

Collection – Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-1256

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The LaVerne Snyder and Harold Patten letters consists of almost 800 letters, dozens of photographs, and some newspaper clippings sent between the couple during World War Two (March 1941 to September 1945) and documenting their daily lives in Ohio and on the front.

Dates

Creation: circa 1940s

Extent

3.43 Cubic Feet (8 letter and 1 legal sized archive boxes)

Content Description

The LaVerne Snyder and Harold Patten letters records their daily life during World War II. The bulk of the collection features letters written between LaVerne Snyder, Harold Patten, and a few family members and friends from March 1941 to September 1945. The collection also contains a sub-series of photographs of Harold during his time in the army and a couple of newspaper clippings sent in the mail between the couple.

The correspondence is supported by a variety of ephemera, including a diary entry written by Laverne Snyder from January to March during an unknown year, holiday cards, and an Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Resurrection bulletin in Augusta, Georgia, 1942. There is also a War Department pamphlet on “Sex Hygiene and Venereal Diseases,” a sheet outlining the “General Orders for Guard No. 5,” and a message from the Army Commander about the importance of maintaining equipment and payroll. The collection provides a glimpse into the life of a Wood County, Ohio Infirmary employee and a United States soldier during World War II. The general correspondence from Laverne Snyder provides a detailed picture of daily life (weddings, births, dinners, work experience) and community happenings in Bowling Green, Ohio. The letters sent from Harold Patten provide a detailed picture of the daily life of a solider including troop movement, domestic military camp life, and overseas injuries.

Biographical / Historical

Laverne Snyder was born in Bowling Green, Ohio on June 11, 1920, to Samuel Snyder and Dora Bockbrader. She graduated from Portage High School in 1937 and eventually worked as a housekeeper for the Wood County Nursing Home, or today’s Wood County Infirmary, until her marriage to Harold Patten on January 12, 1946.

Harold Patten was born in Portage, Ohio on February 1, 1919, to Stanley and Ida M. Patten. Before marriage and enlistment, Harold finished grammar school and worked as a farm hand. He enlisted on March 14, 1941, in Toledo, Ohio.

After the war, LaVerne was a wife and homemaker for 45 years and Harold farmed. The couple had four children and were members of Grace Lutheran Church. LaVerne died on October 26, 2020; Harold preceded her in death on January 25, 1988.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in 3 series: Correspondence to LaVerne Snyder, Correspondence to Harold Patten, and Ephemera. The correspondence series are arranged chronologically and includes the original mailing envelopes followed by their corresponding letter. The third series is arranged topically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Harold and Valerie's daughter, Valorie Whipple, in two parts on August 25, 2021, and September 9, 2022.

The collection was originally given to the Wood County Museum in December 2021 with the understanding that it would be permanently transferred to the CAC after being digitized at the Wood County Records Center. The second portion of the collection was transferred from the Museum to the Records Center in December 2021 for digitization, and digitization of those letters was completed at the Records Center in July 2022. Original collection was transferred to the CAC in September 2022.