World War I letters from David Lupher, U.S. Army, 137th Infantry
Overview
A collection of nineteen letters written from World War I soldier David Lupher (U.S. Army, 137th Infantry Regiment) to his family members. Lupher, a resident of Lawrence (Douglas County), Kansas, writes chiefly to his sister Dora, describing his training at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma, and his later combat duty in France.
Dates
- Creation: 1917 - 1919
Creator
- Lupher, David, 1896- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of David Lupher
David Lupher was born in June 1896 in Saline County, Nebraska to Thomas A. and Frances (Hanselman) Lupher. His siblings were sister LaDora Grace Lupher and half-brothers Charles Edward Johnson and Thomas Warwick Johnson.
The Lupher family moved to Kansas, and was living at Lawrence (Douglas County), Kansas in 1917 when David Lupher was drafted into active service in the Army. Lupher entered the Army at the rank of private, and trained at Camp Doniphan in Oklahoma. In the spring of 1918, by which time he had achieved the rank of sergeant, Lupher was transported overseas with Company A of the 137th Infantry Regiment, which engaged in combat on the western front in France.
After the war, Lupher returned to Lawrence, and later married Irma Wullenwaber. Their daughter Dorothy was born December 16, 1926 at Portland, Oregon. A resident of the San Francisco area and author of many popular trail guides to the Bay Area, she died March 2, 2001.
Extent
1 folder
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 19 letters, 3 postcards, and 1 telegram written by Lawrence (Douglas County), Kansas resident David Lupher while serving from 1917 to 1919 with the U.S. Army's 137th Infantry Regiment. Seventeen of Lupher's letters are written to his sister LaDora ("Dora") Lupher. Two are written to his half-brother Charles Edward ("Ed") Johnson. In many letters, Lupher also mentions and sends greetings to Irma, whom he later married. Lupher's letters are from his training camp in Oklahoma, from battlefronts in France, and from Camp Upton (Suffolk County), New York. Included is a distinctive Christmas postcard with embroidered cloth overlay, sent from France in December 1918 to his sister Dora.
Because years are lacking on Lupher's letters and no envelopes are included, their chronological arrangement is somewhat speculative--based primarily on letter content and place of origin, where stated.
Physical Location
RH MS P693
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, Dorothy Lupher Whitnah estate, 2002
Subject
- Lupher, David, 1896- (Person)
- Lupher, LaDora, 1893- (Person)
- Lupher family. (Family)
- United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 137th (Organization)
- United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the David Lupher Collection
- Subtitle
- World War I letters from David Lupher, U.S. Army, 137th Infantry
- Author
- Finding aid prepared and encoded by mh, 2006
- Date
- 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/1228668954
- Preferred citation
-
World War I letters of David Lupher (U.S. Army, 137th Infantry Regiment), Kansas Collection, RH MS P693, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository