Charles B. Varney [RG1541.AM]

HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG1541.AM:  Charles B. Varney, 1916-2008

Correspondence, etc:  1939-1945
Culbertson, Hitchcock County, Nebraska:  World War II Navy man, Prisoner-of-war
Size:  0.2 cu.ft.; 1 box

BACKGROUND NOTE

Charles B. Varney was born on November 19, 1916 in Bennet, Lancaster County, Nebraska.  He later moved with his family to a farm near Culbertson, Hitchcock County, Nebraska, where he lived until 1933.  He pursued a college education three times, but was unable to continue due to financial difficulties.  After receiving his “Diesel Engineer” title and moving to Los Angeles, Varney joined the Navy.  He was sent to Pearl Harbor and eventually ended up at Wake Island.  On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.  In January 1942, Varney was taken to a Prisoner-of-War camp at Woosung, China, northeast of Shanghai.  For the next four years, he spent time in POW camps near Shanghai and in Japan.  Varney was returned to the United States forces in September of 1945 and he returned to home in October of that same year.  Charles B. Varney died in Wisconsin on January 31, 2008.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection of personal records of Charles B. Varney is arranged in two series: 1) Correspondence and 2) Autobiographical Note.

The first series, Correspondence, consists mostly of letters mailed from friends and family to Charles B. Varney while he was a POW.  There are a few letters pre-dating the war, as well as a few mailed from Charles to his parents.  Also, there are letters written to Charles’s father, Ralph, from other people in the United States who had information about Charles.

The second series is a brief autobiographical sketch of Charles B. Varney.  It covers his life from birth (1916) through 1992.

This collection details the lifestyles of those in the United States during World War II.  Most letters consist of personal news of Charles’s friends and family – including marriages, births, career changes, weather and crop updates, and many encouraging words.  The collection also gives some clue as to how news was carried between different countries during World War II, whether it be by mail or through radio broadcast.

INVENTORY

Series 1 – Correspondence
Box 1
Folder

1. 1939, March, Charles B. Varney to Ralph Varney
2. 1941, July, Charles B. Varney to Ella L. Varney
3. 1941, November, Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
4. 1942, May, Ralph and Ella L. Varney to Charles B. Varney
5. 1942, July
   Kikwyo Okabe to Charles B. Varney
   Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
   Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
   Frank S. Scudder to Charles B. Varney
   Janet to Charles B. Varney
   Sgt. Elbert G. Arahawa to Charles B. Varney
   Bulletin from the Order for the Common Worship of God to Charles B. Varney
   Catherine E. B. Cop to Charles B. Varney
   Galen Weaver to Charles B. Varney
   Members of the Church of the Crossroads to Charles B. Varney
   Lillian Ching to Charles B. Varney (includes photo)
   Evangeline Mori to Charles B. Varney
   Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
6. 1942, August
   Musawa Tanaka to Charles B. Varney
   Blanche Faulkner to Charles B. Varney
   Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
   Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
   Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
   Laura Lai to Charles B. Varney
   Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
   Ralph and Ella Varney to Charles B. Varney
7. 1942, September
   Richard and Flora to Charles B. Varney
   Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
   Galen Weaver to Charles B. Varney
8. 1942, October
   Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
   Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Eisenhart to Charles B. Varney
9. 1942, November
   Lucy Steffey to Charles B. Varney
   Mrs. Luther McPheeters to Charles B. Varney
   Ella and Ralph Varney to Charles B. Varney
   Gilbert Loo to Charles B. Varney
   Lucy Steffey to Charles B. Varney
   Lyda Varney to Charles B. Varney
   Laura Lai to Charles B. Varney
   Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
10. 1942, December
    Evangeline Mori to Charles B. Varney
11. 1943, March
    Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
    Loraine E. Peek to Charles B. Varney
12. 1943, May
    Peggy Oregon Cuddebock to Charles B. Varney
13. 1943, June
    Church of the Crossroads with Mr. David Makaoi to Charles B. Varney
    Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
    Church of the Crossroads with Galen Weaver to Charles B. Varney
14. 1943, July
    Kikuyo Okabe to Charles B. Varney
    Cora C. Varney to Charles B. Varney
15. 1943, November
    Evangeline Mori to Charles B. Varney
16. 1943, December
    Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
17. 1944, May
    Laura Lai to Charles B. Varney
18. 1944, June
    Ralph Varney to Charles B. Varney
19. 1944, August
    Ella Varney to Charles B. Varney
20. 1944, October
    Lyda Varney to Charles B. Varney
21. 1945, January
    Dean Adamson to Mr. Ralph Varney
    Charles C. and Mrs. L. M. Fike to Charles B. Varney
    Charles C. Fike to Charles B. Varney
    Thomas A. Smith to Mr. Ralph Varney
22. 1945, July
    Ella Varney to Charles B. Varney
23. 1945, October
    Crossroads News Bulletin to Charles B. Varney
24. Not Dated
    Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney
    Nami Tokimasa to Charles B. Varney

Series 2 – Autobiographical Sketch

25. Autobiographical sketch of Charles B. Varney (1916-1992)

Subject headings:

Prisoners of War — American
Varney, Charles B., 1916-2008
World War, 1939-1945 — Prisoners and prisons

AIP/SRW/ksa        09-1992
Revised TMM      12-28-2016