NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG3781.AM: Laurence W. Crouse, 1896-1982
Papers: 1917-1919
Thompson, Jefferson County, Neb.: WWI soldier
Size: 1 box; 0.5 cu.ft.
BACKGROUND NOTE
Laurence Williams Crouse was born at Fairbury, Nebraska, on March 19, 1896. In September of 1917 he entered the U.S. Army, receiving his basic training at Camp Funston, Kansas. In April of 1918, Crouse was transferred overseas, beginning thirteen months of service with the American Expeditionary Force in France and Germany. While a member of the 121st Machine Gun Battalion of the 32nd Division, Crouse saw action at Chateau Theirry, Sossions, and the Meuse-Argonne. He was with his unit in the front lines at the armistice on November 11, 1918, and served in the army of occupation until April of 1919.
After the war, Crouse married Lepha Collins, and the couple would have one daughter, Alberta Lorraine Crouse. Laurence W. Crouse died at Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 3, 1982.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of one manuscript box of material arranged in three series: 1) Correspondence, 1917-1919; 2) Printed matter; and 3) Miscellany. The bulk of this material consists of correspondence relating to Crouse’s military service at Camp Funston, Kansas, and in France and Germany with the A.E.F. Due to military censorship, the correspondence contains little reference to the military aspects of the First World War. The correspondence consists entirely of letters written by Crouse to his parents, his sisters Emma, Clara, and Cora, and to his brother Homer. The printed matter consists primarily of random issues of the A.E.F. Newspaper, Stars and Stripes, September 1918-May 1919.
Note: See the photo component [RG3781.PH] for related images.
INVENTORY
Series 1 – Correspondence, 1917-1919
Box 1
Folder
- 1917, Sept.-Dec.
- 1918, Jan.-Dec.
- 1919, Jan.-Apr.
Series 2 – Printed Matter
- Military induction papers and passes
- Maps and historical data regarding the 32nd Division
- Souvenir picture postcards from France and Germany
- Newspapers, including random issues of Stars and Stripes, September 1918-May 1919
- Newspapers, including random issues of Stars and Stripes, September 1918-May 1919
- Portion of the Sunday New York Times, May 18, 1919, containing a history of the 32nd Division
- “The World’s Greatest War,” magazine containing maps and photographs, n.d.
Series 3 – Miscellany
- Includes: Program for a reception given in honor of the Jefferson County soldiers, August 30, 1918
Examples of envelopes used for soldier’s mail from Europe, 1918-1919
Reminiscence
Subject headings:
Camp Funston (Kans.)
Crouse, Lawrence W., 1896-
Military training camps — United States
United States. Army — Military life
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 32nd
World War, 1914-1918 — Nebraska — Jefferson County
World War, 1914-1918 — Regimental histories — United States — 32nd Division
DJR/JEP/ab 05-08-1968
Encoded TMM 03-16-2010
