Highlights of the Collection

The collection is rich with stories of life in Connecticut and her citizens in France before and during the war.  Some of my personal favorites:

 

  • The first Puerto Rican killed in the war waCristobal Rodriguez-Hidalgos Bridgeport  resident Cristobal Rodriguez-Hidalgo. This record includes a moving correspondence between Cristobal’s fiancee and the state librarian.
  • The government released a document “Native Born American Women, What You Can Do” to encourage behaviors on the home front.
  • The letters of Milton Bradley (in editing process).
  • Many news stories about a pre-draft registration ordered by Governor Holcomb. This included the coercion of high school students during the school day. (in editing process; will be available by searching “military census”.
  • When Connecticut Stopped the Hun” is an account of the Battle of Seicheprey by General Clarence Edwards.  It recounts the efforts of the 26th Yankee Division in that battle.  The 26th was the division many Connecticut men service in.