I am in possession of my parents’ WWII letters, approx. 1200 letters, most in their original envelopes. My father, John Serumgard, from Devils Lake, ND, served in the Army Corps of Engineers in both the European and Asian Pacific theaters 1942-1946. My mother, Antoinette Serumgard, grew up on a French-speaking Cree reservation in northern North Dakota, and was working at the Bank of North Dakota in Bismarck when she met my father, a chemical engineer, who was working for the North Dakota State Highway Department. They pledged to write each other daily and saved each other’s letters. As supply officer of an Army Corps of Engineers heavy construction regiment, my father was able to carry my mother’s letters with him. I have catalogued the 1942 letters by postmark, author (John, Toni, family, friends, business), location and themes; and I have transcribed 25 key letters from that year. I am now focused on transcribing the letters for potential research use. A friend who has been advising me, Beverly Palmer, editor of the papers of Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens, Lucretia Mott and Florence Kelly, recommended I submit this project to the ADE project board, even though it is still in early stages, to invite input from anyone interested in the collection, as well as suggestions on potential archives to house the collection for research use. Jane Serumgard Lowe, PhD
Note: This project does not yet have a dedicated website.
