This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Size | 1.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 300 items) |
Abstract | James Alexander Moseley was a native of North Carolina; graduate of Yale University; resident of Glen Ridge, N.J.; and 1st lieutenant, Company C, 166th Infantry, 42d (Rainbow) Division, American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. The collection includes letters, January-July 1918, from James A. Moseley Junior, in France, to his mother, Annie Conigland Moseley; letters, 1916-1918, from Moseley to Lucy Kent Chappell of Georgia, a teacher at the Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, Pa.; letters from Moseley's mother to him; letters before and after 1918 relating to Moseley's life and to his death in the Battle of Ourcq near Chateau-Thierry; and other items. The bulk of the collection consists of Moseley's letters to family and friends during World War I. These letters vividly describe his experiences in an army training camp at Plattsburgh, N.Y., in 1917, his voyage to France in January 1918, his experience at the 2nd Corps Army School in France, his view of the French countryside, and his life in the trenches in France. Moseley's mother's letters to him give news of family and friends and describe life on the home front during the war. Letters written by Moseley before the war concern his studies at Yale, his father's death, his decision to go into business rather than to teach, and his social life. In addition to letters, the collection includes clippings about Moseley and his death; Yale University magazines, pamphlets, and commencement programs; and a copy of Rainbow Memories, which contains a picture and biographical sketch of Moseley. |
Creator | Moseley, James Alexander, 1894-1918. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, May 2009; Nancy Kaiser, January 2021
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
James Alexander Moseley (1894-1918) was born in Raleigh, N.C., and moved as a child to Glen Ridge, N.J. He graduated from Yale University in 1915 and was commissioned as first lieutenant in the United States Army. After training at Plattsburgh, N.Y., he sailed for France, January 1918. There he attended the 2nd Corps Army School at Chatillon-sur Seine, had a tour of observation at the French front near Nancy, and then joined Company C, 166th Infantry, 42nd (Rainbow) Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Briefly in the spring he was a grenade instructor in the 126th Regiment, 32nd Division. After returning to the 166th, he was killed in action in July 1918, in the Battle of Ourcq near Chateau-Thierry.
Back to TopThe collection includes letters, January-July 1918, from James A. Moseley Junior, in France, to his mother, Annie Conigland Moseley; letters, 1916-1918, from Moseley to Lucy Kent Chappell of Georgia, a teacher at the Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, Pa.; letters from Moseley's mother to him; letters before and after 1918 relating to Moseley's life and to his death in the Battle of Ourcq near Chateau-Thierry; and other items. The bulk of the collection consists of Moseley's letters to family and friends during World War I. These letters vividly describe his experiences in an army training camp at Plattsburgh, N.Y., in 1917, his voyage to France in January 1918, his experience at the 2nd Corps Army School in France, his view of the French countryside, and his life in the trenches in France. Moseley's mother's letters to him give news of family and friends and describe life on the home front during the war. Letters written by Moseley before the war concern his studies at Yale, his father's death, his decision to go into business rather than to teach, and his social life. In addition to letters, the collection includes clippings about Moseley and his death; Yale University magazines, pamphlets, and commencement programs; and a copy of Rainbow Memories, which contains a picture and biographical sketch of Moseley.
Back to TopChiefly letters written by James Alexander Moseley, January-July 1918, while he was serving with the American Expeditionary Force in France, to his mother and other relatives and friends. There are also letters to Moseley from his mother during the same time period, and a few items before and after 1918 relating to James Alexander Moseley's life and his death in battle.
Folder 1a |
Original finding aid |
Folder 1 |
1912-1917 |
Folder 2-3
Folder 2Folder 3 |
January 1918 |
Folder 4 |
February 1918 |
Folder 5 |
March 1918 |
Folder 6 |
April 1918 |
Folder 7-8
Folder 7Folder 8 |
May 1918 |
Folder 9 |
June 1918 |
Folder 10 |
July-December 1918 |
Folder 11 |
1919-1931 |
Folder 12 |
Clippings |
Miscellaneous |
|
Photographs |
|
Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-3441/1a |
Diplomas, certificates, and awards |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-03441/1 |
Various certificates for James A. Moseley's United States Army service, fraternity membership, and courses |
Letters written by James Alexander Moseley to Lucy Kent Chappell, while Moseley was working in New York, October 1916-April 1917; at officers' training school at Plattsburgh, N.Y., May-November 1917; on a visit to Glen Ridge, N.J., November 1917-January 1918; and while travelling to France and serving with the American Expeditionary Force, January-July 1918. There are also some telegrams, letters, and clippings, concerning the death of James Alexander Moseley.
Folder 13 |
October 1916-April 1917 |
Folder 14 |
May-September 1917 |
Folder 15-17
Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17 |
October 1917-February 1918 |
Folder 18 |
March-July 1918 |
Folder 19 |
September 1918-October 1919 |
Includes Yale University magazines, pamphlets, and programs. Also incuded is Rainbow Memories which contains character sketches and history of the 1st Battalion, 166th Infantry, 42nd (Rainbow) Division, by Alison Reppy, and three maps of terrain in France.
Folder 20-22
Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22 |
Printed items |