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Size | About 1000 items (3.0 linear feet) |
Abstract | Mary Malvina Southard was attending Greenville Female College (later Greenville Woman's College) in 1907, when she met Solomon Haddon Geer, a sophomore at Furman University. Their relationship continued through Geer's years at Furman and his attendance at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., 1909-1913. They were married in June 1913. Solomon Haddon Geer subsequently served on various naval vessels and participated in the occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, by United States troops in 1914. He was then transferred to duty in the Pacific, serving on a survey ship in the Philippines after the outbreak of World War I. He returned to the United States in 1918 and seems to have died between 1918 and 1924. The collection contains a large number of letters, 1906-1936 and undated, from Solomon Haddon Geer to Mary Malvina Southard during their courtship and after their marriage in 1913. There are also letters from other members of the Southard and Geer families to Mary Malvina Southard Geer. The letters from Solomon Haddon Geer discuss his social life while a student at Furman University, his academic and social experiences while at the United States Naval Academy, details of his training and duties while serving in the United States Navy on various warships, and his experiences during the 1914 occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, and on survey duty in the Philippines during World War I. Also included are typed transcripts of most of the letters; photographs of Mary Malvina Southard Geer; and photographs taken during the Russian Revolution, that appear to depict the aftermath of the coup attempt led by Czech general Rudolf Gajda, in Vladivostok, Russia, in 1919. |
Creator | Geer, Mary Malvina Southard. |
Language | English. |
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Mary Malvina Southard was the daughter of W. O. Southard and his wife, S. C. Southard, of Jonesville, S.C. She was attending Greenville Female College (later Greenville Woman's College) in 1907, when she met Solomon Haddon Geer, the son of a hotelier from Belton, S.C. Geer was a sophomore at Furman University. Their relationship continued through Geer's years at Furman and his attendance at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., 1909-1913. They were married in June 1913. Solomon Haddon Geer subsequently served on various naval vessels and participated in the occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, by United States troops in 1914. He was then transferred to duty in the Pacific, serving on a survey ship in the Philippines after the outbreak of World War I. He may have contracted tuberculosis in 1917. He returned to the United States in 1918 and was estranged from his wife. He died in 1935.
Back to TopThe collection contains a large number of letters, 1906-1936 and undated, from Solomon Haddon Geer to Greenville Female College (later Greenville Woman's College) student Mary Malvina Southard during their courtship and after their marriage in 1913. There are also letters from other members of the Southard and Geer families to Mary Malvina Southard Geer. The letters from Solomon Haddon Geer discuss his social life while a student at Furman University, his academic and social experiences while at the United States Naval Academy, details of his training and duties while serving in the United States Navy on various warships, and his experiences during the 1914 occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, and on survey duty in the Philippines during World War I. Also included are typed transcripts of most of the letters; photographs of Mary Malvina Southard Geer; and photographs taken during the Russian Revolution, that appear to depict the aftermath of the coup attempt led by Czech general Rudolf Gajda, in Vladivostok, Russia, in 1919.
Back to TopThe collection contains a large number of letters, 1906-1936 and undated, from Solomon Haddon Geer to Greenville Female College (later Greenville Woman's College) student Mary Malvina Southard during their courtship and after their marriage in 1913. There are also letters from other members of the Southard and Geer families to Mary Malvina Southard Geer. The letters from Solomon Haddon Geer discuss his social life while a student at Furman University, his academic and social experiences while at the United States Naval Academy, details of his training and duties while serving in the United States Navy on various warships, and his experiences during the 1914 occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, and on survey duty in the Philippines during World War I. Also included are typed transcripts of most of the letters; photographs of Mary Malvina Southard Geer; and photographs taken during the Russian Revolution, that appear to depict the aftermath of the coup attempt led by Czech general Rudolf Gajda, in Vladivostok, Russia, in 1919.
Items separated include photographs (PF-5005/1-3).
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