Frank Owen Wilson and Susan Rinehart World War II correspondence

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Terms of access:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Frank Owen Wilson and Susan Rinehart World War II Correspondence, MSS 16414, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virgina.

Summary

Extent:
1.2 Cubic Feet 3 letter size document boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Frank Owen Wilson and Susan Rinehart World War II Correspondence, MSS 16414, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virgina.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains more than 450 letters written between Lieutenant Frank Owen Wilson from Wilson, Arkansas, who was a University of Virginia graduate and his Charlottesville girlfriend, Susan Smith Rinehart (1925-1995), whose family lived on an estate called "Boxwood." There are 276 letters from Wilson and 180 letters from Rinehart. Wilson's early letters are from Saint Elmo Hall at the Univeristy of Virginia. His letters while in military service were not subject to censorship, yet describe his training in detail. Frank's letters are usually hand-written but many of the letters are typewritten and some are accompanied by printed ephemera. The letters describe their courtship, his military service, their families, and her pregnancy, among other topics. Susan was from a wealthy family and her letters reflect how she and her family lived through the war without seemingly any financial concern. Letters describe Albemarle County horse rides and related activities. Her letter of June 6, 1994, regarding D-Day, is of historical interest.

Biographical / historical:

Susan Smith Rinehart attended a private post-secondary girl's school called Arlington Hall Junior College for Women, located in an historic building in Arlington, Virginia, that later became the headquarters of the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service in 1942, according to a Wikipedia article.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased by the University of Virginia Special Collections Library, from Beltrone and Company on October 12, 2017.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard