Luther C. Parkhurst Letters
Scope and Contents
The Luther C. Parkhurst papers were written during Parkhurst's time in World War II, and span his deployment in Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma; Topeka Army Air Base, Kansas; and undisclosed locations in the South Pacific region including the New Hebrides islands (Vanuatu) and Admiralty Islands (Manus Islands). Parkhurst's letters were written to his parents and signed "Buster." They cover his day to day life, with notes about his first wife, Louise, and people from his Windsor, Vermont community.
Dates
- 1942-1945
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Curator of Manuscripts.
Biographical / Historical
Luther Chester Parkhurst (1918-1988) was the son of Samuel L. Parkhurst (1875-1961) and Julia Louise (Picknell) Parkhurst (1884-1967). His siblings were Frances Elizabeth (1905-1996, later Hooper), Kenneth Chase (1907-1991), Elmer Wilson (1913-1914), Kyle Cressy (1915-1915), and Mae/May Louise (1916-2007, later Fitts).
Luther was married twice. First to Louise Gale (1921-2009, later Keene) in 1943, then to Sibyl Marjorie Gordon (born about 1923) in 1949. Luther and Sibyl had one daughter, Linda Nancy Parkhurst (b. 1950).
Luther enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served in the Quartermaster Corps during World War II. Parkhurst was also stationed in the South Pacific. He was released from service in 1945.
Extent
0.4 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Collection consists of 102 letters written by a Windsor, VT soldier in World War II. Parkhurst served in the Quartermaster's Corps in the U.S. and the South Pacific.
Physical Location
Library Research Annex; contact uvmsc@uvm.edu for access.
Processing Information
Luther Chester Parkhurst should not to be confused with a Luther Homer Parkhurst (1920-1993), also a WWII veteran (1945-1946) from the Hyde Park, Vermont area. His parents were Bert Parkhurst (d. 1954) and Nellie Howard. He was married to Margaret Farmer (1918-2006, later Nelson) in 1937 and Bertha (LaFlam) Dunham (1918-1995) in 1969. Luther H. Parkhurst and Margaret had two sons, Philip (1936-2005) and Martin (b. 1939). The two Luthers may be part of the same extended family since Luther C. Parkhurst's grandfather was named Luther, making it somewhat likely that Luther is a common or inherited name in this family.
- Title
- Guide to the Luther C. Parkhurst Letters
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 2018 October
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Vermont Libraries, Special Collections Repository
Silver Special Collections Library
48 University Place, Room B201
Burlington Vermont 05405 U.S.A. US
(802) 656-2138
(802) 656-4038 (Fax)
uvmsc@uvm.edu
