Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Waldo Family Papers and Waldo Travel Agency Records
00042
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
- Creator
- Waldo, Mortimer A., 1891-1963
- Title
- Waldo family papers and the Waldo Travel Agency records
- ID
- 00042
- Date [inclusive]
- 1904-1991
- Extent
- 7.0 Cubic feet 7 Boxes & 3 Volumes on shelf
- Language
- English
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: "Item title, Collection title, Collection Identifier, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan."
Biographical Note
Mortimer A. Waldo (1891-1963) grew up in the Lansing, Michigan area. After graduating from Adrian College, he pursued law studies at Yale University, but left in 1916, before completing this degree, to work with the Red Cross and the Young Men's Christian Association Prisoner's Aid Society in Omsk, Central Russia. There he supervised the construction of barracks, distributed Red Cross supplies, and made contacts between the prisoners and their families until the outbreak of the Russian Revolution. From March through October 1918, he served as American Vice Counsel in Helsingfors, Finland. After World War I, Waldo resettled in Lansing and worked as an export agent for the Novo Engine Company and REO Motors. In 1931, he founded the Waldo Travel Agency with the cooperation of the J.W. Knapp Department Stores.
Scope and Contents note
This collection consists of personal correspondence, notes, reports, and financial records. The majority of these relate to Mortimer Waldo's activities in Russia and Finland from 1916 to 1918.
Letters to family and friends written from 1916 to 1917 describe life in Siberia and comment on the political situation in the United States and the entry of the U.S. into the First World War. Later letters (1918) concentrate on the Finnish Civil War. Those dating from after 1919 primarily relate to Waldo's business travels for the Novo Engine Company and REO Motors, but also include personal letters from friends in Russia, Finland, Germany, and Japan.
Waldo's personal notebooks include observations on the Russian Revolution, international affairs, and war, informal reviews of books he read, notes made during his travels through Finland in 1918, and lists of personal expenses.
The official records relating to his YMCA service and his term as Vice-Counsel are few, but there are several reports prepared by Waldo. The most important of these recommended that the Allies recognize an independent Finland, and was used by the historian Samuel E. Morison in his report to the U.S. Department of State on the Peace Settlement.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections September 1982
Conrad Hall888 Wilson Road, Room 101
East Lansing , MI, 48824
517-355-2330
archives@msu.edu
Revision Description
November 2014
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Some materials are restricted.
Legal Status
Copyright: Michigan State University. Property Rights: Michigan State University.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.
Custodial History
Gift of Mrs. Mortimer A. Waldo, 1966-06-00.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- American Red Cross.
- United States. Diplomatic Service.
Family Name(s)
- Hannah family, (John A. Hannah, 1902-1991)
- Waldo family, (Mortimer Waldo, 1891-1963)
Genre(s)
- Account books
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
- Commercial correspondence
- Daybooks
- Letters (correspondence)
- Photographs
- Postcards
- Scrapbooks
Geographic Name(s)
- Finland -- History -- Revolution -- 1917-1918
- Helsinki (Finland)
- Japan -- Description and travel
- Lansing (Mich.)
- Russia
- Siberia (Russia)
- Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
Personal Name(s)
- Brown, Fred B.
- Hannah, John A., 1902-1991
- Hannah, Sarah Shaw
- Hibbard, C. V.
- Press, Michael, 1872-1938
- Waldo, Eleanor Boyer, 1899-1991
- Waldo, Eleanor Boyer, 1899-1991
Subject(s)
- Diplomatic documents
- War -- Religious aspects
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Finland
Collection Inventory
Family Papers |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Oral History Interview with Eleanor B. Waldo |
3 | 12 | ||
|
Eleanor Boyer Waldo Obituary September 3, 1991 |
2 | 17 | ||
|
Lansing Public Schools- Grammer School Completion Certificate for Burdett Sloan June 14, 1917 |
5 | 1 | ||
|
U.S. Passport for Dorothy Boyer (born July 31, 1973) issued March 19, 1927 Contains extra passport photos of D. Boyer |
4 | 3 | ||
|
Newspaper Clippings of interest to the Family 1902-1904 |
2 | 15 | ||
|
Newpaper Clipping - Hal Waldo (High School Class President) circa 1904 |
2 | 16 | ||
|
Memorial Publication - in memory of William A. Leonard, Fourth Bishop of Ohio. November, 1930 |
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Correspondence |
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Letters sent and received by Mrs. Virgil Boyer 1924-1930, undated |
Box 5 |
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Letters sent to Dot from Reverend Virgil Boyer undated |
Box 5 |
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| Box | Box-folder | |||
|
Letters to Hal Waldo at College 1909-1912 |
4 | 1 | ||
|
Letters to Hal Waldo from friends and family circa 1913- August 1917 |
4 | 1 | ||
Letters to Hal Waldo while stationed at Camp Custer (MI), 328 Field Arillery September 1917 - April 1918 Letters are primarily from his wife. |
Box 4 |
Box-folder 1 |
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| Box | ||||
|
Letters to Hal Waldo while stationed at Camp Custer (MI), 328 Field Arillery May 1918 - July 1918 Letter are primarily from his wife. |
5 | |||
Undated Letters sent to H. Waldo |
Box 5 |
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|
Valentine Card to Belle Waldo February, 1916 |
5 | |||
Family Books |
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The Oxford Self-Pronouncing Bible (King James). Inscribed J. Belle Waldo, Lansing Michigan November 20, 1902 |
Box 4 |
Box-folder 2 |
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| Box | Box-folder | |||
|
Inserted items into 1902 bible. |
4 | 2 | ||
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The E & S Teachers' Edition - The Holy Bible (King James). Inscribed - J. Belle Waldo 1887 |
4 | 2 | ||
Photographs |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Photo Christmas cards from John and Sarah Hannah to Eleanor Waldo, photos show the Hannahs 1982-1988, undated |
6 | 29 | ||
World Travel Photographs |
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| Box | ||||
|
Czechoslovakia. Photo Album |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. (2 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Agricultural Scenes in Northern Finland |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Esbogard |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Grano. Mr. Krogius' Summer Home. (2 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Grano. Mr. Krogius' Summer Home. Interior |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Civil War Scenes |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Civil War Scenes. Baron von Mannerheim Reviewing Troops |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Civil War Scenes. Damages Buildings |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Civil War Scenes. Graves of Germans Lost in Civil War |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Civil War Scenes. German Boats in Harbor |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Civil War Scenes. Smoke Clouds Over City |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Mr. Krogius' Residence |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Helsinki. Photo Album. (2 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Imatra |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Kuopio |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Lappeenranta. Photo Album |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Photo Album. (2 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Savonlinna. Olav Castle |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland. Ulea River |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Finland and/or Russia. (3 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Japan |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Japan. Yokohama. Aftermath of Earthquake, 1923 |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. American Refugees Traveling from Russia through Finland |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Groups. (2 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Krogius, Ernst |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Nancler, Erik and Sister |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Press, Michael |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Ramsay, Mrs. Henrik |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Reitzel, Raymond J. |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Unidentified |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
People. Zanovski, Hugo |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Russia. Irtish River. People on Riverboat |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Russia. Omsk. (2 folders) |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Russia. Omsk Vicinity |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Russia. Petrograd |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Russia. Tobolsk |
LC Photo 20 | |||
|
Sweden. People |
LC Photo 20 | |||
Postcards |
Drawer Postcards |
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|
Finland |
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|
Finland. Grano |
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|
Finland. Imatra |
||||
|
Finland. Kajaani |
||||
|
Finland. Kuopio |
||||
|
Finland. Lappeenranta |
||||
|
Finland. Oulu |
||||
|
Finland. Oulu River |
||||
|
Finland. Savonlinna. Olav Castle |
||||
|
Finland. Suomussalmi |
||||
|
Finland. Tampere. (2 folders) |
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|
Finland. Tampere. Buildings Damaged During Civil War |
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|
Finland. Turku |
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|
Funerals. Chinese |
||||
|
People. Latavala, W.K. |
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|
Pureto Rico. Mayaguez (?) |
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|
Russia. Automobile of Nicholas II |
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Russia. Burial of Victims of Civil Disturbance |
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|
Russia. Cheliabinsk |
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|
Russia. Kainsk |
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|
Russia. Moscow |
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Russia. Novonikolayevsk |
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|
Russia. Omsk. (4 folders) |
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Russia. Omsk (?) |
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Russia. Omsk. Churches |
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Russia. Omsk. Schools |
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Russia. Perm |
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Russia. Petrograd. Civil Disturbance, March 1917 |
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Russia. Posters Promoting Military Loans, 1916 |
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|
Russia. Provisional Government, 1917 |
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Russia. Railroads. Locomotive |
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Russia. Srende. Ural |
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|
Russia. Tobolsk (5 folders) |
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Russia. Tobolsk. Church Festivities, 1916 |
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Russia. Churches |
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|
Russia. Tyumen. (6 folders) |
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Russia. Ural Mountains. (3 folders) |
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Russia. Vyatka |
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Russia. Yekaterinburg |
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Sweden. Haparanada |
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Scrapbook |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Number 218: Japanese Earthquake (Postcards) 1923 |
3 | 13 | ||
Oversized Materials |
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| Drawer | ||||
|
World War I. Soldiers. Russia |
48 | |||
|
|
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Mortimer (Mort) A. Waldo Papers |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Biographical Information 1959, undated |
1 | 1 | ||
Personal Correspondence- (M.A. Waldo) |
Box 1 |
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| Box | Folder | |||
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1904, 1915 |
1 | 2 | ||
|
February - May 1916 |
1 | 3 | ||
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June - July 1916 |
1 | 4 | ||
|
August - September 1916 |
1 | 5 | ||
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October 1916 |
1 | 6 | ||
|
November - December 1916 |
1 | 7 | ||
|
Correspondence to Hal J. Waldo May 1916-March 1918 |
1 | 30 | ||
|
January - March 1917 |
1 | 8 | ||
|
April - May 1917 |
1 | 9 | ||
|
June - July 1917 |
1 | 10 | ||
|
August - September 1917 |
1 | 11 | ||
|
October 1917 |
1 | 12 | ||
|
November 1917 |
1 | 13 | ||
|
December 1917 |
1 | 14 | ||
|
January - March 1918 |
1 | 15 | ||
|
April 1918 |
1 | 16 | ||
|
May 1918 |
1 | 17 | ||
|
June 1918 |
1 | 18 | ||
|
July 1918 |
1 | 19 | ||
|
August 1918 |
1 | 20 | ||
|
September - October 1918 |
1 | 21 | ||
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November - December 1918 |
1 | 22 | ||
|
1919 |
1 | 23 | ||
|
1920-1921, 1923 |
1 | 24 | ||
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1925-1926, 1929 |
1 | 25 | ||
|
1930, 1937 |
1 | 26 | ||
|
Undated |
1 | 27 | ||
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Envelopes |
1 | 28-29 | ||
|
Financial Records |
2 | |||
| Box | ||||
|
YMCA Account at Omsk |
2 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
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April 21 - May 21, 1916 |
2 | 9 | ||
|
May 24 - September 4, 1916 |
2 | 10 | ||
|
September 9 - November 1, 1916 |
2 | 11 | ||
|
November 2 - March 2, 1917 |
2 | 12 | ||
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March 6 - December 8, 1917 |
2 | 13 | ||
Volumes |
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| Volume | ||||
|
Volume 1 - Omsk Distirct Account Books (with dispersal to individuals listed) Funds were for Buildings,Operations, Supplies, and "Personal Help Funds" for German, Austrian, and Turkish soldiers. Names of the soldiers who were dispersed funds are listed in the book. Also, YMCA Fund disperal. |
1 | |||
|
Volume 2 - Accounting Day Book for Omsk District April 1916 - March 1917 Daily accounting for funds paid out |
2 | |||
|
Volume 3 - Accounting Day Book for Omsk District March 1917 - June 1917 |
3 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
War Prisoner's Aid Receipts 1916-1917 |
2 | 14 | ||
|
Receipts for Loans Given to Officers 1916-1917 |
2 | 15 | ||
| Box | ||||
|
YMCA Activities - Receipts for Loans Made to Enlisted Men |
3 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
May - September 1916 |
3 | 1 | ||
|
September 1916-1917 |
3 | 2 | ||
| Box | Box-folder | |||
|
Check Registers drawn on the Guaranty Trust Company (bank) located in Brussels, Belgium 1927-1932 |
4 | 3 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Personal Expense Book (unknown owner) 1970-1975 |
4 | 1 | ||
|
Account Books Written in Russian undated |
3 | 11 | ||
|
Miscellaneous Receipts 1917 |
3 | 3 | ||
|
Personal Notebooks |
2 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
1916 |
2 | 1 | ||
|
1917 |
2 | 2 | ||
|
April 1916 - May 1917; July - October 1918 |
2 | 3 | ||
|
May 1917 |
2 | 4 | ||
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February - October 1918 |
2 | 5 | ||
|
September 1918 |
2 | 6 | ||
|
August - December 1917; April 1918, 1928-1929 |
2 | 7 | ||
Daybooks (six) - includes expenses 1913-1917, 1919 |
Box 4 |
Box-folder 3 |
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Novo Engine Company - Weekly Report and Expense Books (36 and 1 blank book) 1930-1931 |
Box 4 |
Folder 2 |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Y.M.C.A. Official Reports circa 1918 |
2 | 8 | ||
|
Y.M.C.A. Financial Records (Russia) 1917 |
||||
| Box | ||||
|
Vice Consular Records |
3 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Official Reports Made by the Vice Consular 1918 |
3 | 4 | ||
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Expense Accounts February 25 - May 22; October 14 - November 3, 1918 |
3 | 5 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Short course in Swedish Grammer for the Finnish Scholar (Written in Finnish) 1907 |
3 | 14 | ||
| Box | ||||
|
Miscellany 1951-1956, n.d. |
3 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Rotary Club Presentation 1951 |
3 | 6 | ||
|
Trip to Russia 1956 |
3 | 7 | ||
|
Michael Press undated |
3 | 8 | ||
|
Japanese Travel Guides undated |
3 | 9 | ||
|
Children's Book, Visiting Cards, High School Report Card undated |
3 | 10 | ||
|
Guide to International Law (written in Russian) 1904 |
3 | 14 | ||
|
Business Cards, lansing High School Invitation Undated |
2 | 18 | ||
|
Camp Custer (MI) Song Sheet - Issued by the Rotar Club of Jackson, MI undated Controlled Access HeadingsGeographic Name(s)
|
5 | 2 | ||
|
|
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Waldo Travel Agency Collection |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Office Finances 1936-1939 |
6 | 1 | ||
|
Office Bills 1946 This file contains a representative example of bills from this time frame. |
6 | 2 | ||
|
Office Bills 1947 This file contains a representative example of bills from this time frame. |
6 | 3 | ||
|
Office Bills 1948 This file contains a representative example of bills from this time frame. |
6 | 4 | ||
|
Bank Statements and Checks 1941-1952 This file contains a representative example of statements from this time frame. |
6 | 5 | ||
|
Taxes 1946-1947 |
6 | 6 | ||
|
Correspondence - Business Operations 1947-1948 |
6 | 7 | ||
|
Travel Agencies - Announcements/Advertisements 1945-1947 |
6 | 8 | ||
|
Travel Agencies - Announcements/Advertisements 1948 |
6 | 9 | ||
|
Travel Agencies - Announcements - Labor Strike 1948 |
6 | 10 | ||
|
Immigration and Consulate Documents 1939-1945 |
6 | 11 | ||
|
Immigration and Consulate Documents 1946-1947 |
6 | 12 | ||
|
Immigration and Consulate Documents 1948 |
6 | 13 | ||
|
Immigration - Spagnuola Case 1945-1948 |
6 | 14 | ||
|
Passports and Military Permits 1948 |
6 | 15 | ||
|
Miscellaneous Correspondence 1942-1945 |
6 | 16 | ||
|
Customer Correspondence 1946 |
6 | 17 | ||
|
Customer Correspondence 1947-1948 |
6 | 18 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence January - June, 1946 |
6 | 19 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence July- December, 1946 |
6 | 20 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence January - June, 1947 |
6 | 21 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence July- December, 1947 |
6 | 22 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence January - March, 1948 |
6 | 23 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence April - July, 1948 |
6 | 24 | ||
|
Travel Arrangement Correspondence August - December, 1948 |
6 | 25 | ||
|
Personal Correspondence of M.A. Waldo 1945-1948 |
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Telegrams (with sticker/stamp art) 1947-1948 |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Finances - Restricted 1968 |
6 | 28 | ||
|
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