Charles O. Matthews, WWI Military
Records
Title: Charles O.
Matthews, WWI Military Records
Creator: Matthews, Charles O. (Charles Oakson),
1890-1944
Collector: Rainbow Division Veterans Association
Dates: 1917-1937
Quantity: 1 box (0.2 linear feet)
Collection Number: MS 0314
Language: English
Restrictions: None
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Historical Records Statement: Please see our statement on historical records and materials.
Preferred Citation: Charles O. Matthews, WWI Military Records (MS 0314). Archives & Special
Collections, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries.
Biography:
Charles Oakson Matthews was born in Washington, D.C. on 15 November 1890. On 12 June
1917, Matthews and his brother Jim enlisted in the District of Columbia National
Guard. Charlie served with the 165th Field Hospital, 177th Sanitary Train of the
42nd Division out of Camp Mills, Hempstead, New York (later called the "Rainbow"
Division.) As part of the Medical Corps, Matthews followed the frontline troops,
setting up field hospitals where needed. The 42nd Division moved to the front line
in March 1918 and participated in six major campaigns. They held several key
positions in France-such as the Lorraine, Champagne and the Marne-and in Germany
during the occupation in late 1918-1919. Matthews discharged 14 May 1919 as a
corporal.
As a civilian, he picked up his father's trade as a carpenter and received some
training in architectural drafting. Matthews married Thelma Beall in 1920. In the
1930s he worked as a foreman with one of the contractors that built the Washington
National Airport (now Reagan National Airport.) He also worked for the Army Corps of
Engineers on the Coastal Foritification Project to repel possible enemy invasions
during WWII. He had bad health ever since exposure to mustard gas in 1918. Matthews
died in Washington, D.C. on 15 June 1944 and was buried at Arlington National
Cemetery.
Scope and Content:
The Matthews correspondence is composed mainly of letters written during World War I
by Charlie to his family. Folders 1-6 contain original correspondence to Mathew's
father Lewis, his sisters Laura and Helen, his brother Lawrence, Helen's husband and
Edith Sullivan, a childhood friend. Correspondence during wartime was read by army
censors. Matthews could not divulge his exact location to his family and often began
his letters with "Somewhere in France." Of the sample of envelopes in folder 7, the
name of the military censor is written on the front of the envelopes. Military
records include general military orders and correspondence from Major General
Charles T. Menoher commending the men of the 42nd Division for their bravery in
France. Additional items include a program from a 1937 RDVA reunion and twenty-seven
postcards. The postcards portray several cities in France and some buildings damaged
during the war. Materials in folders 11-16 are photocopies of the original
materials, which were compiled by relatives of Mathews for a family publication. The
materials include transcripts of correspondence, newspaper clippings, correspondence
discussing Matthews' personal and military life, and color photocopies of a
photograph of Matthews in his military uniform and of a souvenir from France.
Subjects:
Matthews, Charles O., 1890-1944
Menoher, Major General Charles T., 1862-1930
World War I
United States. Army--42nd Division
United States. Military--Hospitals
Container List:
Box 1. Folder 1. Correspondence, 1917, Aug-Oct
Box 1. Folder 2. Correspondence, 1918, Jan-Mar
Box 1. Folder 3. Correspondence, 1918, Apr-Jun
Box 1. Folder 4. Correspondence, 1918, Aug-Dec
Box 1. Folder 5. Correspondence, 1919, Jan-Feb
Box 1. Folder 6. Correspondence, 1919, Mar-Apr
Box 1. Folder 7. Envelopes, 1917-1919
Box 1. Folder 8. General military orders and correspondence, 1918
Box 1. Folder 9. RDVA reunion program, 1937
Box 1. Folder 10. Postcards, France, 1-27
Box 1. Folder 11. Correspondence, transcripts, 1917
Box 1. Folder 12. Correspondence, transcripts, 1918
Box 1. Folder 13. Correspondence, transcripts, 1919
Box 1. Folder 14. Newspaper clippings, 1918-1919, undated
Box 1. Folder 15. Newspaper clippings, Camp Songs of the Army and Navy, undated
Box 1. Folder 16. Family publication, photocopies
Related Material and Resources: MS 104. Rainbow Division Veterans Association, Records. Archives & Special
Collections, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. |