MS-229
SERGEANT FERRIS HENSON WORLD WAR II LETTER COLLECTION
INTRODUCTION
The Sergeant Ferris Henson World War II Letter Collection was purchased from an antique dealer by Mr. James C. Oda and donated to the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections in May 2014. The collection consists of thirty-six letters or post cards which are dated between 1940 and 1944. The letters are housed in a single Hollinger box containing thirty-four files.
All rights to the letters have been transferred to the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections and there are no know restrictions on the use of these materials.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The collection is divided into five series, one for each year. The series are as follows:
SERIES I: 1940 – Box 1, File 1
SERIES II: 1941 – Box 1, File 2 – 26
SERIES III: 1942 – Box 1, File 27 – 33
SERIES IV: 1943 – Box 1, File 34 & 35
SERIES V: 1944 – Box 1, File 36
CONTAINER LIST
BOX 1
SERIES I: 1940
File
1 Letter to Mr. Ferris Henson, Sidney, Ohio R. R. 3, dated April 4, 1940, from Gloria Brunetto. [After the war Gloria will become the wife of Ferris].
SERIES II: 1941
File
2 Letter to Private Ferris Henson , Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated April 3, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Evidently Ferris had asked Gloria to marry him when he returned from the Army.
3 Letter to Private Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, postmarked April 8, 1941, from Nancy Brunetto [Gloria’s older sister by five years]. Ferris had evidently asked Nancy to buy a corsage for Gloria to wear on Easter.
4 Letter to Private Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated May 3, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto
5 Letter to Private Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated May 3, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. The letter included a picture of “The proper ………..’Sweetheart Kiss’”. Evidently Gloria has sent eight hard boiled Easter eggs to Ferris with verses written on them but Ferris couldn’t read them so this letter contains a list of the eight things that were written on the eggs.
6 Letter to Private Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated June 11, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto
7 Letter to Private Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated July 17, 1941, from Mrs. O.B. (Elvie) Henson, his mother, she is enclosing $2 from her milk money to help Ferris out.
8 Letter to Private Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated August 19, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto – the letter was sent by Air Mail – wants to know when he can get furlough and what the surprise is he has for her on August 21 or 22.
9 Post card to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated September 6, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto, written in the morning, she reassures Ferris that she is not working too hard. Note: sometime between August 19 and September 6 Ferris was promoted to Sergeant from Private (skipping Corporal) This may have been the surprise Ferris had for Gloria mentioned in the letter in File #8 above.
10 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated September 6, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto, written in the evening. Gloria is still saying she doesn’t work too hard but tells Ferris she is going to work after mass on Sunday morning. According to the city directory in 1943 Gloria works at the Joseph Brunetto Fruit Market at 118 N. Main, but she mentions an office and typing and 80 pages of reports. The 1946 directory lists her place of employment as Piqua Engineering.
11 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated September 13, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Evidently Ferris wanted to get married at Christmas but Gloria wanted to wait until he had his debts paid off and she had more time to plan.
12 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated September 18, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Gloria is working in an office and is training others while continuing to do her job. According to the letter Ferris had been home and returned to duty. Ferris also asked Gloria to Get Don Gentile’s address in California. The address was: Don Gentile, Polaris Flight Academy, Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale, Calif.
13 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 1, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Plans for Ferris to come home in November.
14 Post card to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 1, 1941, from his sister, “Dink”. She is recommending that Ferris and Gloria should get married.
15 Post card to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 2, 1941, from Josephine Brunetto.
16 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 2, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Ferris’ sister had a baby boy. Some veiled discussion of money and where Ferris was sending it or not.
17 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 6, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Much talk of saving money and Ferris coming home in November. From the letter it seems that Gloria may be working for Lear Avia.
18 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 9, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Gloria is working evenings and weekends at Lear.
19 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 13, 1941, from Pvt. Nick Sichterman, 215 Q. M. Co., Fort Bragg, N.C. Letter is a good description of Fort Bragg in 1941 and also a request that Ferris repay the $5 Nick had loaned to him some time back.
20 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 15, 1941, from his mother, Elvie Henson.
21 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated October 15, 1941, from Landwerlen Leather Co. The letter requests that Ferris pay his debt of $12.78 to the company or at least begin sending regular payments each payday.
22 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated November 8, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto. Gloria is complaining about not getting a letter for four days.
23 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated November 28, 1941, from his mother, Elvie Henson.
24 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated November 29, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto (the letter is postmarked November 27, 1941). Ferris was evidently home for Thanksgiving and Gloria hopes he will be home for Christmas. Letter contains some news about people in Sidney.
25 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated December 1, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto, She mentions a letter from Don (Gentile) to her aunt. The letter was postmarked Halifax, Nova Scotia but it appeared from the letter that Don was in England. She is hoping Ferris and come home for Christmas or New Years or both.
26 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated December 4, 1941, from Gloria Brunetto, by Air Mail.
SERIES III: 1942
File
27 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated January 21, 1942, from Gloria Brunetto. Gloria now has a ring. Ferris is concerned about his past and Gloria reminds him that both she and God have forgiven him. The exact nature of the past indiscretion is not stated.
28 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated February 10, 1942, from Gloria Brunetto. Elwood and Louise Penrod are mentioned in this letter. Louise works with Gloria at Lear Avia.
29 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated February 11, 1942, from Gloria Brunetto. Some news of the Brunetto family.
30 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated February 22, 1942, from Gloria Brunetto.
31 Letter to Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia, dated March 8, 1942, from Gloria Brunetto.
32 Letter to Staff Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, dated March 18, 1942, from Gloria Brunetto. Ferris has a new address and a promotion. Sometime between March 8 and March 18 Ferris was promoted to Staff Sergeant and transferred to Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Gloria’s sister Mary had a baby boy. Josephine’s boyfriend, Glenn Gast, was drafted into the Army. Gloria still wants to know if he can get a furlough and come home for Easter. Gloria still says they will get married when Ferris is out of the Army and out of debt.
33 Post card to Staff Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, dated April 15, 1942, from Pvt. Robert Carson , 217 Q.M. Co. Camp Lee, VA. He is catching Ferris up on some of the men Ferris trained or trained with.
SERIES IV: 1943
File
34 Letter to Staff Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp White, Oregon, dated March 15, 1943, from Gloria Brunetto. Gloria is writing this letter the day after Ferris left to go back from a 15 day furlough. The letter was addressed to Camp Shelby, Mississippi but that address was scratched out and the letter was re-addressed to Camp White, Oregon. The change was made at Camp Shelby so Ferris must have been transferred very soon after his arrival at Camp Shelby.
35 Letter to Staff Sergeant Ferris Henson, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, dated August 26, 1943, from Gloria Brunetto. Ferris is out on maneuvers and Gloria is showing signs the stress as the war goes on.
SERIES V: 1944
File
36 Christmas card to Staff Sergeant Ferris Henson, 216 Q. M. Salvage & Repair Co., A.P.P. 230 c/o P.M. New York, New York, postmarked December 13, 1944. The return address is 221 College St., Piqua, Ohio which is the home of Mrs. Anna Bierley. The signature inside the card is “Your Friend, Leota”
NOTE: At the end of this collection is genealogical information on Ferris Henson and Gloria Brunetto. This material is not part of the collection.