Robert Lincoln O'Connell

The Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers contain correspondence and related material as well as publications, postcards, and photographs associated with his time as an engineer in the U.S. Army from basic training in the states through military service in France and Germany in the First World War.

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Created: The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives 1900-1972
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title Robert Lincoln O'Connell : An Inventory of Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives
spellingShingle Robert Lincoln O'Connell : An Inventory of Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives
title_short Robert Lincoln O'Connell
title_full Robert Lincoln O'Connell
title_fullStr Robert Lincoln O'Connell
title_full_unstemmed Robert Lincoln O'Connell
title_sort Robert Lincoln O'Connell
publishDate 1900-1972
publisher The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives
format Archival Material
physical 1 linear foot;2 boxes
language English
description The Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers contain correspondence and related material as well as publications, postcards, and photographs associated with his time as an engineer in the U.S. Army from basic training in the states through military service in France and Germany in the First World War.
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spelling oconnell Robert Lincoln O'Connell An Inventory of Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives Finding aid prepared by William John Shepherd. The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives 2008 101 Aquinas HallThe Catholic University of AmericaWashington, D.C. 20064 Finding aid encoded by William J. Shepherd 2008-2009 English Descriptive Summary The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives 1900-1972 Robert Lincoln O'Connell Robert Lincoln O'Connell Papers 1 linear foot;2 boxes The Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers contain correspondence and related material as well as publications, postcards, and photographs associated with his time as an engineer in the U.S. Army from basic training in the states through military service in France and Germany in the First World War. 206 English Biographical Note Robert Lincoln O'Connell, a solder who served for two and half years in the U.S. army in World War I, was born 24 August 1888 in Wareham, Massachusetts, the eldest son of Daniel and Mary O'Connell. According to the 1900 federal census for Southington, Connecticut, where the family eventually settled, Daniel O'Connell was born 1855 in England to Irish parents and immigrated to America in 1881 while Mary was born 1856 in Wales to an Irish father and Welsh mother and had immigrated to America in 1879. According to family sources though, Daniel was born in Nova Scotia to Irish born parents who ended up in Wales while Daniel went to America. In addition to Robert, the Daniel O'Connells had four more children: Mary (b. 1890), Sarah (b. 1892), Ellen (b. 1895), and Daniel, Jr. (b. 1898). According to his 1919 discharge papers, Robert entered service at Fort Slocum, New York, on 14 April 1917 and received training as a Machinist in Company C, 1st Battalion of the 1st Engineers, at Washington Barracks, D.C.(now known as Fort Lesley McNair) and along the Potomac on the grounds of the Belvoir Estate (now known as Fort Belvoir), until 6 August 1917. As part of the First Division, the vanguard of the developing American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.), the 1st Engineers, including Robert, embarked from Hobokken, New Jersey, on 7 August 1917, arriving at St. Nazaire, France, on 20 August 1917, but not before surviving a German U-Boat attack that same day near Belle Isle that was repulsed by the U.S. Navy's destroyer escorts. After a brief respite, Robert and his unit arrived on 4 September at Gondrecourt where they were trained by French engineers in the construction of trenches, dugouts, command posts, emplacements for heavy weapons, observation posts, wire entanglements, and other obstacles. They were also instructed to destroy the enemy's wire fences by cutting or using explosives and drilled as regular infantry in the use of rifles, hand grenades, and gas masks. The final phase of training for the First Division was also a baptism of fire resulting in their first combat deaths as they were posted to the Sommerviller Sector on the Lorraine Front, located between Nancy and Lunesville. Robert served near the latter location from 13 December 1917 to 5 January 1918. He next served near Toul, part of the Ansauville Sector, from 15 January 1918 to 3 April 1918, where the 1st Engineers worked at constructing dugouts, command posts, and wire entanglements as well as quarrying rock and repairing roads, often while being shelled and gassed. Next came service from 25 April 1918 to 7 July 1918 in the Cantigny area of the Montdidier-Noyon Sector where the American efforts to better organize and strengthen the positions aided the French in stopping a German offensive in June. To contain yet another German offensive, the First Division was shifted to the Aisne-Marne sector, with the 1st Engineers deployed to the Compiegne forest area. Robert was wounded on 18 July 1918 during the first day of the Allied counterattack at Soissons. After recovering, he returned to service in the Meuse-Argonne in October and was serving there when the war ended on 11 November 1918. Robert served as part of the Army of Occupation in postwar Germany, with the First Division crossing the Moselle River into Germany on 1 December 1918 and arriving at Coblenz on 12 December 1918. During the occupation, which lasted until 15 August 1919, the 1st Engineers worked to construct shelters, build pontoon bridges, and repair roads. There was also time for sports and recreation with Robert engaging in hiking and other sightseeing tours where he collected many of his colorful postcards. Embarking with the main elements of the First Division at Brest on 18 August 1919, Robert arrived at Camp Mills, New York, on 30 August 1919. He took part in the victory parade in New York on 10 September 1919 as well as the one in Washington, DC, on 17 September 1919, and was discharged as a Private First Class at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, on 27 September 1919. His decorations and awards are listed in his service record as WWI Victory Medal with Defensive Sector Battle Clasp, Montdidier-Noyon Battle Clasp, Aisne-Marne Battle Clasp, Meuse-Argonne Battle Clasp, WWI Victory Button (Silver), and a Purple Heart. After the war, Robert settled in New York City where, according to the 1930 federal census, he worked as a laborer in an auto garage. His wife, Susan, who worked as a chambermaid in a hotel, was a New Jersey native born about 1886 to Dutch immigrant parents. Robert's 1942 draft registration card states that he was 5'7' tall, weighed 120 pounds, lived at 316 East 93rd Street, and was employed by the Parker-Kalon Corporation. Robert and Susan did not have any children and, she apparently predeceased him, as she was not mentioned in his 1972 obituary. Robert died 17 February 1972 in New York City at Metropolitan Hospital and was buried at St. Thomas Cemetery. He was survived by his sisters Mary French, Sara Georgii, and Ellen O'Connell. Scope and Contents The Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers document the service of an Irish-American, born in Massachusetts, but raised in Connecticut, who served as a combat engineer in the First Division of the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) in the First World War, 1917-1919. The papers include correspondence he wrote home to his mother and sisters at home throughout his training and active duty service. Also included are military odds and ends, such as passes and orders, in addition to publications, postcards, and photographs associated with his time in the U.S. Army. There are also some items gathered recently by his family members and/or Archives staff, such as copies of federal census forms and his obituary, to supplement the collection. The postcards have a special circumstance in that Robert tended to divide them into two parts. There were very basic ones, usually with little or no illustration, that he used for correspondence purposes. These have been treated as such and inter-filed chronologically with the letters in the first series. The other type of postcards were the photo and color print ones that he apparently considered as collectibles, either sending them home with his correspondence, or bringing home himself after the war. These have been placed with the photographs in the third series. The first series, Correspondence and Related Papers, consists primarily of the correspondence, mostly letters but also some of the aforementioned postcards, written by Robert to various family members, especially to his mother Mary and sisters Ellen and Sarah. The correspondence spans the time of his initial training at the Washington Barracks in D.C., April to August 1917, through his arrival in France and service in the field, August 1917 until the war's end in November 1918, and subsequent operations as part of the Allied occupation force in the Rhineland of Germany until return to the United States in August 1919 and demobilization in September 1919. The letters are often amusing, especially Robert's 6 October 1917 letter from France to his sister Sara when he observes there is little sickness in camp "except the ordinary aches and pains and the French wine and chocolate accounts for most of those. There are only half a dozen girls in the village and three of them are waitresses in a wineshop. I don't remember the other three." Another light moment was recorded in his 18 March 1918 missive to his mother when he noted that "Patrick's day but only one man had any green and that was a scrap of weed in his buttonhole, that he had brought back from the trenches. He seemed to be the only good Irisher in sight." In the same letter he makes a very interesting statement about his enlistment and service with "it was Apr. 10, when I went up to Hartford to see if they would pass me. It has been a short but lively year" and "I'm glad I got in early because the drafted crowd certainly didn't have places like Washington Barracks to train in or warm weather, either, but they will have the laugh on us when they get over here and find things cleaned up." There are also occasional racial epithets used that are rather typical of the time and should be understood in that context. The 'related papers' materials that rounds out this series includes ephemera like his pay book, orders, passes, and discharge papers associated with his military service and other materials, such as copies of federal census forms and his 1972 obituary, that provide information about his family background and post-war life. The second series, Publications, has three printed works honoring the service of the soldiers who served in the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) in France and a German language guide probably used as a reference tool for soldiers serving in the postwar occupation of the Rhineland. The printed works includes a book of sketches and verse with good exhibit quality. The third series, Photographs and Postcards, is a lively assemblage of mostly print copies of photographs depicting the O'Connell family and Robert's military service, including contemporary shots of Robert posing in his uniform and a recent one of his uniform on display, as well as original photo and color print postcards showing scenes of war-time death and devastation in France and more serene depictions, especially the color prints, of the post-war occupation in the Rhineland of Germany. The fourth series, Memorabilia, has a miscellaneous assortment of coins, lapel pins, and that ubiquitous necessity, a military bottle opener. Arrangement The Robert Lincoln O'Connell papers consists of 4 series: Series 1: Correspondence and Related Papers, 1900(1917-1919)1972 Series 2: Publications, 1918-1919, n.d. Series 3: Photographs and Postcards, ca. 1911-1940, n.d. Series 4: Memorabilia, 1918-1919, n.d. None. Related Material National Catholic War Council Papers Index Terms This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms. Persons: Sara O'Connell Georgii Persons: Daniel O'Connell, Jr. Persons: Ellen O'Connell Persons: Robert Lincoln O'Connell Organizations: American Expeditionary Force (AEF) Places: Southington, Connecticut Places: Camp Mills, New York Places: Washington, D.C. Places: Paris, France Places: Coblenz, Germany Places: Ebernhahn, Germany Subjects: World War I Acquisition Information David Georgii, nephew of Robert Lincoln O'Connell, offered to donate the papers, primarily correspondence and postcards, in his letter of 14 December 2005. William J. Shepherd, Associate Archivist, accepted the offer in his letter of 26 January 2006 and Mr. Georgii returned the Deed of Gift form, signed 8 March 2006. The inaugural deposit of material was received February 27, 2006, with two later deposits in 2006 and two more in 2008. Processing Information Processing and EAD markup completed in 2008-2009 by William John Shepherd, with additional contributions by Lauren Kanne and Jane Stoeffler. Digital archival object links updated in 2015 by Paul Kelly. Broken links to transcriptions removed in 2017 by Katherine Santa Ana. Select Bibliography Coffman, Edward M. The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1968, 1986. Messier, Michael. Robert Lincoln O'Connell family history web site at http://www.messierfamily.info/RobertOConnell.htm Society of the First Division. History of the First Division During the World War, 1917-1919. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The John C. Winston Company, 1922. Votaw, John F. Battle Orders: The American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Northants, UK: Osprey, 2005. Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1: Correspondence and Related Papers 1900(1917-1919)1972 Primarily correspondence, both letters and postcards, written by Robert to his mother Mary or sisters Ellen and Sarah, during his service in both the states and in Europe. There are also some military administrative records, federal census forms, and Robert's obituary. 1 1 Correspondence, Washington Barracks, D.C., April 1917-August 1917 01. Letter to Mary O'Connell, April 28, 1917 Document 02. Postcard to Sarah O'Connell, May 2,1917 Document 03. Letter to Mary O'Connell, May 1917 Document 04. Letter to Mary O'Connell, May 31, 1917 Document 05. Letter to Mary O'Connell, June 1917 Document 06. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, June 1917 Document 07. Letter to Mary O'Connell, July 3, 1917 Document 08. Letter (Fragment) to Mary O'Connell, August 1917 Document 1 2 Correspondence, France, August 21, 1917-December 1917 01. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, August 21, 1917 Document 02. Letter to Sarah O'Connell, October 6, 1917 Document 03. Letter to Mary O'Connell, November 1, 1917 Document 04. Letter (Fragment), December 1917? Document 1 3 Correspondence, France, February 7, 1918-June 28, 1918 01. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, February 7, 1918 Document 02. Letter to Mary O'Connell, March 18, 1918 Document 03. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, March 20, 1918 Document 04. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, March 24, 1918 Document 05. Postcard to Sarah O'Connell, March 31, 1918 Document 06. Postcard to Helen O'Connell, April 3, 1918 Document 07. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, May 18, 1918 Document 08. Letter to Sarah O'Connell, May 27, 1918 Document 09. Letter to Mary O'Connell, June 10, 1918 Document 10. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, June 28, 1918 Document 1 4 Correspondence, France, July 21, 1918-August 23, 1918 01. Postcard to Mrs. D. (Mary) O'Connell, July 21, 1918 Document 02. Letter to Mary O'Connell, July 24, 1918 Document 03. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, Ca. August 1918 Document 04. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, August 23, 1918 Document 1 5 Correspondence, France, 8/27/1918-10/23/1918, n.d. 01. Letter to Mary O'Connell, August 27, 1918 Document 02. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, September 17, 1918 Document 03. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, September 27, 1918 Document 04. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, October 15, 1918 Document 05. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, October 23, 1918 Document 06. Postcard to Hellen O'Connell, n.d. Document 1 6 Correspondence, Ebernhahn, Germany, 2/5/1919-4/16/1919 01. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, February 5, 1919 Document 02. Letter to Sarah O'Connell, February 8, 1919 Document 03. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell (Photocopy, Original in Series 3), February 15, 1919 Document 04. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, March 7, 1919 Document 05. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, April 2, 1919 Document 06. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, April 4, 1919 Document 07. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, April 16, 1919 Document 1 7 Correspondence, Ebernhahn, Germany, 5/1919-7/1919 01. Letter to Mary O'Connell, May 1919 Document 02. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, May 22, 1919 Document 03. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, June 21, 1919 Document 04. Letter to Mary O'Connell, June 22, 1919 Document 05. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, June 30, 1919 Document 06. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, July 22, 1919 Document 07. Postcard to Daniel O'Connell, 1919 Document 1 8 Correspondence, Camp Mills, New York and Camp Leach, Washington, DC, 8/1919-9/1919 01. Telegram to Dan O'Connell, August, 30, 1919 Document 02. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, August, 30, 1919 Document 03. Postcard to Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, August, 30, 1919 Document 04. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, September 1919 Document 05. Letter to Ellen O'Connell, September 1919 Document 1 9 Discharge Papers, Camp Devins, Massachusetts, 9/27/1919 Document 1 10 Federal Census (Photocopy), Southington, Connecticut - O'Connell Family, 6/15/1900 Document 1 11 Federal Census (Photocopy), New York, New York - Robert and Susan O'Connell, 4/5/1930 Document 1 12 Membership Material - Society of the First Division, 1919, 1932 Documents 1 13 Form Letter from C.P. Summerall to Comrades of the Society of the First Division, April 1, 1920 Document 1 14 Obituary - The Waterbury American, Waterbury, Connecticut, 2/18/1972 Document 1 15 Orders, Passes (Military), 1918-1919 Documents 1 16 Pay Book, 1919 Document 1 17 Registration Card (Photocopy) of R. L. O'Connell, 1942 Document 1 18 Registration Certificate of Daniel O'Connell, 1918 Document 1 19 Note of Acknowledgement from the First Division, n.d. Document Series 2: Publications 1918-1919, n.d. Works celebrating the service of the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) in France and a German language guide. 1 20 Publication - Yanks: A Book of A.E.F. Verse, 1918 Document 1 21 Publication - To The Homeward-bound Americans, 1919 Document 1 22 Publication - "I Was There!" With the Yanks in France: Sketches made on the Western Front 1917 -- 1919 by Pvt. C. Leroy Baldridge A.E.F. Verse by Pvt. Hilmar R. Baukhage A.E.F., 1919 Document 1 23 Publication - Burger Sprachfuhrer: Burgers Help for The Englishman The American to Learn How to Speak German Without a Teacher, n.d. Document Series 3: Photographs and Postcards ca. 1911-1940, n.d. Photographs, mostly print copies, of the O'Connell family and Robert's military service as well as original photo and color print postcards relating to the war in France and post-war occupation in the Rhineland of Germany. 2 1 Photo (B/W Print Copy) - O'Connell Family Portrait, ca. 1911 Photo 2 2 Photo (2 B/W Print Copies) - Robert O'Connell in Uniform, ca. 1919 Photo 2 3 Photo (B/W Print Copy) - First Engineers, Army of Occupation, Wirges, Germany, 7/19/1919 Photo 2 4 Photo (B/W Print Copy) - Second Platoon, C Company, Germany?, 1919 Photo 2 5 Photo (B/W Print Copy) - Robert and Ellen O'Connell, 1928 Photo 2 6 Photo (B/W Print Copy) - Robert and Susan O'Connell, ca. 1940 Photo 2 7 Photo (Color Print Copy) - Robert O'Connell's W.W.I Uniform on Display at the Bristol, Connecticut, Armory, n.d. Photo 2 8 Photos (B/W) - War Devastated France, ca. 1918-1919 01. An Unindentified Settlement on the Side of a Hill, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 02. An Unindentified Mountainside, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 03. A War torn Neighborhood with a Mountain in the Background, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 04. Mountainous scenery, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 05. Mountainous scenery, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 06. Mountainous scenery, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 07. An Unidentified Looted Factory, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 08. Military Rubbish on the Side of a Mountain, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 09. Unidentified Soldiers Sitting in a Yard in a War torn Neighborhood, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 10. A War torn Unidentified Neighborhood, ca. 1918-1919 Photo 2 9 Postcard: Sketch (B/W) - "Huns Don't Like These Tanks, and if You Buy More Liberty Bonds They Will Like Them Less" - Pvt. Rich to Daniel O'Connell, 1918 Postcard 2 10 Postcards: Photos (B/W) - France, 1917-1918 01. French Lineman Electrocuted, ca. 1917-1918 Postcard 02. A Dead Boche, ca. 1917-1918 Postcard 03. A Human Skeleton, 1917 Postcard 04. A Dead Human Body, 1917 Postcard 05. English Trench, ca. 1917-1918 Postcard 06. Soldiers in Battle being Gassed, ca. 1917-1918 Postcard 07. A Neighborhood Ravaged by War (Portseint), ca. 1917-1918 Postcard 08. Explosion by Berry.ou.Bac, ca. 1917-1918 Postcard 09. Argonne 1918, A Dud, 1918 Postcard 2 11 Postcards: Photos (B/W) - Coblenz, Germany, 1919 01. Two Soldiers Crossing a Pontoon Bridge, 1919 Postcard 02. Soldiers Walking, 1919 Postcard 03. Baseball Game at Montabaur Castle, 1919 Postcard 04. At the Finish of a Race, 1919 Postcard 05. Soldiers and Small Boats on the Rhine River, 1919 Postcard 06. Soldiers along a River Front Eating Doughnuts, 1919 Postcard 07. Soldiers Working on a Pontoon Bridge, 1919 Postcard 08. Soldiers Walking on a Pontoon Bridge, 1919 Postcard 09. Boats, 1919 Postcard 10. A Boat Crew, 1919 Postcard 11. Soldiers, 1919 Postcard 12. Army Engineer Band Marching Along a Pontoon Bridge, 1919 Postcard 13. Soldiers Shooting Craps, 1919 Postcard 14. Notes on Photographs taken over the Rhine River, Coblenz, Germany, 1919 Postcard 2 12 Postcards: Prints (Color) - Coblenz, Germany, 1919 01. Coblenz, Germany, as Seen from the Rhine River, 1919 Postcard 02. Coblenz, Germany, mit dem neuen Regierungsgebaude: Robert L. O'Connell to his mother, Mrs. Daniel (Mary) O'Connell, dated February 15, 1919 (Photocopy in Series 1), 1919 Postcard 03. Coblenz Kaiser-Wilhelm Provinzial Denkmal, 1919 Postcard 2 13 Postcards: Prints (Color) - Germany, 1919 01. Scenic Bingen, Germany, 1919 Postcard 02. German Countryside, 1919 Postcard 03. Statue, 1919 Postcard 2 14 Postcards: Prints (Color) - Der Rhein (Book of 20) - Germany, ca. 1919 Photo Series 4: Memorabilia 1918-1919, n.d. Miscellaneous coins and button pins as well as a military bottle opener. 2 15 Memorabilia - Coins, n.d. 01. French Transit Token, n.d. Transit Token 02. French Coin, n.d. Coin 03. French Coin, n.d. Coin 2 16 Memorabilia - Button Pins, 1918-1919 01. "United War Work Campaign: for the boys over there" Button Pin, n.d. Pin 02. "United War Work Campaign: for the boys over there" Button Pin, n.d. Pin 03. Red Cross 1919 Button Pin, 1919 Pin 2 17 Memorabilia - Military Bottle Opener, n.d. Bottle Opener

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