DACS

]> Finding Aid for the Nancy E. Carter Family Letters, 1942-1992 Processed by: Beverley Roberts ; machine-readable finding aid created by: Beverley Roberts University Archives & ManuscriptsThe University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, NC, USA

2007 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: June 2006. Description is in English. Finding aid was prepared using DACS. Finding Aid for the Nancy E. Carter Family Letters, 1942-1992 University Libraries, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro &hdrnguscua; Descriptive Summary The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. University Archives & Manuscripts. Carter, Nancy E. Carter family. Nancy E. Carter Family Letters, 1942-1992 WV0322 Material in English. 1.0 linear foot] 258 items For current information on the location of these materials, please consult University Archives & Manuscripts. Nancy E. Carter of Charlottesville, Virginia, served as a sergeant in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II and remained in the army at least until the 1960s. Correspondence written chiefly by Nancy E. Carter and various members of the Carter family document Carter's military service and the lives of her family members in California and Ohio from the 1940s to the 1960s. Letters written by Nancy Carter between 1942 and 1943 describe her recruiting experience in the WAAC, basic training at Daytona Beach, her daily routine, and social activities. Lengthy letters from France between 1944 and 1945 include information about her daily life, accommodations, and entertainment activities. Specific subjects include attending ballets, operas, and USO shows, as well as shopping and sightseeing in Paris. A few letters comment on the reception of the WACs in France and note their portrayal by the press. In the 1950s Nancy comments on the reception of African Americans into her regiment of WACs. Letters written by other members of the Carter family focus on their daily lives rather than on Nancy's experience in the military. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Nancy E. Carter Family Letters (WV0322), Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Purchased in 2005.

Processing Information

Processed by Beverley Roberts , June 2006

Encoded by Beverley Roberts, June 2006

Biographical Notes Nancy E. Carter

Nancy E. Carter, the daughter of Mr. W.F. and Mrs. Mildred Carter of Charlottesville, Virginia, joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in the fall of 1942, and became a sergeant by 1943. Carter attended basic training in Daytona Beach, Florida, and remained stationed in the area until 1944 when she was sent to Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia. In this same year Carter joined the Women's Army Corps (WAC). After a brief time in England in 1944, Carter's regiment was sent to France where they were primarily stationed in Paris. During this period Carter was awarded a bronze star. After she returned to the United States in 1946 she worked at Fort Dix in New Jersey. She went overseas again between 1948 and 1950, and spent part of this time in Germany. Upon her return she worked at Fort Monroe in Virginia. Her date of discharge is unknown but appears to be after the mid-1960s. By the 1970s, Nancy Carter had moved back to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Carter Family

The Mr. and Mrs. Carter had two other daughters, Peggy and Annie (Ann Martin). Peggy married Lewis N. Finston and lived in Northridge, California, with their two children, Philip and Nick. Annie married Bill Schultz and lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, with their two children, Gary and Cindy.

Collection Overview

Correspondence to and from Nancy E. Carter beginning in 1942. Letters written by Carter between 1942 and 1943 describe her recruiting experience in the WAAC, basic training at Daytona Beach, her daily routine, and social activities. Lengthy letters from France between 1944 and 1945 include information about her daily life, accommodations, and entertainment activities. Specific subjects include attending ballets, operas, and USO shows, as well as shopping and sightseeing in Paris. A few letters comment on the reception of the WACs in France and note their portrayal by the press. In the 1950s, Carter comments on the reception of African Americans into her regiment of WACs. Carter's later letters focus more on her family life.

The collection also contains correspondence written to Mrs. Mildred Carter, primarily by her daughter, Peggy. Also included are letters from her brother, Rodney, and other family members between 1943 and 1964. These letters comment on the daily life of the Carter family, rather than on Nancy's life in the military. However, a few letters from 1942 do contain references to Nancy's decision to join the WAAC.

Collection Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series: Nancy E. Carter Letters and Carter Family Letters.

Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1. Nancy E. Carter Letters, 1942-1992. 184 items.

Correspondence chiefly written by Nancy E. Carter from 1942 to 1992. Letters that Carter wrote between 1942 and 1944 while stationed in the Daytona Beach area in Florida and Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia contain detailed descriptions of her daily routine as a WAAC and a WAC. Specific subjects include inspections, parades, entertainment, and the army's reception of the WACs. This section also includes a detailed letter about a friend who was dishonorably discharged from the army allegedly because her father was a Communist. Carter wrote lengthy letters from France discussing her accommodations while in France, the reception of the WACs, the portrayal of WACs by the press, sightseeing in both Paris and London, USO shows, attending the opera and ballet, and shopping in Paris. Letters from 1948 to 1950, her second tour in Europe, include a few comments on the political situation in Europe, the integration of the WACs, and on post-war Germany.

The group of letters written to Nancy between 1974 and 1992 are also addressed to Norma J. Bailey, who was a friend from the WAC and lived with Nancy in Charlottesville during this time. The letters are primarily from their friend, Dee, who was an English professor at the University of Iowa. These letters contain information about Dee's life as a professor. It is not clear how she knew Nancy and Norma.

11 1942: November-December 2 1943: January-February 3 1943: March-November 4 1944: January-March 5 1944: July-November 6 1945: January-December 7 1946: April-August 8 1947: April-October 9 1948: August-September 10 1949: December 11 1950: February-October 12 1951: January-February 13 1952-1957 14 1958-1964 15 1974-1992 Series 2. Carter Family Letters, 1943-1964. 74 items.

Correspondence regarding the daily life of the Carter family in California and Ohio. Letters are primarily from Mrs. Mildred Carter's daughter, Peggy, and her brother, Rodney. Specific subjects include the daily activities of Peggy's children, family history, health, and finances.

216 1943-1948 17 1949-1950 18 1952-1956 19 1957: February-December 20 1958: January-August 21 1960-1962 22 1963: January-November 23 1964: May Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Basic training (Military education) Carter family Carter, Nancy E. Paris (France)--Description and travel. United States--Armed Forces--African Americans United States. Army. Women's Army Corps. United States. Army. Women's Army Corps--Military life. United States. Army. Women's Army Corps--Photographs. Women veterans--United States. World War, 1939-1945--Women--United States. World War, 1939-45--France. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Female.