Thomas F. Jones, Sr., papers regarding the Civilian Conservation Corps and Pearl Harbor
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of photograph albums, training manuals, documents, and artifacts related to Thomas F. Jones, Sr.'s service in the Civilian Conservation Corps and later as a solider in the United States Army Coast Artillery stationed in Hawaii during and after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Series I. documents Thomas F. Jones, Sr.'s service in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1937 to 1940. It contains two photograph albums from Jones's experiences at Camp Baynesville in Virginia and other CCC project sites in New Mexico. The albums include official camp photographs as well as personal snapshots of Jones and other camp members at work (in uniform or work gear, often with shovels, rakes) and recreation (swimming, baseball, in casual dress), and in transit. Camp scenes include mess hall and barracks interiors, and exterior grounds with camp buildings and work sites. The album in Folder 2 includes a CCC history with lists of the Baynesville laborers, and the series contains other documents from his service.
Series II. documents Jones's service as a Private First Class stationed in Hawaii during and following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Included are a training guide for enlisted men in the event of chemical warfare and a manual used to identify the silhouettes of American and Japanese ships and aircraft. The series also contains brochures given to enlisted men detailing Christmas celebrations in Hawaii as well as other brochures, identification cards, and publications collected by Jones during his service in the military.
Of particular note is a handwritten "Chronology of Events of 7 December 1941" written on December 10, 1941, detailing the attack on Pearl Harbor. There is also a 1941 Christmas dinner program, with the handwritten marks next to the names of forty-one members of Battery C, 15th Coast Artillery, who were "gone by Xmas 1942" or killed in action. Series II also features two souvenir service albums containing autographs of Jones's friends, photographs of military personnel and equipment, locations in Hawaii, family and friends, and scenery. The albums also contain officially-produced copy prints of U.S. Navy photographs of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The series includes a cigar box containing artifacts collected by Jones during his time in Hawaii.
Dates
- Creation: 1937-1946
Creator
- Jones, Thomas F., Sr. (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Biographical Note
Thomas Francis Jones, Sr., a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, served in the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1937-1940, after which he served in the United States Army Coast Artillery. Jones was stationed in Hawaii and saw action at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and he married Ann Barras in Philadelphia in May of 1946.
Thomas F. Jones worked as a laborer for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1937 to 1940. The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public works program launched by the Roosevelt administration to address the dual problems of "widespread unemployment by the nation's youth and neglect and unwise use of our once vast wealth of natural resources." (CCC album, F2) Jones, who was one of several children of a widowed mother, enrolled in the CCC on April 19, 1937, in Philadelphia, and was assigned to CCC Camp SP-19 at Baynesville, Virginia. Jones was honorably discharged after the expiration of his two-year term on March 31, 1939. Papers in the collection indicate that Jones carried a Seaman's Certificate of Identification from the U.S. Department of Commerce that was issued in May 1939, but it is not clear if he obtained work. Later in the year, on October 6, 1939, Jones re-enrolled in the CCC, once again in Philadelphia. He was assigned to work in camps in Velarde and Hatch, New Mexico, where his duties consisted of soil conservation. He served until March 28, 1940, when his six-month extension expired.
Jones enrolled in the United States Army and was stationed in Hawaii as a member of Battery C, 15th Coast Artillery during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Private First Class from the Army on July 12, 1945.
Biographical information derived from collection.
Extent
1 linear foot (4 boxes)
Abstract
This collection consists of photograph albums, training manuals, documents, and artifacts related to Thomas F. Jones, Sr.'s service in the Civilian Conservation Corps and later as a solider in the United States Army Coast Artillery stationed in Hawaii during and after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Source
Gift of Thomas F, Jones, Jr., February 2012.
Shelving Summary
- Box 1: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes
- Boxes 2-4: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes (1 inch)
OCLC Number
Processing
Processed and encoded by E. Evan Echols, March 2012.
Subject
- Jones, Thomas F., Sr. (Person)
- United States. Army. Coast Artillery, 15th (Organization)
- Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) (Organization)
Genre / Form
- Artifacts (object genre)
- Brochures
- certificates
- Insignias
- Marriage certificates
- Military records
- Photograph albums
- Photographs
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for Thomas F. Jones, Sr., papers regarding the Civilian Conservation Corps and Pearl Harbor
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2012 March 14
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository