Reuben L. and Marcionella V. Curtiss papers

Collection

Call Number: MS 853

Scope and Contents

The Reuben L. and Marcionella V. Curtiss Papers consist mainly of correspondence between Mr. and Mrs. Curtiss during their service in the United States Army in the Second World War. Mr. Curtiss wrote his letters mainly from army posts in the United States (September 1942-July 1943) and from India and China (August 1943-June 1945). Mrs. Curtiss wrote her letters from Milford, Connecticut (September-November 1942), from army posts in the United States (December 1942-June 1944), and from Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines (June 1944-June 1945). The correspondence is most valuable for its descriptions and criticisms of army life and of the people and customs of the places in which the Curtisses were stationed. There is also a diary kept by Mr. Curtiss between February 1944 and December 1945.

The essential biographical source is a 3000-word letter that Mrs. Curtiss (now married to Leland Smith) wrote in February 1979 at the invitation of this department. It is boxed at the beginning of the papers. It not only provides information about parentage, schooling, employment, and the like, but also creates a vivid and moving impression of "Curt & Marcy - Their Life Together." This letter is essential to a full appreciation of the papers. For quick reference, however, please see the chronology selected from it in the Biographical Sketch above.

Dates

1942-1979

Creator

Curtiss, Reuben Lucius, 1897-1978

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Reuben L. Curtiss, 1975.

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.0853

Additional Description

Overview

Correspondence between Reuben L. and Marcionella V. Curtiss during World War II when each was serving in the United States Army make up the bulk of the papers. Reuben L. Curtiss's letters are sent from various parts of the United States, Africa, India, and China. Marcionella V. Curtiss's letters reflect her service in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. There is also a diary kept by Reuben L. Curtiss (1944-1945), and a biographical sketch written by Marcionella V. Curtiss in 1979.

Biographical / Historical

1897: born in North Branford, Connecticut
[c. 1909]: left school after the sixth grade
[1910s]-1942: held various jobs in New York City and Connecticut
1933: married Marcionella Vegas
1938: bought a campsite in Milford, Connecticut, and began living there except in the winters
1940: built a cabin on the Milford campsite and made it the Curtisses' permanent home
1942: joined the United States Army
1943-1945: served in India and China, supervising transport of American war materiel
1945: left the army
1945-[late 1950s]: held various jobs in Connecticut
1952: fathered a son, Scott Dewitt
1978: died in the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Haven, Connecticut

MARCIONELLA LILLYAN (VEGAS) CURTISS SMITH (1906-)

1914: born in Forteleza, Brazil, of American-born parents
1917: came to live in New York
[late 1920s]: attended junior high school and one month of business school
[early 1930s]: worked as a "girl friday" for Reuben Curtiss and attended high school in the evenings
1933: married Reuben Curtiss
1933-1942: held various jobs in New York City and Connecticut
1942: joined the United States Army
1944-1945: served in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines
1945: left the army
1945-1952: held various jobs in Connecticut
1952: gave birth to a son, Scott Dewitt
[late 1950s-late 1960s]: held various jobs in Connecticut
1968: separated from Reuben Curtiss and went to live with his nephew, Leland Smith
1971: moved to the Southwest
1978: married Leland Smith