Explore the World War I experiences of Illinois State Normal University (ISNU) students, faculty, staff, and alumni through letters, photographs, questionnaires, news clippings, postcards, and other primary sources preserved by Milner Library’s namesake, Angeline “Ange” Vernon Milner (1856-1928) in the World War I Illinois State Normal University Service Records. This digital collection vividly illustrates the extent and variety of ISNU’s contributions during the supposed War to End All Wars and expands access to its contents for research and teaching.
Illinois State Normal University’s first full-time librarian, Ange Milner began assembling a “war roster” documenting ISNU affiliates’ World War I service as part of her work on the University’s War Service Committee after the United States entered the conflict in mid-1917. The committee was comprised of faculty appointed by then-president David Felmley to document and provide services to soldiers and volunteers with connections to the University and its Lab Schools. With help from community members, including 14-year-old Kenneth R. Pringle who later became her chief assistant, Milner created a two-page survey and sent it to ISNU students, alumni, and employees who were involved in the war effort. Pringle was noted for his meticulous effort in clipping news articles from the Bloomington Pantagraph, Normal Normalite, and Bloomington Bulletin relating to the 802 individuals identified.
Milner not only gathered sources speaking to the movements and wartime contributions of these ISNU-affiliated soldiers and support-service volunteers but also preserved the hundreds of letters she received from them, many poignantly describing the authors’ experiences and feelings. Of the files she compiled, 682 have survived to this day and serve as the foundation for this digital collection. The print artifacts, now more than 100 years old, continue to be preserved in the Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives.
One of the remarkable aspects of this collection is the wide net Milner cast when defining “service.” She made sure to include people participating in all aspects of the war effort, including Red Cross and YMCA volunteers, as well as teachers in the American Expeditionary Forces University.
These files provide first-hand accounts of many topics that have become synonymous with World War I, including gas attacks, aerial dogfighting, and the Spanish Flu pandemic. Those profiled come from all walks of life, from the son of ISNU’s president to African American draftees forced into segregated labor battalions. Several, including John Feek, Douglas Ridgely, and William Tice contain dozens of letters detailing the service members’ daily lives in France.
It would not have been possible for Milner Library to make this collection available online without the dedicated efforts of dozens of volunteers who transcribed over 2,000 handwritten documents in order to facilitate accessibility and keyword searching. The library extends its heartfelt thanks to Carol Fitzsimmons and Koka Kliora, who collectively contributed more than 300 hours of their time to the project. Anyone can sign up to help Milner transcribe digitized manuscript materials over at From The Page. Volunteers also have the option to sign up for the Transcription Rewards Program and start earning swag such as stickers, water bottles, and even an Ange Milner bobblehead doll.
