Scope and Content
The Harold Benjamin Collection Graham collection documents Graham’s United States Army service during World War I. The collection consists of correspondence.
A vast majority of the materials in the collection are letters sent by Graham to his mother from 1917-1920. Other recipients include his father and sister. Topics covered include camaraderie with his fellow servicemen; aspects of his service experience including guard duty and United States-Mexico border problems; travel in the areas in which he is stationed; ways in which he keeps busy during down time; his attempts to receive furloughs and discharges; post-discharge employment plans; instructions for his family for taking care of his car; his love life, and his impressions of Texas and its people. One additional letter is from Graham’s mother, addressed to her grandchild, allocating Graham’s World War I letters to his children. Additionally, the final folder contains summaries and some transcriptions of Graham’s letters. These items were created and compiled by Graham’s descendants.