Stepleton, Donald Dufour (1909-2003) Papers, 1901-2003

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Stepleton, Donald Dufour, 1909-2003

Title: Papers, 1901-2003

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.

Size of Collection: 2 cu. ft.

Location Number: Mss. A S837

Biographical Note

Donald “Don” Dufour Stepleton was born August 4, 1909, in Indiana. In 1910, Don and his parents, Paul Edward Stepleton (1875-1919) and Belle Dufour Stepleton (1883-1979), were living in Indianapolis, where Paul worked as a bookkeeper. Paul died in 1919. According to the 1920 census, Don was living with his mother Belle and his brothers, Kenneth and John, in the home of Belle’s sister, Julia Dufour, near Vevay. Don graduated from Vevay High School in 1927.

Don served in the U.S. Merchant Marine from 1928 to 1930. For the next two years he attended classes at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University and considered pursuing a career in journalism, but he quit school in 1932. For the next nine years he was often unemployed. He performed farm labor when and where he could; he rode the rails; he built sailboats and made two solo voyages down river. In 1941, Don worked as a construction foreman at the E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Co.’s powder plant near Charlestown, Indiana.

In September 1942, at age 33, Don enlisted in the U.S. Army. He trained in Texas, was deployed to North Africa, and arrived in Salerno at the start of the Italian campaign. For the next year, his primary duty was to set up and command forward observation and communication posts to serve the advancing Fifth Army. From August 1944 to August 1945, Don was stationed in Vada, a small Tuscan town on the Mediterranean coast. His official duty in Vada was to retrieve from the sea large model planes that the Army used in anti-aircraft training exercises. He spent much of his time in the company of Vada’s fishermen.

Back in the United States, Don took on several supervisor jobs at construction sites and industrial plants. He built a rammed earth house in Vevay, providing a residence for his mother and an apartment for himself. He worked as a bookkeeper and mechanic in a tractor shop. He managed the Trafelet farm for his cousin Lella following the death of Walter Trafelet. He made furniture and art pottery. He restored two Federalist-era houses, one of which he resided in with his wife Margaret, whom he married ca. 1960. He built sailboats, fished, and ran an informal marina for small boats at the bottom of Ferry Street at Vevay. He served as justice of the peace for the town through the 1960s. He contributed a weekly column to the Vevay Reville-Enterprise.

In the late 1970s, Don and Margaret moved to Dunedin, Florida. He remained healthy and active until the week before his death at age 93.

For more information on Donald Dufour Stepleton and his extended relations, see the biographical information put together by donor Ellen Stepleton, Don’s niece, in folder 1. Ellen Stepleton wrote of her uncle, “He attempted to disengage himself from the yoke of capitalism, or even money itself… He mourned humankind’s impact on the natural world. The environmental degradation of the Ohio Valley in general and Switzerland County in particular was profoundly distressing to him… He always lived simply and manifestly appreciated leisure.”

Stepleton’s papers are tangentially related to the Stow family papers [Mss. A S891] and Stow family added papers [Mss. A S891a]. Stepleton was a grandson of Viola Stow Dufour (1841-1912) and a great grandson of Uzziel and Catharine Stow.

Sources:

Ellen Stepleton biographical notes, 2019 [Mss. A S837 / 1]

 

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of the correspondence, journals, writings, and miscellaneous papers of Donald “Don” Dufour Stepleton (1909-2003), who lived near the Ohio River in Switzerland County, Indiana, for much of his life, served in the U.S. Merchant Marine from 1928 to 1930 and in the U.S. Army during World War II, and retired to Florida in the late 1970s.

Folder 1 holds the notes of donor Ellen Stepleton about the collection, her biographical information about Don Stepleton and his relatives represented in the collection, and her booklet titled “Recalling Vada: Don Stepleton’s Chronicle of a Year Spent on the Tuscan Coast.”

Folders 2-46 contain correspondence of Don Stepleton and his family members. Folders 3-32 hold correspondence from the 1920s-1940s from Don, his brothers Kenneth and John Stepleton, and other correspondents. Folder 33 holds ca. 1946-1953 letters to Don from members of the Catarsi family in Vada, Italy, where Don was stationed for a year from 1944-1945. Folders 34-38 hold scattered correspondence from 1953-2000. Folders 39-46 consist of letters and emails from the 1990s-2003 exchanged by Don and his wife Margaret, Don’s niece Ellen Stepleton, Don’s nephew James “Jim” Stepleton, and Don and Margaret’s neighbor Dana Smith.

Folders 47-69 hold Don Stepleton’s daily journals dating from 1927-1937 and 1943-1944. The journals from 1927-1937 document Don’s work on merchant ships traveling to international ports in Europe and Africa; his travels across the United States by hitchhiking and riding aboard freight trains; his time in Chicago living with his mother Belle and brother Kenneth and attending the University of Chicago and Northwestern University; his solo boat trips down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; and his life and farm work in Vevay and Switzerland County.

Folders 70-85 contain Don Stepleton’s writings published in the Vevay Reveille-Enterprise and handwritten manuscripts from ca. 1976-1977 and 1991-2001. He writes about people and incidents in Switzerland County, on the Ohio River, and from his travels and World War II. Folder 70 holds Ellen Stepleton’s names index for individuals represented in the newspaper articles. The index references the donor’s original locations for the material; she stored newspaper articles in file folders 1-8 and copies in binder parts 1-7. The donor’s original locations for the material, which correspond to the donor’s index, are noted in backets in the folder list below.

Folders 86-94 contain miscellaneous papers, publications, and an original sketch kept by Don Stepleton.

Related Collections:

Donald Dufour Stepleton photograph collection [024PC15].

 

Folder List

Box 1

Folder 1               Collection and biographical notes

Folder 2               Names index and notes for the correspondence

Folder 3               Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Oct. 1927-Dec. 1928

Folder 4               Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Feb. 1929

Folder 5               Correspondence from Don Stepleton, April-June 1929

Folder 6               Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Oct. and Dec. 1929

Folder 7               Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Jan.-Feb. 1930

Folder 8               Correspondence from Don Stepleton, March-May 1930

Folder 9               Correspondence to Don Stepleton from John Stepleton, ca. 1930-1938

Folder 10             Correspondence to Don Stepleton from Jacob Benjamin Heid, 1934-1938

Folder 11             Correspondence to Don Stepleton from Tracy Stott, 1934-1940, undated

Folder 12             Correspondence to Don Stepleton from Elizabeth Brockschlager and August Mead, undated

Folder 13             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Oct. 1942-June 1943, undated

Folder 14             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, July-Aug. 1943

Folder 15             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Sept.-Oct. 1943

Folder 16             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Nov.-Dec. 1943

Folder 17             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Jan.-Feb. 1944

Folder 18             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, March-May 1944

Folder 19             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, June-Aug. 1944

Folder 20             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Sept.-Oct. 1944

Folder 21             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Nov.-Dec. 1944

Folder 22             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, Jan.-March 1945

Folder 23             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, April-May 1945

Folder 24             Correspondence from Don Stepleton, June-Oct. 1945

Folder 25             Notes and ephemera of Don Stepleton, ca. 1940-1945

Folder 26             Correspondence and ephemera of John D. Stepleton, July-Dec. 1943, undated

Folder 27             Correspondence of John D. Stepleton, Feb.-Dec. 1944

Folder 28             Correspondence of John D. Stepleton, Jan.-Oct. 1945

Folder 29             Correspondence of Kenneth Stepleton, ca. 1943-Aug. 1944

Folder 30             Correspondence and ephemera of Kenneth Stepleton, Sept. 1944-Feb. 1945

Folder 31             Correspondence of Kenneth Stepleton, March-Aug. 1945

Folder 32             Correspondence of Lella Trafelet and Ralph Miller, 1943-1945

Folder 33             Correspondence from Catarsi family, includes copies and translations, ca. 1946-1953

Folder 34             Correspondence of Don Stepleton, 1953, 1976-1977

Folder 35             Correspondence of Don Stepleton, 1986, 1989-1999

Folder 36             Correspondence of Don Stepleton, 1996-1998

Folder 37             Correspondence of Don Stepleton, 1990s

Folder 38             Correspondence between Don Stepleton and John Stepleton, 1992-2000

Folder 39             Correspondence from Don Stepleton to Ellen Stepleton (includes photo), 1987-2000

Folder 40             Correspondence from Don Stepleton to Ellen Stepleton, 2001

Folder 41             Correspondence from Don Stepleton to Ellen Stepleton, 2002-2003

Folder 42             Correspondence from Ellen Stepleton to Don Stepleton, 1989-2000

Folder 43             Correspondence from Ellen Stepleton to Don Stepleton (includes photos), 2001-2003

Folder 44             Correspondence from Don Stepleton to James “Jim” Stepleton, 2002

Folder 45             Correspondence from James “Jim” Stepleton to Don Stepleton, 2001-2002

Folder 46             Correspondence of Don Stepleton and Dana Smith, 2001-2002

Box 2

Folder 47             Don Stepleton journal 1 and sewing kit, May 30-Dec. 17, 1927, undated

Folder 48             Photocopy of Don Stepleton journal 1, May 30-Dec. 17, 1927

Folder 49             Don Stepleton journal 2, Oct. 6, 1928-Feb. 18, 1929

Folder 50             Photocopy of Don Stepleton journal 2, Oct. 6, 1928-Feb. 18, 1929

Folder 51             Don Stepleton journal 3, Feb. 27-July 5, 1929

Folder 52             Photocopy of Don Stepleton journal 3, newspaper clippings, Feb. 27-July 5, 1929

Folder 53             Don Stepleton journal 4, Oct. 14-Dec. 23, 1929

Folder 54             Newspaper clippings, Dec. 1929

Folder 55             Don Stepleton journal 5, Dec. 23, 1929-March 13, 1930

Folder 56             Don Stepleton journal 6, March 14-May 3, 1930

Folder 57             Don Stepleton journal 7, Aug. 24, 1930-June 21, 1931

Folder 58             Don Stepleton journal 8, June 26-Nov. 11, 1931

Folder 59             Don Stepleton journal 9, Nov. 12, 1931-Feb. 29, 1932

Folder 60             Don Stepleton journal 10, March 1-May 30, 1932

Folder 61             Don Stepleton journal 11, March 1-April 16, 1932

Folder 62             Don Stepleton journal 12, June 1-Dec. 4, 1932

Folder 63             Don Stepleton journal 13, Dec. 20, 1932-May 7, 1933

Folder 64             Don Stepleton journal 14, Oct. 14-29, 1935

Folder 65             Don Stepleton journal 15, ca. Oct. 6-Nov. 13, 1937

Folder 66             Photocopy of Don Stepleton journal 15, ca. Oct. 6-Nov. 13, 1937

Folder 67             Don Stepleton journal 16, ca. Nov. 14-19, 1937

Folder 68             Don Stepleton journal 17 and address book, Dec. 23, 1943-Sept. 23, 1944

Folder 69             Photocopy of Don Stepleton journal 17, Dec. 23, 1943-Sept. 23, 1944

Folder 70             Names index and notes for newspaper stories written by Don Stepleton

Folder 71             Newspaper clippings, 1976-1977 [file folder 1]

Folder 72             Undated newspaper clippings, ca. 1976-1977 [file folder 2]

Folder 73             Undated manuscripts, ca. 1976-1977 [file folder 3]

Folder 74             Dated or partially dated manuscripts, 1976-1777 [file folder 4]

Folder 75             Republished stories from 1975-1977, 1991 [file folder 5]

Folder 76             Newspaper clippings, 1991-1999 [file folder 6]

Folder 77             Undated manuscripts, ca. 1990s [file folder 7]

Folder 78             Undated newspaper clippings, ca. 1991-2001 [file folder 8]

Folder 79             Photocopies of newspaper clippings, 1976-1977 [binder part 1]

Folder 80             Photocopies of undated newspaper clippings, ca. 1976-1977 [binder part 2]

Folder 81             Photocopies of undated manuscripts, ca. 1976-1977 [binder part 3]

Folder 82             Photocopies of dated or partially dated manuscripts, 1976-1977 [binder part 4]

Folder 83             Photocopies of newspaper clippings, 1991-1999 [binder part 5]

Folder 84             Photocopies of undated manuscripts, ca. 1990s [binder part 6]

Folder 85             Photocopies of undated newspaper clippings, ca. 1991-2001 [binder part 7]

Folder 86             Vevay Cook Book, 1901

Folder 87             Switzerland County histories and historic images (includes photos), ca. 1927-1977

Folder 88             Duesenberg Model-J instruction manual, ca. early 1940s

Folder 89             War Department Italian phrase book, ca. early 1940s

Folder 90             Don Stepleton miscellaneous papers, ca. 1927-1930s

Folder 91             University of Chicago records and receipts, 1930-1931

Folder 92             Photocopies of military service records, 1942-1944

Folder 93             Passport and death certificate, 1954

Folder 94             Sketch by Vincenzo Catarsi, ca. 1944

 

Subject Headings

Agriculture – Indiana.

Atomic bomb.

Bakes family.

Barcelona (Spain) – Description and travel.

Beira (Mozambique) – Description and travel.

Boats and boating.

Cassino, Battle of, Cassino, Italy, 1944.

Chicago (Ill.)

Christmas.

Christmas cards.

Copenhagen (Denmark) – Description and travel.

Depressions – 1929 – United States.

Dufour family.

Hitchhiking.

Manchester (England) – Description and travel.

Merchant marine – United States.

Merchant ships.

Military bases.

Mississippi River.

New Orleans (La.) – Description and travel.

New York City (N.Y.) – Description and travel.

Northwestern University.

Ohio River.

Railroad travel – United States.

Shepherd, Jane Scearce, 1898-1977.

Shipwrecks.

South Africa – Description and travel.

Stepleton family.

Stepleton, Belle Dufour, 1883-1979.

Stepleton, Ellen, b. 1949.

Stepleton, James, b. 1946.

Stepleton, John, 1916-2000.

Stepleton, Kenneth, 1907-1982.

Stepleton, Margaret Ann Williams, 1919-2002.

Stott, Isabella Tracy, 1911-1997.

Stow family.

Switzerland County (Ind.)

Trafelet family.

United States. Army.

University of Chicago.

Vevay (Ind.)

Vevay Reveille-Enterprise (Vevay, Ind.)

Wallis, Donald, Sr., 1911-1999.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945 – Campaigns – France – Normandy.

World War, 1939-1945 – England.

World War, 1939-1945 – France.

World War, 1939-1945 – Italy.

World War, 1939-1945 – North Africa.

World War, 1939-1945 – Pacific Ocean.