Vaught family. Papers, 1932-1946
Collection held by the Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky
Creator: Vaught family
Title: Papers, 1932-1946
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for this collection, contact the Collections Department at gro.lacirotsihnoslif@hcraeser.
Size of Collection: 3.46 cu. ft
Location Number: Mss. A V371
Finding aid created by: Jana Meyer
Date finding aid created: January 2026
Date finding aid last updated: January 2026
Abstract
This collection is comprised of courtship and World War II correspondence between Clinton Vestal Vaught of Science Hill, Kentucky and Doris Octavia Hance of Warsaw, Kentucky. Courtship correspondence, 1932-1934, concerns the developing relationship between Clinton and Doris, with the Great Depression as a major theme of their letters. Clinton’s struggle to find steady work is frequently discussed. In 1933-1934, he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps and bounced between a series of odd jobs while living with relatives in Indianapolis. In the meantime, Doris writes about her job as a schoolteacher in Gallatin County, Kentucky, and her continued studies at Eastern Kentucky University. Although the two wish to marry, the Great Depression, Clinton’s inability to find steady work, and parental opposition to the match delays their plans. The courtship correspondence ends with Clinton’s pending move to Warsaw, Kentucky to manage a Standard Oil service station; the couple married shortly thereafter. Their correspondence resumes in December 1942, when Clinton is drafted into the military for World War II service. Correspondence, 1942-1946, documents his service during war, both in the United States and in Okinawa, Japan. Much of Doris’ correspondence is present as well, and the letters also document the perspective of a partner separated from their spouse by the war.
Scope and Content Note
Courtship and World War II correspondence between Clinton Vestal Vaught and Doris Octavia Hance, 1932-1946.
Courtship correspondence, 1932-1934, concerns the developing relationship between Clinton Vaught of Science Hill, Kentucky and Doris Hance of Warsaw, Kentucky. Clinton and Doris first met while studying at Eastern Kentucky University. The two dated while in school together, then broke off their relationship for a time. They exchanged a few letters in 1932 and rekindled their romance in fall 1933.
The Great Depression is a major theme of Clinton and Doris’ courtship correspondence. Clinton’s struggle to find steady work is frequently discussed. In 1933-1934, he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps and bounced between a series of odd jobs while living with relatives in Indianapolis. Letters document his work for the CCC Camp, Co. 1515 in Central City, Kentucky in August-September 1933; his commission-based job selling candy in Indianapolis in winter 1934; and a series of odd jobs (especially auto-repair work) in Indianapolis in summer 1934. In the meantime, Doris writes about her job as a schoolteacher in Gallatin County, Kentucky, and her continued studies at Eastern Kentucky University. Despite having a job, Doris’ finances are tight. The car she purchases to drive to her teaching job is continually breaking down and in need of repairs. Although the two wish to marry, the Great Depression and Clinton’s inability to find steady work delays their plans.
Additional themes of their courtship correspondence include Doris’ role at home as the eighth child and youngest daughter. Doris’ mother passed away in 1930. In 1933-1934, Doris has many domestic tasks at home and is the primary caregiver for her aging father. Letters document her turbulent relationship with her father, including his disapproval of Clinton as a match for his daughter, and his desire to exert control over Doris’ life. In summer 1934, Doris’ letters discuss her father’s decision to investigate selling the family farm, Melrose Farms. In addition, letters also document the social lives and customs of young people in the early 1930s, both in Warsaw, Kentucky (Doris) and Science Hill, Kentucky and Indianapolis (Clinton). Doris’ continued studies for her teaching degree at Eastern Kentucky University are discussed in letters dating from April-July 1934. Finally, the letters document a measles outbreak in Warsaw, Kentucky in February-March 1934.
The courtship correspondence ends with Clinton’s pending move to Warsaw, Kentucky in September 1934. Doris had found a job for him as manager of a Standard Oil service station in her hometown. The couple married shortly thereafter, on December 26, 1934.
The correspondence resumes in December 1942, when Clinton is drafted into the military for World War II service. Correspondence, 1942-1946, documents his service during war, both in the United States and in Okinawa, Japan. Much of Doris’ correspondence is present as well, and the letters also document the perspective of a partner separated from their spouse by the war.
One theme of the World War II correspondence is Clinton’s advancement through the ranks. He is one of the only men from Gallatin County drafted in 1942 to be sent to train at Camp Wallace, Texas. Camp Wallace was an anti-aircraft training camp which also provided leadership opportunities. During his service there, Clinton applied and was accepted to Officer Candidate School at Camp Davis, North Carolina. After graduating from O.C.S. in fall 1943, Clinton completed additional training in the U.S. In 1944, he became the Commanding Officer of the automotive school at Camp Stewart, Georgia, leading a team of instructors who trained mechanics. He was Company Commander of his unit when it shipped for Okinawa in September 1945.
Throughout his correspondence, Clinton is a detailed and thoughtful writer. He includes thorough descriptions of his daily activities during basic training at Camp Wallace, and his preparation for attending Officer Candidate School. Although he is not always allowed to write in such detail, his letters also include his impressions of military service and daily life. Clinton was among those poised for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was sent to the Pacific Theater in September 1945, arriving in Okinawa, Japan shortly after the end of the war. His letters from Okinawa are not censored and include detailed descriptions of the island and its war-torn scenery, especially destruction wrought by the Battle of Okinawa. He toured Okinawa extensively and snapped many photographs, including descriptions of the images in his letters. (Note: many of these images are present in the Vaught photograph collection.)
In contrast, Doris’ letters document the perspective of a military spouse. She followed Clinton between assignments during his U.S. service, finding a place to live nearby. However, this became more difficult in the months leading up to and following the birth of their daughter Lynn, who was born in April 1944. Doris’ letters discuss her pregnancy, pre-natal care, gender preferences, and experiences with childbirth. Her letters often comment on Lynn’s growth and development. Due to the war, Clinton missed much of the first two years of her life.
In addition, Doris and Clinton’s letters reflect the difficulties of separation from each other due to the war. Both resent the “draft dodgers” in Warsaw who are not serving. Doris writes about strained social interactions in her hometown in the months after Clinton first leaves for service. The two also frequently comment on thwarted sexual desire.
In addition to correspondence, the collection also contains ephemera from Clinton’s military service, including items such as registration cards, postcards, clippings, maps, and receipts. There are also ship newspapers for the General Omar Bundy and the General Hugh Rodman, the troop transports that ferried Clinton to and from Okinawa. A few copies of newspapers issued in Okinawa are also present.
Preservation Note:
A scrapbook of mixed manuscript and photographic items was disassembled due to preservation concerns. The photos in the volume were separated to the Vaught family photograph collection. Ephemera from the scrapbook remains in this manuscript collection and is identified in the folder list.
Related Collections
Vaught family photograph collection (025PC12)
WWII service flag (2025.7)
Robert Milton Hance papers, Mss. A H234
Biographical or Historical Note
Clinton Vestal Vaught, Sr. was born November 1, 1912, in Science Hill, Pulaski County, Kentucky. to John Perkins Vaught (1866-1943) and Minnie Mariah Hieronimus (1873-1950). Vaught met his future wife, Doris Octavia Hance, while studying at Eastern Kentucky University. Vaught did not graduate and worked a variety of jobs in the 1930s during the Great Depression. In 1932-1933, he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps in Central City, Kentucky.
Doris Octavia Hance was born on October 26, 1913, in Gallatin County, Kentucky, the eighth daughter of Milton Lee (1870-1937) and Inda Darneille Hance (1873-1930). She grew up on the family farm near Jackson’s Landing, Gallatin County, Kentucky. Her mother died of cancer in 1930. In 1937, during the Great Depression, her father committed suicide due to the eminent loss of the farm. Doris was an elementary school teacher beginning just after her 18th birthday in a one-room schoolhouse at Jackson’s Landing, Kentucky. In the early 1930s she studied teaching at Eastern Kentucky University, meeting Clinton Vaught while she was a student.
Clinton Vaught and Doris Hance married on December 26, 1934. By 1940, the couple had settled in Warsaw, and Clinton had found employment with the Kentucky State Highway Department. During World War II, Clinton served in the United States Army, from December 1942 – July 1946. Much of his service was in the United States, but in 1945 he was sent to the Pacific Theater, arriving in Okinawa, Japan shortly after the Battle of Okinawa. After World War II, the couple moved to Clarksville, Indiana. Doris taught in Borden and Clarksville schools before finally teaching for twenty years at McCulloch Elementary School in Clarksville. Clinton was a regional manager for the H. J. Heinz Co.
Clinton died on May 15, 1996. Doris died on August 13, 2016, at the age of 102. They are buried at Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park in New Albany, Indiana. They had two children Lynn and Clinton, Jr., known as “Buzzi.”
Folder/Item/Box List
Box 1
Courtship Letters
Folder 1: Correspondence, December 1932
Folder 2: Correspondence, January 1933
Folder 3: Correspondence, August 1933
Folder 4: Correspondence, September 1933
Folder 5: Correspondence, October 1933
Folder 6: Correspondence, November 1-15, 1933
Folder 7: Correspondence, November 16-26, 1933
Folder 8: Correspondence, December 3-11, 1933
Folder 9: Correspondence, December 12-31, 1933
Folder 10: Correspondence, January 1-9, 1934
Folder 11: Correspondence, January 10-22, 1934
Folder 12: Correspondence, January 23-30, 1934
Folder 13: Correspondence, February 1-14, 1934
Folder 14: Correspondence, February 19-28, 1934
Folder 15: Correspondence, March 1-15, 1934
Folder 16: Correspondence, March 16-31, 1934
Folder 17: Correspondence, April 1-15, 1934
Folder 18: Correspondence, April 16-30, 1934
Folder 19: Correspondence, May 1-18, 1934
Folder 20: Correspondence, May 21-31, 1934
Folder 21: Correspondence, June 1-15, 1934
Folder 22: Correspondence, June 16-22, 1934
Folder 23: Correspondence, June 23-29, 1934
Folder 24: Correspondence, July 1934
Box 2
Folder 25: Correspondence, August 2-18, 1934
Folder 26: Correspondence, August 20-31, 1934
Folder 27: Correspondence, September 1934
Folder 28: Correspondence, undated, 1934?
Folder 29: Correspondence, courtship letters to Doris and Clinton from other individuals, ca. 1933-1934
World War II Letters
Folder 30: Correspondence, December 1942
Folder 31: Correspondence, January 1943
Folder 32: Correspondence, February 1943
Folder 33: Correspondence, March 1-15, 1943
Folder 34: Correspondence, March 16-31, 1943
Folder 35: Correspondence, April 1-15, 1943
Folder 36: Correspondence, April 16-30, 1943
Folder 37: Correspondence, May 1943
Folder 38: Correspondence, June-July 1943
Folder 39: Correspondence, August 1943
Folder 40: Correspondence, September-October 1943
Folder 41: Correspondence, November-December 1943
Folder 42: Correspondence, January 1944
Folder 43: Correspondence, February 1944
Folder 44: Correspondence, March 1-15, 1944
Folder 45: Correspondence, March 16-31, 1944
Folder 46: Correspondence, April 1-14, 1944
Folder 47: Correspondence, April 15-23, 1944
Folder 48: Correspondence, April 24-30, 1944
Folder 49: Correspondence, May 1-10, 1944
Folder 50: Correspondence, May 11-31, 1944
Box 3
Folder 51: Correspondence, June 1-15, 1944
Folder 52: Correspondence, June 16-30, 1944
Folder 53: Correspondence, July 1-15, 1944
Folder 54: Correspondence, July 16-31, 1944
Folder 55: Correspondence, August 1-15, 1944
Folder 56: Correspondence, August 16-30, 1944
Folder 57: Correspondence, September 1944
Folder 58: Correspondence, December 1944
Folder 59: Correspondence, April-May 1945
Folder 60: Correspondence, June 1945
Folder 61: Correspondence, August 1945
Folder 62: Correspondence, September 1945
Folder 63: Correspondence, October 1-14, 1945
Folder 64: Correspondence, October 16-31, 1945
Folder 65: Correspondence, November 1-15, 1945
Folder 66: Correspondence, November 16-30, 1945
Folder 67: Correspondence, December 2-14, 1945
Folder 68: Correspondence, December 16-31, 1945
Folder 69: Correspondence, January 1-10, 1946
Folder 70: Correspondence, January 11-20, 1946
Folder 71: Correspondence, January 21-31, 1946
Folder 72: Correspondence, February 1-15, 1946
Folder 73: Correspondence, February 16-28, 1946
Box 4
Folder 74: Correspondence, March 1-15, 1946
Folder 75: Correspondence, March 16-30, 1946
Folder 76: Correspondence, March 31 – May 1946
Folder 77: Scrapbook – Civilian Conservation Corps discharge and postcards, ca. 1933-1934
Folder 78: Scrapbook – postcards and ephemera from military service, ca. 1943-1945
Folder 79: Scrapbook – clippings and ephemera from Okinawa, ca. 1945-1946
Folder 80: The Gen. Omar Bundy ship newspaper, Aug. 1, 1945; Sept. 23-Oct. 15, 1945
Folder 81: Crow’s Nest ship newspaper for the U.S.S. Rodman, May 13, 1946
Folder 82: Okinawa newspapers, October 1945 & March 1946
Folder 83: Histories of Okinawa, ca. 1945-1946
Folder 84: Ephemera from military service, ca. 1940-1946
Folder 85: Ephemera re: Okinawa and travel home, ca. 1945-1946
Folder 86: Maps of Okinawa, 1945
Subject Headings
For more details on how the below subjects appear in this collection, search the subject in the manuscript database at https://filsonhistorical.org/collections/manuscript-database/.
Adultery.
Alcohol.
Allergy.
Antisemitism.
Books and reading.
Camp Adair (Or.)
Camp Davis (N.C.)
Camp Stewart (Ga.)
Camp Wallace (Tex.)
Childbirth.
Christmas.
Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) – Indiana.
Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) – Kentucky.
College students – Kentucky.
Courtship.
Dating (Social customs)
D-Day, 1944 (Normandy invasion)
Depressions – 1929.
Dillinger, John, 1903-1934.
Eastern Kentucky University.
Elementary school teachers – Kentucky.
Family farms – Kentucky.
Family violence.
Floods – Kentucky.
Fort Benning (Ga.)
Fort Knox (Ky.)
Gambling.
Hance, Robert Milton, 1918-1988.
Housekeeping.
Hunting – Kentucky.
Indianapolis (Ind.) – Social life and customs.
Libido.
Love-letters.
Mate selection.
Maternal health services.
Measles.
Menstruation disorders.
Military education.
Military spouses.
Okinawa Island (Japan)
Parent and child.
Parents – Attitudes.
Pickett, Alice Newcomb, 1878-1971.
Poliomyelitis.
Pregnancy.
Rationing.
Science Hill (Ky.) – Social life and customs.
Sex of children, Parental preferences for.
Sex role.
Smoking cessation.
Soldiers – Religious life.
Soldiers – Training of – United States.
Soldiers – United States.
Soldiers – United States – Social life and customs – 20th century.
Teaching – Kentucky.
Tonsillectomy.
Typhoon Louise, 1945.
U.S.S. General Bundy (Transport ship)
United States. Army – Physical training.
Warsaw (Ky.)
Warsaw (Ky.) – Social life and customs.
Weather.
World War, 1939-1945.
World War, 1939-1945 – Battlefields – Pacific Area.
World War, 1939-1945 – Campaigns – Japan – Okinawa Island.
World War, 1939-1945 – Draft resisters.
World War, 1939-1945 – Prisoners and prisons.