Charles E. H. Bates Family Correspondence, 1899-1930 - 6

This collection documents the experiences of a California family during the early 20th Century, including the First World War. There are 109 letters written by Charles E.H. Bates beginning in his childhood in Alameda, California, and ending in the late 1920s as he begins a career in medicine. Letters sent from California and France while Bates served with the American Expeditionary Forces date from January 1918 through May 1919. There is a larger collection of 784 letters to Bates from his family:  father, mother, and four brothers, as well as friends, including the woman who became his wife. Please note that historical materials in the Bates Collection may include viewpoints and values that are not consistent with the values of the California State Library or the State of California and may be considered offensive. Materials must be viewed in the context of the relevant time period but views are in no way endorsed by the State Library. The California State Library’s mission is to provide credible information services to all Californians and, as such, the content of historical materials should be transcribed as it appears in the original document.   

In addition to descriptions of life in military service during World War I (Army, Air Service, Marines, Navy) provided by Bates and his brothers, this collection documents the life of a middle-class family living in the Bay Area during the early years of the 20th Century. In the larger social context, the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic's horrendous impact on California is discussed in several letters, as are the spontaneous Armistice celebrations that took place throughout the Bay Area.