Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

J. G. Northrup Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information:

Acc. 2011.670 was received by the SCRC via USPS on 10/27/2011.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in November 2011. Further processed by Del Moore, SCRC volunteer, in 2014.

Biographical / Historical

Administrative History:

Biographical Information:

Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .

Administrative History:

Private J. G. Northrup was from North Bergen, New Jersey.  In his diary entry for July 13, 1918, he wrote that "just a year ago left the litograph [sic] business went to work in avation [sic] field".  He registered for the draft in June 1917, enlisted in February 1918, and was sent to Camp Dix, NJ, for training.  His unit was shipped from Baltimore in May 1918.  At the end of his diary, his unit was near Bordeaux, France, presumably waiting to be shipped home.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of a small bound diary and ten photographs.  The diary was kept by Private J. G. Northrup, mainly while he was deployed in France in Company B, 303 rd Engineers, 78 th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, from June 1918 through May 1919.  Company B supported troops during major engagements in the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives.  Diary entries are brief, mentioning routine duties and events, as well as military activities Northrup participated in or witnessed, such as movement around France, caring for horses, retrieving supplies, fixing roads and building a bridge while under fire, seeing engineers and soldiers go "over the top", air raids, air battles, artillery fire, gas attacks, gas sickness, casualties, and destruction.  The diary appears to have been written sometime after the actual events.  For example, the entry for October 6, 1918, includes the following: "In going for water I met with an accident with the horse which I though[t] would put him out for good but in a few weeks he became OK."  The photographs are of unidentified people and places, but presumably most are of Private Northrup.

Related Material

for the Armed Conflicts & the Military in the Special Collections Research Center resource guide.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Diaries
• France--Description and travel--20th century
• Photographs
• United States. Army. Corps of Engineers
• World War, 1914-1918--France