Index to Zella Maude's Letters

The Wartime letters of Zella Maude Judy open a window into military nursing ninety years ago. In 1917 American medical units were rushed to Europe to relieve the British, approximately a year before a significant American land force arrived.  Even before Zella's unit reached Europe, two of her fellow nurses, Helen Burnett Wood and Edith Ayres, were killed when the nursing unit was imprudently told to watch a naval gun drill on deck. In December 1917 Zella was gassed;  eleven months later she was stricken by Spanish influenza. After the armistice she volunteered to go with the American army of occupation into post-war Germany. While overseas Zella had an active social life, and participated in several daring pursuits including an attempt to climb Mt. Blanc.  Not content with these adventures Maude returned to Europe in 1920 to serve with the Red Cross in the Russo-Polish war. Nothing on the western front had prepared Maude for the horrors she found on the Polish plain in 1920.
It is only by chance that Maude’s letters have survived. Late in 1972 Arden and Dora Vance decided to purchase Zella's niece's  house.  Among the abandoned personal effects, was this remarkable group of letters from Zella Maude Judy. The Vance’s daughter, Carol Vance Koos, donated the letters to the McLean County Historical Society in Bloomington Illinois where they are part of the Hibarger Collection.  Zella's grandson Vernon inherited some letters and many photographs from Zella's son David, but the stories that went with these artifacts had been lost until the discovery of the letters in the Hibarger collection.
The letters were all originally hand written and only the transcripts appear on this web site.  The transcripts of the letters from the Hibarger Collection were made by Illinois State University .... and appear courtesy of the copyright owner, McLean County Historical Society.  The transcripts of the letters from Vernon Beck's collection are copyright Vernon Beck.  Zella often used nursing abbreviations in her letters.  The most common was which stands for the Latin cum and means with.  The filename of the letter is a codded form of the date.  Filenames that start with p are for letters from Vernon's collection and are to Zella.
Also included are three letters from nurses taken from A History of the Illinois Training School for Nurses.

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12620.html A birthday card from Zella to her sister Emma
13330.html Busy at Nursing School
17508.html Come!
17520.html Death on the Mongolia
17531.html At sea after the accident
17602.html In Falmouth Harbor, England
17608.html Welcome to London and a city tour
17613.html Arrived at Base Hospital 12 in France
17629.html We're managing OK
17723.html Life in BEF 12 Hospital
17902.html A Gale hits the tent Hospital
17909.html Eats, dinner at a French cafe, and more wind
17930.html Busy trench fever & gas poisoned cases, homesick
17a01.html Postcard form Elva
17a02.html Christmas Gifts sent from States to BEF 12
17a10.html It's turning cold and time for inspection
17a14.html Cold and clear
17a31.html Halloween Masquerade and German bombers
17b13.html Inspection Day
17b17.html Eats
17b21.html Thank you for your kindness and courtesy
17b29.html Thanksgiving Day festivities
17c06.html Zella is a battle casualty - gassed shell wound
p17c24.html Remember me kindly to Dr. Bird
17c26.html Boxing Day and Christmas celebrations
p17c30.html Duty bound to thank you for the very kind treatment
18113.html On leave in the south of France
p18118.html Thank you and please buy me a watch with the enclosed cash
18131.html A hike near BEF 18
p18220.html I envy the Boys in "L" ward
18225.html An Ambulance driver remembers "L" ward
p18303.html How about teaching me to play hockey
18309.html I’m getting pretty stout
18329.html War is beginning to be a terrible reality
18401.html On leave in Paris
p18408.html Posted to the 13th (blacked out: the 10th having been disbanded)
p18410.html With best wishes to all
p18428.html My husband told me how kind you and Dr. Bird were to him
p18509.html I left you- Worked two days and have been sick ever since
18606.html The Hospital is shelled
18620.html more shelling
18721.html Aileen & I are starting up Mt Blanc tomorrow
MtBlanc.html Climbing Mt. Blanc
18729.html We have black & blue spots still and severe sunburn
p18a01.html longed to (be) back in good old L Ward
p18a31.html Well Maude I'm not in the line yet
18b00.html On leave in Paris
18b28.html Zella has the Spanish Flu and is hospital
18c04.html feel fine and are anxious to get back to work again
18c06.html Escapes from hospital to return to duty
18c30.html Christmas in L ward, unauthorized trip to see the front, Court Martial
19103.html Court Martial dismissed
19106.html Staying to go on to Germany
p19111.html Please find Russian Souvenir
19127.html Another trip to the front, closing BEF 12
19211.html In Germany
19303.html some day perhaps we can come to France
p19310.html Papa rented his farm and moved to town
p19521.html You have done the work of  a soldier
19609.html Leaving Germany, crossed Hindenburg line, at Ft Pompelle
19612.html Where we stayed in Lucerne, Switzerland
19615.html We are leaving Killarney tonight for Dublin
19617.html postcard of Robert Burns and Highland Mary, a lovely spot
p19712.html Aileen's in Canada, news of fellow nurses already home
19b23.html Missed you in Nebraska on your way west
19c00.html We took the Orange Empire trip
20306.html In Austria
20316.html In Warsaw, Poland
20408.html War relief in Vilno, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania)
20429.html Today a hospital train with 14 cars came in and storks bring good luck

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