Group of 40 letters, 158 manuscript pages, (35 retained mailing envelopes), dated 22 December 1930 to 20 September 1946, plus 38 pp. of related military documents. With: 1 Civil War Diary 1864; and 6 pieces of related ephemera.
Description of
Collection:
31 letters, 139
manuscript pp., (31 retained mailing envelopes), written by Lt. G.C. Denny to
his mother, Mrs. Edna C. Denny, dated 22 April to 27 November 1944. These
letters were written by Denny while serving in the United States Navy, first at
camps in the United States, and then from the Marshall Islands where he was
stationed for at least six months, probably longer.
9 miscellaneous
letters, 19 pp., (4 retained mailing envelopes), dated 22 December 1930 to 20
September 1946, includes letters to and from Denny family members, friends, or
associates including: L. Denny, Topeka, Kansas, to Addison, Austin, and Ralph
Denny, 1933; [Ralph B. Denny], [Montpelier, Vermont], to J.J. Beall, VP
Northwestern Mutual Fire Assoc., Seattle, Washington, 1933; J.J. Beall, VP
Northwestern Mutual Fire Assoc., Seattle, Washington, to Ralph B. Denny,
Montpelier, 1933; Fred [Howard], Montpelier, to Mrs. Ralph B. Denny,
Montpelier, Vermont, 1942; [Mike] Kimball, Fleet Post Office, to Mrs. E. Denny,
Montpelier, Vermont, 1943; Pfc. Fred H. Myer, Camp Hood, Texas, to Mrs. Edna Denny, Montpelier, 1944; Lt. J.
W. Peck, USNR, Fleet Post Office, to Mrs. Ralph B. Denny, Montpelier, 1944 (2
letters); Secretary of Navy James Forrestal, Washington, D.C., to Capt. George
Chatfield Denny, 1946.
38 pp., of
military documents, dated 1945-1955, includes various military papers of Lt.
Denny including Change of Duty; Mileage Vouchers; Release from Active Duty;
Suspend Process Notice; Notice of Separation from U.S. Naval Service;
Certification of Physical Fitness to Accept Permanent Appointment in the U.S.
Naval Reserve; U.S.N.R. Permanent Appointment Acknowledgement; U.S. Naval
Reserve Officer Inactive Status List; U.S. Naval Reserve Status; and Transfer
to the Retired Reserve of the Naval Reserve.
1 Civil War diary,
64 manuscript pp., unbound, lacks binding, measures about 3” x 7 ½ ”, not
signed, entries dated 1 January 1864 to 10 July 1864, 3 days per page entry
format, usually one or two sentences per entry, diary entries end on 10 July
1864, also includes 57 pages used for various memoranda notes, accounts,
miscellaneous computations, etc. The
diary is not signed per se, but there are some names listed near the rear of
the diary and in the memorandum section, the names of George B.B. Denny and Samuel
Denny are listed. Further research would have to be conducted to see if
either one of these men were the diary writer. Whoever the diary writer was, he
was with the Union Army's Quartermaster's Department, following General U. S. Grant
in Virginia, helping to supply cavalry units. There is much information on the
issuing of grain, hay, etc., and the movement from place to place as the army,
follows, and engages General Robert E. Lee's army.
6 pieces of miscellaneous
ephemera, including: 1 Montpelier, Vermont sugar card (ration card?);
Certificate of Birth for George Chatfield Denny, 1919; one Bill of Sale (goods)
between Edna G. Salmon to George C. Denny et ux, 1965; one Agreement Real
Estate (land) between Edna G. Salmon with George C. Denny et ux, 1965; 4 typed
pages "D.T. Denny" biography of Seattle pioneer, not dated; and 2
typed pages "Mr. A.A. Denny" history of A.A. Denny's predecessors.
George Chatfield Denny (1919-2000)
George
Chatfield Denny was born 29 December 1919, the son of Ralph Boynton Denny
(1871-1938) and his second wife, Edna Harriet Chatfield (1890-1974), daughter
of Lewis Chatfield and Ilda Reed. His parents lived on Main Street in
Montpelier, Vermont. His parents married in 1917. George's father worked in the
insurance business working his way up to become president of the Union Mutual
Insurance Company of Montpelier. George's mother was a housewife. Ralph B.
Denny's first wife was Clara Maria Adams. She died in 1915.
George's
grandfather was George Benoni Buck Denny (1841-1906), of Northfield, Vermont
(1841-1906). His grandfather served with 12th Vermont Infantry and mustered out
14 July 1863. While the name of George B.B. Denny is written in the Civil War diary
in this collection, so is the name of Samuel Denny. Since George B.B. Denny is
shown to have mustered out of military service in 1863, it is unsure who this
1864 diary was kept by. It could have been George who may have gone back into
service, or Samuel Denny, presumably a relative.
Prior to the
war, George Chatfield Denny attended Montpelier High School and then Dartmouth
University where he graduated about 1941 and went to work for the Telechron
Electric Clock Company in Ashland, Massachusetts.
George C. Denny
served as a Lieutenant Commander in the Pacific Theater during World War Two.
When the correspondence begins on 22 April 1944, he is listed as a Lieutenant
with the U.S. Naval Reserve. He is the lead officer of a small military unit.
He has been shipped out to California, where he spends time touring San
Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland, before being dispatched on a ship to the
South Pacific, where he visits Hawaii, before being sent closer to the Pacific
theater of the war. He writes of crossing the International Date Line,
southwest of Hawaii, on an island that the American took from the Japanese, as
stated in a letter: "The tropical
vegetation which the movies feature is conspicuously lacking. It got removed
pretty thoroughly during a recent unpleasantness over possession of the
place." Later we learn he is in the Marshall Islands. He is an
officer, so his work is not too difficult. Due to censorship, he cannot write
directly what he is doing, but there are clues what is happening on the island.
Later he becomes a censor, censoring the letters going out of the island. Denny
has a great sense of humor and his take on his predicament stationed on the
Marshall Islands, which had recently been the scene of heavy combat operations and
is pretty much barren of everything, including trees, is fun to read.
Denny married,
Joanne Lord, in 1951, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Lord of Portland,
Maine. At the time of their marriage, both Denny and his wife worked for the
Union Mutual Life Insurance Company in Portland. After their marriage, they
lived in Cumberland Center, Maine before moving to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In 1952 he joined Berkshire Life Insurance as
an underwriter and by 1959 was named manager of the application and policy
division of the new business department, and eventually became their
underwriting secretary. While in Pittsfield, Denny served as one of the
directors of the Association of Family Services. Later Denny moved to Richmond,
Massachusetts where he was found living in 1974. He was a one-time president of
the Dartmouth Club. George C. Denny died on 31 May 2000.
WWII Letters of George C. Denney
“April 22nd, 1944 (USO Letterhead)
Dear Mum,
This is being composed while I’m waiting for
a connecting plane to
“May 10th, 1944
Dear Mum,
The heading of this paper (American Red
Cross) only indicates that I got it for free and not that I’m in a hospital. If
I am in need of hospitalization it will be because of nervous disorders. Being
senior officer of a unit that not one, including myself, knows anything about
presents more problems than I ever thought existed. With considerable trouble
I've got them all this far safely, but I don't know what will be coming next.
Time again will tell.
We enjoyed a very pleasant cruise on a
transport where we lived in style, ate prodigiously, slept too much and were
very lazy. We saw porpoises and flying fish in an amazingly blue ocean. It was
a fine passage and I was sorry to see it end.
We have seen some of the sights here while
various authorities have puzzled what to do with us in much the same way as in
So far, I've run into quite a number of previous Navy acquaintances from both
Boston and New London. I imagine I'll strike even more as time goes on.
I guess that this is all I can offer for Mother's Day this year, except all my
love. Bye for now. Love George.”
“May 27th, 1944
Dear Mum,
Don’t let the date up above confuse you. We
are now beyond the International Date Line so we are one day ahead of you or
something like that. We flew down here form our last place in a navy seaplane
and had a pretty good trip. It was still a lot of fun but not nearly as nice as
the commercial planes in the states…….I guess that I am here for a while to
settle down which is a good point. Being in transit is not too good. We live in
tents which are quite comfortable. The food is all right and we have quite a
lot of cold drinks served with the meals. Other than that we drink out of
canteens which we carry around with us all the time. We also have a daily
allowance of two bottles of beer which is passed out in the evening and quite
poplar. There are several movies on the island to go to see if it does not
rain….We are allowed one pail of water a day for washing and there are showers
going for an hour a day…….We are still somewhat up in the air over our
business. We have not actually started to operate as yet and there are a lot of
problems to come up yet. We are now operating under the army to some extent to
confuse matters even worse…..I was quite surprised to discover that the officer
in charge of the Naval outfit here is the man who interviewed me in Boston when
I first made application to join the Navy…… Bye now,
Love George.”
“June 6th, 1944
Dear Mum,
Guess quite a time has passed since I
wrote…..We have a radio here and have just got the word on the invasion. I
surely hope everything goes ok for them. So much depends on success…..I’m
afraid I’m not going to have much to write about here. If there is any
excitement it will be a military secret. I’m trying to find a good souvenir but
the place is picked pretty clean. All I have to date is a little empty Jap
shell...I have 3 officers and 6 enlisted men under me and I’m the youngest
officer. That seems to be my usual fate…..Love George.”
“July 1st, 1944
Dear Mum,
……Our island is showing encouraging sings of
becoming vegetated once again. Grass is growing with amazing speed by itself
and I understand more will be planted. It will make a big difference. This
barren island covered with tents, Quonset Huts and unmentionables was about the
grimiest looking thing I ever saw that I was going to call home when I landed
in a rainstorm a month ago. I’m completely acclimated now and it doesn’t look
bad but with something green on it, it will be much nicer……Guess this is all
for tonight, Love George.”
“July 10th, 1944
Dear Mum,
Your letter of the second got here on the
ninth which is the fastest service I’ve gotten so far. There seems to be quite
a few questions that I’ve left unanswered. I’m stationed in the
"15 July 1944
Marshall Islands
Dear Mum,
This week hasn't offered very much in the
line of excitement. Since
Some of the natives have been brought back
here to this island to do clean up work and other minor tasks. They look for
the most part like negroes, but with less coarse features and are the happiest
people imaginable. One day they were picking up stones and putting them in a
truck. The truck driver had difficulty starting his vehicle and all work
stopped while these people double up with laughter. One evening we saw them
playing a game where they were all in a circle except two in the center. A ball
made of something was kicked up in the air by one and whoever was under it on
the way down kicked it up again. They were quite agile at it and some were real
fancy, kicking the ball behind their backs over their shoulders. The rest of
the circle clapped hands together; one hand clap when the ball was kicked and
two softer ones white it was in the air. Sometimes just the hand clap was used
and sometimes none at all. We couldn't figure out any scheme or plan to either
the game or the clapping. Every once in a while some buck would try an
unusually tricky kick and miss which always stopped the game while the players
roared with laughter. They dress in clothes that they have gotten some way from
the troops and might be mistaken easily for negro soldiers or sailors if you
didn't speak or try to speak to them...Guess I'm done again for this time, by
now, Love George"
“July 26th, 1944
Dear Mum,
…..I now have a souvenir. Many fellows buy
sea shell necklaces for fantastic prices which someone has made in his spare
time, or writes bands of airplane aluminum all “From a Jap zero shot down on
“November 27th, 1944
Dear Mum,
Today marks the 6th month anniversary of my
landing here and in a few days it will be seven months since I left
Sample Quotations from 1864 Civil War
Diary:
“January 11th, Warm and pleasant. Had
nothing to do. Wrote letters to Lizzie Add and Walter Edson Mosby and his men
came and paid Brigd. That is here a short visit and then left last night.”
“January 20th, Warm and pleasant. Went up to
Brandy and up to the 2nd Brigd. Horse artillery. Saw the boys.”
“February 6th, Rainy. Been fighting all day
in the Rappahannock. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd corps crossed last night.”
“March 10th, Went up to Brandy with reports.
Was paid $20.00. Sent home $10.00 by express. Slocumb came back from
“March 14th, Had nothing to do. Standing.
Went up to Brady. Passenger train run the track, killed one darke, weather, warm and pleasant.”
March 19th, Staid with Sid last night. He
went to
“April 26th, Went up to
“May 2nd, Issued grain to the 1st Div.
Slocumb went to Brandy. Sam Edwards and Edd Hall were here today. Capt. Smith
moved last night to
“May 4th & 5th, Weather warm and
pleasant. The army moved today. Lee observed his fortifying and fell back
toward
“May 8th, Been in camp all day about one
half of the Dept. gone up to
“May 11th & 12th, Had orders to pack up
and go to Belle Plain. Started at two o’clock P.M. on Young America. Arrived at
8 P.M. Weather rainy……Staid on the boat last night. Have to work hard all day.
Grant had a hard fight today and drove the Rebs, 11th Regt. Stopped here
tonight on their way to the fort. Chauncy came here tonight. Rainy.”
“May 18th, George Dunham staid with me last
night and went back to the front this morning. Been very warm and showers.
Wrote latter to J. P. Brook Jr. Mosby made a raid on a wagon train at this
place last night but did not get much. Grant had a hard fight with Lee.”
“May 25th, Started this morning up the
river. Have a gun boat with us. Has fired a few shots into the bank. Anchored
about 8 o’clock P.M. for the night within five miles of Port Royal.”
“May 27th, Rest of the Dept. came this
morning. Been issuing grain all day. Expect to go to White House Landing
tomorrow. Received a letter from home and one from Marion F_____.”
“May 31st, Arrived at the White House about
eight o’clock A.M. Unloaded and pitched tents. Had nothing to do yet. Wrote
letter home.”
“June 5th, Had to work hard all day issuing
grain. Had a hard fight about 9 o’clock P.M. Lasted about one hour.”
“June 14th, Had orders to pack up and get
ready. Went aboard the John Brooks and started for Harrisons Landing about 1
o’clock P.M. Started at
“June 16th, Had to work all last night
tallying wagons that crossed the Pontoon Bridge. Had nothing to do today but go
to Windmill Point. Weather very warm and pleasant. We are on board the General
Howard, 5th & 6th Corps. Crossing the James River. It is reported that
Petersburg is taken.”
“June 21st, Been issuing grain all day.
Wrote a letter home. It is reported that George Dunham and Chauncy were taken
prisoner.”
“June 29th, Pitched our tent this morning.
Had to issue grain and hay all day. Been fighting last night and this morning
out to the front. Went to City Point tonight after some things.”
“July 10th, Have not had to do much today.
Six corps went to
“August 9th & 10th, Ordnance blew up at
City Point killing 100 men and wounded 100 more….Went to City Point this
morning to see how Edd Wright was. Do not expect will live.”