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Raymond J. Kragness Papers, 1943-1946, 2000, 2004

(Manuscript Collection #1186)

Descriptive Summary

Title:	Raymond J. Kragness Papers
Repository:	ECU Manuscript Collection
Languages:	English
Abstract:	The bulk of the Raymond J. Kragness Papers (1943-1946, 2000, 2004) pertains to Mr. Kragness's service in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. Personal items include rites of passage membership cards (such as crossing the Equator), draft board notification, photographs, post cards of San Francisco Bay, course certificates, separation from service records and a brief family history. The remaining items pertain to his service on the USS ESCAMBIA, a fleet oiler. Included are the ship's history and directory, newsletter "Eighty Times," a list of ships fuled by the ESCAMBIA, plans of the day, congratulatory messages from Admiral Halsey, and invitations and tickets for commissioning and decommissioning ceremonies.
Extent:	0.25 Cubic feet, 1 container, consisting of newsletters, photographs, post cards, certificates, invitations, tickets, membership cards, directory

Administrative Information

Accessions Information

November 20, 2011, (unprocessed) .25 cubic feet; Papers (1943-1946, 2000, 2004) relate to Raymond J. Kragness’s service in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II, specifically his time spent aboard the fleet oiler USS ESCAMBIA. Included are various materials concerning the ESCAMBIA such as a ship’s history, plans of the day, messages of congratulations from Admiral Halsey, issues of the ship’s newsletter “Eighty Times,” a list (including dates and locations) of ships fueled by the ESCAMBIA, a directory of the ship, and invitations and tickets to commissioning and decommissioning ceremonies. Items related directly to Mr. Kragness’s service include certificates for training courses, separation from service records, photographs (most in uniform and a few aboard ship), post cards of San Francisco Bay, his draft board notification, membership cards indicating that he has been through such rites of passage aboard ship as crossing the Equator (Domain of Neptunus Rex member) and crossing the International Date Line (Realm of the Golden Dragon member) and a brief family history. Donor: Kurt J. Kragness

Access Restrictions

No restrictions

Copyright Notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.

Preferred Citation

Raymond J. Kragness Papers (#1186), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Kurt J. Kragness

Container List

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Box 1#1186.1
- Folder a#1186.1.a
  Official records (1944-1946) of Raymond J. Kragness' service on the U.S.S. ESCAMBIA. 12 items.
- Folder b#1186.1.b
  Official records (1944-1945), consisting of five issues of "The Eighty Times," (1944-1945, undated) the official newsletter for U.S.S. ESCAMBIA. 5 items.
- Folder c#1186.1.c
  Official records (1946, undated), consisting of separation from service records of Raymond J. Kragness. 13 items.
- Folder d#1186.1.d
  Official records (1943-1945), including Navy training course certificates, Draft Board notice, invitations and tickets to U.S.S. ESCAMBIA Commissioning and Decommissioning ceremonies, liberty cards, photograph of Raymond J. Kragness, and clippings. 13 items.
- Folder e#1186.1.e
  Documents and membership cards (1943-1944) indicating that Raymond J. Kragness has been through rites of passage aboard the U.S.S. ESCAMBIA such as crossing the Equator and the International Date Line. 6 items.
- Folder f#1186.1.f
  Photographs(1943-2004, undated) of Raymond J. Kragness during his time in the Navy, and one photograph of him in 2004. 38 items.
- Folder g#1186.1.g
  Printed material related to the U.S.S. ESCAMBIA, including a list of ships fueled (Nov. 1943 - Nov. 1945) and website information about the ship's history, and reunions (2000). 2 items.
- Folder h#1186.1.h
  Postcards (1943) of San Francisco Bay, California, one of which has correspondence from Raymond J. Kragness to his parents. 5 items.
- Folder i#1186.1.i
  Official records (2/5/2004, undated), including a history of the U.S.S. MISSISSINEWA and documents from the National Personnel Records Center about Melvin Edward Harner. 2 items.
- Folder j#1186.1.j
  Raymond J. Kragness genealogy (undated). 1 item.
- Folder k#1186.1.k
  Card (11/15/1945) authorizing Raymond Jerrond Kragness to wear certain ribbons for his service in the Navy; Western Union telegram (2/25/1946) from Raymond J. Kragness to his parents, notifying them that he will be coming home; a pencil sketch (undated) of Raymond J. Kragness drawn by Kenneth Hackett. 3 items.

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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Special Collections Division, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. The materials described here are physically available in our reading room. None of the original documents in this collection are digitally available online at this time.