Arthur M. Hovelsrud: 1918-19

Arthur M. Hovelsrud was born on May 26, 1893, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Norwegian immigrants Martin and Mattie Hovelsrud. On February 24, 1918, he joined the United States Army where he served in the 32nd Engineers Band in Hoboken, New Jersey, until his discharge on August 24, 1919. In 1928, he and his wife Mauda became parents to a daughter, Dolores. The family eventually moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where Hovelsrud died on June 8, 1953. The material consists of correspondence to and from Arthur, dated 1918 to 1919. Two of the pieces of correspondence come from Rose Britman, New York City. Also included are several pictures of Hovelsrud and of Camp Merritt in Hoboken, where he was stationed. There are also two pictures of Hovelsrud and three business cards from when he was a member of Hovelsrud's Syncopated Orchestra in Crookston, Minnesota. Also included are materials dated 1918 to 1919 relating to Lawrence Hovelsrud, Arthur's brother. They consist of a postcard, a letter written in French, and a permission to be absent pass. The collection also includes a flag signal instructor and a booklet of hymns. This material was purchased from Berry Blossom Farm, Erskine, Minnesota, on November 6, 2004 (Acc. #2005-2769).