Guide to the Mahoney Family Papers, 1919–2021

Overview of the Collection

Repository: 
Special Collections & Archives
McIntyre Library
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
P.O. Box 4004
105 Garfield Ave.
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
(715)-836-2739
http://www.uwec.edu/Library/archives/info.htm

Reference Code: USGZE UHC384

Accession Number: 23-024

Collection Number: University Historical Collection #384

Creator: Alexander Robert Mahoney & Dona Peterson

Title: Mahoney Family Papers, 1919–2021

Dates: 1919–2021

Quantity: 3.0 linear feet (4 archives boxes, 1 negatives box, 1 slides box)

Location of Collection: Shelf location B6/3f  (Boxes 1-6).

Languages: Collection materials are in English.

Summary: Letters, photographs, diaries, oral histories, and ephemera associated with the Mahoney, Parker, and Peterson families from the Chippewa Valley in Wisconsin. The bulk of the materials are associated with Alexander Robert Mahoney. The materials of this collection date from approximately 1919–2021, with the majority from the 1940s.

Biographical/Historical Note

Originally, the Mahoney family had its family roots in Ireland where the first historic documentation of their family was when John and Catherine (Farrington) where born, around 1832. County Cork, Ireland is the ancestral home of the Mahoney clan. John and Catherine entered the United States in the 1880s by way of New York City and settled in Ontario County, New York. One year after their arrival, they relocated to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where they moved to a small township called Lafayette. There they purchased land from Cornell University.

John & Catherine Mahoney 

John and Catherine had 4 children, John Jr., James, Tom, and Jane. James married Sarah Levis and they had three sons, Elias, James, and Robert. Elias married Lottie Violet Gerber (born June 18, 1898) and worked his entire life on the family farm. Elias and Lottie had three boys, Alexander Robert Mahoney, Elias James Mahoney, and Richard “Dick” Gordon Mahoney. Elias passed away from a tragic tractor accident that occurred on the family farm in early April of 1927.

Alexander Robert Mahoney

Alexander Robert (most WWII letters are from Robert or his mother) Mahoney was born on September 23, 1921, and passed away in March 2008. He was drafted into World War II on July 25, 1942, and was put into active-duty August 7, 1942. He had an honorable discharge from the Army on November 30, 1945. Alexander worked for 17 years at Vanderbie Jewelers, which closed on November 15, 1990. They originally opened their doors in Eau Claire, WI in 1913.

Lottie Mahoney & Fred Parker

After the tragic death of Elias, Lottie Mahoney remarried on June 12^th, 1930, to Fred Parker. Together they had three children, Harold Kenneth Parker, Dona Jean Parker, and Carl B. Parker. Fred was born on September 14, 1898, and passed away on April 7, 1959. His occupation is unknown. Lottie worked as a nurse/central supply aide for the remainder of her life and retired in 1969. Lottie, a resident of the Chippewa Valley for over 35 years, passed away at the age of 73 at the Chippewa Valley hospital on February 8, 1972.

Dona Parker

Their daughter, Dona Jean Parker, was born on November 3, 1932. Dona married Dale Peterson on July 17, 1964. They had two boys, Paul and Greg, and one girl, Pamela. Dona graduated from Eau Claire High School in 1950. She began her nursing career when she first started training at the Luther Hospital School of Nursing in 1951. She graduated from the Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954, specializing in surgery.  In 1956 Dona joined the United States Air Force Nurses Corps where she was active in Anchorage, Alaska, and San Antonio, Texas until 1958. Dona worked actively in nursing from 1958–1995. She was a lead nurse at the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled (NWCDD) until her retirement. Dona received multiple state awards during her time at NWCDD for her commitment to making improvements in health care in the state of Wisconsin. One award was from Wisconsin Governor, Tommy Thompson, who included commendations for Dona’s exceptional work.

Content Description

The Mahoney, Parker, and Peterson family papers document what life was like in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, from 1919–2021. At the foundation of this collection are World War II letters directed specifically to and from Alexander Robert Mahoney, who was drafted into World War II at the age of twenty-one. There are a variety of other documents that record the lives of the Mahoney, Parker, and Peterson family. Photographs and ephemera help document and preserve the lives of these families, all the while showing the war time efforts that occurred around the Chippewa Valley during this time.

This collection is arranged into four separate series. Series 1 contains Mahoney Genealogy Materials and Ephemera, date unknown. Series 2 contains correspondence from family and friends, mostly from the World War II era, 1935–2013, bulk 1942–1945. Series 3 contains photographs, negatives, and slides of family and family properties in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1950–1980s, bulk 1950–1967. Series 4 contains World War II memorabilia from Alexander Robert Mahoney, funeral pamphlets from deceased family members, and obituary newspapers clippings/newspaper clippings. State of Wisconsin legal licenses, handmade picture art, records of baptism, and public-school records from Robert Mahoney when he was training at the Seattle Public School of National Defense Training, 1942-2003 bulk 1940–1980..

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information: Donated to the Special Collections & Archives, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in 2022.

Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public.

Use Restrictions: Researchers are expected to follow 17 U.S.C Title 17, the Copyright Law of the United States. Copyright law prevents the unauthorized reproduction of a work of authorship. Copyright owned by the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.

Processing Note: Processed by Stefan Geisinger in Spring 2023.

Arrangement: By series.

OCLC #: 1390458237

Subjects

Personal Names:
Farrington, Catherine
Farrington, John
Mahoney, Alexander Robert
Mahoney, Elias James
Mahoney, Lottie
Peterson, Dale
Peterson, Dona
Peterson, Zachary

Corporate Names:

Cook County General Hospital
Cornell University
Luther Hospital School of Nursing
Mahoney Farms
Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled
Presto Industries
United States Army
United States Military
Vanderbie & Co.

Subject Terms:
World War II
Farming
Nursing
Education

Geographical Terms:
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Seymour, Wisconsin
Lafayette, Wisconsin
County Cork, Ireland

Detailed List of Contents

Series 1: Mahoney Genealogy Materials and Ephemera
Typed papers describing the family heritage of these families. These documents showcase the history of the Mahoney family dating back to 1832 in Ireland.
Dates: Unknown
Extent: 1 file folder (Box 1, 0.4 linear feet, 1 archives box)

Container 

Box/Folder

Contents

Dates 

1/1

Mahoney family history & possible family members of the Mahoney, Parker, and Peterson family

Unknown

Series 2: Correspondence
Dates: 1935–2013, bulk 1942–1945
Extent: 0.8 linear feet (2 archives boxes)

Container 

Box/Folder

Contents

Dates 

2/1

Correspondence

1935

2/2

Correspondence

Jan. – Aug. 1942

2/3

Correspondence

Aug. – Sept. 1942

2/4

Correspondence

Sept. – Oct. 1942

2/5

Correspondence

Nov. – Dec. 1942

2/6

Correspondence

Jan. – Feb. 1943

2/7

Correspondence

Feb. – March 1943

2/8

Correspondence

March – June 1943

2/9

Correspondence

April – May 1943

3/1

Correspondence

July – Dec. 1943

3/2

Correspondence

1944

3/3

Correspondence

Jan. – April 1944

3/4

Correspondence

May – Nov. 1944

3/5

Correspondence

Jan. – March 1945

3/6

Correspondence

April – June 1945

3/7

Correspondence

June – Aug. 1945

3/8

Correspondence

Aug. – July 1945

3/9

Correspondence

June – Nov. 1947

3/10

Correspondence

Oct. 1951

3/11

Correspondence

March – Sept. 2013

3/12

Correspondence

No Date

Series 3: Photographs
Family photographs, portraits, and photographs of family properties in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Dates: 1950–1980s, bulk 1950–1967
Extent: 1.8 linear feet (1 archives box, 1 slides box, 1 negatives box)

Container 

Box/Folder

Contents

Dates 

4/1

Photographs

No Date

4/2

Photographs

No Date

4/3

Photographs

1955

4/4

Photographs

1967

4/5

Photographs

No Date

4/6

Photographs

No Date

4/7

Photographs

ca. 1960s – ca. 1970s

4/8

Photographs

ca. 1970s – ca. 1980s

4/9

Photographs

No Date

4/10

Photographs

No Date

4/11

Photo Album

No Date

5

Photographic Negatives

No Date

6/Box 1

Slides, Mahoney Farm

ca. 1950s– ca. 1960s

6/Box 2

Slides, Mahoney Farm

ca. 1950s– ca. 1960s

6/Box 3

Slides, Mahoney Farm

ca. 1950s– ca. 1960s

6/Box 4

Slides, Mahoney Farm

ca. 1950s– ca. 1960s

6/Box 5

Slides, Mahoney Farm

ca. 1950s– ca. 1960s

Series 4: Ephemera

World War II memorabilia from Alexander Robert Mahoney, funeral pamphlets from deceased family members, and obituary newspapers clippings/newspaper clippings. State of Wisconsin legal licenses, handmade picture art, records of baptism, and public-school records from Robert Mahoney when he was training at the Seattle Public School of National Defense Training. 

Dates: 1942–2003 bulk 1940–1980

Extent: 2 file folders

Container 

Box/Folder

Contents

Dates 

1/2

Documents, Newspaper Clippings, Certificates

1943–2003

1/3

Militaria

1942–1946