Archives West Finding Aid
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Edward A. Ferguson World War II correspondence, 1943-2007
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Edward A. Ferguson World War II correspondence
- Dates
- 1943-2007 (inclusive)19432007
- Quantity
- 1 box, (.5 linear feet)
- Collection Number
- USU_COLL MSS 303
- Summary
- This collection contains the World War II correspondence of Edward A. Ferguson spanning the period of 1943 to 1946. This correspondence consists of approximately 300 letters of outgoing correspondence and 6 letters of incoming correspondence. Includes descriptions of kamikaze attacks.
- Repository
-
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Open to public research.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Edward Ammon Ferguson was born November 21, 1924 in Spanish Fork, Utah. He received his education in the common schools of the area and graduated from Payson High School in 1943. In June 1943, Ferguson enlisted in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Fort Douglas, Utah for preliminary military testing. Later that month he was transported to Fort Abbot, Washington to continue training and assigned to the 240th Engineers Construction Battalion. In September 1943, Ferguson was sent to Sacramento Junior College to study engineering and surveying where he remained until January 1944 when he was transferred to Fort Belvoir, Virginia to continue his studies. Following Ferguson's graduation from Army Engineers Surveying School on April 1, 1944 he was transferred back to Sacramento. The following month he boarded the USS General John Pope before arriving at Buna, New Guinea in June.
Ferguson was transferred to Finschhafen, New Guinea in July and in August, he was transferred to Hollandia, New Guinea. Once in Hollandia, Ferguson was assigned to be the H&S Company surveyor and began plans to construct an airfield in the nearby jungle. In November 1944 Ferguson was transferred aboard a naval vessel to Leyte, Philippine Islands and en route his ship was attacked by the Japanese Air Force. He arrived safely at Leyte and worked for the next month as an army surveyor while facing daily bombing raids and attacks from the Japanese. During December 1944, while en route to Mindoro, Philippine Islands, the convoy Ferguson was sailing with came under heavy attack at the Sulu Sea. Ferguson was on deck when a kamikaze attacked hit his ship, the LST # 749, which caused it to sink. Ferguson had to dive overboard and swim to a nearby boat to be rescued.
Ferguson spent the next few months in various locations, including Mindanao, Cotabato, and Cagayen in the Philippine Islands. In November 1945, he was transferred to Japan and served as an occupying force in Yokohama. He remained in Japan for over two months before boarding the USS Gordon for transport back to the United States. Ferguson was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on February 3, 1946 at Fort Douglas, Utah.
On February 13, 1946, Ferguson married Jean Hiatt. Later that year he enrolled at Utah State University and graduated in 1949. He accepted a job with Utah Mortgage & Loan Corporation at Logan, Utah where he worked until his retirement. Ferguson passed away on June 14, 2012 in Logan, Utah.
Source: Ferguson, Edward A., "Reminiscences of War: The World War II Journal of Edward A. Ferguson," unpublished manuscript, 1995.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection contains the World War II correspondence of Edward A. Ferguson spanning the period of 1943 to 1946. This correspondence consists of approximately 300 letters of outgoing correspondence and 6 letters of incoming correspondence. Ferguson's outgoing correspondence has been separated into letters written to his family and to his fiancé (and later wife) Jean Hiatt and then organized chronologically. Ferguson's incoming correspondence is from Latha Akers and spans the period of 1945 to 1946. Latha Akers was the wife of George "Red" Akers, a shipmate and close personal friend of Ferguson's who was killed whenLST # 7499 sank in the Sulu Sea in December 1944. This incoming correspondence was written in response to the letters Ferguson wrote to Latha Akers explaining the death of her husband. Overall, Ferguson's letters are descriptive and discuss numerous topics, including his perception of the war in the Pacific, food and housing conditions in the Philippine Islands and New Guinea, his duties as an engineer, surveyor, MP, and tower guard, his impressions of occupied Japan, and other similar topics.
Researchers further interested in Ferguson's wartime experiences should also see his approximately 500 page unpublished memoir entitled "Reminiscences of War: The World War II Journal of Edward A. Ferguson" (Special Collections and Archives call #: Book Coll 58, # 91).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Edward A. Ferguson World War II correspondence must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.
Preferred Citation
Edward A. Ferguson World War II correspondence, 1943-2007. (COLL MSS 303). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Grouped by addressee and arranged chronologically.
Acquisition Information
The materials in this collection were donated to USU Special Collections and Archives by Edward A. Ferguson in 2006. Additional correspondence from Thomas Revelle, the son of LST # 749's cook, as well as an update to Ferguson's memoir, were donated by Edwards' son, Brad Ferguson, in 2015.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Edward A. Ferguson's World War II Correspondence, 1943-2007Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Outgoing correspondence to family |
1943 June-December |
| 1 | 2 | Outgoing correspondence to family |
1944 January-June |
| 1 | 3 | Outgoing correspondence to family |
1944 July-December |
| 1 | 4 | Outgoing correspondence to family |
1945 January-July |
| 1 | 5 | Outgoing correspondence to family |
1945 August - 1946 January |
| 1 | 6 | Outgoing correspondence to Jean Hiatt |
1943 June-December |
| 1 | 7 | Outgoing correspondence to Jean Hiatt |
1944 January-July |
| 1 | 8 | Outgoing correspondence to Jean Hiatt |
1944 August-December |
| 1 | 9 | Outgoing correspondence to Jean Hiatt |
1945 January-June |
| 1 | 10 | Outgoing correspondence to Jean Hiatt |
1945 July - 1946 January |
| 1 | 11 | Incoming correspondence from Latha Akers |
1945-1946 |
| 1 | 12 | Incoming correspondence from Thomas Revelle
Includes photographs of the attack on LST #749.
|
2007 September 18 |
| 1 | 13 | "The Sinking of LST #749 (an update 10-2-07)"
This is an update to Ferguson's memoir, located in BOOK COLL 58 no. 91.
|
2007 October 2 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, Japanese--Sources.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--New Guinea--Sources.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines--Sources.
- World War, 1939-1945--Sources.
Geographical Names
- Japan--History--Allied occupation, 1945-1952--Sources.
Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives.
2008
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
