People

This page provides information on some of the people – relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. – mentioned in the letters.

Parents and Siblings

Willis Vester Tappan

Donald’s father (FamilySearch). A teacher at the Orestes Indiana Elementary School (1st-7th grades). He becomes Principal at the school in Fall 1944.

Dora Lillian Tappan

Donald’s Mother (FamilySearch). Known as Lillian.

Richard Tappan

Donald’s brother, 2 years younger (FamilySearch, Obituary)

Mary Tappan (Smith)

Donald’s sister, 3 years younger (born in December). (FamilySearch)

James Tappan

Donald’s youngest brother, 7 years younger. (FamilySearch, Obituary)

Tappan Relatives

Samuel Tappan

Donald’s Grandfather (FamilySearch), who dies in December 1943 while Donald is at Fort Benning. When the letters start, the family seems to be living at Samuel’s farm, near Orestes, probably because his Grandmother had died the previous spring. Based on the letters, the farm was sold in the winter of 1944, after Samuel’s death, and the family moved back to Orestes.

Paul Tappan

Uncle Paul (FamilySearch). Willis‘s brother. The father of Janette.

Janette Tappan and Charlie Johnson

Donald’s cousin (FamilySearch), daughter of Paul. She marries Charlie Johnson (Family Search) in the spring of 1944, who is apparently a family friend or neighbor.

Floy Tappan

Uncle Floy (FamilySearch). Willis‘s brother

Carver Relatives

Grandparents

Donald’s Grandfather Alfred (FamilySearch) Carver and Grandmother Laura Grace (FamilySearch) Carver, known as Grace.

Grace lived to be 102 (Obituary clipping)

Clarence Everett Carver

Donald’s Uncle Everett (FamilySearch). Brother of Lillian. Father of Ben.

Mary Carver Davis

Donald’s Aunt Mary (FamilySearch). Sister of Lillian. Married to “Uncle Cecil” Davis

Ernest Carver

Donald’s Uncle Ernie. Brother of Lillian

Ben Carver

Donald’s cousin Ben (FamilySearch), a year older. Son of Everett Carver. Ben is in the Navy on the Aircraft Carrier USS Intrepid during most of the period of the letters.

Maurice Carver

Maurice (aka Morris) (FamilySearch) is another cousin, Ben’s younger brother.

Classmates

(Lloyd) Wendell Ferguson

Wendell Ferguson was a high school classmate of Donald’s. He is mentioned in several of the the letters and apparently was a Prisoner of War, probably captured in early October 1944. Based on research he is probably the same person as Lloyd W. Ferguson (FamilySearch) who was a prisoner at Stalag IV-B, captured September 11, 1944. The POW record lists Lloyd W. as being inducted from Tennessee, but the most likely explanation is that he was working in TN after high school.

Duane Cook

Duane Cook (FamilySearch) was a high school classmate of Donald’s.

Others

Pfc Clyde W Mohler

Clyde W. Mohler (FamilySearch, FindAGrave) is listed in the roster for the 87th Division as being part of 346th 3rd Battalion HQ at the end of the war. Since K Company was part of the 3rd Battalion, this is the best match for a person named Mohler who would have been Donald’s bunkmate in K Company in September 1944, and some other details such as age rank, and where he was from are consistent (Letters: September 9, 1944; September 22, 1944)

Lieutenant Glenn Doman

Glenn Doman (Obituary) is not mentioned directly in the letters¹, but was Donald’s platoon leader, starting just before the battle for Tillet Belgium. He later became company commander for K Company, so he would have been Donald’s commanding officer for most of his time in Europe, 1944-1945.

Doman recommended Donald for his Silver Star citation after the battle for Tillet, and presumably also recommended Donald’s promotion to Sergent in March 1945.

Doman is mentioned quite a number of times in the histories of the 87th and the 346th Regiment. He also wrote a personal recollection of the attack on Goldbrick Hill on the Siegfried Line.