MS-324 Richard D. Seifried Papers

Introduction

The papers of Richard Seifried, a Korean War Veteran and native of Piqua, Ohio were donated by Mr. Seifried to the Wright State University Special Collections and Archives on January 7th 2002. Items in the collection range from late nineteenth century to 2001. This collection contains personal and military correspondence during Mr. Seifried’s service in the Korean War, in addition to three volumes of Mr. Seifried’s personal memoirs, numerous photographs, and ephemera.

The deed of gift stipulates that the family has sole literary copyrights of the Richard Seifried memoirs and novel. The manuscripts or any parts within may not be published without the written permission of the donor, or his descendents if the donor is deceased. This collection is 2.5 linear feet and is housed in five Hollinger boxes; it is divided into four series:

SERIES I. Correspondence

SERIES II. Memoir Manuscripts
A. “Of Thee I Sing”
B. “Sweet Land of Liberty”

SERIES III. Photographs and Illustrations
A. “Sweet Land of Liberty”
B. “Of Thee I Sing”
C. “My Country Tis of Thee”

SERIES IV. Ephemera
A. Maps
B. Clippings
C. Address Books and Postcards

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Richard Seifried was born in Piqua, Ohio in 1927. He is a Korean War veteran and served from 1951 until 1952 in the “Forgotten War,” where roughly 37,000 American Soldiers lost their lives. Mr. Seifried received military training at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky and is an alumni of the Ohio State University. He is married and currently lives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas where he continues to write both novels and memoirs.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The papers of Richard Seifried fall into four series and include four subseries. Series I contains personal correspondence to and from friends, family members, and fellow soldiers during Mr. Seifried’s service in the Korean War. These letters span December1950 until September 1952. This series also contains military correspondence during his service. Series I will be of special interest to researchers as it details the conditions in which many of the soldiers endured during military duty. This series also contains correspondence dating from 1990 to 2002 between Mr. Seifried and fellow Korean War veterans. They discuss remembrances and perceptions of the war and the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States.

Series II contains the manuscript copies of Mr. Seifried’s personal memoirs and is divided into two subseries based on the manuscript titles. Subseries A contains a copy of the memoir “Of Thee I Sing,” which includes much of the transcribed correspondence contained in Series I, in addition to Mr. Seifried’s personal recollections and accounts of military duty in the war. This memoir includes events from 1951-1963. Subseries B includes the memoir “Sweet Land of Liberty,” and contains a detailed account of the early years of Mr. Seifired’s life growing up in Piqua Ohio up to 1951, including a family history.Series III contains photographs and illustrations intended to accompany the three volumes of memoirs and are divided into three subseries. Subseries A contains the illustrations to accompany the memoir “Sweet Land of Liberty” and includes numerous photographs of family, friends, and the Ohio region, as well as photos from Mr. Seifired’s early military duty. This subseries also includes postcards, report cards, drawings and other personal memorabilia. Items included in this series date from 1946 up to the 1950’s. Subseries B contains photographs from Mr. Seifried’s military service in addition to articles, clippings, and military draft cards, military orders, and other items pertaining to his military service. The illustrations in this subseries correspond to the memoir “Of Thee I Sing,” and contain materials dating from 1950-1952. Subseries C contains early family photographs, and corresponds to the forthcoming memoir “My Country Tis of Thee.” These items date from the late 19th century up to 1945. These subseries are arranged in respect to their relationship to the memoirs and are cross referenced.

Series IV includes numerous newspaper clippings pertaining to the Korean War, as well as maps, address books, postcards and other ephemera. Items in this series date from 1950-2001.