Genay family

History

The Genay Family Correspondence is composed almost entirely of the correspondence of Madame L. Genay, widow of Captain Eugene Genay, and her elder daughter, Camille (1901-circa 1925), with an American friend, Miss Mildred Veitch (later Mrs. R. K. West). The family, which included a younger daughter, Marie Louise, resided in Versailles, and maintained a country home in the village of Saint-Sauveur. Captain Genay was killed in April 1915, fighting for the Allies in Belgium. Miss Veitch acted as a benefactor to the family through an organization with which all of the women were involved, the Fatherless Children of France [Fraternite Franco-Americaine]. Because of Madame Genay’s work as a teacher and the family’s involvement in charitable war efforts, the women were connected to the events around them and are able to provide unique insights into life in wartime France, women’s war roles, American aid to foreign families, and many others. The bulk of the material focuses on the war years.