The American War Mothers Collection is housed in 18 boxes, four freestanding scrapbooks, and also includes a number of additional pamphlets and books which are located in the KHS pamphlet files and rare books areas. The collection is centered almost exclusively on the organization̕s presence in the state of Kentucky. The materials are generally arranged by subject and chronologically when possible and appropriate. Also where possible, the original order of records has been preserved, including folder titles. In some instances this may account for some apparent overlap among folders. The Membership series, 1915-1950 is primarily made up of membership applications which are arranged by chapter. Most chapters reflect the names of counties, although some chapters do not follow that standard, and are named after individuals. The chapter applications are arranged alphabetically. Also included in this series are membership lists and miscellaneous other types of lists related to membership throughout the state. Also included in the series are a limited number of war records. The Minutes and Reports series, 1920-1951 consists of the various types of reports from most Kentucky chapters of the American War Mothers. Types of reports include individual chapter reports, hospital reports, treasurer reports, historian reports, convention reports, and Memory Tree reports. Many individual chapter reports contain their own hospital, treasurer, and historian reports. The reports are arranged chronologically. One volume of proceedings is published and has been relocated to the rare books area of Special Collections. The Correspondence series, 1919-1949 is arranged chronologically and contains both personal and official correspondence between War Mother officers and members as well as with people outside the organization. Throughout the correspondence series there are a number of letters to and from individuals significant in the history of Kentucky including several governors and congressmen.The History and Administration series 1919-1953 contains a variety of materials related to the financial, historical, and administrative functions of the various Kentucky chapters of the American War Mothers. Included in the series are resolutions and by-laws (held in the pamphlets files), business expense records and receipts, and other materials related to the functioning and operation of the American War Mothers organization. The American War Mother series, 1925-1943 consists of several years of the War Mothers periodical The American War Mother. The Memorabilia series, 1923-1950 consists of event programs, invitations to programs, and newspaper clippings. The majority of the event programs document War Mother events and are arranged chronologically. The Related Organization series, 1930-1945 primarily contains materials of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Some members of the American War Mothers organization were also members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, although no clear explanation is provided as to how these papers came into the possession of the American War Mothers. Most of the materials are chapter reports and miscellaneous correspondence. Included with these materials are also a limited number of individual war records. Also in this series are a limited number issues of The Advocate, a publication of the U.S. Veterans Administration Hospital, Lexington KY and one folder of materials from the Salvation Army Women̕s Auxiliary, Louisville, KY. The Scrapbooks and Ledgers series, 1918-1948 contains a wide variety of materials spread throughout ten (10) scrapbooks. Items in the scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, various histories of individual local histories, some pieces of correspondence, and miscellaneous articles of memorabilia. All of the scrapbooks have been left intact. Therefore, more items that might normally be found in other series, such as miscellaneous individual letters or chapter reports, may be found in the scrapbooks. Some of the scrapbooks are housed in a box and others stand alone. The Books and Pamphlets series, 1913-1948 consists of a variety of publications that occurred with the American War Mothers collection. They are each cataloged individually and can be found in the Kentucky Historical Society library catalog. These materials are held in either the rare books area or the pamphlets files of Special Collections.
