Collection #:
SC 0480
OM 0102

CHARLES M. GIBBS
WORLD WAR I CORRESPONDENCE, 1919

Collection Information
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Cataloging Information

Processed by
Chris Harter
24 February 1998
Updated 8 July 2004

Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

www.indianahistory.org

collection INFORMATION

VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 1 folder, 1 oversized folder

COLLECTION DATES: 1919

PROVENANCE: Donna K. Worth, Carmel, IN, 26 January 1998

RESTRICTIONS: None

REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society.

ALTERNATE FORMATS: None

OTHER FINDING AIDS: None

RELATED HOLDINGS: None

ACCESSION NUMBERS: 1998.0199

NOTES:

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Charles Milo Gibbs (1873-1966) was a physician in Hancock County, Indiana, for 53 years. A native of Hancock County, Charles was the son of John S. and Sarah I. (Bristow) Gibbs; he was one of five children. Charles attended Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana (Hendricks Co.) and one term at the State Normal School in Terre Haute (Vigo Co.). He studied at the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons in Indianapolis from 1896 to 1900. Upon his graduation, Charles established a medical partnership in Hancock County. During that same year, he married Ida M. Hamilton, also a native of Hancock County.
In 1904, Charles opened his own office in Greenfield, where he worked until his retirement in 1953. On June 6, 1918, he was commissioned a captain in the United States Army Medical Corps. In November of that year, he departed for Europe and served at Camp Pontanezen, Brest, France. Charles was the commanding officer of Hospital Train No. 47 until he was discharged in June 1919. He served as Hancock County Coroner from 1922 to 1928, and was a member of county and state medical associations.

Jonas P. Walker (b. 1874) was a well-known attorney and judge in Hancock County. A native of that county, he was the only child of James R. and Mary C. (Piper) Walker. Jonas attended Central Normal School in Danville, Indiana, from 1893 to 1895. He began studying law in 1895 and was admitted to the bar two years later. He practiced with John G. Wiggins for three and a half years before forming the firm of Binford & Walker with Elmer J. Binford. After five years, Jonas formed Cook & Walker with Charles H. Cook.
In 1903, Jonas married Margaret A. White (b. 1886) of Greenfield. They had one daughter, Isabel. Jonas was a circuit court judge from 1918 to 1924. He served as vice-chairman and chairman of the Hancock County Democratic Central Committee, and was a member of various fraternal organizations.

Sources: Hancock County, Indiana, in the World War, 1914-1918. p. 223.
Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association. v59, n10 (October 1966) p. 1250.
Richman, George J. History of Hancock County, Indiana (1916).
Williams, Dorothy and Thomas. A History of Hancock County, Indiana, in the Twentieth Century. p. 162, 458-459.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of three letters, dated 1919, from Captain Charles M. Gibbs (Brest, France) to Isabelle ("Isabel", Richman p. 839) and Judge J. P. Walker in Greenfield, Indiana. Gibbs offers his opinions of the French people, a description of a trip to Paris and Versailles, and his condolences upon the death of James R. Walker.

Also included is a "Vive la France" YMCA pamphlet, a map of Brest, and one issue of The Pontanezen Duckboard (March 22, 1919), the camp newspaper where Gibbs was stationed. The map and newspaper are located in OM 0102. The material in this collection is arranged chronologically.

CATALOGING INFORMATION

For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:

1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/

2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.

3. Select  "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.

4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, SC 0480).

5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.