Guide to the Pinderhughes Family Correspondence, 1943-1945

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI, 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2024

Collection Overview

Title:	Pinderhughes Family Correspondence
Date range:	1943-1945
Creator:	Pinderhughes, Stevie (Lloyd Armistead), 1918-2016
Extent:	0.25 linear feet
Abstract:	World War II V-Mail correspondence of African-American brothers Sargent Lloyd Armistead “Stevie” Pinderhughes and Corporal Denard James “Jimmie” Pinderhughes, written to their mother Mrs. Florene Elizabeth (Tolliver) Pinderhughes and sister Elizabeth Pinderhughes, all of Providence, Rhode Island, 1943-1945.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2024.018

Scope & content

Letters written by Sergeant Lloyd A. "Stevie" Pinderhughes, his brother, Corporal Denard James "Jimmie" Pinderhughes Jr., their friends Captain J.W. "Walter" Fisher and Earle W. Fisher, who were also serving in the military. The letters were written to Stevie and Jimmie's sister Elizabeth Pinderhughes and to their mother Mrs. Florence Elizabeth Pinderhughes. The letters contain family matters along with some mentions of general locations. V-mail, short for Victory Mail, was a hybrid mail process used by the United States during the Second World War as the primary and secure method to correspond with soldiers stationed abroad. To reduce the cost of transferring an original letter through the military postal system, a V-mail letter would be censored, copied to film, and printed back to paper in miniature upon arrival at its destination. The V-mail process is based on the earlier British Airgraph process.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Pinderhughes, Jimmie (Denard James),1913-2012
• Fisher, Earl W.

Subject Topics

• World War, 1939-1945--African Americans
• African American soldiers--United States--Correspondence
• World War, 1939-1945--Participation, African American

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in one series chronologically and by correspondent.

• Series 1. Correspondence

Biographical/Historical Note

Sargent Lloyd Armistead "Stevie" Pinderhughes was born on 1918 July 3 in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the son of Denard James Pinderhughes Sr. (1888-abt 1950) and Florence Elizabeth Tolliver (1895-1984). His father was born in Church Creek, Maryland and by 1900 located to Providence, Rhode Island. The elder Pinderhughes was listed as working as a chauffeur for a private family in the 1940 Census. Lloyd was working as a floor man in a public garage in 1940 before going into military service. The family name appears to have been "Hughes" before turning to Pinderhughes after the marriage of James Lloyd Hughes (1857-1941) and Joanna Pinder (1861-1916), thegrandparents of Lloyd. The Hughes' appear to have been a free family of farmers in Dorchester County, Maryland going back to the 18th Century. Lloyd had at least three siblings: Denard James "Jimmie" Pinderhughes Jr (1913-2012), who also served in World War II; another brother Alfred Pinderhughes (1920-2008), and a sister Florence "Elizabeth" Pinderhughes.

Lloyd graduated from Hope High School, in Providence, Rhode Island in 1938 and was an All-American track star. Lloyd served in the US Army during World War II and was a member of Co. A 385th Engineers Batalion and served in France. After the war, he was a well-respected track coach at Brown University and other schools for many years. He worked at Wayland Manor in Providence, Rhode Island as a professional painter for 35 years. He also worked for Brown University's Department of Facilities Management. Lloyd married Bertha Wilson and together they had at least two children: Michael C.Pinderhughes, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island and Zenobia "Nap" S.Pinderhughes-Reis, of East Providence, Rhode Island. Lloyd was a longtime resident of Grosvenor Avenue. Lloyd died on 2016 March 3 in East Providence, Rhode Island and was buried at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island. He was 97 years old.

Lloyd's brother, Corporal Denard James "Jimmie" Pinderhughes, served in World War II as a member of the 224th M.P. Company in the U.S. Navy. He received military police training at Fort Custer, Michigan, before being stationed in the South Pacific. In 1938, he relocated to Washington, D.C., where he met and married Rosa C. Thomas, with whom he had two daughters, Dianne M. Pinderhughes and Gayle E. Pinderhughes. Following his service in the Philippines during World War II, Denard returned to Washington D.C. and took up a position with the U.S. Post Office. By 1949, the family settled into their home on Bangor Street SE, where Denard and Rosa would spend the rest of their lives. After retiring in 1972 from his role as a motor vehicles safety officer for the Post Office, he embarked on a second career as a supplies buyer for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church, emphasizing thrift, efficiency, and adherence to procedures. Denard passed away on July 23, 2012, at the age of 99, and was laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton, Prince George's County, Maryland.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them
Preferred citation:	Pinderhughes Family Correspondence, Ms.2024.018, Brown University Library
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI, 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Purchased by the Brown University Library in 2021.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Laurie Rossi
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the RIAMCO EAD spreadsheet, 2024/09/03
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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