National Air and Space Museum Archives

James Rogers McConnell Collection [Truitt]

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.XXXX.0232
Creators:
McConnell, James Rogers, 1887-1917
Dates:
1890-1928
Languages:
This collection is predominantly in
English
, but some materials are in
French
.
Physical Description:
0.33 Cubic feet
2 boxes
Repository:
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille. This collection contains material pertaining to both McConnell's service as well as the service of his fellow Lafayette Escadrille members, including Kiffin Rockwell, Victor Chapman, and Raoul Lufbery. The correspondence includes letters from McConnell to his family and friends, as well as condolence letters from McConnell's friends to his family after his death. The photographs include images of McConnell, his friends--both ambulance drivers and pilots, aircraft, his grave, his crypt in the Lafayette Memorial, and also his memorial in Carthage, North Carolina. The newspaper articles include ones written by McConnell about his war service.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged by type of material.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
James Rogers McConnell (1887-1917) was a member of the Lafayette Escadrille. Born in Chicago, McConnell attended two years of schooling at the University of Virginia before leaving the law school in 1910 to join his family in Carthage, North Carolina. There, he served as a land and industrial agent of the Seaboard Airline Railway and as secretary of the Carthage Board of Trade. After war broke out in Europe, McConnell arrived in France to enlist with the American Ambulance Corps. McConnell withdrew from the Ambulance Corps and entered the aviation training program, becoming one of the first members of the Lafayette Escadrille. McConnell first flight was on May 13, 1916, in which he flew a Nieuport biplane. McConnell was shot down and killed on March 19, 1917 above the Somme Battlefields. He was the author of the book Flying for France.

Administration

Author
Jessamyn Lloyd
Immediate Source of Acquisition
James M. Truitt, gift, 1963, NASM.XXXX.0232
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd, 2018.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Preferred Citation
James Rogers McConnell Collection [Truitt], NASM.XXXX.0232, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Aeronautics, Military Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ambulances Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1914-1918 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Periodicals Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McConnell, James Rogers, 1887-1917 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rockwell, Kiffin Yates Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chapman, Victor Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lufbery, Raoul Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
France. Armée. Escadrille Lafayette Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
France. Armée. Légion étrangère Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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