Historical note:

            Gladys Adelaide Sweet (1897-1986) and Lynton Whipple Sweet (1897-1964) were the children of Fred Arnold Sweet (1872-1946) and Alice Lillian Whipple Sweet (1875-1969). The family lived in the Fruit Hill area of North Providence at 1960 Smith Street until 1916, when they moved to 46 Belvedere Avenue. Fred Sweet worked as an insurance and real estate agent with his place of business at 86 Weybossett.

            Gladys enrolled in the Rhode Island Normal School in 1914 and graduated circa 1917. She taught at the Harrisville School in Burrillville in 1916, and then at New Webster Avenue School at least during 1920. She apparently decided that teaching was not for her, and she worked as a secretary for most of the rest of her career according to the North Providence and Providence city directories. She worked for the Sylvester M. Budlong Agency from circa 1944 to1965, and never married although she turned down several men along the way.

            Lynton worked as an insurance agent and a salesman for the majority of his life and was also listed in the 1941 North Providence directory as a brick dealer. He married Hazel Irene Damm (1899-1968) sometime before or during 1931. Lynton worked for P.L. Munroe & Son for a large portion of his life and was listed in the Providence directory as the President-Treasurer of that company in 1962. Much to his dismay, he was never drafted for service during World War I.

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Scope and content:

            This collection consists primarily of letters written to Gladys A. Sweet from friends and relatives in which they discuss daily activities. The letters written to Lynton W. Sweet are from friends serving in France during World War I. Because each letter was read by a censor, the letters do not discuss much about the war but are rather examples of the men just trying to keep in touch.

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Provenance:

            These papers were purchased in 2001 from Larry Mitchell of Providence, R.I.

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Processing note:

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Inventory:

Box 1, folder 1. Alice Whipple Sweet, correspondence, 1909

Box 1, folder 2. Fred Arnold Sweet, correspondence, 1921, 1929-30, 1933

Box 1, folder 3. Gladys Adelaide Sweet, correspondence, 1914-1925

Box 1, folder 4. Gladys Adelaide Sweet, correspondence, 1926-1929

Box 1, folder 5. Gladys Adelaide Sweet, correspondence, 1930-1949, 1964

Box 1, folder 6. Lynton Whipple Sweet, correspondence from Joe Rowley, 1918

Box 1, folder 7. Lynton Whipple Sweet, correspondence from George H. Tate, 1917-1918

Box 1, folder 8. Miscellaneous family papers, undated

Box 1, folder 9. Tax receipts, 1936-1942

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Subjects:

North Providence, R.I. - Social life and customs

Rowley, Joe

Sweet, Alice Lillian Whipple (1875-1969)

Sweet, Fred Arnold (1872-1946)

Sweet, Gladys Adelaide (1897-1986)

Sweet, Lynton Whipple (1897-1964)

Tate, George H.

United States. Army - Artillery - World War, 1914-1918

World War, 1914-1918 - Campaigns - France

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RIHS1822