Manuscripts
The collection consists of correspondence, records, and other manuscripts and ephemera pertaining to the Noble family. It includes one letter from 1862; the rest of the pieces range in date from 1897 to 1969. The 30 World War II letters of Lester J. Noble, a Yeoman in the U. S. Navy, to his parents are by far the largest block of letters written by one person within a short period, and are perhaps the most significant in the collection. They discuss naval life and training during the war, life aboard ship and in the Philippines, where Lester was stationed just before and following V-J Day, as well as in his stations at Farragut, Idaho, and Port Hueneme, California. In addition, the letters provide insight into the family relationships of sailors during the Second World War. Lester's relationship with his wife, Ruth, is particularly interesting, and the letters often mention the roles of naval wives, many of whom followed their husbands from post to post until the men were sent overseas. One of Lester's post-war letters offers his thoughts on how common post-war divorces were among returning soldiers and sailors and their spouses. The other items in the collection, dating from 1897 to 1969, deal mostly with the aging of Royal H. Noble and Florence Mary Johnson Noble, including their 60th wedding anniversary party. The documents cover many aspects of the Nobles' lives in Montana and California, including ranch and agricultural business, frontier and pioneer life and history, and the Masons and Oddfellows. One letter from Gregg Noble describes some of his experiences as a member of a U.S. Army band during the Vietnam War. Four other pieces are of particular note: an 1897 diary of a trip through Yellowstone, written by Jesse Earle for Florence Noble, who went with him on the trip; Florence Noble's autograph album; notes (presumably by Florence) on a trip to Washington State to visit the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909; and a diary and account book kept by Roy and Florence Noble in the early 20th century. The collection also includes numerous poems, songs, jokes, and notes, as well as a radio transcript and a script for a play. The ephemera include 100 postcards, 72 photographs, approximately 70 newspaper articles, photocopies of the articles, 2 envelopes, 2 greeting cards, 5 invitations, 11 remembrance cards, 11 pieces of printed matter, and 2 other pieces of ephemera. Many of the postcards portray sights along Highway 101 (in California) mid-20th-century. The newspaper articles include obituaries and wedding announcements pertaining to the family, as well as numerous articles on Montana history, and add significantly to the collection. Author index:
Adams, Beulah B. (1 piece)
Barnhart, John R. (1 piece)
Bystrom, Grace. (1 piece)
Bystrom, Walter. (1 piece)
Carter, Ethel Noble. (11 pieces)
Carter, George W. (2 pieces)
Carter, Janis. (2 pieces)
Coulam, Henry, fl. 1925. (1 piece)
Earle, Jesse, b. 1873. (1 piece)
Elkins, Darla. (1 piece)
Fuller, Doris. (1 piece)
Grant, Connie. (1 piece)
Hauk, Robert. (1 piece)
Johnson, Anna M. Earle, 1847-1930. (1 piece)
Johnson, Earle. (1 piece)
Johnson, Hattie. (1 piece)
Johnson, Reuben A., 1845-1907. (1 piece)
Kettenhofen, May K. (1 piece)
Klem, John J. (1 piece)
Lipscomb, Glenard P. (1 piece)
Moran, Arthur Patrick, 1868-1964. (1 piece)
Noble, C. Earle. (3 pieces)
Noble, Effie. (1 piece)
Noble, Evelyn M. Smith. (1 piece)
Noble, Florence Mary Johnson, 1882-circa 1969. (3 pieces)
Noble, Gregg Earl. (1 piece)
Noble, Iris. (1 piece)
Noble, Lester J. (34 pieces)
Noble, Lloyd H. (4 pieces)
Noble, Rachael, fl. 1909. (2 pieces)
Noble, Roy H. (Royal H.), 1878-1971. (3 pieces)
Noble, Ruth. (2 pieces)
Noble, Ruth Ann. (1 piece)
Paquette, Donna Lee Simons. (2 pieces)
Paquette, Frank. (2 pieces)
Shafer, Alice,fl. 1914. (1 piece)
Simons, Claude W. (1 piece)
Simons, Gladys Noble, b. circa 1907. (3 pieces)
Williams, Mamie. (1 piece)
