Catalog Record:
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.
The records of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., a national patriotic organization of mothers of American military personnel who lost their lives in the service of the country, were given to the Library of Congress by Roberta E. Jacobs, national custodian of records for the organization, from 1943 to 1948.
The records of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., underwent preliminary processing in 1953 and were reorganized and described in 1986. The finding aid was revised in 2010.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication of items in this collection. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for information concerning these restrictions. In addition, many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
On June 4, 1928, the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., was organized in Washington, D.C., by Grace Darling Seibold (died 1947) and twenty-five other mothers whose sons had lost their lives in military service during World War I. The organization was named after the gold star that families hung in their window in honor of the deceased veteran. Membership was reopened in 1942 for mothers who had lost a son or daughter in World War II, then for the Korean Conflict, and later for mothers of American military personnel killed while on active duty.
The records of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., a national patriotic organization of mothers of American military personnel who lost their lives in the service of the country, span the years 1917-1941. The collection consists of correspondence, membership applications, minute book, clippings, scrapbooks, legal papers, roll and record books, printed and near-print matter, photographs, drafts of legislation, and a copy of the constitution with an appended list of charter members. Also in the collection are press releases and publicity material about conventions, records concerning litigation undertaken to protect the name of the group from infringement, and some papers relating to the insignia of the organization. The scrapbooks contain clippings, invitations, photographs, and programs.
This collection is arranged by type of material.