b1589 Gwen B. Henderson Papers, 1944 A Register of the Collection at the Utah State Historical Society Utah State Historical Society 2004 Finding aid encode in EAD 1.0 by Craig Ringgenberg using XMetaL 1.0, 2004. Finding aid written in English.

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Collections Management staff, Utah State Historical Society. Utah State Historical Society 2005
Salt Lake City, Utah

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Summary Description Utah State Historical Society Mss B 1589 Gwen B. Henderson Gwen B. Henderson Papers, 1944 .25 lin. ft. (1 box) This collection includes letters from Aubrey L. Treat, a sergeant in the engineer combat battalion training in Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, to Mrs. Gwen B. Henderson. Also included is a single letter from a different soldier, Hubert O. Sunsdahl, and one letter from Gwen to Aubrey. The letters were found with Murray Sullivan's letters (Mss B 1587) and T. Quentin Cannon's files (Mss B 1591) in the attic of the garage at 5340 S. Cottonwood Lane. Topics: World War II Persons: Gwen B. Henderson Aubrey L. Treat Places: Salt Lake City, Utah Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi Lincoln, Nebraska Form or Genre: Correspondence Background Biographical Note

There is limited information available about Gwen B. Henderson. An obituary for a Gwen B. Evans indicates that she was married to Walter Henderson in 1939. They later divorced. The collection certainly corroborates with the obituary, as evidence shows that Gwen B. Henderson was married to a Walter Henderson. Gwen and Walter lived in Salt Lake City. The letters imply that Gwen met Arthur L. Treat during her travels, and subsequently wrote love letters to him for the next six months.

Aubrey L. Treat was most likely Aubrey Lee Treat, born 18 February 1919 in Bearden, Oklahoma. He passed away in California, 30 June 1975. If Gwen B. Henderson is the same person as Gwen B. Evans, she was born 3 January 1921 in Afton, Utah. After she divorced Walter Henderson, she married Samuel Witt, Jr. in 1963. They were later divorced, and Gwen moved to Cedar City where she met and married David Evans in 1973. He passed away in 1984. In 1988, Gwen married Lester Cowden, who passed away in 1995. Gwen B. Evans died in Orcas Island, Washington, 8 February 1999.

The letters were among T. Quentin Cannon's items found at his former residence, 5340 S. Cottonwood Lane. Cannon served as Walter Henderson's attorney in the couple's divorce in 1956.

Scope and Content

This collection includes letters from Aubrey L. Treat, a sergeant in the engineer combat battalion training in Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, to Mrs. Gwen B. Henderson. Also included is a single letter from a different soldier, Hubert O. Sunsdahl, and one letter from Gwen to Aubrey. The letters were found alongside Murray Sullivan's letters (Mss B 1587) and Quentin Cannon's files (Mss B 1591) in the attic of the garage at 5340 S. Cottonwood Lane.

 Administrative Information Preferred Citation:

Gwen B. Henderson Papers, 1944, Utah State Historical Society.

Acquisition Information:

Gift of Blair Norman, 1999.

 Restrictions on Use

The Gwen B. Henderson Papers are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.

Processing Information: Collection processed by Melissa Ferguson, 2005 Finding aid compiled by Melissa Ferguson, 2005 Finding aid edited by Linda Thatcher, 2005 Collection cataloged by Linda Thatcher, 2005 Finding aid encoded for the World Wide Web by Craig Ringgenberg, 2005 Sources Consulted

Polk Directories, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salt Lake Tribune Obituary for Gwen B. Evans, 25 February 1999.

LDS Genealogy Library, available at www.familysearch.org. Accessed March 2005.

Utah District Court, Third District, Salt Lake County. Civil Case Files. Utah State Archives, Series 1622, Reel 2181, 1956.

 Container list Box Folder Contents 1 1 Correspondence, July 1944 1 2 Correspondence, August 1944 1 3 Correspondence, September 1944 1 4 Correspondence, October 1944 1 5 Correspondence, November 1944 1 6 Correspondence, December 1944 1 7 Miscellaneous, n.d.