Fonds consists of letters written by Mary Schäffer Warren to William Henderson Watts. Letters document Mary Schäffer Warren's disappointment in the U.S.'s lack of support for the Allies in Europe. Letters also deal with Schäffer Warren's sentiments regarding the loss of Canadian men during the war…
7 cm of textual records. -- 3 photographs: (prints, b&w)
History / Biographical
William Henderson Watts (1870-1955) was born in Baltimore, MD on February 21, 1870 to William Watts, Jr and Hannah Amanda (Henderson) Watts. He graduated Virginia Theological Seminary in 1900; ordained a deacon October 1900 by Bishop Whittle; ordained a priest June 1901 by Bishop Gibson. He married Mary Gardiner Bach on January 26, 1903.
He served as curate in Christ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia from 1901-1902
curate in Christ Church, East Orange, NJ from 1902-1903
Rector, Calvary Church, Front Royal, and Meade Memorial Church, White Post, VA 1903-1904
Curate St. Paul's Church, Paterson, NJ 1909-1912
Rector St. Mary's Church, Haledon, NJ, 1912-1924
Rector St. Peter's Church, Clifton, NJ, 1924-1930
Chaplain, City Mission, Diocese of Newark, 1930-1950
Watts visited England in August of 1909. It is also known that he worked for a time for the Pennsylvania RR, perhaps as a conductor, during a period when it is believed that he was uncertain about continuing his choice of a career as an Episcopal Minister.
Service in the American Expeditionary Force, chaplain, 1917-1918.
William H. Watts and Mary G. Watts had three children: Mary Gardiner Watts (11/12/1903 - 12/18/1985) born in Front Royal, VA; William Ivor Bach Watts (3/12/1908 - 3/5/2004) born in East Orange, NJ; Elizabeth Henderson Watts (4/24/1911 - 5/5/1998) born in Paterson, NJ
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of letters written by Mary Schäffer Warren to William Henderson Watts. Letters document Mary Schäffer Warren's disappointment in the U.S.'s lack of support for the Allies in Europe. Letters also deal with Schäffer Warren's sentiments regarding the loss of Canadian men during the war and the loss of her nephew Eric Sharples. Letters cover the period 1916-1920 and were originally part of a scrapbook compiled by William Henderson Watts which was arranged in chronological order between 1912 and 1924 and contained approximately 200 documents.
Also included is a newspaper clipping of article written by Mary S. Warren "A Letter From the Somme Battle Front", 1916.
3 Photographs are of Eric Alfred Sharples in uniform; William Henderson Watts in uniform as [chaplain American Expeditionary Force, 1917]; three small children, 1917 (annotated on reverse).