University of Arizona

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Evans Percy Peterman Papers

Evans Percy Peterman (1888-1954) was a Texas contractor and first lieutenant during WWI. His father, Alexander L. Peterman, was a professor, salesman, and real estate agent in Texas, several Southeastern states, and Mexico.

The collection comprises miscellaneous financial papers and correspondence, from 1914 to 1919, related to the son, generally referred to as Percy Peterman in the documents. From 1914 to 1916, the materials concern his farm; his contracting business in Ysleta and nearby El Paso; and construction work at Fort Bliss. Letters and telegrams sent from 1917 to 1919 are mostly from him to his mother Lucy M. Peterman. He was with the 462nd Aero Squadron of the 3rd Army, A.E.F., and writes about being torpedoed on the ship Tuscania, his service in France, and being sent to Germany briefly after the war ended.

Also present are miscellaneous financial papers and correspondence, dated 1893 to 1907, that relate to his father, A.L. Peterman. Financial items include promissory notes, household receipts, and sales agreements for Webster dictionaries he sold. He wrote some of the letters to his wife Lucy from locations in Texas and Durango, Mexico; others concern the settlement of the estate of E.J. Maxey, his mother-in-law; and another group regards Lucy's attempt to publish his manuscript "Mountain Laurel: a Story of Life and Love, of Feuds and Politics in Kentucky."