According to the 1920 Census record found on the Family Search Web site, https://familysearch.org/, accessed on December 19, 2013, Floyd M. Nave was born in Missouri in either 1895 or 1896 and Benjamin F. Nave, in Texas probably in 1896, to James H. and Mattie B. Nave. Floyd married Mary Harlene (Satoris) in Payette, Idaho on May 8, 1919, and in 1920, the couple lived in Lewiston, Idaho. Benjamin was living in Lewiston, Idaho in 1920, with parents. Based on Benjamin's letters, Nave’s family nickname was “French.”
The bulk of this collection consists of letters that the Nave Brothers wrote home to their parents in Lewiston, Idaho, while they served in the U.S. Army in 1917 and 1918. Floyd Nave reports on his day-to-day experiences as an Allied Expeditionary Force soldier in training and after being deployed to France. Before being sent overseas in September 1917, Nave frequently reported that he was happy and healthy, and was in fact, getting fat on “Army grub.” He also entreated his parents not to worry about him and asked that his regards be given to family, friends, and his sweetheart, Harlene. The collection also contains a photograph of a young woman, postcards, and other correspondence.
The manuscript group is open to the public. Researchers must use the collection in accordance with the policies of the University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives.
Nave Brothers Letters, MG 5772. Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho.
It is believed that Terry Abraham, Head of Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, purchased the collection from a vendor in February 2000.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.