00809.xml WILLIAM GUSTAV KUHFELD: An Inventory of His Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul, MN.

Manuscripts Collection

 Finding aid encoded by J. HuebscherNovember 2010 Finding aid written in English. OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Kuhfeld, William Gustav. William Gustav Kuhfeld and family papers. 1917-1998 (bulk 1917-1920). Materials in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian. Papers and photographs relating to St. Paul native William G. Kuhfeld's service in the Russian Railway Service Corps, a diplomatic and military force designed to ensure stability of the area along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Includes a diary with transcription, papers relating to Kuhfeld's and his family's attempts to gain Army recognition for his service in the Corps, along with miscellaneous news clippings related to the Russian Revolution. Photos and postcards include views of people and places in Japan, Korea, China, Manchuria, and Siberia. 0.5 cubic feet (1 box). P2706: See Detailed Description for shelf locations. BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTES

William Gustav Kuhfeld was born February 10, 1882, to Albert Herman and Josepha Kuhfeld in St. Paul, Minnesota. On July 1, 1902, he married Robina L. Meldrum in St. Paul. On November 1, 1917, he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson as a Second Lieutenant in the Russian Railway Service Corps, part of the American Expeditionary Forces. Kuhfeld’s service took him to Japan, Manchuria, and Siberia. On April 1, 1919, he was appointed Captain. He resigned from the Corps on July 16, 1920 and returned to St. Paul. He died November 19, 1953, and is buried in Acacia Park Cemetery, Dakota County.

The Russian Railway Services Corps (RRSC) was established by President Woodrow Wilson as a diplomatic and military force designed to ensure stability of the area along the Trans-Siberian Railroad, to protect the large quantities of military supplies and railroad equipment that had been sent to the Eastern Front, and to ensure that neither Cossack marauders nor the Japanese military gained strategic advantages in the area.

CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.

Organizations: United States. Russian Railway Service Corps. Places: Siberia (Russia) -- Description and travel. Soviet Union -- Description and travel. Japan -- Description and travel. Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921. Soviet Union -- History -- Allied intervention, 1918-1920. Document Types: Diaries. Photographs. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. William Gustav Kuhfeld and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

 Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,355

 Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Catalog ID number: 007230447

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION P2706 Documents relating to William G. Kuhfeld's service in the RRSC, 1917-1920, 1998. 4 folders.

Includes enlistment papers, identity documents, correspondence, news clippings, an original and typed transcript of a diary (November 17, 1917-January 3, 1919) and a series of news releases/information papers on the death of the Czar’s family and the Russian Revolution.

Photographs and postcards, 1918-1920. 6 folders.

Includes approximately 360 candid and formal photographs of people, activities, and facilities encountered by Kuhfeld while serving in the Corps and numerous signed photographs of Corp colleagues. Numerous photos exist of Vladivostok, Siberia. Many of the photographs are identified.

 Documents regarding RRSC recognition, 1918-1980. 2 folders.

Documents relating to Kuhfeld’s and his son Albert M. Kuhfeld’s attempts to gain recognition by the federal government that Russian Railway Service Corps veterans were members of the United States Army and were therefore entitled to risk insurance and other benefits. Includes correspondence and decisions by the United States District Court (District of Columbia) that eventually granted recognition as members of the American Expeditionary Forces but did not grant economic benefits.