Guide to the Clair Wilbur Welty Papers

Biography of Clair W. Welty

Clair Wilbur Welty was born October 15, 1890, to A. J. and Mary Welty. He lived in Apple Creek, Ohio, located near Wooster in the northeastern part of the state. Welty attended grade school and high school in his home community, graduating from Apple Creek High School in 1905. He left for a brief period to attend the College of Wooster, then returned to teach in his old school district. In October 1917, Welty enlisted in the United States Army Signal Corps. This was an unusual action for someone who was raised Mennonite, as Welty had been. He was trained as an airplane pilot at Ohio State University. Upon the completion of his training in November 1917, Welty was commissioned Second Lieutenant. After additional training in California, Welty was sent to France as part of a group of commissioned flying officers. After he recovered from a brief period of illness, Welty was ordered to Issoudun, France, where he served as a pilot-trainer. On November 10, 1918, the day before the war ended, another pilot's plane crashed into Welty's Nieuport 28 during a routine training flight. The details appear to have been glossed over in several of the letters which were later sent to Mary Welty, but it is obvious that Clair Welty survived the crash for only a short period of time and died the same day. He was buried November 11, Armistice Day, following day in AEF Cemetery 32, Issoudun, France.

Scope and Content

The collection is arranged into one chronological series. The collection consists of a partial set of academic records and teaching certificates, military orders concerning Welty's brief service as an Army officer, and letters of condolence addressed to his mother, Mary Welty, after his death in November 1918. Writers include Lt. J. Russell Worthington, a pilot in Welty's unit, and U.S. Senator Benjamin F. Welty. The collection also includes a handwritten obituary, Army identification card, and a few photographs.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.

Additional manuscripts and artifacts pertaining to Clair W. Welty can be found at the American Legion Post 147, in Apple Creek, Ohio. The manuscripts include Welty's baptismal certificate, high school diploma, and original death certificate signed by General John J. Pershing. The artifacts include Welty's World War I uniform, footlocker, and bedroll.

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

MS-196, Clair Wilbur Welty Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

The Clair Wilbur Welty Collection was accessioned into the Wright State University Department of Archives and Special Collections in December of 1989. They were donated by Dr. Gordon Welty, then a professor at Wright State University.

Processing Information

The collection was originally processed by David Barno, June 1990. Revised by Lisa Rickey, March 2014.

Other Finding Aid

The finding aid is available on the Special Collections & Archives, Wright State University Libraries web site at
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/125.

Collection Inventory