Prior to, but especially during World War II, mothers, girlfriends, sisters, and others created clipping books or scrapbooks to document not only what was happening with their service member, but also their local communities. These books served to not only document daily life, but preserve the memories for the future. Today you may discover these treasures at antique shops, within genealogy or historical society archives, military museums, the National Archives, and many other repositories.
Clipping Books typically held clipped items like newspaper articles, pages or images from books or brochures, church bulletins, award certificates, and other daily life documents. These were often glued to a scrapbook page. William’s mother Gertie created a Clipping Book for the family which contains newspaper articles and other information about William’s early life and service in World War II.
William’s future wife Juanita Brackens, created her own scrapbook of photos, letters, and newspaper clippings to document her future husband’s service.
We are excited to share Gertie’s Clippings with you so you can have a glimpse into more of William’s family history.
Click on each image to enlarge to view.
Early Life Clippings Gallery
Wartime Clippings Gallery
Post-War Clippings Gallery
© 2026 William B. Riley and Rachel M. Riley