Helen VanGuilder WWII WAAC
Shared by Sandy Chamberlain

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was a group of women who served in the United States Army during World War II. The WAAC was created to free up men for combat by taking on administrative duties.

Formation

The WAAC was established in 1942 in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor

The WAAC was created as an auxiliary unit, but was later converted to an active duty branch of the Army in 1943

The WAAC's first training center was located at Fort Des Moines, Iowa

Roles

WAACs performed a variety of roles, including aircraft spotting, mail sorting, and printing V-mail cards

WAACs were deployed all over the world

Challenges

The WAAC faced opposition from some quarters, including the defense industry and those who thought women shouldn't serve in uniform

Black WACs faced additional challenges, including being given menial jobs and court-martialed

Legacy

The WAAC's contributions were recognized with the passage of legislation that established a lasting presence of women in the Armed Services

The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army before 1978. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United States as the WAC on 1 July 1943. Its first director was Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby. The WAC was disbanded on 20 October 1978, and all WAC units were integrated with male units.

Tioga Point Museum has been gifted some letters written by Sgt. Helen Van Guilder while she served in the WAAC during WWII. Helen was from Sayre, Pennsylvania. She shared interesting thoughts and feelings as she served her country. From her excitement of entering training to her excitement about being able to come home to the U.S. again is palpable to the reader of her letters.

On March 23rd in 1943 she was “on her way”, leaving from Penn Station, NY. On March 24th her father received word that she had arrived safely at Fort Oglethorp, Georgia and would be undergoing processing for the next 2 days. After that she would be assigned to basic training and able to send her address for those 4 weeks.

In May of 1943, she wrote of having a large piece of chocolate cake but assured her mother that it was only “almost as good” as hers. She talked about celebrating her birthday and lamenting that her grades weren’t as good as she’d hoped. She said the WAAC’s couldn’t complain about food, that they ate well. She mentioned how much they enjoyed potatoes as they often had “substitutes” like rice or macaroni. She said they sure couldn’t complain because they were all putting on weight!

One letter of interest from June, 1944 shared that her boss was “in a peck of trouble.” She couldn’t elaborate but expressed her utmost sympathy for him! She also added a p.s. to this letter requesting some things from home, including Arrid, a garter belt, starch , soap and gum. She commented more than once about soap being hard to get.

By August of 1945 Helen was anxious to get home and mentioned the “red tape” of the military. A letter from September 29th, 1945 from England mentions not being sure when she would actually get to the U. S. but “will see you again. Loads of love to all. Helen”

More can be learned about Helen’s time in the WAAC by visiting Tioga Point Museum website. To view the letters on website scroll down to Virtual Collection then choose Archives and enter Helen Van Guilder.

The Tioga Point Museum is open Tuesday and Thursday all year but hours are seasonal so please check our web page or Facebook page for current hours or call at 570 888 7225.

Ann Elizabeth Hyatt Stewart

tpointmuseum
Jan 11
2 min read

Ann Elizabeth Hyatt Stewart

Ann Elizabeth Hyatt was born about September, 1838, in Waverly, NY, the younger of two children of John F. Hyatt Jr. (1761-1853), a Revolutionary War veteran, and his second wife Rachel Rolfe (1804-1879). She lived with her parents and later her widowed mother in Waverly, probably until she was married.

Ann Hyatt married Adam Stewart about 1870.

Adam Stewart was born in 1818 in New York, possibly in Danby, Tioga county, where his family lived in 1820. He was the second of seven children of Salmon Stewart (1788-1869) and Elizabeth Youngs (1790-1851). The Stewarts settled in Barton (Waverly?) between 1840 and 1850. Ann Hyatt was Stewart's second wife. He had two daughters, Ida Alice (1858-1860) and Elizabeth (1863-1944) with his first wife Catherine (1821-1869).

Ann and Adam lived in Waverly – Adam until he died in 1899, and Ann until about 1910.

Ann was a member (possibly a charter member) of the Tioga Point chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which was founded in 1900.

They had two children together:

Isabella C. Stewart (1871-1956) married 1st Urial G. Gee (1867-1910); married 2nd Albert Pliny Haner (1871-1927); died in Barton; buried with her first husband in Manchester, NY
John Paulding Stewart St. (1874-1966) married 1st Sarah Celestia Arnold (1876-1945); 2nd Lelia C. Chaapel (1863-1952); died in Sayre; buried in Emory Chapel Cemetery

Here's the text from the second page of the genealogical document:

Adam Stewart died on Feb. 16, 1899, in Waverly. He was buried in Emory Chapel Cemetery in the town of Barton.

Ann lived with her daughter Isabella in Manchester, Ontario county, NY, in 1910 and 1915. She died in East Rochester, NY, on Nov. 24, 1921. She was buried in Emory Chapel Cemetery with her husband.

The D. A. R. chapters of Sayre (Carantouan) and Athens (Tioga Point) erected a memorial headstone on her grave. It reads:

Ann E. Stewart 1838-1921 Erected by Tioga Point & Carantouan [sic: Carantouan] Chapts DAR

References: Evening Times, Sayre, PA Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester, NY Findagrave.com

Katie Replogle 9/2/25