Top of page

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • Service History Note: The veteran also served in the Army Reserves 12/1945-12/1948.
  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Quartermaster Corps
  • Location of Service: Lido Beach, Florida; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Oran, Algeria, North Africa; Sicily; Livorno and Rome, Italy; Paris, Sarrebourg, Marseille, Einville, Etretat and Nancy, France; Ulm, Augsburg, and Munich, Germany; Austria; London, England
  • Highest Rank: Master Sergeant

View full service history

Fought in nearly every corner of the globe, World War II sent servicemen and women to far-flung locations that previously, they might only have dreamed of visiting, and thus sight-seeing was a frequent pastime during periods of rest and relaxation and after the end of hostilities. For African Americans stationed in European Theater during World War II, even for those in segregated units, service overseas offered the chance to play tourist in the same easy manner as white soldiers--a rare opportunity for those accustomed to the travel limitations imposed by Jim Crow laws back home. Master Sergeant Ellis Ross’ collection of over 250 photographs offers a glimpse into his off-duty experiences during his service with the Quartermaster Corps: touring Rome, Paris, and London, enjoying time at the beach, and befriending Italian civilians.

View 463 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ Honorable discharge certificate ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Route map--Sicily--Naples (glued to scrapbook board) ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Fragment of a map depicting Italy and Sicily ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Map of France in French ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Map of Africa and East Asia in English ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Fragment of a map of Africa in French ]

About this Item

Title

  • Ellis L. Ross Collection

Names

  • Ross, Ellis L.
  • Johnson, Carl

State of Birth

  • WV

Home State

  • OH

Headings

  • -  Ross, Ellis L.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Service History Note: The veteran also served in the Army Reserves 12/1945-12/1948.
    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Quartermaster Corps
    • Location of Service: Lido Beach, Florida; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Oran, Algeria, North Africa; Sicily; Livorno and Rome, Italy; Paris, Sarrebourg, Marseille, Einville, Etretat and Nancy, France; Ulm, Augsburg, and Munich, Germany; Austria; London, England
    • Highest Rank: Master Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1940-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Original photographic print [278 items] -- Photograph (collected 1944-1945)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 12/1/1948)
  • Artifact: Artifact [26 items] -- Postcard (collected 1945)
  • Manuscript: Scrapbooks [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1944-1945)
  • Manuscript: Maps [5 items] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/45353

Cite as

  • Ellis L. Ross Collection (AFC/2001/001/45353), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ross, Ellis L, and Carl Johnson. Ellis L. Ross Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.45353/.

APA citation style:

Ross, E. L. & Johnson, C. (1940) Ellis L. Ross Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.45353/.

MLA citation style:

Ross, Ellis L, and Carl Johnson. Ellis L. Ross Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.45353/>.