WWI letter from John E. Middleton

John Middleton, known as Jack, was a soldier during World War I. His parents lived on the East Side in Southeast Chicago. Jack’s father, Henry, had emigrated from England in 1886 and was a boilermaker in the steel mills. His mother, Sophie Weisen, had emigrated from Prussian Germany. His parents met and married in Chicago and had six children. Jack was the third child. When he was 21, he was sent to Europe to fight in the war. During 1918-19, he wrote a series of 25 heartfelt letters home to his mother and family. The letters described how much he missed them and some of his experiences on the warfront. The year after returning to Chicago, Jack married and returned to work in the steel mills as a machinist.