Woman seeks home for World War II letters found in hatbox

A hatbox with hundreds of letters. (James Gibbard/Tulsa World)
A hatbox with hundreds of letters. (James Gibbard/Tulsa World)

About 15 years ago, Pamela Gilliland bought a hatbox at an estate sale in Oklahoma for a dollar. When she got around to opening the box a few days later, she discovered it was full of letters from World War II.

Tulsa World has the story. Gilliland, it reports, recently enlisted the help of history buff Doug Eaton to learn more about the letters, all of which were written by Eural Harvill and Robert Harvill, brothers serving in the military during World War II.

The 250 letters, many of which are cracked and yellowed, were addressed to the men's parents, a Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Harvill of Drumright, Okla., according to Tulsa World.

Eaton and Gilliland are trying to track down a relative of the two brothers. The hatbox also contained photos, Christmas cards and an insurance policy. One of the letters referenced a woman named Laura, who was either Eural's girlfriend or wife.

"We haven't decided what to do when I get out of the Army," he wrote on Oct. 14, 1946, according to Tulsa World. "Sorry if I've led you to believe differently."

Eaton told Tulsa World that he hopes he "can find a family member who would like to have these letters and keep them."