Edward A. Ernest, Jr. Collection, circa 1945

Scope and Contents: The Edward A. Ernest Collection includes two pairs of leather, steel-toed leather boots from World War II. The first pair belonged to Ernest during his service with the American Field Service, while the second has “Ferdinand Wieser, Steinfeld, 6/21/1945” handwritten on both soles. Given the inscription, it’s likely the shoes were made by shoemaker Ferdinand Wieser in Steinfeld, Austria. The date was after Germany’s surrender and before Ernest returned home to the United States. Ernest took some trips to small towns in Austria during his service with AFS.