Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922 - 2007)

Born 11 Nov 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Ancestors

Died 11 Apr 2007 at age 84 in New York City, New York, United States

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See: Space:Stalag IVb, Muehlberg, Saxony, Germany

Biography

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is Notable.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. served in the United States Army in World War II
Service started: March 1943
Unit(s): 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division Dec 1945
Service ended:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Kurt Vonnegut Sr. and Edith (Lieber) Vonnegut. Vonnegut has a brother, Bernard and a sister, Alice. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-fiction, with further collections being published after his death. He is most famous for his darkly satirical, best-selling novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969). ( see Photo Kurt Vonnegut-in 1972 for list of literary works.)

Vonnegut attended Shortridge High School. After graduating he went to Cornell University. After enlisting in the Army Vonnegut was transferred to the Carnegie Institute of Technology and later the University of Tennessee.

During World War II he was part of the 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division. On December 22, Vonnegut was captured with about 50 other American soldiers by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. He was interned first at Stalag IVb and then Dresden and witnessed the firebombing of Dresden in February 1945. He survived the Allied bombing of the city by taking refuge in a meat locker of the slaughterhouse where he was imprisoned. The aftermath of this attack was the inspiration for several of his novels, most notable Slaughterhouse-Five. After his liberation by Red Army soldiers in May 1945 Vonnegut returned to the U.S. and was awarded the Purple Heart.

After the war, Vonnegut married Jane Marie Cox, with whom he had three children. He later adopted his sister's three sons, after she died of cancer and her husband was killed in a train accident. Later in his career, Vonnegut published several autobiographical essays and short-story collections, including Fates Worse Than Death (1991), and A Man Without a Country (2005). After his death, he was hailed as a morbidly comical commentator on the society in which he lived and as one of the most important contemporary writers.

Vonnegut served as Honorary President of the American Humanist Association from May 1992 until his death on April 11, 2007.^[1]

Census Records

1930 Federal Census (Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States):

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace

Kurt Vonnegut Head M 45 Indiana

Edith S Vonnegut Wife F 41 Indiana

Bernard Vonnegut Son M 15 Indiana

Alice A Vonnegut Daughter F 12 Indiana

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Son M 7 Indiana

Carrie Hatterbaugh Servant F 51 Indiana ^[2]

1940 Federal Census (Ward 20, Indianapolis, Washington Township, Marion, Indiana, United States):

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace

Curt Vonnegut Head M 55 Indiana

Edith Vonnegut Wife F 51 Indiana

Alice Vonnegut Daughter F 22 Indiana

Curt Vonnegut Son M 17 Indiana^[3]

Death

"United States Social Security Death Index"^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ American Humanist Association Past AHA Presidents.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," FamilySearch Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in household of Kurt Vonnegut, Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0343, sheet 5B, family 88, NARA microfilm publication T626, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.; FHL microfilm 2340344. accessed 12 Nov 2014.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," FamilySearch Curt Vonnegut in household of Curt Vonnegut, Ward 20, Indianapolis, Washington Township, Marion, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 96-349, sheet 3A, family 48, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 1131. accessed 18 April 2015.
4. ↑ FamilySearch : accessed 12 Nov 2014), KURT VONNEGUT, 11 Apr 2007; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• Wikipedia:Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," index, FamilySearch : accessed 18 April 2015), Kurt Jr Vonnegut, enlisted 05 Nov 1942, Ithaca, New York, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 126323, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

• Find A Grave: Memorial #18882600