Baby Book of Elwood Williams III (1914-1982), Respected State Dept. Employee, Expert on U.S.-German Relations after WWII

New York, New York, 1914. Very good. Light dust soiling. Damage to box with some staining, a couple tears. Hinges tender.. The baby book of Elwood Williams III (1914-1982), housed in the original box. It was gifted to his parents by his father's employer, James A. Hearn & Son, with an engraved label on the upper lid that reads in part that they "extend with this gift their heartiest best wishes for a long life, health, happiness and prosperity". The book itself is filled on nearly every page in ink by the parents, Elwood Williams II and Jessie E. Palmer, and there is a very sweet original photograph of the baby on the first leaf. Some of the information recorded in the book includes: birth day and time, with the names of the nurse and doctor; baptism information; baby gifts and from whom; baby weight by month; height by month; and anecdotes about his first laugh, outing, Christmas, tooth, steps, words, birthday, and playmates. A sweet excerpt: "May 12 (15 mo.) Mother was given her first kiss-- a lovely juicy deliberate kiss." There is also a small clipping of hair enclosed (perhaps from the boy's first haircut), a baby shower invitation (2.5" by 3.25"), and a small manuscript card from the boy's Aunt Alison (2.5" by 3.5"). Single vol. (5.25" by 3.25"), approx. 15 leaves in original padded watered silk binding, hand-painted in blue and white gouache with title ("Our Baby"). In original box (3.75" by 5.75" by 0.75") with engraved label pasted to upper lid (2.75" by 5.5"). Elwood Williams III (1914-1982) became a respected State Dept. employee and expert on U.S.-German relations following WWII. Williams joined the Foreign Service in 1940, was assigned to Winnipeg, and then served as a Navy officer during the war. He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1948, and returned to the State Dept. where he spent the remainder of his career assigned to the Bureau of German Affairs. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1945, and received accolades throughout his career for excellence in service despite his physical limitations.