A Guide to Archival Collections Second Edition
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Johnstown Area Heritage Association Johnstown Flood Museum Archives 304 Washington Street Johnstown, PA 15901 A Guide to Archival Collections Second Edition Complied by: Kaytlin Sumner, Curator PO Box 1889 Johnstown, PA 15907 (814) 539-1889 Fax: (814) 535-1931 [email protected] Johnstown Area Heritage Association 10/22/2014 | 1 Introduction and Policies The Guide to Archival Collections contains descriptions of the scope and content of archival collections that have been catalogued at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association Archives, as of the date listed at the bottom of the page. The archives is located at 304 Washington Street, Johnstown, PA 15901. Archival collections described consist of materials formed around a person, family, organization, or subject. They may contain a wide variety of items such as manuscripts, diaries, correspondence, legal papers, memorabilia, photographs, films, tapes, computer files, maps, drawings, pamphlets, and other forms of material. Contact the archives for more information or to schedule an appointment / research visit. Citations / Permission to Publish: JAHA reserves the right to all digital images of archival materials within its collections. In addition, JAHA requires permission in writing in order to publish materials from the association’s archives despite the origin of the digital format. Citations / courtesy lines must correspond with materials referenced or cited in all reproductions, published or unpublished. Research Policies: Appointments are required to view archives. Staff must be informed of the number of visitors prior to the appointment. A maximum of four people are allowed in the archives at one time. A staff member is present with research guests at all times. No ink pens or large bags are allowed in the archives. Prior permission is required before taking photographs. Contact information must be recorded for all guests prior to the start of research. Staff may request to see and copy visitors’ photo ID. The staff reserves the right to update all policies at any time. Key Terms: Records are documents in any form that are made or received and maintained by an organization, whether government agency, church, business, university, or other institution. An organization's records typically might include copies of letters, memoranda, accounts, reports, photographs, and other materials produced by the organization as well as incoming letters, reports received, memoranda from other offices, and other documents maintained in the organization's files. Personal papers are created or received and maintained by an individual or family in the process of living. Diaries, news clippings, personal financial records, photographs, correspondence received, and copies of letters written and sent by the individual or family are among the materials typically found in personal papers. Artificial collections are fundamentally different both from records and from personal papers. Instead of being natural accumulations, artificial collections are composed of individual items purposefully assembled from a variety of sources. Because artificial collections comprise documents from many sources, archivists may elect to change established relationships in order to improve access or control. Johnstown Area Heritage Association 10/22/2014 | 2 Table of Contents Personal Papers and Family Collections pgs. 4-8 Company / Organization Records and Collections pgs. 8-10 Collections by Subject Matter pgs. 10-12 Collections by Medium pgs. 12-14 Johnstown Area Heritage Association 10/22/2014 | 3 Personal Papers and Family Collections Reverend Dr. David J. Beale Papers, 1833-1923 The Reverend Dr. David J. Beale Papers consist of personal diaries (1859-1899), correspondence, receipts, and more. Dr. Beale was the head of the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street at the time of the 1889 Johnstown Flood. As co-chairman of the committee recovering the dead, Dr. Beale became a source of controversy after the Flood, as several did not agree with his decision to use the church as a temporary morgue. Dr. Beale and his family left Johnstown in 1890 and settled in Philadelphia. Collection donated by Laura Beale Toy, granddaughter of Rev. Dr. Beale. Don Berkebile Collection, 1920-1943 The Don Berkebile Collection consists of programs and playbills relating to the Johnstown Music League, as well as a history of the Johnstown Music League (1939). Charles Wakefield Cadman Collection, 1910-1958 The Charles Wakefield Cadman Collection contains musical scores, including music by Cadman, a Johnstown native. Fulton I. Connor Papers, 1875-1982 The Fulton I. Connor Collection contain scrapbooks, pamphlets and business papers, primarily relating to the 1936 flood, including 3 scrapbooks of news clippings from the Johnstown Democrat and the Johnstown Tribune, containing articles about the flood and the activities of City Council before the flood. The collection also contains some school records, ephemera and newspaper clippings concerning Johnstown High School and St. Francis College (now Saint Francis University). Kitty Connor Papers, 1889-1990 This collection consists of various photographs, postcards, and newspaper clippings. Jemima Crawford Papers, 1880-1907 This collection contains correspondence and accounts related to the May 31, 1889 Johnstown Flood. The papers include recollections of the Flood by Jemima Linn Johnston Crawford and several of her companions who survived the flood; an 1880 letter describing the conditions of the South Fork Dam written by John Fulton; correspondence in the first few months after the disaster; and miscellaneous items pertaining to the Crawford and Fulton families. Biderman T. DuPont Papers, 1930-1987 This collection consists of documents and photographs gathered on a variety of Johnstown topics, including records from the Johnstown Hockey Company, local government reports, notes on the DuPont family history, and several historical essays and newspaper clippings. Karl V. Eckel Collection, 1854-1962 The Karl V. Eckel Collection contains miscellaneous ephemera including scrip from the Cambria Iron Company store, a store directory, World War II rationing information, two binders created for the 100th anniversary of Penn Traffic Department Store, and more. Grace Elliot Papers This collection consists of scrapbooks and photographs related to Johnstown schools. Johnstown Area Heritage Association 10/22/2014 | 4 Epstein Family Papers The papers of the Epstein family in Johnstown contain information about Johnstown’s synagogues, community organizations, and individuals in the Epstein family and in the Jewish community of Johnstown. The collection has been arranged into series for Hadassah, Beth Sholom Congregation, Rodef Sholom Synagogue, the United Jewish Federation of Johnstown and the Johnstown Jewish Federation, Johnstown History, Johnstown Memorabilia, the Royal Plate Glass Company, and the Epstein Family history. The papers include correspondence, fundraising documents, newspaper clippings, programs, and Johnstown memorabilia. They provide information about the Irene Dorothy and Harry Epstein family of Johnstown and their religious, social, and philanthropic activities. JAHA has recently received an addendum to this collection that has not yet been processed. Fenn Family Papers, 1870-1890 This collection includes birth certificates for five Fenn children, as well as photographs of the Fenn family and the Fenn house. Fritz and Chandler Family Papers, 1854-1989 The Fritz and Chandler Family Papers contains miscellaneous family papers and ephemera including account books, a plan of Isaac Chandler’s house in Yoder Township, an 1881 scrapbook, an account book of land transactions by Isaac Chandler in Morrellville (1867-1882), correspondence primarily dealing with land holdings (1896-1916), and the transcribed diary of George Fritz detailing a trip to Europe with John Fritz. Elsie Frum Collection, 1957-1989 Elsie Frum was one of the last survivors of the Johnstown Flood. Her collection consists of various printed documents relating to the Johnstown Flood of 1889. John Fulton Papers, 1826-1914 The John Fulton Papers include manuscript memoirs compiled by Fulton between 1913-1914 in four volumes. Volume I recounts his birth and early life in Ireland as well as his emigration to the U.S. (1828- 1848). Volume II documents the period 1848-1874 and Fulton’s work for the Broad Top Mountain Railroad and Coal Co. (1874-1893). Volume III deals with his work as mining engineer and general manager of the Cambria Iron Co. (1874-1893). Volume IV deals with his independent professional work. There is an additional travel diary, “Memoirs of the Cruise to Palestine, Egypt,” Etc.” (1902). The papers also include letters to Fulton (1896-1914). George W. Griffith Collection, 1936-1966 This collection consists primarily of scrapbooks detailing the work of the Johnstown Department of Public Works from 1936-1939, also including topics such as local politics, taxes, and the river channel construction. It also contains a manuscript index of special ordinances of the city of Johnstown. George Hand Collection, 1871-1981 The George Hand Collection contains letters, legal papers, reports and scrapbooks dealing with Bethlehem Steel in Johnstown, pamphlets, letters, etc. concerning Johnstown and Cambria County, letters, programs, minutes and statistics related to Penn’s Woods Council Inc. and Boy Scouts of America. Pamphlets, architectural designs, letters, photographs, etc., dealing with a modular housing construction project (ca.