Subject: War diaries - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Extent:: 26.0 linear feet (; 70 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:: This collection documents the personal and professional lives of William Curtis Bok (1897-1962) and Nellie Lee Holt Bok (1901-1984). Curtis Bok (he rarely went by "William") worked as a lawyer in Philadelphia and was elected to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and later to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. During his tenure on the Supreme Court he oversaw the famous obscenity case Commonwealth v. Gordon, which has yet to be overturned. He married twice, first to Margaret Adams Plummer in 1924, and then to Nellie Lee Holt in 1934. Nellie Lee was born in Nebraska and worked as an educator at Stephen's College, Columbia, Missouri. Between 1926 and 1927 she traveled around the world on behalf of the college interviewing various educational and religious leaders, including Mohandas Gandhi. She maintained a tradition of civic engagement throughout her life. The collection also documents to lives of their children (Curtis had three children with his first wife...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.25 linear feet (; 1 box, 7 volumes)
Abstract:: Thomas Cole Wright was a young glove and hosiery shopkeeper in Philadelphia. The diaries trace his courtship and marriage to Emma Butler, the birth of their daughter, the death of both daughter and mother in close succession, his remarriage several years later, his service in the Pennsylvania militia during the Civil War, and the decline of his health which eventually led to his death in November 1864. Entries also discuss the weather, his glove shop, church attendance, purchases, social activities, and charitable contributions. There are seven volumes, with entries for approximately 2,500 days, plus ca. 100 pages of miscellaneous loose papers.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (; 10 volumes)
Abstract:: The diaries and journals in this collection were composed and compiled by H. M. Plowman, a photographer and American soldier who served abroad in Europe during World War II between 1944 and 1945. The diaries and journals document, in part, the major events of the Second World War leading to the American participation in the war in 1941. The diaries also cover Plowman's experiences as a cook, photographer, and tourist in Italy, Britain, and France.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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