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Frances and Jacob Benson Correspondence and Family Papers

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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
SCRC 381
Repository:
Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
Extent:
5.3 linear feet (14 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Frances and Jacob Benson Correspondence and Family Papers, SCRC 381, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Date:
1904-2010 (inclusive) and 1933-1945 (bulk)
Creator:
Benson, Frances Friedman, 1919-2009 and Benson, Jacob Martin, 1916-1986
Form:
Clippings, Correspondence, Diaries, Diplomas, Ephemera, Genealogies, Legal documents, Marriage certificates, Manuscripts, Negatives, Pamphlets, Periodicals, Photocopies, Photographs, Poems, and Scrapbooks
Abstract:

Jacob Martin Benson was born April 4, 1916, to Nathan Benson and Katie Bogutz. He graduated from West Philadelphia High School, Temple University, and Temple University Medical School. Jacob completed a residency at the Jewish Hospital before going into active service in the United States Army Medical Corps in August 1942. During World War II, Benson served as tropical medicine and malaria control consultant and Theater Malariologist for the United States Army Forces South Atlantic (USAFSA) in charge of disinsectization of aircraft and liaison officer with the Brazilian Port Health Service. He also trained medical officers in the Brazilian Expeditionary Force Joint Brazil United States Military Commission and served as base surgeon for the Bahia Joint Army Navy Coast Guard Base, and Battalion Surgeon for the 64th Ordnance Ammunition Battalion. After he was discharged from the Army in April 1946, Benson opened a proctology practice in Philadelphia. Jacob Benson died August 17, 1986.

Frances Doris Friedman was born April 23, 1919, to Max Friedman and Lena Weiss. She graduated from West Philadelphia High School and the Philadelphia School for Office Training. Frances married Jacob on August 2, 1942 at Beth Am Israel by Rabbi Morris S. Goodblatt. In August 1945, Frances joined Jacob in Brazil for the last few months of his service. For a short time after the war, she had a scarf business selling goods to area specialty stores. Frances had three children with Jacob: Ellen, Sally, and Neil. Frances died August July 27, 2009.

The collection consists of over 1100 letters, postcards, telegrams, and greeting cards, written between Frances Friedman Benson and Captain Jacob M. Benson, during their courtship and early years of marriage, while Jacob was serving in the South Atlantic during World War II. Letters discuss their relationship, families, work, and daily lives. The collection also includes correspondence between Jacob and his parents, other family members, and friends; family photographs, photographs of Brazil and Uruguay, newspaper clippings, a family genealogy, Frances' high school diary, and other records related to Jacob, Frances and other members of the Benson family.

The collection is arranged into two series as follows:

  • Series 1: Correspondence, 1935-1945
    • Subseries 1.1: Correspondence between Frances and Jacob, 1935-1945
    • Subseries 1.2: Correspondence between Jacob and others, 1939-1945
  • Series 2: Benson family papers, 1904-2010, undated

Donated by Sally Benson Alsher in August 2018.

Collection processed and finding aid prepared in September 2018 by Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist.

Mildred and Jesse Lare Correspondence, SCRC 176, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

People
Subject
Place

Publisher
Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
Finding Aid Author
Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
Finding Aid Date
June 2024
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

The Frances and Jacob Benson Correspondence and Family Papers is the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The donor has not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries. Other creators' intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Series 1 is arranged in two subseries: Subseries 1.1: Correspondence between France and Jacob Benson, 1935-1945 and Subseries 1.2: Correspondence between Jacob Benson and others, 1939-1945.

Scope and Contents

Subseries 1.1 contains correspondence exchanged between Frances and Jacob from June 1935 to August 1945, which covers their courtship and early years of the marriage while Jacob was serving in the South Atlantic during WWII. Many of the letters include enclosures such as photographs, pamphlets on medical topics, clippings from Philadelphia newspapers on military operations, and copies of G.I. newspapers. A small number of letters contain love poems or drawings. The bulk of the early correspondence was exchanged during summers while Jacob was a counselor at the Boy Scouts Treasure Island Camp in New Jersey. Correspondence authored by Jacob 1943 and later, was primarily written from the 194th Station Hospital in Natal or from the 193rd Station Hospital in Belem. This later correspondence often provides details about Jacob's military activities as a malariologist and staff surgeon and his descriptions of Brazilian culture. This subseries contains one 1937 letter in German and Brazilian magazines in Portuguese sent to Frances in July 1945. This subseries is arranged chronologically.

Correspondence, June 25-July 12, 1935.
Box 1 Folder 1
Correspondence, July 15-August 7, 1935.
Box 1 Folder 2
Correspondence, August 9-December 30, 1935.
Box 1 Folder 3
Correspondence, January 1-November 10, 1936.
Box 1 Folder 4
Correspondence, February 9-July 15, 1937.
Box 1 Folder 5
Correspondence, July 17-August 5, 1937.
Box 1 Folder 6
Correspondence, August 6-31, 1937.
Box 2 Folder 1
Correspondence, September 1, 1937-April 3, 1938.
Box 2 Folder 2
Correspondence, April 30-July 21, 1938.
Box 2 Folder 3
Correspondence, July 25-August 27, 1938.
Box 2 Folder 4
Correspondence, September 1, 1938-July 13, 1939.
Box 2 Folder 5
Correspondence, July 14, 1939-June 25, 1940.
Box 2 Folder 6
Correspondence, June 26-July 17, 1940.
Box 3 Folder 1
Correspondence, July 18-31, 1940.
Box 3 Folder 2
Correspondence, August 1-16, 1940.
Box 3 Folder 3
Correspondence, August 17, 1940-January 22, 1941.
Box 3 Folder 4
Correspondence, February 2-July 11, 1941.
Box 3 Folder 5
Correspondence, July 13, 1941-June 25, 1942.
Box 3 Folder 6
Correspondence, June 27-August 12, 1942.
Box 4 Folder 1
Correspondence, August 14-September 29, 1942.
Box 4 Folder 2
Correspondence, September 30, 1942-March 15, 1943.
Box 4 Folder 3
Correspondence, March 16-May 6, 1943.
Box 4 Folder 4
Correspondence, May 7-July 31, 1943.
Box 4 Folder 5
Correspondence, August 2-31, 1943.
Box 4 Folder 6
Correspondence, September 3-28, 1943.
Box 5 Folder 1
Correspondence, September 30-November 11, 1943.
Box 5 Folder 2
Correspondence, November 15-December 5, 1943.
Box 5 Folder 3
Correspondence, December 7-27, 1943.
Box 5 Folder 4
Correspondence, December 29, 1943-January 15, 1944.
Box 5 Folder 5
Correspondence, January 16-February 5, 1944.
Box 6 Folder 1
Correspondence, February 7-26, 1944.
Box 6 Folder 2
Correspondence, February 25-April 5, 1944.
Box 6 Folder 3
Correspondence, May 9-27, 1944.
Box 6 Folder 4
Correspondence, May 28-June 11, 1944.
Box 6 Folder 5
Correspondence, June 12-July 3, 1944.
Box 7 Folder 1
Correspondence, July 4-30, 1944.
Box 7 Folder 2
Correspondence, July 31-August 20, 1944.
Box 7 Folder 3
Correspondence, August 21-September 16, 1944.
Box 7 Folder 4
Correspondence, September 18-30, 1944.
Box 7 Folder 5
Correspondence, October 2-24, 1944.
Box 8 Folder 1
Correspondence, October 26-November 13, 1944.
Box 8 Folder 2
Correspondence, November 15-December 10, 1944.
Box 8 Folder 3
Correspondence, December 11, 1944-January 7, 1945.
Box 8 Folder 4
Correspondence, January 10-February 8, 1945.
Box 8 Folder 5
Correspondence, February 9-March 12, 1945.
Box 9 Folder 1
Correspondence, March 13-April 10, 1945.
Box 9 Folder 2
Correspondence, April 11-May 20, 1945.
Box 9 Folder 3
Correspondence, May 22-July 1, 1945.
Box 9 Folder 4
Correspondence, July 2-August 5, 1945.
Box 9 Folder 5
Scope and Contents

Subseries 1.2 contains correspondence between Jacob and his parents and correspondence to Jacob from his sisters and others, the bulk of which was written while Jacob was stationed in Brazil. Also included, are two letters addressed to Nathan and Katie Benson from two of their nephews, Jule and Jack Shinberg, serving in Europe during World War II. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by correspondent's last name.

Nathan and Katie Benson, 1942.
Box 10 Folder 1
Nathan and Katie Benson, 1943.
Box 10 Folder 2
Nathan and Katie Benson, 1944.
Box 10 Folder 3
Nathan and Katie Benson, 1945.
Box 10 Folder 4
Sylvia Benson, 1945.
Box 10 Folder 5
Henry Cornehlsen, 1942.
Box 10 Folder 6
Helen M. Crocker, 1943.
Box 10 Folder 7
Rosalie and Charles Klein, 1942-1945.
Box 10 Folder 8
Jack and Jule Shinberg to Nathan and Katie Benson, 1945.
Box 10 Folder 9
Correspondents illegible, 1940-1942.
Box 10 Folder 10
Greeting cards and invitations, 1939-1945.
Box 10 Folder 11

Scope and Contents

Series 2 consists primarily of photographs and albums of the Benson family and of Brazil between 1943 and 1945 mostly in the states of Amapá, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro including images of Captain Benson and other American service men engaged in field exercises with the Brazilian Army, relaxing at Copacabana beach, and other activities. Other photographs depict scenes from Rio de Janeiro including Corcovado mountain and the statue Cristo Redentor, the Vila Militar and Tijuca neighborhoods in the city of Rio de Janeiro, indigenous tribes near Recife, and of Montevideo, Uruguay. The "Brazil and Uruguay photograph album" includes photographs of Jacob and Frances together in Brazil in the fall of 1945 after the conclusion of the war. The "Scrapbook" in this series contains a variety of materials including records related to Captain Benson's military service, some in Portuguese, and his medical practice after the war as well as photographs of the Treasure Island Boy Scout Camp. Other records include Frances' high school diary, vital records, newspaper clippings, a family genealogy, and a eulogy for Jacob Benson. The "Brazil and Uruguay photograph album" and the folder of "Brazil and Uruguay photographs and negatives" include a small number of nude images of Captain Benson and other servicemen at the beach and in the shower. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

"Ancestors of Jacob & Sarah Bogutz", 2010.
Box 11 Folder 1
Brazil and Uruguay photograph album, 1943-1945.
Box 13
Brazil and Uruguay photographs and negatives, 1943-1945.
Box 11 Folder 2
Camp Sutton, N.C. photographs, 1942-1943.
Box 11 Folder 3
Ellen Benson baby photograph album, 1947-1948.
Box 14 Folder 1
Eulogy for Jacob M. Benson, August 29, 1986.
Box 11 Folder 4
Family photograph album, 1921-1923.
Box 11 Folder 5
Family photograph album, 1942-1961.
Box 14 Folder 2
Family photographs, 1904-1915.
Box 11 Folder 6
Family photographs, 1921-1930.
Box 11 Folder 7
Family photographs, 1935-1948.
Box 11 Folder 8
Family photographs, 1958-1979.
Box 11 Folder 9
Frances Friedman diary, January 1, 1933-July 4, 1936.
Box 11 Folder 10
Medical Field Service School, Carlisle Barracks, PA, 1943.
Box 11 Folder 11
Newspaper clipping scrapbook, 1943-1969.
Box 12 Folder 1
Newspaper clippings, 1934-1975.
Box 12 Folder 2
Portraits of Jacob and Frances Benson, 1936-circa 1945.
Box 12 Folder 3
Scrapbook, 1933-1959.
Box 12 Folder 4
Temple University Medical School, 1941, undated.
Box 12 Folder 5
Vital records, certificates, and credentials (originals and copies), 1925-1958.
Box 12 Folder 6
Will of Naomi B. Alsher, August 8, 1984.
Box 12 Folder 7

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