Robert Hale Merriman Papers Bulk, 1934-1989 1922-1993, (Bulk 1934-1989)

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Robert Hale Merriman Papers Bulk, 1934-1989 1922-1993, (Bulk 1934-1989)

Robert Hale Merriman (1908-1938) and his wife Marion Merriman (later Wachtel) served with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Robert served as first commander of the Lincolns and rose to the rank of chief of staff of the 15th International Brigade. Marion served the Brigade as a volunteer in several capacities. In November 1937, Marion returned to the United States to raise money for war by making speeches at rallies across the country. Robert disappeared during an ambush at Corbera (Ebro Valley) and his body was never found. Marion became active in the Bay Area Chapter of Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB). Later in her life, she co-wrote with journalist Warren Lerude. Robert Jordan, the main character in For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway’s Spanish Civil War novel – was apparently modeled after Robert Merriman. This collection contains a small amount of material from the Spanish Civil War, including letters from Robert to Marion before Marion joined him in Spain and two diaries he kept in Spain. The bulk of the collection consists of organizational materials documenting Marion’s involvement in the Bay Area chapter of VALB. Three typescript versions of and additional material related to the writing of the book are also included. American Commander in Spain: Robert Hale Merriman and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade American Commander in Spain

2.0 linear feet; (2 boxes)

Related Entities

There are 8 Entities related to this resource.

Merriman, Marion, 1909-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ps0k74 (person)

Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Bay Area Post

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6518xhn (corporateBody)

Merriman, Robert Hale

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pz658m (person)

Robert Hale Merriman (1908-1938) was a graduate student in economics at the University of California at Berkeley when he became interested in Russian economics. He had met his future wife Marion Stone when both were undergraduates at the University of Nevada; they married on their graduation day, May 9, 1932. The Merrimans moved to Moscow in January 1935. An excursion to Vienna gave Robert and Marion a firsthand view of Nazism and motivated Robert, who had received some basic milita...

Spain. Ejercito Popular de la Republica. Abraham Lincoln Battalion.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m7059x (corporateBody)

Lerude, Warren, 1937-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6x65bsm (person)

Warren Lerude joined the University of Nevada, Reno, journalism faculty in 1983. In 1986, the University of Nevada Press published American Commander in Spain: Robert Hale Merriman and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a biography written by Marion Merriman and Warren Lerude. Robert Merriman and Marion Stone, both students at the University of Nevada, married on graduation day, 1932. Merriman, accompanied by his wife, attended graduate school at the University of California; went to Moscow, Russia, t...

Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c57872 (corporateBody)

VALB was formed in December 1937 by U.S. volunteers returning from combat in the Spanish Civil War. VALB originally assisted wounded veterans and sought to awaken the U.S. public to the significance of the Spanish Civil War and the Loyalist cause. In later years, VALB began to address other political issues, including U.S. policy in World War II and later, Cuba, Nicaragua and Vietnam. In addition to their headquarters in New York City, VALB "Posts" developed in various cities including Los Angel...

North American Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w61v9kdk (corporateBody)

Abraham Lincoln brigade archives

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pg66mp (corporateBody)

Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives: Small Photograph Collections is a compilation of images that have been separated from ALBA archival collections. For historical/biographical information on each individual, consult the guide to the corresponding manuscript collection. The images include scenes of the battlefield and daily life in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, Spanish civilians and locales during the War, portraits and group shots of American volunteers in Spain and in ...