Papers, 1937-1998 (bulk 1977-1998).

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Papers, 1937-1998 (bulk 1977-1998).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/476293943

The bulk of Series I consists of correspondence written by Weissman to his sister Sara and his parents from Spain between May 1937 and October 1938. Two letters are written in Yiddish, using the Roman alphabet. He wrote long, detailed letters about his journey to Spain, the landscape, his training, life in the barracks, and his experiences on the fronts. The economic hardships that his family was facing at home in the United States are discussed as well as his parents' worries for their son's safety. Weissman's letters provide evidence of his political convictions as well as how his point of view evolved as a result of experiencing war first hand. Weissman also wrote to friends and political comrades and he maintained contact with an imprisoned Spanish comrade, Jose Ferando Ventura, after returning to the United States. There are also documents related to the Spanish Civil War and to Weissman's service in the United States Army during World War II, most notably, a diary he kept while serving in Europe, as well as union cards and documents that reveal some of Weissman's activities and areas of employment in the years between the two wars. Series II consists of correspondence, essays and articles, and other documents related to Weissman's activities with the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) and his position as editor of their newsletter, The Volunteer. Correspondence in this series is mostly incoming and third party correspondence sent or forwarded to Weissman by other VALB members, including Theodore (Ted) Cogswell, Carl Geiser, Ben Iceland, Edward Lending, Abe Osheroff, Abe Smorodin, Morris Stamm, and Robert Steck, as well as other veterans. There are also records relating to VALB activities, particularly those in New York but also regional and national efforts. Included in the VALB files are a copy of the VALB and American Medical Bureau Names List compiled by Ted Cogswell, records related to some of the organization's bureaus and commissions, and documents on VALB's campaign to send aid to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Weissman's work on behalf of Polish-Jewish Spanish Civil War veterans is well documented, and the essays, articles, and book reviews are written by Weissman.

2.5 linear ft. (3 boxes)

Churchill County Museum

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SNAC Resource ID: 7582626

Churchill County Museum

Related Entities

There are 13 Entities related to this resource.

Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Bay Area Post

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

Spain. Ejército Popular de la República. MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gb73rc (corporateBody)

Weissman, Irving, 1913-1998.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6p563gj (person)

Irving Weissman (1913-1998) grew up in a Polish-Jewish immigrant family in New York City. In the early 1930s Weissman attended City College of New York for one year studying English literature and history. He quit school to work in a factory and help support his family. Weissman was a member of the Young Communist League and was active in the Fur and Leather Workers and the United Electrical Workers Unions. He participated in actions of unemployed and laid-off workers during the Dep...

Stamm, Morris.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6rz0cnc (person)

Spain. Ejército Popular de la República. Brigada Internacional, XV.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64r2tkz (corporateBody)

Cogswell, Theodore R.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f483xm (person)

Theodore Rose Cogswell was born in 1918 in Pennsylvania. In 1937, when he was 19, Cogswell told his parents he was going on vacation to France but instead he crossed the Pyrenees into Spain to join the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. He trained as a signalman with a machine gun company, but when it was discovered that he was under 21 he was transferred off the front lines, first to work as a truck driver, then later as an ambulance driver for the Hospital Pasionaria in Murcia. C...

Iceland, Benjamin.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67p9zzf (person)

Osheroff, Abe

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64t7kdd (person)

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...

Smorodin, Abe.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jd5xwn (person)

Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Historical Commission

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63249d2 (corporateBody)

Geiser, Carl

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68w3tp9 (person)

Carl Frederick Geiser was born in Orrville, Ohio on December 10, 1910. He was the oldest of six children and is maternal grandparents raised Geiser and his siblings. In the early 1930s, Geiser wrote press releases and edited International Labor Defense bulletins, organized for the League against War and Fascism, and in 1936 was elected to the National Committee of the Young Communist League. In 1937 Geiser joined the International Brigades and served in the Spanish Civil War. He served as an am...

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 ...