Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
The War Relocation Work Corps : a circular of information for enlistees and their families
Image not available
Rare Books
Image not available
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Image not available
Visual Materials
A panoramic photograph of the Japanese American incarceration camp at Manzanar, California, known as the War Relocation Center. The image was taken from a tower along the camp boundary, and shows rows of military-style bunkers, dirt roads, and surrounding desert, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains prominent in the background; no people appear in the photograph. The print is titled and credited in the lower left corner, part of which says: "Copyrighted by Manzanar Cooperative Enterprises, Inc." This was a prisoner-run co-op established in 1943 with the War Relocation Authority. Cameras were not allowed to be used by prisoners, so a cooperative photo studio was established to centralize these services. The studio, run by Toyo Miyatake, performed all work for the school annuals and for WRA administrators. It is likely this image was printed by Toyo Miyatake while he was imprisoned there. It is not signed by him, but Archie Miyatake (Toyo's son), stated in a later interview that panoramic photographs were most often stamped with Manzanar Cooperative and that Toyo signed only smaller size prints.
photPAN 154
Image not available
Manuscripts
The majority of the collection consists of correspondence sent to the Katano family while they were interred at the Manzanar War Relocation Center from 1942 to 1945. Many of the letters were sent to Tomeko Dorothy Katano, who was at Manzanar from ages 19-22. Some of Tameko's acquaintances describe their unchanged daily activities, while others write of their own wartime experiences. Some of the letters only allude to the Katanos' situation in the relocation center, although others are more explicit, such as a letter from a friend who urges Tameko and her family to study the U.S. Constitution and remember their rights as American citizens, while acknowledging that "there is an element in California that are against you, but that's one of the consequences of war...it will pass away in time" (1944). While none of the Katanos own correspondence is included in the collection, an unnamed friend wrote to Takaichi Katano that "I was very sad when you wrote about you being unhappy and lonely but I hope for you[r] sake that you shall be happy...in the future." A letter from a recently released friend described the difficult situation he faced after leaving "dear old Manzanar," from where he had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he had difficulty finding a place to live did not "like the Japanese out here." He planned to return to the West Coast, where despite his experiences he still felt "more at home" (1945). The collection also contains various ephemera related to Tomeko and Manzanar. Two of the letters are in Japanese.
HM 79401.
Image not available
Manuscripts
The majority of the collection consists of correspondence sent to the Katano family while they were interred at the Manzanar War Relocation Center from 1942 to 1945. Many of the letters were sent to Tomeko Dorothy Katano, who was at Manzanar from ages 19-22. Some of Tameko's acquaintances describe their unchanged daily activities, while others write of their own wartime experiences. Some of the letters only allude to the Katanos' situation in the relocation center, although others are more explicit, such as a letter from a friend who urges Tameko and her family to study the U.S. Constitution and remember their rights as American citizens, while acknowledging that "there is an element in California that are against you, but that's one of the consequences of war...it will pass away in time" (1944). While none of the Katanos own correspondence is included in the collection, an unnamed friend wrote to Takaichi Katano that "I was very sad when you wrote about you being unhappy and lonely but I hope for you[r] sake that you shall be happy...in the future." A letter from a recently released friend described the difficult situation he faced after leaving "dear old Manzanar," from where he had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he had difficulty finding a place to live did not "like the Japanese out here." He planned to return to the West Coast, where despite his experiences he still felt "more at home" (1945). The collection also contains various ephemera related to Tomeko and Manzanar. Two of the letters are in Japanese.
HM 79402.
Image not available
Manuscripts
The newsletters, which were published several times a year from February 1942 to February 1946, supplied news of the committee's work to assist the Japanese Americans who were relocated by the U.S. Government in 1942. The newsletters discuss several of the relocation centers including Central Utah, Gila River, Manzanar, and Poston. The bulletins also talk about the Tulare Assembly Center, the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council, and Japanese American soldiers. The last two issues, which were published after the relocation centers were closed, discuss Japanese resettlement in the West. Issues 5, 6, and 17 are photocopies
mssHM 66489 (1-17)
Image not available
Manuscripts
Letters dated 1939 and 1941 to 1946 were originally stored together in a file box; the bulk of these were sent to Sumi and sometimes multiple Sakai family members while incarcerated at Manzanar and are primarily from personal and family friends. Some were sent from other camps including Poston, Gila River, and Tule Lake, or from elsewhere in the U.S. following the sender's release, describing their current lives, schooling, and work, in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, and elsewhere. These correspondents performed secretarial work, domestic labor, and farm labor; some were involved in resettlement efforts by the Advisory Committee for Evacuees in Chicago and the American Friends Service Committee; or served in the U.S. Army. There are several letters from friend Sunao Imoto, who was released from Poston to work for poet Carl Sandburg and his wife, Lilian Sandburg. Also present in this group are letters from friends and neighbors in Los Angeles, including Galetta Van Valkenburgh, and a request from Yuki Sakai to a Father Lavery for assistance in transferring her parents from the Santa Anita Sanitarium near the Santa Anita Assembly Center, dated 1942 June 17. Letters were possibly originally filed by sender and there are several index cards with correspondents' names and addresses present. Some letters from 1940 and 1941 were sent to Sumi Sakai while she was traveling in Japan. Post-war correspondence is from family and friends in the U.S. and Japan and includes greeting cards and holiday snapshot cards, especially from the Kawakami family; some letters and cards are addressed to multiple family members.
mssSK
Image not available
Manuscripts
The entire collection spans 240 years of American history and includes seven generations of the Howell and Taylor families starting with Ebenezer Howell, who was born at sea en route to Delaware from Wales in 1725, and ending with William Henry Taylor born in Pomona, California in 1912. The collection covers land ownership in the New Jersey colony, the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, the Civil War and Jefferson Davis, the removal of the Pawnees to their new reservation in Indian Territory, farming in early 20th century southern California, the Gila River Relocation Center, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and refugees in post-World War II Europe, and life in late 20th century southern California. More detailed scope and content notes are below: Manuscripts The inclusive dates for the 13 manuscripts are c.1776-1949. They include a note by A. N. Burgess regarding lumber prices; a journal, memorandum, and notebook by Joseph Burr Howell; four diaries of Phoebe Sutton Howell (1897-1901); the Constitution, By-laws, and Meeting Minutes of the Mount Laurel Lyceum; a report to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration by William Henry Taylor (1945); a notebook regarding Engle family genealogy; and an obituary for George F. Howell, 1878-1949. There is also a list of evidence in a possible court-martial against James Matthews (c.1776), written to Major Richard Howell by an unknown author. The manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by author. Correspondence There are 1,077 pieces of correspondence in the collection with the inclusive dates of 1776-1985. The majority of the correspondence is written by members of the Howell and Taylor families. The subjects range from the Revolutionary War to post-World War II Europe and California in the late 20th century. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author and addressee. A detailed description of the correspondence, by family member (the number in parentheses, following each name, is the number of letters by that individual): Howell, Richard, 1754-1802 (4) Subject in Letter (1776, Sep. 26) to his twin brother Lewis Howell, 1754-1778, and a letter by Lewis Howell (1776, June 26) to his father, Ebenezer Howell, discuss the Howell brothers' experience in the Revolutionary War. Howell, Joseph Burr, 1794-1874 (26) Subject in Letters (1853-1871) regarding family-owned fisheries, land, business, etc., in New Jersey. Howell, William Burr, 1796-1863 (26) Subject in Letters (1832-1861) to brother Joseph B. Howell regarding his move to New Orleans, and his family's participation in the Mexican War and the Civil War, and his son-in-law Jefferson Davis. Gläser, Beulah Howell (4) Subject in Letters (1837-1862) from Germany and New York. Twenty-four letters by her son, Franklin Gläser, containing family news, and comments on European opinion of Civil War. Agnew, Sarah Howell (18) Subject in Letters from Sarah Howell Agnew (1835-1867) discuss the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, slaves, and cholera breakout in Pittsburgh. Also 4 letters (1839-1866) by her daughter Mary Agnew Allen, mention war conditions in Batesville, Arkansas, and escaped slaves. Davis, Varina, 1826-1906 (2) Subject in Letters (1850-1858) to her uncle Joseph B. Howell. Also 2 letters (1853-1858) by Jefferson Davis to Joseph B. Howell. Added note: Letters by Jefferson Davis Howell (Varina's brother) mention Jefferson Davis. Howell, George F., 1844-1909 (146) Subject in Letters (1837-1905) to his parents and his wife, Phoebe Sutton Howell. Letters discuss his work with the Pawnee in Nebraska and Oklahoma. There are many other letters that talk about the reservation and a scandal involving payroll records; the authors of those letters are William D. Bishop, William Burgess, Stacy Matlack and Charles H. Searing. Also 78 letters (1870-1898) by Phoebe Sutton Howell, chiefly regarding family news. Taylor, Mary Howell (11) Subject in Letters (1883-1926) to family from Pasadena and San Dimas. Also 24 letters by her husband, Levi Shoemaker Taylor. These letters mainly contain family news, but also provide a look at life in early 20th century southern California. Taylor, William Henry (157) Subject in Letters (1921-1946) to different family members; largest group of letters are written to his wife, Jean Engle Taylor, while he was in Arizona and Europe (1942- 1946). He was working at the Gila River Relocation Center and in Europe with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNNRA); he was stationed in Egypt, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Austria and France. William spent a lot of time in Belgrade, Serbia, and several of his letters describe the conditions of the city. There are also 31 letters (1938-1965) by Jean Engle Taylor to her mother and friends regarding her life in Pasadena, her work in the Pasadena Playhouse, and art school. Ephemera There are 680 pieces of ephemera with the inclusive dates of 1750-1990. The ephemera includes albums, certificates, court documents, diplomas, empty envelopes, financial records, genealogy notes regarding the Howell, Taylor and Engle families, land deeds, land surveys and maps, leases, marriage records, pamphlets, wills, tracts, notes, and newspaper clippings. There are over 300 photographs, which include daguerreotypes, cyanotypes, photograph albums, and portraits of individual family members and friends, as well as group and candid shots. Also included are fifteen stereographs of Pawnee Indians by William Henry Jackson [c.1868-1871] and two issues of The Indian Herald (1876). There is also ephemera related to the Howell family-owned Gloucester Fishery and the Engle family-owned Engleside resort, both of which were in New Jersey. Some notable items contained in the Miscellaneous Ephemera folders are: two tracts regarding the "slavery question" [c.1860]; a map of New York [c.1861]; pamphlet "Irving's Rip Van Winkle" with an insert regarding Edwin Booth and Booth's Theater (1870); published version of the will of George Washington (1876); pamphlet entitled "Major Richard Howell of New Jersey: A Centennial Sketch" (1876); map of Pasadena [c.1902]; dissertation by Levi Shoemaker Taylor entitled "An Electrical Method for the Combustion of Organic Compounds" (1905); and a map of Oklahoma Territory [before 1907]. The oversize ephemera contains photographs, diplomas, and marriage records; the ephemera also includes several monographs that belonged to the families.
mssHM 66800-67889, mssHM 69632-69644