Collections

The Aronson-Grant papers contain correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to Calvin Aronson and his wife, Pearl Goldblatt (later Grant) Aronson.

The Aronson-Grant papers contain correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to Calvin Aronson and his wife, Pearl Goldblatt (later Grant) Aronson.

The Correspondence series, which comprises the bulk of the collection, mostly consists of letters addressed to Pearl Goldblatt between 1921 and 1934, as well as some letters that she wrote to her husband. The letters reveal much about the couple's personal life and relationship, including Aronson's joyful reaction after hearing that Goldblatt had accepted his marriage proposal (February 14, 1924). Pearl Goldblatt Aronson tended to use her adopted surname, "Grant," in her later letters. In contrast to the couple's courtship correspondence, many letters by Grant's friends hint at marital difficulties between Aronson and Grant, including a brief threat of divorce. Some items have enclosures such as drawings and the couple's wedding certificate (February 26, 1927), and one letter is on stationery with the caption "Shh- Mr. Aronson is in deep thought" (April 6, 1926). Three letters enclose photographs (July 16, 1924; August 3, 1924; and May 14, 1929). Many of the postcards within the series have pictures of scenes in Europe.

The Business and Financial Papers series (57 items) contains receipts, bills, cancelled checks, and other items pertaining to the Aronsons' fiscal affairs, including their accounts with the Mechanics' Bank in Brooklyn, New York.

Most of the Photographs (61 items) show scenes around Como, Italy, and several are pictures of young women posing near water and in rowboats.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series contains greeting cards, newspaper clippings, invitations, calling cards, programs, and other items. The newspaper clippings concern politics, playwrights, and human interest stories. Other items include a printed map of the "Harbour of Nassau" and Act IV of Will Shakespeare, a play by Clemence Dane.

This collection contains letters that Russell Joseph Sommer ("Joe") of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received from his brothers in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. Jerome ("Jerry") and George Sommer commented on wedding planning, a shared car, and family relationships and disputes.

This collection contains 17 letters and 2 notes of telephone calls that Russell Joseph Sommer ("Joe") of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received from his brothers and acquaintances during World War II. The collection also includes 2 ephemeral items and a newspaper clipping.

George W. Sommer wrote 13 letters to his brother, Joe Sommer, while serving in the United States Navy around 1944-1945. As a naval air cadet at Great Lakes, Illinois, he commented on military life and medical testing. George allowed Joe and his wife Dot to use his car while he was away and discussed car maintenance, repairs, and, in one letter, the possibility of selling the vehicle. He wrote about his plans to have a "big wedding" despite his mother's recent death and some family members' misgivings. One group of his letters pertains to George's poor relationship with Joe's wife Dot. George discussed a dispute between his wife, Loretta, and Dot; he expressed his desire to maintain a relationship with his niece, Dorothy Mary, and shared his regret for the strain that Dot's recent actions had put on the brothers' relationship and on George's relationship with Loretta.

Jerry Sommer wrote 2 letters to his brother Joe, in which he discussed his pregnant wife's health (May 1, 1945) and his arrival in port in the United States (July 14, 1945). Joe Sommer received 2 brief notes about phone calls from Jerry, as well as 2 letters from acquaintances; one correspondent enclosed a newspaper clipping about Cincinnati Reds catcher Ray Mueller (May 21, 1944), and the other mentioned a flight he took with an air corps pilot (December 28, 1944). The remaining items are a printed calendar of events at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for May 12, 1945-May 18, 1945; a card with a Christmas wish and picture of a nativity scene, produced by the National Catholic Community Service; and a newspaper clipping about Catholic marriage rites.