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Hauck family papers
The collection spans from 1939 to 1974, but most of the material dates from 1941-1945 and 1962-1969. Three sets of correspondence make up the bulk of the collection. Series 1 contains the daily letter exchange between Joseph Hauck Sr. and Darthe (Charleton) Hauck during Joseph’s active service in...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Collection: | Hauck Family Papers |
| Collection Number: | 3401 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects and Genres: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
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| Physical Description: |
7.9 Linear feet ; 21 boxes, 3 flat files |
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| Access: |
The collection is open for research. |
| Summary: |
The collection spans from 1939 to 1974, but most of the material dates from 1941-1945 and 1962-1969. Three sets of correspondence make up the bulk of the collection. Series 1 contains the daily letter exchange between Joseph Hauck Sr. and Darthe (Charleton) Hauck during Joseph’s active service in the military. From March 1941 to late 1945, the couple regularly discussed their daily activities and frequently expressed their love and longing for one another. The letters also provide the couple’s reaction to the Pearl Harbor bombing, their impressions of World War II prior to the United States’ entry, and their efforts to marry despite the extended term of service Joseph received after the U.S. entered the war. Seemingly all of the letters Joseph wrote during this time period are in the collection, but only a limited number of Darthe’s letters survive. This correspondence will be of particular interest to researchers interested in the military careers of men drafted into the army as a result of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. Researchers interested in daily life on U.S. military bases in the U.S., England, France, and Germany during the World War II years will also benefit from the collection. Finally, researchers interested in women during the war years will find Darthe’s letters useful since they provide insight into the experiences of a young woman/wife/mother living in the greater Philadelphia region.
Series 2 contains the daily letter exchange between Joseph Hauck Jr. and Darthe (Charleton) Hauck that occurred while Joseph Jr. attended Georgetown University in Washington D.C. from 1962 to 1966. Joseph Jr.’s letters provide insight into college campus life during the 1960s. In addition, the letters discuss major events of the time period such as Georgetown students’ participation in the Spring Riots of 1963 and the collapse of the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies. Darthe’s letters reveal her daily activities while living in Philadelphia, and they also provide insight into the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s (HSP) operations since Darthe was an employee at HSP at that time. Joseph Jr.’s letters seem to be complete, but only a small portion of Darthe’s letters are part of the collection. Researchers interested in life on college campuses during the early to middle 1960s may find this correspondence useful.
Series 3 contains the letters Joseph Hauck Jr. sent home while he was on active duty in Vietnam from November 1967 to October 1968. Joseph Jr.’s letters describe a number of major events that occurred during his deployment including the Tet Offensive and the May Offensive, and he provides some insight into his specific actions during these affairs. In addition to the military aspects of the war, the letters address social conditions within the United States Army. The letters discuss racial issues such as tensions between African-American and white soldiers, African-American protests following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the leadership of Frederic Davison who commanded the 199th Infantry Brigade in 1968 during the Tet Offensive. Researchers interested in the daily life of Vietnam War soldiers will find ample material in this correspondence.
The collection is also rich with photographs. Most of the photographs in Series I depict Joseph Sr.’s friends and fellow soldiers that he met during his service time. The photographs in Series III include images of Joseph Jr.’s friends and acquaintances from his service in Vietnam. In addition, Joseph Jr. captured many landscape scenes depicting the effects that the war had on Vietnam. Among these images are scenes depicting the destruction that the Tet Offensive wreaked on the people and the environment.
Finally, the collection contains Joseph Sr.’s and Joseph Jr.’s military papers, personal papers, and other ephemera they collected during their respective times in the army. The collection does not contain Darthe’s personal or professional effects other than the letters found in the collection’s correspondence. The Hauck family consisted of Joseph B. Hauck Senior of Philadelphia; his wife, Darthe (Charlton) Hauck of Maple Shade, New Jersey; and their son, Joseph B. Hauck Junior. Joseph Sr. was drafted into the United States Army in March of 1941 and served in the European theater of the war from 1944 to 1945. Joseph Jr. also served in the United States Army following his participation in the ROTC program at Georgetown University. He was ordered to serve in Vietnam from November 1967 to October 1968. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, and ephemera mostly connected to Joseph Sr.’s and Joseph’s Jr.’s time in the United States Army. Joseph Sr.’s correspondence with Darthe from 1941 to 1945 mostly describes his daily activities, military camp life, and impressions of the war’s progress. The correspondence also includes the couple’s love letters. Joseph Jr.’s correspondence with his parents from 1962 to 1966 describes his experiences as a college student at Georgetown University. The letters he writes home between 1967 and 1968 focus on his experiences in the Vietnam War including experience of the Tet Offensive and air flights out of Biên Hòa Air Base. The collection’s photographs, records, and ephemera further illustrate both men’s experiences during their military careers. |