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Guide to the Papers of the Franklin B. Brannan

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/9347

Abstract

Title:
Guide to the Papers of the Franklin B. Brannan
Author/Creator:
Brannan, Franklin B.
Collection number:
2008-131
Size:
4.0 linear feet and 1 item
Bulk dates:
1952-1953
Inclusive dates:
1951-1953
Collection Area:
State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Repository:
Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, Hornbake Library, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301-405-9212, Fax: 301-314-2709, Email: askhornbake@umd.edu
Abstract:

This collection consists of correspondence between Private Franklin B. Brannan in Korea and his family and friends in Baltimore, Maryland, during the of the Korean War. Brannan writes mostly to his mother, Ethel Mae Brannan, and to his aunt, Gertrude Harrison about his daily life in a U.S. Army salvage yard. In their correspondence with Brannan, they discuss their daily lives in Baltimore. The collection also contains newspaper clippings and a photograph.

Important Information for Users of the Collection

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Guide to the Papers of the Franklin B. Brannan, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.

Publication rights:

Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.

Status:

This collection is PROCESSED.

Historical Note

Franklin Brannan was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 29, 1929. In the fall of 1951, he joined the U.S. Army. He was trained at Fort Lee, Virginia and assigned to the 3rd Quartermaster Company, 3rd Infantry Divison. Brannan was sent to Japan, then Korea, where the Army placed him in a salvage unit in His duties consisted of managing salvage material and serving as a nighttime guard. At various times, he was stationed at Yonchon, Chang-dong, and Yongpyeong and frequently witnessed air raids and overhead enemy artillery. For a short while, Brannan dated a Korean woman named Meoka. After two years in the Army, Brannan was promoted to Private First Class. Sources are lacking for information about Brannan's life after the correspondence in the collection ends. Brannan died in Baltimore on April 26, 1995.

The correspondence reveals that Franklin Brannan was close to his mother, Ethel Mae Brannan, who died while he was in Korea. He also maintained close ties to his aunts, Gertrude Harrison and Ida Thomas. Franklin Brannan had multiple siblings, however, it does not appear that he had close ties to any of them. His siblings wrote to him upon his mother's death. According to Brannan, there was some disagreement about his mother's estate. Franklin pursued at least two intimate relationships during the time period of this correspondence, one with a girl named Bessie from Baltimore and another, after this relationshp ended, with a women named Meoka in Korea.

His family and friends in Baltimore wrote to him about visiting the beach, fishing, celebrating the holidays, family life, and playing cards and bingo. They were intrigued with television and thought that it would bring the end of movie theaters. Rarely did his family mention politics, but the letters reveal that they supported Eisenhower because they thought he would end war in Korea.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The papers of Franklin Brannan span the years 1951 to 1953. The correspondence between Brannan and his family and friends began while he was undergoing training at Fort Lee, Virginia in 1951. Their correspondence continued after he arrived in Korea and ceased before he returned to Baltimore in 1953. Most of the material dates from 1952- 1953, while he was stationed in Korea. In addition to the correspondence, the collection contains local Baltimore newspaper clippings his and a photograph of his girlfirend's sister and mother in Baltimore. Most of the letters are paired with original envelopes, which display wartime postmarks, stamps, and annotations by correspondents. Lastly, the collection includes a cardboard pin, labeled "I voted," that Brannan's mother sent to him.

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The University of Maryland Libraries purchased the Papers of the Franklin B. Brannan Family from Charles Apfelbaum in July 2008.

Processing Information

Processed by:

Processed by Jonathan Feinberg, October 2008.

Processing note:

The collection was divided into two series: correspondence and photograph. All metal fasteners were removed. Plastic clips over strips of acid free paper were used to keep letters and their corresponding envelopes together. Newspaper clippings were photocopied and discarded. Acid-free sheets of paper were interleaved between acidic paper in the collection to protect surrounding documents. All orginal envelopes, even if there were empty, were retained. The photograph was placed in a Mylar sleeve. The materials were placed in acid-free folders and stored in acid-free boxes.

Encoded by:

EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Jonathan Feinberg, October 2008.

Arrangement of Collection

The collection is organized into two series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Correspondence, 1951-1953 (4.0 linear feet)

This series contains correspondence between Franklin Brannan and Ethel Mae Brannan (his mother), Gertrude"Gock" Harrison (his aunt), Ida Thomas (his aunt), Marie Talbot (his aunt), Clara Pumphrey (his sister), Shorty Schrier (his brother), and Bessie (his girlfriend). The collection also contains one letter from his friend from the Army, Kenneth Johnson, to Gertrude Harrison. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the last name of each correspondent and then chronologically. If the last name was unknown, the correspondence was filed alphabetically by first name and then chronologically at the end of the series.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
To Ethel Mae Brannan -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 1folder 1
To Ethel Mae Brannan -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 1folder 2
To Ethel Mae Brannan -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952-1953 series 1box 1folder 3
To Franklin Brannan -- From Bessie, 1951-1952 series 1box 2folder 1
To Franklin Brannan -- From Ethel Mae Brannan, 1952 series 1box 2folder 2
To Franklin Brannan -- From Ethel Mae Brannan, 1952-1953 series 1box 2folder 3
To Franklin Brannan -- From Ethel Mae Brannan, 1953 series 1box 2folder 4
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1951 series 1box 3folder 1
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1952 series 1box 3folder 2
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1952-1953 series 1box 3folder 3
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1953 series 1box 3folder 4
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1953 series 1box 3folder 5
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1953 series 1box 3folder 6
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1953 series 1box 3folder 7
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1953 series 1box 3folder 8
To Franklin Brannan -- From Gertrude Harrison, 1953 series 1box 3folder 9
To Franklin Brannan -- From Clara Pumphrey, 1953 series 1box 4folder 1
To Franklin Brannan -- From "Shorty" Schrier, 1953 series 1box 4folder 2
To Franklin Brannan -- From Marie Talbot, 1952-1953 series 1box 4folder 3
To Franklin Brannan -- From Ida Thomas, 1953 series 1box 4folder 4
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1951-1952 series 1box 5folder 1
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 5folder 2
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 5folder 3
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 5folder 4
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 5folder 5
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 1
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 2
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 3
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 4
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 5
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 6
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 6folder 7
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 7folder 1
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 8folder 1
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 8folder 2
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 8folder 3
To Gertrude Harrison -- From Kenneth Johnson, 1951 series 1box 8folder 4
To Marie Talbot -- From Franklin Brannan, 1952 series 1box 9folder 1
To "Shorty" Schrier -- From Franklin Brannan, 1953 series 1box 9folder 2

Series 2: Photograph, 1951 (1 item)

There is one photograph in the collection. The photograph depicts Bessies sister, Anna, and their mother. They are holding their pet cat, Smokey, and dog, Mickey.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Photograph of Bessie's sister, Anna, and their mother, 1951 series 2box 1folder 1

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