Records of Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405, American Legion

Transcription

1 Records of Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405, American Legion 03 Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Michael Gubicza through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Last updated on November 09, Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library

2 Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...4 Scope and Contents... 4 Administrative Information... 5 Controlled Access Headings Page 2 -

3 Summary Information Repository Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library Creator American Legion. Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405 (Philadelphia, Pa.). Title Records of Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405, American Legion Call number 03 Date [inclusive] Extent 0.75 linear feet General Physical Description note 3 flat boxes Language English Abstract The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. The records of Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405 (Philadelphia, Pa.), American Legion, , includes financial, administrative, and membership records, as well as newsletters. - Page 3 -

4 Biography/History "The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of warweary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Membership swiftly grew to over 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at over 2.4 million in 14,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines. "Over the years, the Legion has influenced considerable social change in America, won hundreds of benefits for veterans and produced many important programs for children and youth." Bibliography: The American Legion. "History," Accessed December 29, Scope and Contents The records of Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405 (Philadelphia, Pa.), American Legion, includes financial, administrative, and membership records, as well as newsletters. The financial records date from about 1927 to 1933, and include bank statements, cancelled checks financial correspondence, a receipt book, and budgetary committee reports. The administrative records include meeting minutes and correspondence, circa , and Executive Committee minutes, The membership records include: renewal cards, 1931 and 1992; applications, 1947; member lists, 1978 and ; and correspondence and thank-you letters, circa There is also some event ephemera. Newsletters from Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405 are bound together with newsletters from two other Philadelphia posts of the American Legion, Taylor E. Walthour Post No. 282 and Post No The newsletters date from 1921 to This collection also includes some meeting minutes, , from Taylor E. Walthour Post No Page 4 -

5 Administrative Information Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Michael Gubicza through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Sponsor This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Access Restrictions Contact Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library for information about accessing this collection. Immediate Source of Acquisition note Gift of Andy Waskie, Ph.D., circa Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) American Legion. Geographic Name(s) Philadelphia (Pa.) Subject(s) - Page 5 -

6 Fraternal organizations Veterans World War, Records of Benjamin Franklin Post No. 405, American Legion - Page 6 -