Holthaus Family Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection contains items relating to the operation of H. Holthaus & Co. winery in Gray Summit, Mo., by August J. Holthaus and his family; a postcard depicting the Liberal Arts Building at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis; poll books for 1936, 1938, and 1942 elections in Gray Summit, Mo.; a flier of the St. Louis Municipal Opera for the 26th Annual Season, 1944; and a scrapbook regarding the service of August R. Holthaus in World War II, containing postcards, photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous memorabilia from his time serving in China and India as part of the Army Air Force Air Transport Command.
Dates
- 1903-1946
Creator
- Holthaus family (Creator, Family)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.
Biographical Sketches
August J. Holthaus was born on January 26, 1882. He worked as a farmer on his father Henry’s vineyard and fruit farm, H. Holthaus & Co., and later became owner. He married Otillie A. Roemer (1891-1981) in 1910, and they had three children: Helen, Lucile, and August R. Holthaus. August J. Holthaus later became an automobile insurance salesman. He died on April 30, 1952. August R. "Bud" Holthaus was born on February 21, 1921, in Gray Summit, Mo. He attended Washington High School and later Ranken Technical School. He worked on his father’s farm until he enlisted in the Army Air Force Air Transport Command (A.A.F.A.T.C.) at Jefferson Barracks on October 14, 1942. He served as a Flight Officer and Co-pilot with the 14th Air Force based in Chongqing, China, and participated in the South-East Asian Theater during the Second World War. He was one of the pilots who flew C-46 transports from Burma and India over the Himalayas to China in dangerous missions known as flying over "The Hump." During his service, he was promoted to Lieutenant. He was discharged in 1946. August R. Holthaus was a member of the Boles Fire Department for more than 60 years and later became a chairman. He also owned Cedar Lane Cabinet Shop. On May 26, 1951, he married Laurene Bartold (1927-2008) in Manchester. They had two daughters, Lauralee (Taylor) and Darlene (Meyer). August R. Holthaus died on March 8, 2009. Lucile Holthaus Cook was born on December 5, 1914, in Gray Summit, Mo. She married John C. Cook before World War II, and they a son named Wayne. Her husband worked as a clerk for a retail grocery store, and Lucile worked as a cook in a private home. She and her brother August R. Holthaus wrote to each other during World War II when August R. was serving in the Army Air Force. Lucile Cook died on March 13, 1986. Helen Holthaus Rashcoe was born on April 8, 1912 in Gray Summit, Mo. She worked as a bookkeeper for a textile factory. Her husband, Carl Lee Rashcoe, a barber, died on July 7, 1955. Helen died on September 3, 1988.
Extent
0.67 Cubic Feet ( (1 box; 1 oversize folder))
Language of Materials
English
German
Chinese
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following four series: Winery Series, Poll Books Series, Miscellaneous Series, and Scrapbook Series. The items are arranged chronologically within each series with the exception of the scrapbook series, which has been kept in its original order. The loose pages of the scrapbook have been removed, and the original binding and several pages still attached to it have been placed at the end of the series. The Winery Series contains items relating to the operation and promotion of H. Holthaus & Co., including business cards, blank monthly statement and receipt forms, and forms 701 and 702 of the United States Treasury Department for reporting on wines produced, removed, and on hand at the winery. The Poll Books Series contains three poll books from elections held at Gray Summit, Mo. The poll books are from one general election (1936) and two primary elections (1938 and 1942). The names of the candidates for local, state, and national offices have been transcribed in the inventory section of this finding aid. The Miscellaneous Series contains items which did not fit into any of the other series: two postcards (one depicting Shaw’s Garden and the other the Liberal Arts Building at the 1904 World’s Fair) and a flier for the 1944 season of performances at the St. Louis Municipal Opera. The bulk of the material in the collection is in the Scrapbook Series, which was originally a scrapbook regarding the service of Lt. August R. Holthaus during World War II in the Army Air Force Air Transport Command in China and India. The scrapbook was compiled by August’s sister, Lucile Holthaus Cook, and includes snapshots August took in China; letters and postcards written to Lucile and her husband John Cook by August from various training camps in the United States and bases in India and China; newspaper clippings regarding the A.A.F.A.T.C. and its missions; and memorabilia collected by August R. Holthaus, such as Chinese paper currency and a laundry list in Chinese. Loose pages and items have been removed from the scrapbook for preservation, although the original order of items within the scrapbook has been maintained whenever possible. Transcriptions of all of the letters and postcards are available in the PDF finding aid. Individual envelopes have not been listed in this finding aid except where they correspond to an accompanying letter or have a special notation in the scrapbook.
Physical and Technical Requirements
There are no physical or technical restrictions.
Donor Information
Collection was donated by Lauralee Taylor and Darlene H. Meyer in 2014.
Processing Information
Processed by Corey Schmidt, June 2015.
Creator
- Holthaus family (Creator, Family)
- Cook, Lucile Holthaus, 1914-1986 (Creator, Person)
- Holthaus, August R., 1921-2009 (Author, Person)
- Title
- Inventory of Holthaus Family Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Jaime Bourassa using ArchivesSpace
- Date
- 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center Repository