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James Sherman World War II Papers

 Collection
Identifier: A3096

Scope and Contents

The collection is comprised primarily of letters written and received by James Sherman while he served in the U.S. Navy during the final 17 months of World War II. There are also documents relating to Sherman’s military service and his discharge. The papers are divided into two series: Correspondence and Subject Files. The Correspondence series is arranged chronologically; the Subject Files series is arranged alphabetically by topic/type of document. The collection dates from August 1943 to January 1946 with the bulk of the collection dating from July 1944 to September 1945. An alphabetical list of James Sherman’s correspondents and the dates of their letters appears as an appendix to this finding aid.

The Correspondence series with mostly letters and a small number of greetings cards comprises the largest part of the collection. It dates from 7 June 1944 to circa 10 January 1946. Envelopes accompany most of the letters written by James. However, there are no envelopes for the letters that James received. There are almost daily letters between James Sherman and his wife, Dorothy, and also letters written to James by 51 friends and family members. James addressed Dorothy as “Dotty” and “Lover Boy.” Dorothy signed her letters “Dot” and “Dottie.” James’ friends addressed him as “Jim” and “Jimmy.” However, family and business associates addressed him as “James.”

The first six letters from June 1944 are letters of recommendation written by James’ friends and business associates. Each letter is addressed “To whom it may concern.” The purpose of the recommendations is unclear, however, they were possibly written in an effort to help James obtain a favorable assignment in the Navy.

Letters in the collection written by James are addressed to four people: Dottie, oldest son Allen, one letter to brother Adolph (8 June 1945), and one letter to florist Max Zucker (25 Sept 1944). James’ letters date from 9 July 1944, at Terminal Island, California, to 14 August 1944, at Pearl Harbor, at the end of the war. James wrote Dotty almost daily from the time he left the midwest until the war’s end. Presumably, he continued to write home, but those letters are not included in the collection. James shared his experiences with Dottie, writing about his work as much as the censors allowed, his Navy friends, meeting people from St. Louis, and his off-duty activities.

Dottie’s almost-daily letters were often short, explained their family’s daily activities, and shared news about family and friends. Her cousin, Gertie Sahteal, a war widow, came to St. Louis from New York to live with Dottie and her sons for a time while James was away. However, her sister Rose Harris lived nearby, as did many of their friends. Dottie seemed to handle James’ absence and the ensuing loneliness well until the end of the war. Since James hadn’t served in battle areas, he had fewer points than many other sailors as the Navy began distributing discharges at the war’s end (The military used a points system based on numerous factors to determine the order in which men were discharged). James did not know when he would be home and Dottie’s stability wavered as she wrote more often of how deeply she missed him. In her 1 October 1945, Dottie told James, “if there was any way possible to go A.W.O.L., I would ask you to.” In Dottie’s last letter on 1 January 1946, as they spent their second New Year’s apart, she lamented, “in all the time you have been away, I have never felt this blue before.”

James was able to make phone calls home, but they were costly, about $9.00 for three minutes (ALS Dottie to James, 6 Nov 1944, 8 Jan 1945). The calls had to be scheduled in advance. Since he was outside the contiguous U.S., censors listened to the calls, requiring James to obtain advance approval of whomever he planned to speak. Certain topics were prohibited, such as telegrams and the location of servicemen. James wanted to place his mother on his list, who did not know he had left the U.S., “but the censor would not approve any Jewish conversation” (16 Feb 1945). George explained to their mother that she would not be able to speak to James, so she practiced her English (24 Feb 1945).

James wrote a few letters to his oldest son Allen, who had started school and was able to read. Dottie sent James samples of Allen’s schoolwork and notices from school which included information about a paper drive with which she and Allen were deeply involved. These items are not dated and appear at the end of the series, along with the greeting cards (B5/f.5-7).

Brother Adolph was James’ most prolific correspondent, second only to Dottie. He wrote while he was still in the Coast Guard stationed in Virginia. When he had furloughs, Adolph returned to St. Louis or traveled with George to New York on business or to Washington D.C. to help work on James’ discharge request. Adolph received a medical discharge on 1 June 1945 and returned to work with the family businesses. His letters to James relayed news of family and friends, he visited often with Dottie and their sons, and business matters. Adolph talked about the Sherman Brother’s Dry Goods stores with optimism – much different than his brother George; the stores’ inventories; the new store that they opened in Marion, Illinois; and their employees.

There are several letters from Leon in the collection from his various locations. He served in the Army and was sent to Europe in March 1945. He served in France and Belgium with the 176th Q. M. Ldry Co., which provided laundry services to the 1st Army and the 9th Army. He visited Antwerp, remembering their trip from Russia to the U.S. in 1922 (10 Apr 1945). In August 1945, the Army sent Leon on a 41-day voyage from Europe to the Philippines, where he described the destruction of Manilla (5 Sept 1945). However, due to his age and the war’s end, he was sent home in October (ALS Adolph to James, 21 Sept 1945).

James’ nephew, Arnold Sherman, was a captain in the Army Air Force. He served in England for most of the war with the Eighth Air Force and told James on 25 February 1945 that his group had recently complete their 300th bombardment of Germany. After V-E Day, Arnold was attached to the Ninth Air Force as an occupational force in Germany. Two of Dottie’s brothers served in the war. Albert was in the Army stationed in Panama and wrote to James. Milton served in the Philippines, but it is unclear with which branch of the military.

James’ closest friends wrote to him with news of other friends and acquaintances who had been drafted. Most of his friends were over 30 years of age with wives and children, so they had not been called upon to volunteer or been included in earlier drafts by the beginning of 1944. There are also letters from friends who, like James, found themselves serving in the military after having received deferments for years. Taken as a whole, these letters written to James demonstrate the closeness of St. Louis’ Jewish community during the war.

Bill Rosenbaum was one of James’ friends who remained at home working for the Gale-Sobel Company. He wrote of several mutual friends: Mannie Brown (in Germany), Ed Wallerstein (in Belguim), Lou Hoffman, Al Fisher, Lou Chuver (at Iwo Jima), Al Zwibelman, and Harry Reget. Bill’s brother, Harry Rosenbaum, was a doctor at a general hospital in France in November 1944 and was not happy that most of his patients were German POW’s (21 Dec 1944).

Rosenbaum also wrote a letter for John Dynis, who was trying to get a job dependency discharge (6 Sept 1945). Dynis, the manager of the Sherman’s Olney store, had been drafted into the Army in the spring of 1945 and his departure from the business was mentioned often by Adolph. Dynis revealed to James that all four of his brothers were out of the country: Mike possibly on Okinawa, Steve in the Marianas, Paul with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy, and Frank with the 9th Army in Germany (21 May 1945). From Fort Ord, he wrote that his mother filed an appeal with the Red Cross to keep him in the country (9 Aug 1945).

Joe Steinback was another close friend who retained his draft deferment and worked at Salle-Ann Shops Inc. (1409 Washington Ave.) during the war. His letters are more casual in tone, mimicking conversation between two long-time friends, along with salty language. In his letter of 18 October 1944, Joe told James about going to the World Series games between the Cardinals and the Browns. Scalpers sold tickets for $3.00 but also handed tickets to servicemen for free (B1/f.12). Like Bill Rosenbaum, he shared news of mutual friends scattered around the globe, like Paul Elman, Marv Scheiber, and Mike Weintraub. He also told a story about Sylvia and Lawrence (no last name) in which Sylvia wrote to Gen. McArthur asking him to send Lawrence home (19 Nov 1944). On 12 January 1945, Joe gave James more details about their friends: Hy Spritz was awarded a presidential citation for action in India, Mike Weintraub was awarded the bronze star for gallantry in Germany, and his nephew Harlan Steinback was in an English hospital undergoing plastic surgery after fighting with the 9th Army in Germany (B2/f.15).

Cagle “Cag” Wool and his wife Libbie wrote to James. Cag had deferments and then was rejected for service. However, he told James on 10 July 1945, “I was disappointed at not being accepted. No married man with a family will enlist, but with all you fellows in the service, willingly or not, I don’t feel good walking the streets.” N. T. Mendelson worked for the Young Men’s Hebrew Association keeping up with news on members serving in the military. His letter to James on 9 April 1945 relayed news of approximately 13 members.

Morry Berman was a life-long friend who also served in the Navy. He was assigned to guard duty, his ship accompanied cargo ships mostly to and from ports in the southern U.S. to ports in the Pacific. On 25 February 1945, Morry explained that their latest voyage’s cargo would find its way to the Burma Road. His sister, Ethel Berman, was a WAC stationed in New Guinea (ALS Ethel to Dottie, 12 Jan 1945). Leo Sobelman, another St. Louisan in the Navy wrote on 14 November 1944 that he was assigned to the USS Pensacola and that Forrest S. Fischer was on the USS LCI (L) 604 (landing craft infantry, large). Bill Propper was a seabee who served on Guam (ALS James to Dottie, 30 May 1945). James also met Buck Koslow and Sid Morrison in Hawaii, mentioning them in several letters.

Bill Shamsky was another friend drafted in the Navy. He wrote about going to Jeffersonville, Indiana to pick up the new USS LST-724 (landing ship, tank; for amphibious landing support). The ship traveled through the Panama Canal to San Diego, where it remained awaiting orders before sailing to Pearl Harbor. Once in Hawaii, James helped Bill find a new assignment and get off the LST. Bill became a personnel yeoman with a communication ship attached to Commander Amphibious Group ONE, which was at Iwo Jima, Kerama Retto, and Okinawa. He also mentioned attending beer parties at Ulithi Atoll.

James wrote Dottie about friends he made while stationed at Pearl Harbor. Pat (Battone-?), “Carp” ( ? Carpenter), and Gus Heller wrote to James after they left Pearl Harbor for either a discharge or reassignment. They sent James a group photo when they met in New York (c.Nov 1945). When James was promoted to yeoman, Lt. Cmdr Norman H. Meyer, wrote a letter to Dottie (4 Feb 1945) praising James’ work and he also wrote to James when he was discharged.

Brothers George and Adolph interspersed business and personal affairs in their letters. George mentioned that the War Manpower Commission would not allow them to hire new employees (10 Apr 1945). Business associates and employees wrote to James. Lillian Gellman, the office manager for the Shermans’ businesses, enclosed financial reports in her letters to James and explained regulations imposed by the Office of Price Administration. By October 1945, the ordnance plants in Taylorville and Marion closed, Adolph reported that as a result business fell at the stores.

Some of the Sherman employees discussed co-workers and family who were in the military. Grammy (no proper name provided) wrote that Dempsey Tillis was home on furlough and told her that there were “3,000 colored paratroopers in his company” (18 Jan 1945). Merril Israel told James on 19 November 1944 that his son was a bombardier in England and that his cousin Ted Ettlinger was an airplane mechanic at Pearl Harbor. Ruby Tockman said that Al Shulman was in Tulagi and that his brother Charlie Tockman was in India.

Since James was in Hawaii for both victory announcements, friends and family wrote to him with their reactions. James told Dottie that he planned to listen to the official victory in Europe declaration scheduled to air at 3:30 A.M. in Hawaii (7 May 1945). Dottie told James, “the people of St. Louis certainly didn’t celebrate and I am glad” (8 May 1945). This sentiment was echoed by Adolph writing from Virginia, “Yesterday was V-E Day, but you could hardly tell it around here. Most of the boys realize it won’t be over till the Japs are beat” (9 May 1945).

The observations on V-J Day were quite the opposite as everyone celebrated the end of the war. Arnold Sherman was in London and said, “the town went wild” (31 Aug 1945). Dottie told James, “St. Louis just went wild…it was so good to see so many happy people” downtown (14 Aug 1945). Family friend Abe Small was in New York City and he described the celebrations that he encountered in several parts of the city (23 Aug 1945). Adolph also wrote about being in Times Square (15 Aug 1945). James wrote to Dottie on 14 August 1945, “I just now heard the official…announcement from Switzerland that it is all over…All the ships here in Pearl Harbor, which is directly in front of our office, put on a terrific fireworks display…I don’t know if I should cry, laugh or scream out loud.”

The Subject Files series is comprised of documents, clippings, and books collected by James Sherman relating to his military service from 1943 to 1946. There is a 1945 Litchfield, Illinois newspaper advertisement for the Sherman stores with photos of its servicemen including the three Sherman brothers (Leon, Adolph, and James) and C. E. Markham. The other clipping is an issue of the Cru-Des-Pac News, a newsletter which reported on James’ handball prowess (8 October 1945). James studied for the yeoman’s exam in 1944, most likely using the Yeoman’s Guide and The Bluejackets’ Manual.

James collected two distinctly different items of interest while in the Navy. First, he collected humorous, and sometimes bawdy, stories and song lyrics (B5/f.14). Secondly, he kept communiques that were likely received, or distributed, by his naval office at Pearl Harbor. Some are dated August [1945] and bear the heading “Destroyers, Pacific Fleet.” These pertain to Japan’s surrender, war’s end congratulations from several sources, and a directive from CINCPAC (Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet) Guam that all personnel refrain from the use of insulting epithets towards the Japanese and conduct themselves with dignity (B5/f.11). Other communiques date from June to September 1945 and have the heading “Basegram.” These were general circulars from SECNAV (Secretary of the Navy) which discuss policies concerning pay, supplies/requisitions, and changes to the system of points used in assigning discharge orders (B5/f.10).

James missed family events, in addition to holidays and birthdays. His brother Leon married on 26 November 1944 while in St. Louis on furlough, before he shipped out to France. His oldest brother George celebrated 25 years of marriage with a party on 23 November 1944. James celebrated holidays in Hawaii as the Fleet Chaplain’s Office ensured that the spiritual needs of Jewish servicemen and women were met. James saved a program/menu from a Passover seder in March 1945 and a paper entitled, ‘The Torah Joins the Navy,” which explained that the Navy was concerned with the needs of all its members.

There are notices from the Selective Service regarding James’ classification status and a notice to report for his pre-induction physical exam, 1943-1944. He filed formal applications for release from active duty twice: June 1945 and November 1945. The June filing is discussed in several letters with Dottie and Adolph. In his second application, James cited Dottie’s mental health and subsequent physical decline as his primary concern. Jack Fulham, who worked at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington D. C., wrote James on 11 December 1945 that his case had been approved for discharge (B5/f.4).

List of James Sherman’s Correspondents (alphabetical by last name with dates of letters):

Ethel G. Berman, friend and WAC (to Dotty): 1. 12 Jan 1945

Morry Berman (1912-1990), friend: 1. 8/23/44 2. 3 Sept 1944 3. 9/18/44 4. 28 Sept 1944 5. 10 Oct 1944 6. 1 Nov 1944 7. 2 Jan 1945 8. 25 Feb 1945 9. 13 Mar 1945 10. 12 Apr 1945 11. 5/27/45 12. 9 July 1945 13. 13 Sept 1945

Pat (Battone ?), Navy friend from ComDesPac discharged 1. 12 Aug 1945 2. 19 Aug 1945 3. 27 Aug 1945 4. 9 Sept 1945 5. 20 Sept 1945 6. See c.Nov 1945 photo

Carpenter (“Carp”), from the U.S.S. Dewey, formerly of ComDesPac: 1. 15 Sept 1945 2. See c.Nov 1945 photo

Bob Cochran, salesman for Orchard Paper Company 1. 12/9/44

John Dynis (1917- ), manager of the Olney, Illinois, store and drafted into Army: 1. c.1 Oct 1945 2. 1/2/45 3. 5/21/45 4. 8/9/45 5. 9/6/45

Bea Farrel, employee at Benton, Illinois, store: 1. 17 Sept 1944 2. 26 Oct 1944

Elizabeth (Sherman) Freiman (1902-2001), sister: 1. 9/1/44 2. 1/8/45

J. N. Fulham, Jr. (Jack), Lt. in USN at Dept of Personnel, Washington, D.C.: 1. 7 Dec 1945 2. 11 Dec 1945

Lillian Gellman (1912-1994), office manager at Sherman companies 1. 5 Sept 1944 2. 1 Nov 1944 3. 24 Nov 1944 4. 8 Dec 1944 5. c.15 Dec 1944 6. 16 Dec 1944 7. 15 Feb 1945 8. 3-24-45 9. 4 Apr 1945 10. V-E Day (5/8/45)

“Grammy,” an employee of Sherman Hat Co. 1. 18 Jan 1945 2. 3 Apr 1945

Gus Heller, from the U.S.S. Dewey, formerly of ComDesPac: 1. 15 Sept 1945 2. See c.Nov 1945 photo

Harry Harris (1897-1969), married to Rose Harris: 1. 9/10/44 2. 10/21/44 3. 12/8/44 4. 1/13/45 5. 26 Jun 1945

Rose (Markenson) Harris (1912-1983), Dotty’s sister: 1. 23 Jul 1944 2. 19 Aug 1944 3. c.Sept 1944 4. 18 Sept 1944 5. 12 Nov 1944 6. 1 Dec 1944 7. c.16 Dec 1944 8. 6 Jan 1945 9. 31 Jan 1945 10. 9 Mar 1945 11. 19 May 1945 12. June 1945 13. 2 Sept 1945 14. 19 Sept 1945

Celeste (Sherman) Hendin (1922-1948), niece: 1. 8 Aug 1944 V-mail (photocopy) 2. 2 Oct 1944 3. 7 Dec 1944 4. 12 Mar 1945 5. 16 May 1945 6. 7 June 1945 7. 27 Sept 1945

Merril L. Israel, Sherman Hat Co. supplier in Chicago: 1. 11/19/44 2. 2/27/45

Jack ___, customer of Sherman Hat Co. (Lucille Hat Shop, 6321 Delmar Blvd, University City) 1. 15 Dec 1944 2. 26 Jan 1945 3. 3/31/45 4. 14 June 1945

H. A. Leach, manager of Taylorville, IL store: 1. 11/29/44 2. 4/2/45 3. 8-2-45

Manuel (Manny) Levin, neighbor and friend: 1. 21 June 1945

Albert (Al) Markenson, Dotty’s brother 1. c.Dec. 1944 Panama Christmas card 2. 28 Feb 1945 3. 2 May 1945 4. 7 Aug 1945

Gabriel (1891-1958) and Gertrude Markenson (1892-1968), Dotty’s parents (letters possibly written by Rose Harris): 1. 20 Dec 1944 2. 6 June 1944

Martin and Ruth Markenson, Dotty’s brother and sister-in-law: 1. 21 Mar 1945

Sahra Markenson, married to Dotty’s cousin Albert: 1. 31 Jan 1945 (on B’nai B’rith Women’s Grand Lodge letterhead)

N. T. Mendelson, employee of the Young Men’s Hebrew Assn, kept members updated on military members: 1. 9 Apr 1945

Norman H. Meyer, Lt. Cmdr USNR: 1. 4 Feb 1945 (letter to Dotty, carbon copy) 2. c.25 Mar 1945 postcard 3. c. Dec 1945, photo Christmas card

Milton I. Moldofsky (1915-2004) (aka Molly, Spike Moldane): 1. 27 Mar 1945

Sol (Sollie) Nathanson (1912-2005), friend: 1. 19 Aug 1944 2. 21 Oct 1944 3. 20 Feb 1945 4. May 1945 5. 5 July 1945

Dorothy O’Connell, possibly an employee of a big Sherman Co. customer 1. c.Jan 1945

A.L. O’Rourke, salesman for Ely & Walker: 1. 3 Jan 1945

William S. (Bill) Propper (1905-1991), friend and salesman: 1. 12 Sept 1944 2. 29 Dec 1944 3. 20 Feb 1945

Eugene H. (Gene) Reid (1917-2008), manager of Benton, IL store: 1. 14 Aug 1944 2. 12 Sept 1944 3. 22 Sept 1944 4. 24 Oct 1944 5. 3 Dec 1944 6. 15 Jan 1945 7. 27 Mar 1945 8. 8-15-45

Bill Rosenbaum (1913-1997), friend: 1. 10 Aug 1944 2. 6 Sept 1944 3. 15 Sept 1944 4. 29 Sept 1944 5. 18 Oct 1944 6. 9 Nov 1944 7. 2 Dec 1944 8. 21 Dec 1944 9. 19 Jan 1945 10. 29 Jan 1945 11. 23 Feb 1945 12. 16 Apr 1945 13. 8 May 1945 14. 21 May 1945 15. 19 July 1945 16. 6 Sept 1945

Bee Rosenfeld, friend: 1. 9 Apr 1945

Charles A. Rosse, Navy friend: 1. 2 Nov 1945

Gertrude Sahteal, Dotty’s cousin: 1. 23 Nov 1944 2. 4 Mar 1945

Sadie (Yaffe) Shamsky (1913-2005), friend, wife of Bill: 1. 27 Nov 1944 2. 10 Jan 1945 3. 23 Mar 1945 4. 20 Jun 1945 5. 25 Jun 1945 6. 5 July 1945 7. 6 Aug 1945

William N. (Bill) Shamsky (1913-1987), friend: 1. 15 Sept 1944 2. 8 Oct 1944 3. 14 Nov 1944 4. 17 Nov 1944 5. 20 Nov 1944 6. 25 Nov 1944 7. c.Jan 1945 8. 27 Jan 1945 9. 17 Mar 1945 10. 16 Apr 1945 11. 26 Apr 1945 12. 6 Aug 1945 13. 26 Sept 1945

Adolph Sherman (1910-1988), brother: 1. 8/7/44 2. 8/15/44 3. 8/29/44 4. 20 Sept 1944 5. 9/26/44 6. 10/4/44 7. 10/25/44 8. 11/10/44 9. 11/19/44 10. 11/22/44 11. 12/4/44 12. 12/15/44 13. 12/22/44 14. 1/2/45 15. c.1/16/45 16. 1/27/45 17. 2/8/45 18. 2/12/45 19. 2/22/45 20. 2/28/45 21. 3/6/45 22. c.3/20/45 23. 3/23/45 24. 3/30/45 25. 4/9/45 26. 4/10/1945 27. 4/30/45 28. 5/9/45 29. 5/16/45 30. 5/21/45 31. 5/23/45 32. 5/25/45 33. c.5/28/45 34. 28 May 1945 (telegram) 35. 6/1/45 36. 6/8/45 (also a letter from James to Adolph with same date) 37. 6/18/45 38. 6/25/45 39. 7/2/45 40. 7/10/45 41. 7/16/45 42. 7/25/45 43. 7/30/45 44. 8/7/45 45. 8/15/45 46. 8/28/45 47. 9/10/45 48. 9/21/45 49. 1 Oct 1945

Allen Sherman, son (letters written by James to Allen): 1. 3 Sept 1944 2. 2 Oct 1944 3. 12 Nov 1944 4. 8 Dec 1944 5. 17 Feb 1945 6. 18 June 1945

Arnold Sherman (1921-2010), nephew, son of Isadore: 1. 23 Nov 1944 2. 25 Feb 1945 3. 4 Apr 1945 4. 9 Jun 1945 5. 25 Jul 1945 6. 31 Aug 1945

George Sherman (1892-1968), oldest brother: 1. 16 Aug 1944 2. 24 Aug 1944 3. 2 Oct 1944 4. 18 Oct 1944 5. 24 Oct 1944 6. 10 Nov 1944 7. 29 Nov 1944 8. 27 Dec 1944 9. 2 Feb 1945 10. 24 Feb 1945 11. 10 Apr 1945 12. 29 May 1945 13. 7 July 1945

Leon Sherman (1907-1951), brother: 1. 23 Aug 1944 2. 12 Sept 1944 3. 25 Sept 1944 4. 22 Oct 1944 5. 3 Nov 1944 6. 25 Dec 1944 7. 19 Jan 1945 8. 15 Feb 1945 9. 13 Mar 1945 10. 22 Mar 1945 11. 10 Apr 1945 (V-mail) 12. c.14 Apr 1945 13. 14 May 1945 14. 16 Jun 1945 15. 23 Jun 1945 16. 15 Jul 1945 17. 5 Sept 1945

Martha Sherman (1897-1973), married to brother Isadore: 1. 31 Aug 1944 2. 19 Oct 1944

Michael (Misha) Sherman, cousin in New York City: 1. 12 Feb 1945

Jacob (Jack) Sirkus, friend, also in Navy: 1. 19 Sept 1944 2. 20 Sept 1944

Abe I. Small (1906-1984), family friend and owner of Small’s Department Store (Bellville, IL): 1. 12 Nov 1944 (V-mail) 2. 29 Nov 1944 3. 24 Dec 1944 4. 1 Jan 1945 5. 2 Feb 1945 6. 23 Aug 1945

Leopold Sobelman (1926-1987), friend also in the Navy: 1. 11-14-44 2. 12-23-44 3. c.2-28-45

Joe Steinback (1910-1987), friend: 1. 6 Sept 1944 2. 18 Oct 1944 3. 19 Nov 1944 4. 1-12-45 5. 11 Apr 1945

Reuben (Ruby) Tockman (1912-1976), employee of Sherman Stores 1. 19 Oct 1944 2. 7 Dec 1944 3. 9 Jan 1945 4. 26 Apr 1945

Hilda Weidman, employee of Sherman Hat Co.: 1. 14 Jan 1945

Cagle Wool, friend: 1. 20 Nov 1944 (V-Mail) 2. 15 Mar 1945 (V-mail) 3. 7 May 1945 4. 10 Jul 1945

Libbie Wool, friend - married to Cagle Wool: 1. 20 Dec 1944

Max Zucker, florist: 1. 11-14-44

Dates

  • 1943-1946
  • Majority of material found within 1944 July-1945 Sept

Creator

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 Sketch

James Sherman was born on 25 May 1911 in Uman, Ukraine, Russia, the youngest of nine children of Aron and Etta Sherman. His older siblings included: George, Oscar, Isadore, Joseph, Elizabeth Freiman, Leon, and Adolph. Aron died in 1916 and in 1922, Etta moved the remainder of her family to the United States. George, Oscar, and Joseph had already relocated to the U.S. The Sherman family settled in St. Louis, except Oscar, who lived in New York.

James knew almost no English when the family arrived in St. Louis and started in the 2nd grade at the Glasgow School at age 11. He began participating in sports through the Jewish Community Center and the Council House. In 1927, the Young Men’s Hebrew Association opened a new facility and James became a member. He made life-long friends at the Y and continued playing handball and basketball. James received his naturalization certificate in 1937. On 4 June 1936, James married Dorothy Markenson (1914-2002). The couple had two sons: Allen (1938) and Stephen (1941).

For ten years, James worked for George’s ladies’ hat and handbag manufacturing business. In 1936, older brothers Leon and Adolph started a retail business, the Sherman Brothers’ Dry Goods Company, with George’s financial assistance. They had four stores in small Illinois towns by 1942 (Olney, Benton, Taylorville, Litchfield). When first Leon, and then Adolph were drafted, James worked long hours helping with the dry goods stores and continuing his duties with the Sherman Hat Company.

On 12 May 1944, at age 32, James was inducted into the U. S. Navy. He trained at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and then shipped to Hawaii in late July. On 14 August 1944, James received his assignment to the offices of the Commander Destroyer Pacific (ComDesPac). He remained in the offices at Pearl Harbor until the fall of 1945. On 5 October 1945, James was assigned to the destroyer USS Taussig. The ship sailed to Seattle before it was scheduled to leave the continental U.S. James filed a dependency discharge request in November 1945 and was officially discharged on 1 February 1946.

For more information on James Sherman and his family, please see The Life of James Sherman, 1911-1991 by Stephen Sherman (MHS Library StL/B/Sh553).

Extent

2.52 Cubic Feet ( (5 boxes; 1 volume))

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The papers are divided into two series: Correspondence and Subject Files. The Correspondence series is arranged chronologically; the Subject Files series is arranged alphabetically by topic/type of document.

Physical and Technical Requirements

There are no physical or technical restrictions.

Donor Information

The collection was donated by Stephen Sherman in 2019 (accession number 2019-100).

Related Materials

Please see the Photo & Prints Department and the Museum Collections Department for additional materials from James Sherman.

Sources Consulted During Processing

The Life of James Sherman, 1911-1991 by Stephen Sherman (MHS Library StL/B/Sh553).

Processing Information

Processed with funding from The Stuart Foundation, Inc. by Kristina Perez, 2020.

Creator

Title
Inventory of James Sherman World War II Papers
Status
Completed
Author
EAD by Kristina Perez using ArchivesSpace
Date
2020
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

Contact:
225 S. Skinker Blvd.
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314-746-4510