Guide to the Papers of the Buchman Family, 1915-1992
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Papers of the Buchman Family
- Creator
- Buchman family
- Collection Number
- MSS#357
- Extent
- .50 cubic feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1915-1992
- Abstract
- The Buchman family consisted of parents Harry and Bessie Buchman and four children, Ruth, Arthur, Daisy, and Marcia. Harry H. Buchman was a distributor for Charis Corporation, a national manufacturer of women's corsetry. He also served as president of Temple Sinai. The collection consists of materials related to the Charis Corporation, the early years of Temple Sinai, the experiences of Arthur Buchman as a prisoner of war and other family papers.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History of the Buchman Family
The Buchman family papers cover a period of approximately 15 years including those of World War II. The Buchman family during this time consisted of parents Harry and Bessie Buchman and four children, Ruth, Arthur, Daisy, and Marcia. Harry H. Buchman was a distributor for Charis Corporation, a national manufacturer of women's corsetry.
Arthur, after graduating from the University of Minnesota, went into the army and subsequently died as a prisoner of war of the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor. He was being transported in a prison ship to Japan when it was torpedoed. He was posthumously awarded both a Silver Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart. Ruth was cited for her army service during the war as the chief dietician at Walter Reed Hospital.
Harry Buchman was the second president of Temple Sinai, which was organized in 1946 as Pittsburgh's second Reform Jewish congregation. He held that office during the congregation's purchase and move into a building in 1949.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection is housed in one box and is arranged alphabetically by folder title. The collection consists of materials related to early years of Temple Sinai, including talks given by Harry Buchman during his tenure as president, correspondence related to the development of the congregation, as well as marketing materials of the Charis Corporation. The papers related to Arthur Buchman's service and death in the army during World War II comprise most of the collection. Included here is his correspondence from the Phillipines and from the Japanese prison-of-war camp in which he was interned. Worthy of note are the pre-printed postcards he sent from the camp to his parents. His experiences are delineated further by a series of newspaper articles concerning conditions on the prison ship in which he was being transported at the time of his death as well as other articles. Correspondence relates also both to his citations and to benefits for his survivors. The telegram from the War Department advising his parents of Arthur's death is included as are other government documents. Also in the collection are some papers of Ruth Buchman Roth, whose award of distinction for service is here, as are army documents of Irwin Roth.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection came in five accessions in 1991-1994.
Acc.# 1991.0001, 1991.0009, 1992.0267, 1993.0116, 1994.0213 Gift of Ruth Buchman Roth
Preferred Citation
Papers of the Buchman Family, 1915-1992, MSS #357, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Susan Melnick in April 2002.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Robert O. Stakeley on November 11, 2003.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Charis Corporation
- Temple Sinai (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Roth, Ruth Buchman
- Buchman, Harry H.
- Buchman, Bessie
- Buchman, Arthur H.
- Roth, Irwin
- Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Synagogues -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons, Japanese
- Purple Heart