According to his parents' petition for naturalization as United States citizens, William Barsky was born in Pittsburgh on April 12, 1912. He was the fourth of seven children and the oldest son of Morris and Jennie Barsky, who were immigrants from Russia. After both parents and a sister all died between March and May, 1926, the older sisters Belle and Sibyl kept the family together. After high school, William, Saul, and Samuel Barsky all moved to California. William used the nickname Bill.
A few months after the United States entered World War II, William Barsky joined the Army at Fort MacArthur, near Los Angeles. He had completed basic training by June, 1942, and was attached to the Eight Hundred Fourth Tank Destroyer Battalion with the rank of Private. From September, 1942, to January, 1943, he was stationed in Northern Ireland and England. In February, 1943, he was moved to North Africa and then to Italy by February, 1944. In April, 1945, William Barsky was working as a radio operator in a tank crew when he was killed, probably in a tank explosion near Rome. His remains were buried in a military cemetery in Santa Fe, NM.
The William Barsky Papers are housed in two archival boxes. The collection consists almost entirely of letters, which have been arranged in four series, with one additional folder of later explanatory material. The letters are written either on inexpensive stationery or on V-mail forms, which were then microfilmed in miniature for easier transportation between the United States and the war zones. After processing, a small facsimile was printed on lightweight photographic paper and delivered to the addressee. There are also a few greeting cards for birthdays and Jewish holidays. Only a few of the letters show signs of military censorship, in the form of individual words blacked out or cut out. Envelopes have been retained for their informational content. Letters within each series are arranged in chronological order by date written, as much as possible.
Series have been designated for letters from William Barsky to his sister Sibyl Barsky Grucci and her husband Joseph (Joe) Grucci, who were living in Pittsburgh; for Sibyl Barsky Grucci's letters to William; for letters to Sibyl Barsky Grucci from other people; and for communications to Samuel Barsky, another sibling, after William Barsky's death.
No Restrictions.
The papers came in two accessions, in October, 2008, and in January, 2010.
Acc. #2008.0314 - Gift of Mark M. Rubenstein, nephew of Sibyl Barsky Grucci.
Acc. #2010.0029 - Gift of Mark M. Rubenstein, nephew of Sibyl Barsky Grucci.
William Barsky Papers, 1942-1949, MSS#500, Rauh Jewish Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
This collection was processed by Martha L. Berg in December 29, 2008, with additions and revisions by Martha L. Berg, February 1, 2010.
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Papers of Sibyl Barsky Grucci MSS#423.
Photographs of Sibyl Barsky Grucci MSP#423, which contains photographs of Grucci's sculptures of William Barsky, Pearl Breskin Weinberger and her husband Harold Weinberger.
Museum Acc. #2008.1.11, a charcoal sketch of William Barsky, drawn in 1942 by Sibyl Barsky Grucci.
Belle Barsky Memory Book MFF#4846.
This series consists of one folder of letters written by Sibyl Barsky Grucci to William Barsky from March, 1945, through May 12, 1945. All of these letters were in envelopes marked "Missing" and returned to Sibyl's address. Her increasing anxiety at not receiving letters from her brother is evident in the letters. She wrote of President Roosevelt's death and of V-E celebrations in Pittsburgh. Her last letter begins "I'm awfully worried that I haven't heard from you in such a long time" and ends, "With love to my favorite brother."
This series consists of one folder containing one letter signed "Pearl," almost certainly Pearl Breskin Weinberger, an early friend in Pittsburgh who had moved to California. Along with news of war work and mutual friends, she mentioned the move to California of William Shulgold, another artist who had worked in Pittsburgh. The other two letters in this folder are from a British family that had befriended Bill, sharing family news and inquiring about Bill. Both of these letters were written after Bill was reported as missing.
This series consists of one folder containing a notice from the General Accounting Office of pay due to William Barsky at the time of his death, to be divided in 1946 among his four siblings. There is also a 1949 telegram from the National Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, notifying Samuel Barsky of the burial of William Barsky's remains.