Buck and Frank Family Papers 1884-1974
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Buck and Frank Family Papers
- Creator
- Buck and Frank Family
- Collection Number
- MSS 531
- Extent
- 2 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Date
- 1884-1974
- Abstract
- The Buck and Frank families were Jewish families that lived in McKeesport and Irwin, respectively, during the late 19th and 20th centuries. They were connected through Rose Buck Frank, who married Herbert I. Frank in 1930. Rose's brother, William L. Buck, was a World War I veteran and realtor who donated land to Pennsylvania State University to establish its McKeesport campus. The collection includes William L. Buck's real estate files and World War I correspondence, the papers of Herbert and Rose Buck Frank, as well as correspondence and documents from other members of the Buck and Frank families.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
The Buck and Frank families were Jewish families that lived in McKeesport and Irwin, Pa., respectively, during the late 19th and 20th centuries. They were connected through Rose Buck Frank, who married Herbert I. Frank (H.I.F.) in 1930. Rose's brother, William L. Buck (W.L.B.), donated land that helped establish the Pennsylvania State University's McKeesport campus.
Peppa Kimelman Buck was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1871, and immigrated with her family to McKeesport, Pa., in 1894. Her father, Mendel Kimelman, owned M. Kimelman Confectionery at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Ann Street in McKeesport. Peppa Kimelman married Meyer Buck about 1895 and later assumed operation of the store, which was renamed Buck's Grocery. The couple had three children: W.L.B. (b.1896), Rose (b. ca.1902), and David (b. ca. 1900). Meyer Buck died in an accident around 1907. Peppa Kimelman Buck died on May 3, 1959, at the age of 87.
William L. Buck (W.L.B.) served in the American Expeditionary Force between 1918 and 1919. As a truck driver, W.L.B. transported troops and supplies to the front lines in France. After the war, he returned to McKeesport and eventually became a realtor. In 1956, W.L.B. donated 10 acres of land in memory of his father to Pennsylvania State University to establish a permanent campus in McKeesport. In 1967, W.L.B. donated an additional 100 acres, adjacent to Renziehausen Park, which allowed for the expansion of the campus.
In 1884, Abraham Frank (1853-1928), the son of William and Pauline Wormser Frank, married Anna Augusta Ohlman (1863-1947) in Meadville, Pa. They had two children: Herbert I. (H.I.F.) and Florence (Frank) May. At some point, the family moved to Irwin, Pa., where they operated a store.
H.I.F. (1886-1946) was drafted into the Quartermaster Corps but received a medical discharge shortly after the Armistice. After the war, H.I.F. attended the University of Pittsburgh. In 1930, he married Rose Buck. The couple had two daughters Stephanie Frank Mallinger, born in 1931, and Ann Frank Hoechstetter, born in 1933.
H.I.F. was involved in local philanthropic groups, such as Jewish Big Brother Association, the Jewish Social Service Bureau, and the Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association. Due to his standing in the community, H.I.F. was asked to join a local draft board. For three years, H.I.F. served as chairman on City Draft Board #14, before resigning after a dispute with other board members over the issuing of deferments. Following his resignation, H.I.F. took a position on a Price Control Board. H.I.F. passed away in 1946.
Rose Buck Frank attended McKeesport High School and the University of Pittsburgh. She completed a degree in journalism at Syracuse University in 1925 and served as a volunteer nurse during World War II. On June 23, 1926, she married Joe Neumann (Newman), who died six months later. Following her marriage to Herbert Frank in 1930, she lived in McKeesport for several years before relocating to Bennington Avenue in Squirrel Hill. She died on October 23, 1964.
Scope and Content Notes
The Buck and Frank Family Papers are housed in two boxes and divided into two series: Series I. Family Papers (1896-1974) and Series II. Business Papers (1909-1973).
Series I. Family Papers contains correspondence and assorted personal items primarily from W.L.B., H.I.F. and Rose Buck Frank, though a small amount of material pertaining to other family members is present as well. The Buck Family Papers Subseries is largely comprised of letters and postcards sent by W.L.B. to his family during World War I. The correspondence, mostly addressed to his mother, describes his experiences during the war. Prior to the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, W.L.B. often remarks that, due to censorship restraints, he is limited in what he can write about. His letters during this period, often addressed from "somewhere in France," describe daily life, his travels in France, and occasions of meeting friends from McKeesport serving in the war. He also expresses concern over his mother's ability to manage the family store and the possibility that his younger brother, David, might be drafted into service. Following the end of fighting and the easing of restrictions, W.L.B. becomes more open about his experiences and admits that he had been to the front lines during the war. Also contained in this subseries are news clippings pertaining to the W.L.B.'s donation of land to Pennsylvania State University, agreements of support for two refugees of World War II, and a registry from Peppa Buck's funeral.
H.I.F.'s papers document his efforts to receive a discharge from the Quartermaster Corps, his service on City Draft and Price Control Boards during World War II, and financial dealings with Pittsburgh Steel Drum Company. The papers of Rose Buck Frank contains miscellaneous correspondence from friends, the bulk of which are congratulatory cards and letters received in 1931 after the birth of her daughter, Stephanie Frank Mallinger. The papers also contain a small amount of correspondence exchanged between Rose Buck Frank and her first husband, Joe Neumann. The subseries also contains Abraham Frank's copy of the Shidle Lodge's by-laws, condolences sent to Rose Buck following the death of H.I.F., a copy of an autobiography written by William Frank, and news clippings regarding the birthday and death of Pauline Wormser Frank and the marriages of Stephanie Frank Mallinger and Ann Frank Hoechstetter.
Series II. Business Papers consists of W.L.B.'s real estate papers and receipts from Buck's Store. The real estate papers, consisting of notes, maps, blueprints, deeds, legal agreements, and correspondence, document W.L.B.'s activities as a realtor. The materials pertain to the sales of lots owned by W.L.B., including those in McKeesport-area developments Amherst Terrace and Park Forest, and a lawsuit W.L.B. filed against the developers of the Eastland Shopping Center.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Stephanie Mallinger on September 25, 2002, November 15th, 2002, and September 24, 2014.
Acc. 2002.0203, Acc. 2002.0268 and Acc. 2014.0142.
Preferred Citation
Buck and Frank Family Papers, 1884-1974, MSS 531, Rauh Jewish Archives, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matt Strauss in June, 2009. Additions processed by Carly Lough in March, 2015.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Related Materials
Photographs and papers of relating to William and Pauline Wormser Frank and their descendants may be found in the Frank Family Paper and Photographs, MSS 474 and MSP 474.
Separated Materials
The Buck and Frank Oversize Papers, MSO 531, include maps and blueprints of McKeesport-area properties from William L. Buck.
The Buck and Frank Family Photographs have been cataloged as MSP 531. This collection consists of photographs of property in McKeesport's 10th Ward, near the Monongahela River, Rose Buck's first husband, Joe Neumann, and assorted family photographs.
The Buck-Frank Family Oversized Photographs have been cataloged as MSR 531.
A collection of artifacts from the family has been transferred to the museum. This includes three hair combs from Anna Ohlman Frank, a lap robe from H.I.F., World War I banners and flags from W.L.B., Red Cross aprons and hats from Rose Buck Frank, and a wedding dress and veil from Stephanie Frank Mallinger.
Subjects
- Buck's Grocery (McKeesport, Pa.)
- Wm. Frank & Sons (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Pennsylvania State University McKeesport campus.
- Freemasons. Grand Lodge (Pa.)
- M. Kimelman Confectionery (McKeesport, Pa.)
- Buck's Grocery (McKeesport, Pa.)
- United States. Local Draft Board for Division No. 14 (Allegheny County, Pa.)
- United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces. Army Service Corps.
- United States. Selective Service Board (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- United States. Army Service Forces. Quartermaster Corps.
- Pennsylvania State University--McKeesport Campus
- Frank Family.
- Buck Family.
- Kimelman Family.
- Frank, Isaac W. (1855-1930)
- Frank, William.
- Frank, Pauline Wormser.
- Frank, Abraham (1853-1928)
- Frank, Anna Ohlman (1863-1947)
- Frank, Rose Buck (1902-1964)
- Kimelman, Mendel (1853-1926)
- Buck, William L.
- Buck, Meyer.
- Buck, Peppa Kimelman (1871-1959)
- Frank, Herbert I. (1886-1946)
- McKeesport (Pa.)--planning.
- Irwin (Pa.)
- Squirrel Hill (Pa.)
- World War, 1914-1918--Correspondence.
- Philanthropy--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.
- Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.