Guide to the Joseph Ostronic Correspondence 1943-1946
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Joseph Ostronic Correspondence
- Creator
- Ostronic, Joseph
- Creator
- Ostronic, Esther
- Collection Number
- MSS 0675
- Extent
- 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)
- Date
- 1943-1946
- Abstract
- Joseph and Esther Ostronic were married in 1925 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Joseph Ostronic was drafted into the U.S. Navy during World War II in 1943, and would serve aboard the USS Nields between 1944 and 1945. The Joseph Ostronic World War II Correspondence consist primarily of letters sent from Joseph Ostronic to his wife Esther during his active service, along with several letters from Esther to Joseph, from Joseph to his mother, and correspondence and cards from friends and family.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Joseph M. Ostronic was born December 17, 1905. He worked as a barber for 25 years and owned his own barber shop for five years. He was married to Esther Pearl Ostronic, born September 4 1907, in 1925. Joseph Ostronic died in May 1982, and wife Esther Ostronic passed away on September 11th, 2001. After the war, Ostronic worked for the Fort Pitt Supply Co. from 1948 until his retirement in 1969.
Joseph Ostronic was drafted into the U.S. Navy in September 1943, and served until June 1945. He was 37 years of age when he entered the U.S. Naval Training Station at Sampson, N.Y., for eight weeks of naval basic training. In November 1943 he was transferred to another U.S. Naval Training Station at Great Lakes Chicago, IL. After completing his training, Ostronic was stationed aboard the USS Nields (DD 616) as a barber. The USS Nields, a Benson-class destroyer, was harbored in Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y., before being assigned to transatlantic convoy duty, primarily making port throughout the Mediterranean Sea. During the war, Esther worked in a local factory converted to war time production.
Scope and Content Notes
The Joseph Ostronic World War II Correspondence consist primarily of letters sent from Joseph Ostronic to his wife Esther, from the beginning of his basic training in 1943 until the end of his active duty in June 1945. There is one folder of letters from Esther to Joseph, several letters from Joseph to his mother, as well as correspondence and cards from friends and family to Joseph.
Joseph Ostronic wrote of his experiences at the U.S. Naval Training Stations he was assigned to, and of going on leave with his friends. Esther, who ended her letters with lipstick red imprints of a kiss, would inform him of news of his family and friends, problems with the house and bills, and developments at her job working in a local factory converted to war time production. Frequently throughout their correspondence the mutual heartache of separation was discussed, as were insecurities about infidelity.
Conditions Governing Access
None.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Cindy Helffrich in 2007.
Archives accession # 2007.0238
Preferred Citation
Joseph Ostronic Correspondence, 1943-1946, MSS 0675, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Alex J. Toner on 12/14/11.
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.
Subjects
- USS Nields .
- Ostronic Family
- Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- World War, 1939-1945--Correspondence.
- United States, Navy.
- Soldiers--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.