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David Span Papers

Call Number

MS 580

Date

1938-1945 (bulk 1943), inclusive

Creator

Extent

0.5 Linear feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

David Span was a Jewish American who served with the Army Air Force during World War II. This collection contains approximately one hundred and thirty three letters, most of which are written by David Span to his parents, Joseph Span and Jennie Span, and to his brother, Murray Span, who was serving in the United States Army. There are also letters from Murray Span to their parents, as well as several letters to Murray from friends of his who were also serving in various branches of the Armed Forces.

Biographical Note

David Span, a Jewish American from the Bronx, NY, was born on April 17th, 1921 to Joseph and Jennie Span. He was working as a machinist at the time of his enlistment. David Span enlisted as an Army Warrant Officer on February 18th, 1943, and was shortly after sent to Camp Upton in Long Island, New York.

David spent most of 1943 at various Army Air Force training facilities, such as the Army Air Force Technical School in Lincoln, Nebraska and Dale Mabry Field in Talahassee, Florida. David's brother, Murray, was stationed in South Carolina before being shipped to fight in France. It is not known from the letters the extent of David Span's service during the subsequent years of the war, 1944-1945. David Span died on August 20th, 1973, and was buried at the Long Island National Cemetary in Pinelawn, N.Y.

Arrangement

Letters are arranged chronologically by addressee. Since many letters were themselves not dated, the envelope for each letter has been placed in front of the corresponding letter.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains approximately one hundred and thirty three letters, most of which are written by David Span to his parents, Joseph Span and Jennie Span, and to his brother, Murray Span, who was serving in the United States Army. There are also letters from Murray Span to his parents, as well as several letters to Murray from friends of his who were also serving in various branches of the Armed Forces.

In the letters, David writes about his training in the Army Air Force at various bases across the country. There are also a few letters where he speaks about his interactions with other Jewish Americans in the Army. Highlights of the correspondence include: a 1943 letter from a Jewish chaplain to Mr. and Mrs. Span about how David would be given full opportunity to practice his religion, and a newspaper printed for airmen at Republic Aviation Corp. in Farmingdale, L.I.

In addition to the typed and hand-written letters the collection contains a telegram, a holiday card from David to Murray, and a few printed items and ephemera. One letter from Sgt. B. ["Benie"] Epstein to Mrs. H. Epstein most likely ended up with these letters due to the fact that Murray Span and "Benie" Epstein were friends, as Benie wrote him multiple letters during the War.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as David Span Papers, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Provenance

Purchase, 2007

Collection processed by

Matthew Murphy

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:49:49 -0400.
Language: Description is in English

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from span.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024