Milton White Papers
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Abstract
Abraham Lincoln Brigade veteran Milton White was born as Morris White in Cleveland in 1917 to Ephim "Hyman" White (born 1894 in Russia) and Tanya White (also known as Tania Martini). Within a few years, White was living in Brooklyn, where his parents were active in the Communist Party. The collection contains White's writings, incoming correspondence, and artifacts from the Spanish Civil War. A scrapbook and several notebooks belonging to his parents are also included.
Historical/Biographical Note
Abraham Lincoln Brigade veteran Milton White was born as Morris White in Cleveland in 1917 to Ephim "Hyman" White (born 1894 in Russia) and Tanya White (also known as Tania Martini). Within a few years, White was living in Brooklyn, where his parents were active in the Communist Party.
In 1937, White volunteered for service in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. He left for Spain on the Paris on March 27, 1937. While serving as a private, sometimes using the name Morris White, he was wounded several times. While in Spain, he wrote fictional stories, poems, plays, and songs about the war.
White returned home from Spain with a large contingent of veterans on the Ausonia on Dec 20, 1938. He joined the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) and was actively involved in VALB events for the next couple of years. A practiced musician, he often entertained attendees with his Spanish guitar.
During the Second World War, White served in the U. S. Army as a private. By the end of the war, he was serving in the Miami field office of the Military Intelligence Division.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series:
Series I: Spanish Civil War, 1937-1939
Series II: Subject Files, 1920-1946
Series III: Scrapbook, circa 1937-1939
Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains White's writings, incoming correspondence, and artifacts from the Spanish Civil War. A scrapbook and several notebooks belonging to his parents are also included.
Series I: Spanish Civil War, 1937-1939 contains artifacts, International Brigade documents, correspondence, and writings relating to White's service. The only outgoing correspondence is two brief notes to his parents. However, the incoming correspondence includes letters from his parents and friends, including two written by Spanish correspondents. White's fictional writings about the Spanish Civil War include stories, poems, plays, and songs (some of the latter in Spanish).
Series II: General Files, 1920-1946 consists largely of notes and notebooks kept by White's parents, mostly in Russian. There is also an identity certificate issued by the Russian Consul in New York to Ephim White in 1920. Finally, there is a small amount of material on Milton White's activities after his return from Spain.
Series III: Scrapbook is made up of pages from a scrapbook kept by White's parents during the time he was in Spain. Most of the material is in the form of newspaper clippings and flyers. It covers the subject of the Spanish Civil War, especially as it relates to White, as well as general leftist activities during this period.
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Access Restrictions
Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives for more information and to schedule an appointment, tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.
Use Restrictions
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. For more information, please contact the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.
Provenance
The Milton White Papers were donated to the Tamiment Library by Judith and Jason Ross and Howard and Joanne White in December 2009.
Separated Materials
Fifteen photographs and one transparency were separated from the collection to form Series XXIX of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives: Small Photographs Collection (ALBA PHOTO 36).
