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North (Joseph and Helen Oken) Family Papers

Call Number

TAM.605

Dates

1913-1990, inclusive
; 1930-1970, bulk

Creator

North, Joseph
North, Helen Oken
North, Nora E. (Role: Donor)

Extent

13.25 Linear Feet in 10 record cartons, 2 oversize flat boxes, 2 shoe boxes, and 1 manuscript box

Language of Materials

Materials are in English. A small portion the of materials in this collection are in Hebrew and Russian.

Abstract

The North (Joseph and Helen Oken) Family Papers (dated 1913-1990) include three generations of family correspondence and memorabilia spanning from the early 20th century to the 1990s. The bulk of the collection relates to Joseph and Helen North, but a significant portion also relates to Helen's family and includes the papers of her father and mother Morris and Jennie Oken, and her sisters Lydia Oken Mates and Mary Oken Wilson. The collection is largely comprised of correspondence, which documents the North and Oken families' involvement in the Communist Party, socialist activism, labor organizing, the Spanish Civil War, and family life. This collection also contains a significant amount of materials related to Joseph North's career as a journalist for the communist publications New Masses and the Daily Worker.

Historical/Biographical Note

Joseph North was born Jacob Soifer in Ukraine to Jessie Soifer and Balia Yasnitz in in 1904. The family immigrated to the United States when he was 9 months old and settled in Pennsylvania. Joseph North began working in a Pennsylvania textile mill at the age of 12, and later worked summers in the ship yards of his hometown. Joseph graduated with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and worked for several years after his graduation as a reporter for a variety of Pennsylvania newspapers. In 1935 he was one of the founders of the weekly New Masses and served as its editor for 15 years. Joseph North also served as a communist party organizer and a correspondent for the Daily Worker. Through his work as a journalist he reported on a number of major events including labor strikes of the 1930s, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II.

Helen Oken North was born in the Bronx, New York in 1912 to Russian immigrants Morris and Jennie Oken. Helen Oken was the youngest of five siblings, two sisters and two brothers. Her older brother Semyon was her mother's son from a previous marriage who eventually left to live with his father, and her brother Yaksha, born in 1906, died when he was only year old after contracting an illness during the family's passage to the United States. Helen and her two older sisters Mary and Lydia were born in New York and maintained close ties throughout their lives. The Oken family was highly involved in labor and socialist organizations. Helen's father Morris Oken was a textile worker and was active in the Workmen's Circle as well as other labor organizations. Helen was also involved in union activity and worked a labor organizer as a teenager. She later worked as a Communist party organizer in Pennsylvania in the 1930s. Helen's sisters Lydia was also highly involved in political activism and worked as a Communist Party organizer in Detroit and Chicago. She married Abraham Lincoln Brigade volunteer Dave Mates in 1930.

Helen Oken married Joseph North in 1931. Joseph worked as a correspondent for the New Masses in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Helen accompanied him to Spain and worked in the medical service during those years. Helen and Joseph later settled in Manhattan and had three children Daniel, Susan, and Nora. Helen continued to be involved in Communist Party activism. She also assumed the role of breadwinner on many occasions, as Joseph's work as a journalist did not provide enough to support a family and often required him to travel abroad. Helen and Joseph were married for 26 year, but eventually divorced in 1957. Helen married Communist Party of the United States leader Gil Green in 1970. Joseph North also remarried, marrying Daily World journalist and editor Augusta Strong in 1963. Joseph's wife Augusta died in early 1976 and Joseph died in December of that same year. Helen North died in 1990.

Arrangement

This collection has been divided into five series by creator or by form. Correspondence in the first three series is arranged chronologically by recipient while other materials contained in these series have been grouped by creator. Series I has been further divided in four subseries. The first three subseries contain correspondence, which is arranged chronologically by recipient, while the fourth subseries contains memorabilia is arranged chronologically and by form. The last two series of the collection contain photographs and artifacts. Photographs have been grouped by creator.

Scope and Content Note

The North (Joseph and Helen Oken) Family Papers (dated 1913-1990) include three generations of family correspondence spanning from the early 20th century to the 1990s. The bulk of the collection relates to Joseph and Helen North, but a significant portion also relates to Helen's family and includes correspondence of her father and mother Morris and Jennie Oken, and her sisters Lydia Oken Mates and Mary Oken Wilson. The collection largely consists of correspondence written between the 1930s and 1970s, and also includes family photographs, notes, and memorabilia.

Joseph and Helen North's papers document several major themes in their lives including their careers, political activism, economic struggles, and children. A small amount of correspondence relates to their time in Spain during the Spanish Civil War where Joseph worked as a foreign correspondent for the communist publication the New Masses and Helen worked in the medical service. Their papers also include materials related to Joseph's work as a journalist, both before and after Spain. Other materials inlcude correspondence from friends and family and materials related to their three children.

Correspondence between Helen and her sisters is exceptionally rich and provides an intimate look into their personal lives touching on a wide array of topics including their jobs, political beliefs, relationships, family planning and contraception, children, and care of their aging parents. They provide a unique view of how Communist Party members balanced their political activism and family obligation, and the ways in which family influenced political belief.

The papers of Morris and Jennie Oken also make up a small portion of this collection. Morris Oken was active in a number of labor and socialist organization in New York City, and his papers contain a large amount of material related to communism and political activism. The collection also contains a significant amount of materials related to Helen's sister Lydia and her husband Dave Mates. Lydia Oken Mates worked for many years as a Communist Party organizer in Detroit and Dave Mates was a Veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigades who was also involved in Communist Party activism throughout his life.

Other materials contained in this collection include clippings, flyers, and ephemera, a small number of negatives, and two artifacts: a hat taken from a Moroccan soldier who died in Spain, and a tsarist-era naval uniform cap from Russia.

Materials added to the collection in 2017 largely relate to Joseph North's writings and his work as a correspondent during the Spanish Civil War. They include press releases from the Spanish Republican Army's Ministry of National Defense as well as several reports and first-hand accounts from volunteers in the International Brigades. Also included among these materials is unpublished novel titled, I Come from America as well a folder of obituaries and articles paying tribute to Joseph North following his death in 1976.

Many of the correspondents in this collection are addressed by a variety of names throughout their correspondence. Helen and her family often address each other by their Russian names or variations of those names. In much of her correspondence Helen is often addressed as Vezl, Vezlenka, Honushinka, Annunshinka, or Anne. Joseph North, who was born Jacob Soifer, is also addressed as Jacob or Jake on many occasions, and in several instances his letters are addressed to Jacob Sofier. Helen's sister Lydia is often addressed as Lidushka, Liducinka, or Lilian, her sister Mary is addressed as Manya or Maninka; her father Morris is frequently referred to as Mitaya, and her mother Jennie, whose name is often spelled Jenny, is often referred to as Jenja.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (and related rights to publicity and privacy) to materials in this collection, created by Joseph North and Helen Oken North, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; North (Joseph and Helen Oken) Family Papers; TAM 605; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Location of Materials

Some materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please request materials at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Nora E. North in 2012; additional materials were donated in 2013 and 2016. The accession numbers associated with this collection are NPA.2003.013, 2012.013, 2012.090, 2013.046, and 2017.007.

Appraisal

Several published materials have been removed from this collection including copies of the Daily Worker and Daily World, magazines, and new paper clippings. Other materials of limited research value which consisted of receipts, empty envelopes, locks of hair were also removed from the collection.

Related Archival Materials

Collections related to the Joseph and Helen Oken North Papers include the Joseph North Spanish Civil War Artifacts (ALBA 294), David Mates Papers (ALBA 279), and Series VIII: Publication, Subseries A: People's Weekly World Administrative Records, 1919-2001 in the Communist Party of the United States Papers (TAM 132), which contains files related to Joseph North's work with the Daily Worker.

Collection processed by

Heather Mulliner

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:38:42 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information

One box of correspondence, a scrapbook, and a felt hat were initially held in the Joseph North Spanish Civil War Artifacts (ALBA 294), these materials were incorporated into the Joseph and Helen Oken North Family Papers in 2014. An Odessa sailor's hat deaccessioned in 2013 was also reincorporated into the collection in 2014.

In 2017 an additional box of Joseph North's papers was added to Series I: Joseph and Helen Oken North Papers, Subseries I.D: Joseph and Helen Oken North Family Records and Memorabilia. These materials were described at the folder level and integrated into the existing arrangement of the series.

Revisions to this Guide

March 2017: Edited by Heather Mulliner to reflect inclusion of 2016 accretion.

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012