Peter Martin and Roberta Bobba Materials on Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
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Abstract
Most of the materials in this collection concern Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World, a noted writer and orator, and a prominent functionary of the Communist Party USA. The collection is comprised primarily of correspondence between Carlo Tresca and Bina Flynn, obituaries of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, documents relating to the court case United States vs. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1954), Flynn's financial records and passports, and correspondence and documents related to the trial and execution of Sacco and Vanzetti. This small collection was donated to the Tamiment Library by Roberta Bobba, half sister of Peter Martin. Peter Martin was the son of Carlo Tresca and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's sister Bina (who later married Romulo Bobba and became the mother of Roberta Bobba).
Historical/Biographical Note
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1890-1964) was an orator, writer, organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World, a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union and a leading member of the Communist Party USA. These materials, shedding light on Flynn's life and political interests, were formerly in the possession of Peter Martin, the son of Carlo Tresca and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's sister, Bina. They later came into the possession of Flynn's niece, Roberta Bobba. After her liaison with Tresca and the birth of her son Peter, Bina Flynn married Romolo Bobba. Bobba (1890-1958), the father of Roberta Bobba, was an Italian socialist-anarchist. According to his daughter Roberta, Romolo Bobba was one of the members of the Industrial Workers of the World imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth after the major I.W.W. trial of 1918 in which most of the I.W.W. leadership, as well as a number of rank-and-file members, were convicted under the Espionage Act. This small collection of documents, clippings and memorabilia was apparently gathered together by Flynn's nephew, Peter Martin, shortly after her death. Peter Martin (1922-1988) was the son of Carlo Tresca and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's sister, Bina, who later married Romulo Bobba and became the mother of Roberta Bobba.
Arrangement
Folders are arranged alphabetically within each series.
The files are grouped into two series:
Missing Title
- I, Correspondence
- II, Subject Files
Scope and Content Note
Series I. Correspondence: Series I includes correspondence between Bina Flynn and Carlo Tresca; Anna K. Flynn and Peter Martin; and general correspondence from Roberta Bobba, John Dewey, Bertha Howe, and others, as well as a number of postcards and invitations.
Series II. Subject Files: Series II contains an extensive file of newspaper obituaries of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, other clippings about Flynn, documents (correspondence, press releases, etc.) related to the Sacco and Vanzetti case (1921-1926) and a later effort to secure a posthumous pardon for them, documents relating to United States vs. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1954), and financial records.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Peter Martin or Roberta Bobba were transferred to New York University in 1992 by Roberta Bobba. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.
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.
Location of Materials
Custodial History
The collection was donated to the Tamiment Library circa 1992 by Roberta Bobba, half-sister of Peter Martin. Most, if not all, of these materials came to Roberta Bobba, as heir of Peter Martin's widow, Madeline Violette Martin, who died in December 1991. Also included are a greeting card and two postcards donated by Dorothy Blumberg. Additional materials related to Peter Martin were found in Tamiment's collections in 2014. The accession number associated with this collection are 1992.012 and 2014.043.
Separated Material
Photographs from the collection were separated to the Non-Print Department of the Tamiment Library (Photograph Collection #118.1)
