Finding Aid to the Phyllis Helene Mattson Correspondence
1940-1946
SFH 463
Finding aid prepared by Katherine Ets-Hokin.
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
2017
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Title: Phyllis Helene Mattson Correspondence
Date (inclusive): 1940-1946
Identifier/Call Number: SFH 463
Creator:
Mattson, Phyllis Helene
Physical Description:
Two pamphlet boxes.
(0.7 Cubic Feet)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
info@sfpl.org
Abstract: Phyllis Helene Mattson was born in Vienna, Austria in 1929 to Jewish parents of Polish citizenship. In the early phase of
the Holocaust her parents, fearing for her life, sent her to live in San Francisco with a distant relative. From 1940-1946
their only communication was through the letters that form this collection. Phyllis was reunited with her father in 1946,
but her mother died in a death camp.
Physical Location: The collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English and German. Most German materials are translated into English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk
hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Phyllis Helene Mattson Correspondence (SFH 463#), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public
Library.
Provenance
Materials donated by Phyllis Mattson in 2009.
Related Materials
Researchers are encouraged to see also Phyllis Mattson's book War Orphan in San Francisco and to check the San Francisco Public
Library catalog.
Conservation Note
During processing, the entire collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Some metal staples
and paper clips remain. The letters came to the library in mylar sleeves with an English translation.
Biography
Phyllis Helene Mattson was born in Vienna, Austria in 1929 to Jewish parents of Polish citizenship. When Hitler took Austria
in 1938 it became part of Germany leaving her parents stateless. Her father, Samuel Finkel, was arrested (for his stateless
status) in March of 1939 and sent to Kitchener Camp in England. Her mother, Laura Finkel, after failing to get both herself
and Phyllis out of Austria and fearing for her daughter’s safety sent 10 year old Phyllis to live in San Francisco with a
distant relative. She arrived in San Francisco through a program that quietly brought refugee children to sponsoring families
in the United States.
In July 1940 Samuel Finkel boarded the passenger ship Dunera and was sent to Australia for internment. Conditions on the Dunera
were harsh and the refugees were treated horrendously by the crew. The ship did not arrive in Sydney until September 1940
two months later. Although Samuel was eventually released from internment he would not reach the United States until 1946.
Laura Finkel never made it out of Europe. In June 1940 she was sent to Nordhausen camp in Germany to work as a slave laborer.
In April 1942 she was released from Nordhausen camp and returned to Vienna. On May 6, 1942 she was killed at Maly Trostinec
near present day Minsk, Belarus along with almost 9,000 Austrian Jews between May and October 1942. Only 17 people are known
to have survived the masacres.
Phyllis lived with her sponsor family for only a brief time. She grew up living with several different foster families and
the Homewood Orphanage. Her father did not arrive in San Francisco until 1946 and she was eventually allowed to live with
him until she moved to attend U.C. Berkeley. Over the seven years of their separation Phyllis had developed American beliefs
and values that caused conflict between her and her father. Samuel died in 1971. Phyllis saved the letters written between
her parents and herself to publish her biography War Orphan in San Francisco.
Scope and Content
The collection contains correspondence between the Finkel family, Samuel Finkel, Laura Finkel, and Phyllis Mattson and various
family members during the holocaust from 1940-1946. Some of the letters are in German with an English translation. Most of
the letters are translated but not all of them are. The letters written to Laura were lost with Laura’s death. The collection
also includes Phyllis Mattson’s phycologists report from Homewood Orphanage, her application for International House at UC
Berkeley, a CD-R of War Orphans (Phyllis Mattson’s book of her memoir) and a CD-R of Laura Finkel’s letters.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in alphabetical order and then by date.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Children -- California -- San Francisco -- History.
Holocaust survivors--Correspondence.
Jewish children in the Holocaust.
Orphanages -- California -- San Francisco.
Orphans--California--San Francisco--Biography.
Mattson, Phyllis Helene
box 1, folder 1
Finkel Family Letters
1942-1947
box 1, folder 2
Homewood Orphanage. Psychologist's Report for Phyllis Mattson
1941-1945
box 1, folder 3-6
Laura Finkel's Letters
1940-1942
box 1, folder 7-14
Phyllis Mattson's Letters
1940-1944
box 2, folder 1-3
Phyllis Mattson's Letters
1945-1946
box 2, folder 4
Phyllis Mattson's U.C. Berkeley International House Application
1951
box 2, folder 5-11
Samuel Finkel's Letters
1940-1946
box 2, folder 12
War Orphans and Laura Finkel's Letters on CD-R
circa 2005
