INVENTORY OF THE LYNCH FAMILY LETTERS COLLECTION, 1926-1980

Box I. Correspondence, 1926-1931

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include the lives of Dorothy and Faye as teenagers in Long Beach, California; Dorothy's first two pregnancies and her adjustment to motherhood and homemaking; Quitman's (Jack's) search for work and a drop in the labor market; and the Depression.

Box 1 Folder 1, 1926-1928

Scope and Content Note

Sisters and their lives as teenagers in Long Beach, California.

Box 1 Folder 2, 1929

Scope and Content Note

Dorothy's first pregnancy; drop in labor market.

Box 1 Folder 3, 1930

Scope and Content Note

Dorothy adjusting to motherhood; building a household.

Box 1 Folder 4, 1931

Scope and Content Note

Dorothy's second pregnancy; talk about Depression.

Box 1 Folder 5, 1931

Scope and Content Note

Quitman's (Jack's) search for work; raising more than one child.

Box II. Correspondence, 1932-1935

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include raising children and Quitman's (Jack's) search for work; the Long Beach earthquake of March 10, 1933, and its death toll, damages, and aftershocks; the death of the sisters' father; and the start of a side business as chicken breeders. Discussion also covers weddings and children; family life and the scarcity of jobs; and the need to travel or move in search of job opportunities.

Box 2 Folder 1, 1932

Scope and Content Note

Raising children; Quitman's (Jack's) search for work.

Box 2 Folder 2, 1933

Scope and Content Note

Long Beach earthquake of March 10, 1933; its death toll, damages, and aftershocks. Death of father. Start of a side business breeding chickens.

Box 2 Folder 3, 1934

Scope and Content Note

Weddings and children; travel in search of work; recap of previous years and plan for future children.

Box 2 Folder 4, 1935

Scope and Content Note

Raising children; moving to follow work opportunities.

Box 2 Folder 5, 1935

Scope and Content Note

Family life and scarcity of jobs.

Box III. Correspondence, 1936-1938

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include raising children and teaching them at home; coping with illness; searching for work and making ends meet; connections with extended family; and legal issues concerning the sisters' father's estate. Discussion also concerns renting out part of the family home to make money and moving to follow work. Letters also mention fashion and body image.

Box 3 Folder 1, 1936

Scope and Content Note

(Jan - Jun) Raising children; coping with illnesses; teaching children at home.

Box 3 Folder 2, 1936

Scope and Content Note

(Jul - Dec) Searching for work; making ends meet.

Box 3 Folder 3, 1937

Scope and Content Note

Connections with extended family; handling of father's estate; discussion of fashion.

Box 3 Folder 4, 1938

Scope and Content Note

Legal issues with father's estate; renting out part of home to make money; moving to follow work; body image issues.

Box IV. Correspondence, 1939-1943

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include making ends meet during work shortages; aid from the Church; and Dorothy and Quitman (Jack) Lynch's purchase of a new home. Correspondence also features discussion of child rearing; of arts and crafts and of music lessons; of the possibility of Dorothy's third pregnancy; and of medical practices concerning childbirth, including questions of natural birth versus the use of drugs to ease childbirth. Letters treat the birth of Dorothy's third son, Thomas Lynch, and family life and responsibilities. Correspondence also makes reference to World War II and to Dorothy's finding shrapnel at her home and broken windows in her neighborhood in February, 1942, as a result of the "Battle of Los Angeles." Letters also discuss Dorothy's employment at the Douglas Aircraft Company; Quitman's (Jack's) work in the oil industry in Coalinga and in Long Beach; and the rise in employment levels with the growth of war industries.

Box 4 Folder 1, 1939

Scope and Content Note

Making ends meet during work shortages; aid from the Church. Raising children; possibility of Dorothy's being pregnant; arts and crafts and music lessons.

Box 4 Folder 2, 1940

Scope and Content Note

Dorothy and Quitman (Jack) buy new home; pregnancy; medical practices concerning childbirth.

Box 4 Folder 3, 1941

Scope and Content Note

Birth of Thomas Lynch;, family life; responsibilities with school and home.

Box 4 Folder 4, 1942

Scope and Content Note

References to World War II and to the anti-aircraft fire incident on the West Coast on the night of February 24-25; beginning of rationing; women and changes caused by war; return of jobs with rise of war industries.

Box 4 Folder 5, 1943

Scope and Content Note

Quitman (Jack) works in oil industry in Coalinga and in Long Beach; Dorothy's work at Douglas Aircraft Company; tension with Quitman (Jack) over Dorothy's work outside of the home; rationing of goods and its effects on people.

Box V. Correspondence, 1944-1948

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include Quitman's (Jack's) living out of town because of work; Dorothy's quitting her job and returning to homemaking; routines of family life; son John's interest in art; and Quitman's (Jack's) return to live and work at home. Letters also discuss illness and Quitman's (Jack's) struggles to find stable employment; Dorothy's life as a homemaker; and issues faced by parents as children reach their teenage years. The correspondence also includes planning for children's futures; son Richard's graduation from high school and subsequent travel with friends to Alaska to find work; and discussion of Dorothy's interest in taking classes, as well as difficulties balancing coursework with her other responsibilities.

Box 5 Folder 1, 1944

Scope and Content Note

(Jan - Jun) Issues arising from Quitman's (Jack's) living out of town for work.

Box 5 Folder 2, 1944

Scope and Content Note

(Jul - Dec) Dorothy quits job with Douglas.

Box 5 Folder 3, 1945

Scope and Content Note

(Jan - Jul) Routine events in the lives of the Lynch family.

Box 5 Folder 4, 1945

Scope and Content Note

(Aug - Dec) Dorothy takes a college-level Psychology class; John continues to develop his interests in art; Quitman (Jack) returns to live and work at home.

Box 5 Folder 5, 1946

Scope and Content Note

Dorothy's homemaking and caring for youngest son; medical treatments.

Box 5 Folder 6, 1947

Scope and Content Note

Issues with teenagers; Quitman's (Jack's) struggles with unstable employment; Richard's travel with friends to Alaska to find seasonal work; travel and responsibilities of maintaining a home; Dorothy's interest in continuing education and enrollment in income tax and crafts classes; difficulties of balancing coursework with her other responsibilities. Folder contains several of Richard's letters to his parents and siblings

Box 5 Folder 7, 1948

Scope and Content Note

Contains only one letter, regarding the Christmas holiday.

Box VI. Correspondence, 1949-1955

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include family life, child rearing, and making plans for their college education; Quitman's (Jack's) situation of being in and out of work; Dorothy's return to work, this time in sales; son John's growing reputation as an artist and his move to New York to study art. Letters also describe John's dispute with the draft board and his exemption from military service; son Richard's injury while working on an oil rig and his being drafted into the Navy; Richard's marriage to Dorothy Dixon (Dody), the birth of their first child, their family life, and purchase of land to build their own family home. Correspondence also treats dieting and nutrition; Faye's, Dorothy's and the children's travel between Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, and California; and Dorothy's babysitting duties for Richard and his wife's two children.

Box 6 Folder 1, 1949

Scope and Content Note

Raising children; planning for college; Quitman (Jack) is in and out of work; Dorothy begins to work again, this time in sales. John gains more recognition as an artist and begins dispute with draft board; Richard's injury on the oil fields sparks discussion of dangers of working in the oil industry.

Box 6 Folder 2, 1950

Scope and Content Note

Richard is drafted into the Navy; John is exempt because of good standing in college.

Box 6 Folder 3, 1951

Scope and Content Note

Richard gets married.

Box 6 Folder 4, 1952

Scope and Content Note

Newlyweds, dieting and family; John's move to New York to study art.

Box 6 Folder 5, 1953

Scope and Content Note

Birth of Richard and Dody's daughter; John wins dispute with draft board.

Box 6 Folder 6, 1954

Scope and Content Note

Richard and Dody buy land and begin building their own home. Faye, Dorothy and children travel between Louisiana, Oregon, Texas and California.

Box 6 Folder 7, 1955

Scope and Content Note

Diets, vitamins and nutritional supplements; Dorothy begins babysitting Richard and Dody's children.

Box VII. Correspondence, 1956-1959

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include Quitman's (Jack's) travel for work, which sometimes sees him absent for days or months; and visits between the sisters, including plans for Dorothy to visit Faye in Oregon and for Faye to visit Dorothy in California. Correspondence also covers Thomas Lynch's graduation from Long Beach Polytechnic; the sons' job searches in the Long Beach area; a nephew's employment at Douglas Aircraft; and folk remedies for arthritis. Folders 2 and 4 contain photographs of family members.

Box 7 Folder 1, 1956

Scope and Content Note

Richard and Dody finish home and move in. Quitman (Jack) must still work out of town at times, and is sometimes away for days to months.

Box 7 Folder 2, 1957

Scope and Content Note

Faye visits mid-year; Dody has second child.

Box 7 Folder 3, 1958

Scope and Content Note

Family comes together to help out; Thomas Lynch graduates from Long Beach Polytechnic.

Box 7 Folder 4, 1959

Scope and Content Note

Folk remedies for arthritis; sons looking for work in Long Beach area; nephew working for Douglas Aircraft. Photos of family are included in this folder.

Box VIII. Correspondence, 1960-1963

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include son Thomas's service in the Navy; disputes concerning the inheritance; Thomas's preparations to marry Alice, who is earning a teaching credential at California State University, Long Beach; Faye's visit; son John's art show in Hollywood; and fashion. Correspondence also discusses income from rental properties, as well as jury duty for Dorothy.

Box 8 Folder 1, 1960

Scope and Content Note

Family travels to New Orleans to deal with inheritance matters. Richard has surgery; Thomas prepares to wed girlfriend Alice.

Box 8 Folder 2, 1961

Scope and Content Note

Faye visits Dorothy and family; John has art show in Hollywood; Thomas in the Navy.

Box 8 Folder 3, 1962

Scope and Content Note

Plans for Thomas and Alice's wedding; fashion ideas; Alice completes teaching credential at Cal State Long Beach; moving and property maintenance.

Box 8 Folder 4, 1963

Scope and Content Note

Dorothy undertakes jury duty; proceedings continue in Texas for inheritance; earnings from rental properties.

Box IX. Correspondence, 1964-1966

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include interest in nutritional supplements; Quitman's (Jack's) job prospects and his success at finding work; Richard's move to Oregon; and family travels on the West coast and to Texas.

Box 9 Folder 1, 1964

Scope and Content Note

(Jan - Jun) Job market for Quitman (Jack); Richard is moving to Oregon; nutritional supplements

Box 9 Folder 2, 1964

Scope and Content Note

(Jul - Dec) Thomas's coming baby; Richard's move to Oregon; Quitman's (Jack's) work.

Box 9 Folder 3, 1965

Scope and Content Note

(Jan - Aug) Family travels from San Diego to Morro Bay and Oregon; Dorothy travels to Texas to deal with inheritance matters.

Box 9 Folder 4, 1965

Scope and Content Note

(Sept - Dec) Continuing discussion of inheritance; plans for travel.

Box 9 Folder 5, 1966

Scope and Content Note

(Jan - Jun) Many family members become ill.

Box 9 Folder 6, 1966

Scope and Content Note

(Jul - Dec) Thomas moves to San Diego from Idaho.

Box X. Correspondence, 1966-1980, n.d.

Physical Description: .42 linear feet 1 box

Scope and Content Note

Topics include the birth of Thomas and Alice's child; the fact that Dorothy, Quitman (Jack), and Faye are all reaching retirement age; the circumstances surrounding Quitman's (Jack's) retirement; travel; family medical matters; and a negative mention of California Governor Ronald Reagan. Correspondence diminishes from 1970 to 1980; topics of these letters include illnesses; John's travels and work on his art; events in the lives of family members; and Dorothy's care giving for her mother and other relatives. Folder 6 contains undated materials, including funeral arrangements for Dorothy; two photographs—one of the family and one of a young Quitman (Jack) at an oil rig; drawings by various children; and copies of letters made by John Q. Lynch.

Box 10 Folder 1, 1967

Scope and Content Note

Thomas and Alice's first child; illness.

Box 10 Folder 2, 1968

Scope and Content Note

Negative mention of California State Gov. Reagan; Dorothy, Quitman (Jack), and Faye approach retirement age.

Box 10 Folder 3, 1969

Scope and Content Note

Quitman's (Jack's) retirement; Dorothy's responsibilities.

Box 10 Folder 4, 1970

Scope and Content Note

Travel; AARP; how the children are doing.

Box 10 Folder 5, 1970-ca. 1980

Scope and Content Note

Lives of family members; John's travel and work on his art; Dorothy's caretaking for her mother and for older relatives; description of holidays spent in Long Beach.

Box 10 Folder 6, 1992; n.d.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous pages of letters with no identifiable date. Funeral arrangements for Dorothy; sign-in sheets for wake. Folder also contains family trees and six undated photographs, one of Quitman (Jack) at an oil rig in his youth and five of various members of the family, including Dorothy Lynch. The location of the photographs is uncertain. Also includes drawings by various children and copies of letters made by John Q. Lynch.

Container List