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Von Blon (Henriette B.) papers
52011  
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  • Access
  • Use
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content of Collection

  • Title: Henriette B. Von Blon papers
    Date (inclusive): 1940-1952
    Collection Number: 52011
    Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 1 manuscript box (0.4 Linear Feet)
    Abstract: Letters received from Japanese Americans interned first at the Pomona Assembly Center in California and later at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyoming) during World War II relating to conditions in the camps; and clippings from American newspapers relating to French culture and the military defeat of France in 1940.
    Creator: Von Blon, Henriette B.
    Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Access

    The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

    Use

    For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1952.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Henriette B. Von Blon papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Biographical Note

    Henriette Von Blon lived in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, John L. Von Blon, and her two children, Phillip and Marie Adele. John L. Von Blon was an editor at the Los Angeles Times for seventeen years. Henriette also contributed to publications, like the popular art magazine The International Studio.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The Henriette B. Von Blon papers contain personal materials, correspondence, illustrations, and a photograph, with an overarching emphasis on Henriette Von Blon and her family's relationship with an interned Japanese American family who had been the Von Blons' neighbors and friends. The head of that family, Taketaro Azeka, was a barber by trade who also practiced poetry and art. The Von Blons stored the belongings that Azeka and his daughters' families could not bring with them to relocation centers during World War II. Mrs. Von Blon also acted as a character reference for Azeka's daughter, Shizuko Horiuchi.
    Correspondence from Azeka and his three daughters cover the family's time at both the Pomona Assembly Center in California and the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming during World War II. Letters received by the Von Blon family from 1942 to 1944 describe life in the internment camps and gratitude for the Von Blons' support during the family's time in the camps. Illustrations by Azeka sent with these letters depict both the Pomona Assembly Center and the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and the daily life of detainees.
    In addition to this material, the collection includes a scrapbook of newspaper clippings compiled by Von Blon for her daughter, Marie Adele, relating to conditions in France during World War II from 1940 to 1941.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    World War, 1939-1945 -- France
    Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945
    World War, 1939-1945 -- United States
    Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyo.)