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Title: Morrish collection,
Date (inclusive): 1942-1958
Date (bulk): (bulk 1942-1945)
Collection number: M-301
Creator:
Morrish, J. Elmer (1886-1957)
Extent:
2,500 documents
25 online items
Repository:
Redwood City Public Library. History Room.
Redwood City, California 94063
Abstract: The Morrish Collection includes the case files that were produced by J. Elmer Morrish of the Japanese-Americans from Redwood
City who were interned during the War. The bulk of the collection is original correspondence from the internees to Morrish
and carbon copies of the correspondence sent by Morrish to the internees. Other records include tax bills, government forms,
and bank statements. The case files are arranged by family surname. References to J. Elmer Morrish, as well as all the Japanese-Americans,
are listed in the Local History general inventory database.
Language:
English.
The Morrish Collection is open for research, however the materials must be viewed in the Local History Room with assistance
of Library staff.
Property rights of the materials in the Morrish Collection reside with the Redwood City Public Library. Literary rights are
retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. The materials are intended for educational and scholarly research
only; any other kind of use may be subject to restrictions. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of
such rights and for obtaining and/or paying for proposed use.
Morrish Collection, Local History Collection, Redwood City Public Library.
Materials were donated anonymously to the Local History Collection at the Redwood City Public Library in June of 1990.
Project Information: Surviving the Internment: Redwood City Remembers
Redwood City Public Library received a Library Services and Technology Act grant to promote the preservation of the history
of the local Japanese-American community. The project was based on the correspondence included in the Morrish Collection referred
to above. Library staff solicited donations of other historical materials from local residents, and also conducted interviews
of individuals from the community who were interned during the War. Footage from the interviews, selected letters from the
Morrish Collection, photographs from various sources, and excerpts from a graduate student thesis are featured on a multi-media
website .
J. Elmer Morrish was Vice President of the First National Bank in Redwood City where most of the Japanese-Americans kept their
financial accounts at the start of World War II. Morrish corresponded with the internees throughout the War, overseeing their
personal and business affairs at home. He paid property taxes, hired workers for nurseries, and helped deliver supplies to
the internment camps. Morrish also managed the business operations of the California Chrysanthemum Growers Assn.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Morrish Collection includes the case files that were produced by J. Elmer Morrish of the Japanese-Americans from Redwood
City who were interned during the War. The bulk of the collection is original correspondence from the internees to Morrish
and carbon copies of the correspondence sent by Morrish to the internees. Other records include tax bills, government forms,
and bank statements. The case files are arranged by family surname. References to J. Elmer Morrish, as well as all the Japanese-Americans,
are listed in the Local History general inventory database.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Morrish, J. Elmer (Joseph Elmer), 1886-1957
First National Bank
California Chrysanthemum Growers Association
War Relocation Authority
Topaz (Utah)
Redwood City (Calif.)
San Bruno (Calif.)
Tule Lake (Calif.)
Assembly Centers--California
Banking--California--Redwood City
Floral Industry--California--Redwood City
History--California--Redwood City
Internment Camps--United States
Japanese-Americans--California--Redwood City--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
World War, 1939-1945--Japanese-Americans
Correspondence
A record-group finding aid is also available for the Morrish Collection.