Inventory of the Louis P. Penningroth papers
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2014
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: Louis P. Penningroth papers
Date (inclusive): 1911-1979
Collection Number: 93043
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5 manuscript boxes
(2.0 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, diaries, memoirs, financial records, reports, clippings, other printed matter, and photographs, relating to
Young Men's Christian Association aid to Allied prisoners of war in Austria, especially juvenile Russian prisoners; aid to
repatriated Russian prisoners at the end of World War I; release of American and British prisoners of war in Russia; and conditions
in Russia during the Russian Civil War.
Creator:
Penningroth, Louis P.
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 1993.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Louis P. Penningroth papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical/Historical Note
Louis Phillip Penningroth was born in 1889. He was an American clergyman who served as a Young Men's Christian Association
worker in Europe from 1915 to 1919. He was interested in providing aid to prisoners of war, especially juvenile prisoners.
When he returned home after the war, he married Ethel Blythe, with whom he kept correspondence while in Europe. They had four
children and lived in Iowa until Penningroth's death in 1973.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection is comprised of correspondence, diaries, memoirs, financial records, reports, clippings, other printed matter,
and photographs relating to Young Men's Christian Association aid to Allied prisoners of war in Austria, especially juvenile
Russian prisoners; aid to repatriated Russian prisoners at the end of World War I; release of American and British prisoners
of war in Russia; and conditions in Russia during the Russian Civil War. Of particular note are photographs of Penningroth
working in prison camps with prisoners; a personal diary and several account notebooks; Penningroth's manusript writings of
his experiences; and personal letters to his future wife detailing his experiences in Europe.
Arrangement Statement
The collection is arranged in two series: Chronological file and Letters to Ethel Blythe
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Soviet Union -- History -- Allied intervention, 1918-1920
Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
Prisoners of war
World War, 1914-1918 -- Austria
World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons
World War, 1914-1918 -- War work
Young Men's Christian associations
World War, 1914-1918 -- Participation, Juvenile
United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces
Chronological file
1911-1979
box 1, folder 2
Young Men's Christian Associations, United States of America
1914-1915
box 1, folder 3
Booklets and notebooks
1914-1916
box 1, folder 4
Expense statements and correspondence
1916
box 1, folder 5
Photographs of prison camps
1916-1917
box 1, folder 7
Printed material
1916-1917
box 1, folder 8
Guide for Young Men's Christian Associations Secretaries
1917 February 24
box 2, folder 7
Photographs of Penningroth, prisoners, and Penningroth's time in Europe
circa 1918
box 2, folder 8
Writings by Penningroth about helping Russian prisoners of war who had returned to Russia
1918 June-October
box 2, folder 9
Russian Constitution
1918 July 10
box 2, folder 10
United States prisoners of war in Camp Rastatt, Germany
1918 November
box 2, folder 11
Report of Young Men's Christian Associations work done for Allied prisoners of war passing through Denmark
1918-1919
box 2, folder 12
Russian prisoners of war in Germany and other countries
1918-1919
box 2, folder 13
Writings about Russia
1918-1920
box 2, folder 14
Proposed Young Men's Christian Associations programs
1919
box 2, folder 17
"Required Records"
1919 January 29
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence regarding YMCA war prisoner's aid program
box 3, folder 9
"Trip to Russia," writings by Penningroth of rescuing American and British prisoners of war
1919 March-April
box 3, folder 10
Records and portrait photographs of released American prisoners
1919 April
box 3, folder 11
Released British prisoners
1919 April
box 3, folder 12-13
Conditions in Russia, reports and photographs
1919
box 4, folder 1
Russian relief organizations
1921
box 4, folder 3
Clippings about Russia
1921-1925
box 4, folder 6
"Russian Story," typescript draft by Penningroth and related newspaper clippings
1932
box 4, folder 7
Maps
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes map of Russia and map of the main prison camps in Germany and Austria
box 4, folder 9
Notebooks and clippings
undated
Letters to Ethel Blythe
1917-1919
Scope and Contents note
Includes original letters and typescript copies
box 4, folder 11
1917 November-December 10