Title: Silberstein-Cook Collection

Dates: 1913-1953

Collection Number: RG 241 ACC 07-002

Creator/Collector: Silberstein, August Silberstein Yolo County Archives

Extent: 10 boxes

Repository: Yolo County Archives

Abstract: The Silberstein-Cook is a collection of biographical information of veterans residing or who once resided in Yolo County. The veterans vary in service from the Indian Wars to the Korean War. The documents consist of written records by Silberstein and newspaper article copies from the Woodland Democrat, Sacramento Bee, and the PG&E Progress. Other topics in the collection are the Grand Army of the Republic of the Civil War, information on military conflicts since the Indian Wars (1850s) to the Korean War (1950s), Freemasonry in the United States, national and local history, and the Yolo County Fire Department. Location: A59.4-A59.6

Language of Material: English

Collection is open for research.

Copyright Unknown and has not been assigned to the Yolo County Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Yolo County Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Silberstein-Cook Collection. Yolo County Archives

Veteran’s Service Office, 2007, Accession #07-02

August G. Silberstein was born in Brighton, near Sacramento, on December 6, 1876. His family moved to Yolo County in the early 1880s. In 1906, after his honorable discharge from the Navy, Silberstein received a position as night watchman. Two years later, he became the chief of the Woodland Fire Department. Through hard work, Silberstein moved his way up to City Water Superintendent of Woodland. A veteran of the Spanish American War in 1898, Silberstein also served in the Philippine insurrection and Boxer Rebellion in 1900. After an honorable discharge in 1900, Silberstein was asked to take over the duties of William Hudson, a civil war veteran who was responsible with overseeing that war department headstones were placed on veteran graves. Silberstein felt that it was his duty to purchase the headstones for the graves of war heroes. Every Memorial Day, Silberstein visited the grave sites of veterans and places small U.S. flags on the gravestones. In 1950, Silberstein handed over his duties to retiring commander of the Yolo Post 77 American Legion, Homer Cook. Silberstein was also a member of the Woodland Masonic Lodge and Zamora Odd Fellows. He was a member of the Kenzie Camp in Woodland. August G. Silberstein died on October 29, 1952.

The Silberstein-Cook is a collection of biographical information of veterans residing or who once resided in Yolo County. The veterans vary in service from the Indian Wars to the Korean War. The documents consist of written records by Silberstein and newspaper article copies from the Woodland Democrat, Sacramento Bee, and the PG&E Progress. Other topics in the collection are the Grand Army of the Republic of the Civil War, information on military conflicts since the Indian Wars (1850s) to the Korean War (1950s), Freemasonry in the United States, national and local history, and the Yolo County Fire Department. • Series 1: This series contains biographical information about veterans, mostly from Yolo County and neighboring counties. Also included are the location of burial sites throughout Yolo County and California. The series is organized alphabetically. • Series 2: This series contains biographical information about the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) which served the Union during the Civil War (1861-1865). Organized alphabetically. Also included is information on the burial sites of G.A.R. members in the Woodland Cemetery. • Series 3: This series contains information about the Kenzie Camp, No. 11, the National Guard of California and its members. Silberstein was a part of the Kenzie Camp, No. 11 and the National Guard of California. • Series 4: This series includes information about the different freemasons in the United States and their history. It is organized alphabetically by state name. • Series 5: This series contains poems and thoughtful writings that August G. Silberstein included in this collection. The items are organized by subject such as religion and faith, the military, nature, and folklore. • Series 6: This series contains information about United States military conflicts. It includes information about the Indian Wars, Civil War, Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, Philippines Insurrection, Chinese Boxer Rebellion, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The documents consist of newspaper articles of casualties during the war. The series is organized by time period of each military conflict. • Series 7: This series contains newspaper articles and documentation about the history of the U.S. The information includes the presidents of the United States, statehood, and notable figures (famous people, politicians). It also includes historical facts of the world. • Series 8: This series contains information about the history of Yolo County and cities of California. It also includes biographical information of residents in Yolo County and neighboring county, many of which were pioneers. Both the city histories and the resident biographical information are organized alphabetically. • Series 9: This series consists of miscellaneous documents and missing pages. Some of the documents were misplaced in binders and/or missing continuous pages were placed in this folder. Also included are the original indexing order of veterans used by Silberstein-Cook. • Series 10: This contains one book on salesmanship. • Series 11: This series contains information about the local fire department (including Yolo and Sacramento). The series includes fire department training program manuals on equipment use, fire safety, chemical safety, and program exams. The first set was owned by Silberstein when he was the chief of the Woodland Fire Department. The second set is manuals added by Cook.