Inventory of the Lynch Family Letters SPC.2010.001
Finding aid initially prepared by Juan Tellez and completed by Sue Tyson.
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
©2011
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson, CA 90747
archives@csudh.edu
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Lynch Family Letters
Creator:
Lynch, Dorothy
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2010.001
Physical Description:
10 boxes
Physical Description:
4.2 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1926-1980
Abstract: This collection consists primarily of the personal letters of Dorothy Lynch to her older sister, Faye Bell. The letters chronicle
the lives of Dorothy Lynch and of her immediate family in Long Beach, California, over the decades from 1926 to 1980; the
letters also provide a glimpse of the lives of Dorothy Lynch's immediate and extended family in California and in other states.
The correspondence covers the complexities of family life, marriage, child rearing, and Dorothy's life as a homemaker; her
employment with the Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II and in sales after the war; job scarcity and the search for
employment during the Depression; Dorothy's husband's employment in the oil industry; and other topics, including gender and
work; illness; fashion, and body image. Along with correspondence, the collection contains photographs and newspaper clippings.
Language of Material:
English
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
The materials were donated to California State University at Dominguez Hills in June, 2010 by Ken Barker and Jeff Stookey,
executors of the estate of John Quitman Lynch.
This collection was processed by Juan Tellez in 2010.
Dorothy Lynch (1909-1992) and Faye Bell (1900-1987) were sisters who kept in contact through letters from 1926 to 1971. Dorothy
Lynch, a life-long resident of Long Beach, California, graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1927. She married
Louis Quitman Lynch (1902-1979 [referred to in the letters as Quitman or as Jack]), and the couple raised their children,
Richard L. Lynch (1929-1978), John Q. Lynch (1931-2008 [referred to at times in the letters as Jack), and Thomas E. Lynch
(1941-1986), in the same North Long Beach neighborhood in which she grew up. Dorothy Lynch was a homemaker for much of her
life. She also worked outside the home during World War II, as an employee at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach;
and after the war, as a salesperson in the silver trade. In addition, along with her husband, she owned and managed various
properties in the Long Beach area. Faye Bell was a resident of several states, primarily California and Oregon. She was the
primary recipient of the Lynch family letters.
This collection documents the lives of two women, Dorothy Lynch and her sister, Faye Bell, over the course of five decades,
as seen through their original correspondence. Most of the collection consists of letters from Dorothy Lynch to Faye Bell,
though some of the files contain letters written by others, including Quitman (Jack) Lynch and the sisters' children and grandchildren.
Topics treated in the collection include the complexities of family life; homemaking; child rearing; local news; economic
privation; the local labor market for both men and women during the Depression and during World War II; the stress that lack
of stable employment can cause; Dorothy's employment in the aerospace industry during wartime and in silver sales after the
war; and Dorothy's husband Quitman's (Jack's) time spent living apart from the family in order to seek employment in other
cities, primarily in the oil industry. The letters also discuss rationing and war and their effects on people; marital tension;
Dorothy's interest in work outside the home as well as in learning and coursework; military service; medical and legal problems
faced by the two sisters and other family members; travel along the West Coast of the United States as well as to Texas; and
fashion. Along with these topics, the correspondence provides a view of the lives of other family members as well, including
son John's study of art and entry into the art world.
This collection, which also includes photographs and news clippings, is a good source for researchers interested in exploring
women's roles in the home and in the workplace; gender expectations concerning women's work outside of the home; job scarcity
and economic difficulties during the Depression; the need to move or travel in search of work and the impact that this can
have on family life; child rearing, especially as covered in letters from the 1930s and 1940s; perspectives on employment
in the aerospace and oil industries in California; and fashion and body image. The collection includes letters relating to
the 1933 Long Beach earthquake (Box 2, Folder 2), and correspondence describing Dorothy Lynch's personal experience of the
February 24-25, 1942 incident known as the "Battle of Los Angeles," a case of "friendly fire" in which artillery rounds from
anti-aircraft fire rained down on Long Beach in response to the perceived threat of Japanese air attack (Box 4, Folder 4).
The correspondence decreases greatly from 1970 on.
Because he is referred to by the names Quitman and Jack, the Scope and Content notes for this collection refer to Dorothy's
husband as Quitman (Jack). In the letters, John's name is often spelled as "Jon"; at times, he is referred to in the letters
as Jack.
Arranged in 10 Boxes in Chronological Order:
- Box I. Correspondence 1926-1931
- Box II. Correspondence 1932-1935
- Box III. Correspondence 1936-1938
- Box IV. Correspondence 1939-1943
- Box V. Correspondence 1944-1948
- Box VI. Correspondence 1949-1955
- Box VII. Correspondence 1956-1959
- Box VIII. Correspondence 1960-1963
- Box IX. Correspondence 1964-1966
- Box X. Correspondence 1966-1980, undated
For material related to Long Beach consult: Long Beach Fireman's Historical Museum Photographs,
Long Beach Fireman's Historical Museum Photographs Digital Collection , 1933 Long Beach Earthquake Photographs, South Bay Photograph Collection,
South Bay Photograph Digital Collection , and
James H. Osborne Photograph Collection . For material related to Douglas Aircraft Company consult the Northop Millar Collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Aerospace industries -- California -- Employees
Child rearing
Family life
Gender and society
Gender and women studies
Homemaking
Marriage and family life
Petroleum industry and trade -- California -- Employees
Working mothers -- United States
Women employees -- Family relationships -- United States
Work and family -- United States
Long Beach (Calif.)
Portland (Or.)
Bell, Goldie Faye
Bell, Harry E.
Lynch, Dorothy
Lynch, Louis Quitman
Lynch, John Q.
Lynch, Richard L.
Lynch, Thomas E.
Douglas Aircraft Company
Correspondence 1926-1931
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 1, folder 2
box 1, folder 3
box 1, folder 4
box 1, folder 5
Correspondence 1932-1935
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 2, folder 2
box 2, folder 3
box 2, folder 4
Correspondence 1936-1938
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 3, folder 2
box 3, folder 3
box 3, folder 4
Correspondence 1939-1943
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 4, folder 2
box 4, folder 3
box 4, folder 4
box 4, folder 5
Correspondence 1944-1948
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 5, folder 3
box 5, folder 4
box 5, folder 5
box 5, folder 6
Correspondence 1947
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
Correspondence 1949-1955
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
Correspondence 1949
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
box 6, folder 4
box 6, folder 5
box 6, folder 6
box 6, folder 7
Correspondence 1956-1959
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 7, folder 3
box 7, folder 4
Correspondence 1960-1963
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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
box 8, folder 2
box 8, folder 3
box 8, folder 4
Correspondence 1964-1966
box 9, folder 1
box 9, folder 2
box 9, folder 3
box 9, folder 4
box 9, folder 6
Correspondence 1966-1980, undated
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
Physical Description: 1 box
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 2
box 10, folder 3
box 10, folder 5
box 10, folder 6
Correspondence 1992; undated
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.