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Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-080-001
This volume, compiled by Kathleen Kennedy, chronicles her service as a Staff Assistant for the American Red Cross in London, England, during World War II, primarily between May and July, 1943. A handwritten note in pencil on the front cover reads, “Kathleen Hartington / [Keep/Keys(?)] Keep RFK / July 1949.” Diary entries are inscribed directly on the pre-printed ruled pages in pencil and black ink, as well as typed on the back of American Red Cross notepaper sheets. In her diary entries, Kathleen writes about the completion of her Red Cross training; her preparations for and departure to England, including crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard the R.M.S. Queen Mary, converted to a troopship; her work at American Red Cross service clubs in London; and dinners, parties, weekend trips, and other social events. Of note is an undated, unstamped, and blank telegram with a handwritten note in black ink signed, "Your loving brother : Kennedy," inserted at the front of the book. Also of note are three handwritten letters written in black or blue ink between Kathleen and her husband, William “Billy” Cavendish, the Marquess of Hartington, placed in an envelope addressed to “Capt. : The Marquess of Hartington : 5th Bn.: Coldstream Guards : British Liberation Army,” in Kathleen’s hand, postmarked July 17, 1944. This volume contains 30 telegrams, 10 typed diary entries, five handwritten letters, four newspaper clippings, three photographic prints, two magazine clippings, and various printed ephemera, including a schedule, vaccine card, matchbox, invitation, shipping ticket, menu, handwritten notes, and miscellaneous booklets and pamphlets.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-082-001
This volume, compiled by Kathleen Kennedy, documents her marriage to William “Billy” Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, including his death during World War II, as well as events in the years that followed. It contains diary entries written in blue and black ink and pencil, including some written by Billy Hartington, as well as clippings and printed ephemera. An additional entry on the title page post-dates the album’s creation and is written in a third hand, likely that of Kathleen’s mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, or her sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Diary entries are inscribed directly on the ruled pages in pencil and in ink. The bulk of the handwritten entries are from May to July, 1944, and include Kathleen's accounts of the newlywed couple's stay at the Swan Hotel; the bombardment of London, England, with V-1 rockets ("doodlebugs"); and on September 10, 1944, the report of the death of her husband. A later entry details the events of February 27, 1946, when Kathleen met Winston Churchill in Miami, Florida. Also pasted into the diary are newspaper and magazine clippings; a catalog of donations and gifts proffered in a Red Cross Gift Sale, held August 7, 1944, in Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, sponsored by the Meynell Hunt Agricultural Society; and an official numbered programme for the Red Cross and St. John Carnival held July 29, 1944, at the Municipal Sports Ground, Derby, Derbyshire, England, "Under the Patronage of the Marchioness of Hartington" (Kathleen’s title following her marriage to Billy).
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-079-001
This scrapbook, compiled by Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, chronicles her service as a Staff Assistant for the American Red Cross in London, England, during World War II, from 1943 to 1944. The scrapbook contains pre-printed ruled pages, with the first section including alphabetical tabs along the right edge. It contains newspaper and magazine clippings and other pieces of printed ephemera that relate to a wide range of topics, including British involvement in World War II; Kathleen’s arrival in London; her brother John F. Kennedy’s service in the United States Navy and his command of the motor torpedo boat, PT-109, in the Solomon Islands; William “Billy” Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (formally referred to as “Lord Hartington”), and his candidacy for the West Derbyshire by-election of 1944; Kathleen’s marriage to Billy Hartington; and society and entertainment news and events. In addition to Kathleen, those pictured in photographs and identified in original captions include American Red Cross volunteer Mildred “Mid” Eberle; United States Navy Lt. Oren Root; Lady Anne Cavendish; Deborah Vivien "Debo" Freeman-Mitford Cavendish; Billy; Anthony “Tony” St. Clair-Erskine, the 6th Earl of Rosslyn; Sir John Charles Peniston “Buffles” Milbanke; Sheila Milbanke; Lady Elizabeth Cavendish; Lord Edward Norman “Ned” Fitzmaurice; Hon. Charles Richard Strutt; British jockey and member of the British Guards Armoured Division, Major Peter Cazalet; British steeplechaser and member of the Welsh Guards, Captain Anthony Mildmay; Lady Jean Ogilvy Lloyd, Baroness Lloyd; members of the American Red Cross Hans Crescent Golf Team; American golfer Howard Scoggins; member of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, Lt. Richard F. Wood; and British rugby player and Member of Parliament, William Wavell Wakefield. Other items of note include an “Artiste’s salary voucher” for Kathleen’s role as an extra in the film “English Without Tears”; correspondence with the American Red Cross regarding her violation of wartime censorship rules and her potential violation of Red Cross policies regarding political activities; a souvenir golf scorecard for a match between the Hans Crescent Golf Club and the Muswell Hill Golf Club; documentation allowing Kathleen to vote in the Parliamentary bi-election; a typed account sent to Kathleen from the Regimental Headquarters of the British Army’s Coldstream Guards that details the activities of her husband Billy’s regiment in the weeks prior to his death during a military campaign in Belgium on September 9, 1944; a draft of remarks given by Kathleen at a Derbyshire Federation of Women's Institutes exhibition; magazine clippings featuring Fred and Adele Astaire; and photographic postcards featuring Levens Hall and Chatsworth House, both in England, and Lismore Castle in Ireland. A final item of note is a contact print of a strip of six 35mm black and white negatives featuring images of a cross marking the site near the town of Heppen, Belgium, where Billy was killed in action. Original handwritten captions are written in black and blue ink and pencil on many of the leaves. This scrapbook contains 175 pieces of ephemera, including newspaper and magazine clippings, letters, notes, invitations, and political pamphlets, as well as 35 photographic prints.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-072-001
This diary, kept by Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy as a 6- and 7-year old child, contains handwritten entries detailing his daily activities from January 1, 1939, through September 9, 1939, while residing at 14 Prince’s Gate in London, England, where the Kennedy family lived during Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.’s tenure as United States Ambassador to Great Britain. The gold stamped title on the cover reads, “Diary / No. 28 / 1939.” Pages contain pre-printed ruling and text, including entry dates, as well as manuscript entries written in black ink. Most entries were not written by Ted, but most likely by Kennedy family nurse, Luella Hennessey, with Ted dictating. Ted’s handwriting appears in entries from July 11, 12, 16, 17, and 18. Entries cover a variety of topics, including Ted’s education at the Gibbs School and St. Thomas More School, both in London; various train and boat rides during the family’s travels; social events, including a party attended by the British royal family at which Ted danced with Princess Elizabeth; outings to parks, zoos, movies, and pantomime performances; and playtime and sports activities with family and friends. Specific events and experiences that Ted mentions include a family trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland; Adolf Hitler’s Reichstag speech; the death of Pope Pius XI; Ted’s seventh birthday, for which he received a new dog, named “Sammy”; the family’s trip to Rome in Italy, as well as the Vatican, during which he received his First Holy Communion from Pope Pius XII; bombings of London by the Irish Republican Army; a visit to the estate of family friend, Sir James Calder, in Norfolk, England; a family trip to Cannes and Antibes in France; events leading up to Great Britain’s declaration of war on Germany, including the relocation of members of the Kennedy family to financier John Pierpont Morgan, Jr.'s country estate in Hertfordshire, England, while awaiting transport back to America; and the sinking of the S.S. Athenia. Luella Hennessey and the Kennedy children's governess, Elizabeth Dunn, also feature prominently throughout the diary. About half of the pages for July and August do not contain entries. The last entry of the diary is September 9, 1939; the remaining pages dated through December 31, 1939, are blank. The diary also contains three loose photographs, one loose newspaper clipping, and one loose printed birthday invitation.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-077-001
This scrapbook, compiled by John F. “Jack” Kennedy, documents his time serving in the United States Navy during World War II from 1941 through 1944, including his assignment in the Solomon Islands and his command of the motor torpedo boat, PT-109, as well as time spent on leave with family and friends. The gold stamped title on the front cover reads, “J.F.K.” The scrapbook contains photographic prints, newspaper and magazine clippings, several pieces of correspondence, and other types of printed ephemera. Of note are clippings related to the rescue of the PT-109 crew near the Solomon Islands in the Western Pacific Ocean following its sinking by a Japanese destroyer; Jack’s receipt of the Navy and Marine Corps medal for his actions in the aftermath of the attack on PT-109; his brother Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.’s military service and death while piloting a U.S. Navy aircraft over Blythburgh, East Suffolk, England; the marriage of his sister, Kathleen Kennedy, to William “Billy” Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington; and Billy Hartington’s death while serving in the British Army. Photographs show Jack in the Solomon Islands singly and with fellow U.S. Navy sailors, including George H. R. “Barney” Ross, James A. “Jim” Reed, Paul B. “Red” Fay, Allan “Al” Webb, Leon Emery Drawdy, Edman Edgar Mauer, Edmund T. Drewitch, John Edward Maguire, Charles Albert Harris, Maurice L. Kowal, Andrew Jackson Kirksey, and Leonard "Lenny" Thom. Also pictured is Jack in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts and Palm Beach, Florida, with family, including his mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy; siblings, Joseph, Jr., Kathleen, Eunice Kennedy, Patricia Kennedy, Jean Kennedy, and Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy; cousin, Joseph Francis "Joey" Gargan, Jr.; and friends, Jim Reed, Julia Reed, Lenny Thom, Catherine “Kate” Thom, Barney Ross, Nancy Tenney, Red Fay, Bernie Lyons, Torbert Macdonald, and John "Zeke" Coleman, Jr. Others who are pictured are U.S. Navy commissioned officers who served in the South West Pacific theater, including Commander Henry Charles Farrow, Jr.; Lt. Commander Robert Bolling Kelly; Commodore Edward J. “Mike” Moran; and Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr. Of note are two typed letters detailing Jack’s military orders during World War II; clippings related to and photographs of Jack receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Medal from Captain Frederick L. Conklin at the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts; a typed letter awarding him a Purple Heart medal for injuries he sustained during his command of PT-109; a typed letter awarding him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal; a printed compilation of news releases issued by the “So-Pac Press,” a publication of the U.S. Naval Command in the South Pacific; a printed list of wartime instructions that American service members could distribute to native peoples in case of an emergency landing on one of the Solomon Islands; and a postcard sent to Jack with a handwritten message from his brother, Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy, postmarked from Palestine and featuring an image of Jerusalem. This scrapbook contains 66 photographic prints and postcards, 64 newspaper and periodical clippings (including several full periodical pages), four typed letters, and two other printed documents.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-070-001
This scrapbook, compiled by Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy, Jr., documents his travels, family life, political work, and naval career between 1938 and 1941. The gold stamped title on the cover reads, “Scrap Book.” It contains newspaper clippings, photographic prints and postcards, handwritten and typed letters, and printed ephemera related to his travels in the United States and Europe, including a 1939 visit to Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War; his involvement with the Democratic Party, including as a Massachusetts delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention; his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and his diplomatic work as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom; his family's travels between the U.S. and England; his naval training at the Squantum Naval Air Station in Quincy, Massachusetts; and other news and current events of the time. Other Kennedy family members mentioned in clippings include Joe, Jr.’s mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy; his siblings, John F. Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy; grandparents, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon Fitzgerald; aunt, Margaret L. Burke; uncle, Thomas A. Fitzgerald; cousins, Marion Eunice Fitzgerald and John F. “Jack” Fitzgerald; and his sister Kathleen's future husband, William "Billy" Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. Photographs feature Joe, Jr., attending unidentified events, with fellow trainees at the Squantum Naval Air Station, and holding a fish. An additional photograph shows an aerial view of the Kennedy family home in Palm Beach, Florida. Photographic postcards feature images of canals in Xochimilco, Mexico, and of Joe, Jr., in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Senders of typed and handwritten correspondence include British politician Arthur Greenwood; politician and Democratic National Convention Chairman, James A. Farley; journalist Arthur Krock; Executive Director of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety, J. W. Farley; and Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby. Printed ephemera include a dance card with a pencil attached by string; a flier advertising a debate on Lend-Lease policy; a printed menu and seating chart for a dinner attended by Chairman of the London Stock Exchange, R. B. Pearson; a ticket book for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1940; and a printed booklet published by the Squantum Naval Air Station titled, "Flight 62 / Knocks It Off," and dated August 7, 1941. Another item of note is a paper bag printed with Spanish text; bags of this type originally contained loaves of bread and were part of a campaign by General Francisco Franco in which airplanes dropped bread over Madrid, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War. Original notations are written in blue and black ink and pencil on the rectos and/or versos of some of the clippings. This scrapbook contains 75 newspaper and magazine clippings, nine photographic prints and postcards, six pieces of correspondence, and seven other pieces of printed ephemera.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-066-001
This scrapbook, compiled by Edward M. “Teddy” Kennedy (likely with assistance from a governess, nurse, or family member), documents a wide range of activities of the Kennedy family in 1938 and 1939 during Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.'s tenure as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. A handwritten note on the front free endpaper reads, “Teddy Kennedy / 14, Prince’s Gate / London, England” in black ink. Of note are clippings related to the family's trans-Atlantic voyage aboard the S.S. Washington and arrival in London in early 1938; their residence at 14 Prince's Gate in London; aspects of Ambassador Kennedy's diplomatic role, including his first levee (an audience with the king) at St. James's Palace in London, his first speech as Ambassador, and his impressions of the potential for war in Europe and of trade relations between Great Britain and the United States; Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy, Jr.’s participation in rugby at Harvard University; Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy's attendance at a luncheon at the American Women's Club of London; Rosemary Kennedy and Eunice Kennedy’s arrival in London; Kathleen Kennedy and Rosemary's presentation as debutantes at the Court of St. James's; Teddy and Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy’s assistance at the ribbon cutting of London’s Children’s Zoo; and a family trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland, following the Christmas holiday in 1938. Also of note are photographs of a mounted police officer and of the Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace that were likely taken by Teddy on his box camera, as well as tickets to the Army versus Royal Air Force rugby match on March 26, 1938, and to the King’s Birthday Parade on June 9, 1938. This scrapbook contains 230 newspaper and magazine clippings, eight photographic prints, and three tickets.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-061-001
This scrapbook, compiled by Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy, Jr., documents his education, travels, and other aspects of his life from 1936 to 1940. The scrapbook contains clippings, photographs, postcards, and printed ephemera related to his time at Harvard University; his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.’s tenure as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom; trips to various European countries; and social events and activities. Newspaper and periodical clippings cover a wide range of topics, including Joe, Jr.’s athletic career and involvement in student government at Harvard; the Kennedy family’s arrival in London, England, following Joe, Sr.'s appointment as ambassador; the prospect of British involvement in the global conflict that became World War II; Joe, Sr.'s opinions on and actions related to the war; and other political and society news and events. Others featured in clippings and pictured in photographs include Joe, Jr.’s mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy; his siblings, John F. “Jack” Kennedy, Rosemary Kennedy, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy, Patricia Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jean Kennedy, and Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy; his grandparents, John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon Fitzgerald; his cousin, Joseph Francis Gargan, Jr.; and family friend, Hugh Fraser. Printed ephemera pasted into the scrapbook include invitations to various parties, receptions, luncheons, dinners, weddings, meetings, and banquets, including a ball at Buckingham Palace; event programs; menus; tickets; and calling cards. Of note are a set of fingerprints that Joe, Jr., had taken during a visit to the Boston Police Headquarters; an envelope containing five bird feathers; photographs of Joe, Jr., dressed in drag for a Harvard theater production; clippings related to his purported relationship with figure skater Megan Taylor; a letter from British Member of Parliament, Anthony Eden; photographic prints and postcards that capture a Kennedy family trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland; a photograph of Joe, Jr., aboard the R.M.S. Mauretania; clippings related to Joe, Jr.’s voyage from London to New York City, New York; Spanish paper currency; an unsent postcard addressed to Katherine “Kikoo” Conboy, nanny to the Kennedy children, signed by Joe, Jr.; a photographic postcard signed by Alois Lang, the actor who portrayed Jesus in the 1934 performance of the Oberammergau Passion Play in Bavaria, Germany; contact prints of strips of 35mm black and white negatives that capture scenes from Joe, Jr.’s 1939 trip to Spain with Kathleen following the end of the Spanish Civil War, including images of Spanish Loyalist tanks and damage from the siege of the Alcázar of Toledo; a photographic postcard featuring an image of Adolf Hitler shaking hands with Hermann Göring; signed portrait photos of several unidentified women; and prints of four watercolor illustrations depicting scenes from the Spanish Civil War, credited to “Artillery Lieutenant Luis Serrano.” Other destinations pictured in photographic prints and postcards include Warsaw, Poland; Cannes, France; Capri, Rome, Venice, Naples, and Amalfi, Italy; Copenhagen, Denmark; Czechoslovakia; Killarney and other locations in Ireland; and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia. Original handwritten captions and inscriptions are written in black ink on some of the leaves. This photograph album contains 164 photographic prints and postcards, 134 newspaper and periodical clippings, 29 pieces of printed ephemera, six banknotes and two banknote fragments, four pieces of correspondence, and four prints of watercolor drawings.
Textual folder
Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-073-001
This photograph album, compiled by Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, documents her life, travels, and social activities from 1939 to 1942. Photographs document time spent at the Kennedy family’s residences in Palm Beach in Florida, Hyannis Port in Massachusetts, and Bronxville in New York; aboard the S.S. Washington en route to New York City, New York, from Europe; at the 1939 New York World’s Fair; in Sainte-Marguerite-du-lac-Masson in Quebec, Canada; at the Maryland Hunt Cup near Reisterstown, Maryland; at the Berkshire Music Festival (now called the Tanglewood Music Festival) in Lenox, Massachusetts; at Bailey’s Beach in Newport, Rhode Island; as a bridesmaid in the wedding of Kennedy family friend, Anne McDonnell, to Henry Ford II, in Southampton, New York; at the Edgartown Regatta on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; on a camping trip in Wise River, Montana; on a trip to England; at the Beachcomber Lounge in Boston, Massachusetts; at Club Waikiki in New York City; at the Scranton family estate in Scranton, Pennsylvania; on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota; at the Coleman and Schweppe family estates in Lake Forest, Illinois; and at parties at both Kathleen’s apartment and the apartment of Kennedy family friend Inga Arvad in Washington, D.C. Other locations pictured include Narragansett, Rhode Island; Greenwich, Connecticut; Lexington and Chatham, Massachusetts; Seminole, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Charleston, South Carolina. Family members pictured in photographs include Kathleen’s parents, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy; her siblings, Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy, Jr., John F. “Jack” Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy, Patricia “Pat” Kennedy, Robert F. “Bob/Bobbie” [sic] Kennedy; Jean Kennedy, and Edward M. “Ted/Teddy” Kennedy; her grandparents, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon Fitzgerald; and cousin, Joseph Francis “Joey” Gargan, Jr. Over one hundred friends and acquaintances also appear in photographs, many of whom are identified in original captions. Those who appear more than once within the album include: Edward E. Moore and Mary Moore; Tom Killefer; Torbert "Torb" Macdonald; Richard J. “Dick” Cotter, Jr.; Nancy Van Vleck; Beverley A. “Bev” Bogert; C. Z. “Cizzie” Cochrane; John “Zeke” Coleman, Jr.; Nancy Tenney; Charlotte McDonnell; Francis Huger “Mac” McAdoo, Jr.; Cynthia “Cynth” McAdoo; Kirk LeMoyne “Lem/Leem” Billings; Thomas Henry “Harry” Dixon; John “Johnny” Pyne; Appie Whitney; Eben Pyne; Alison “Allie/Ally” Pyne; Cammann “Cam” Newberry; Constance “Connie” Shepard; James Ayer “Jim” Rousmaniere; Helen MacDonald; Marie Murray; Cyrus Robinson “Cy” Taylor; Nelson Macy, Jr.; William Fuller “Bill” Borland; George Morris Cheston; William Warren “Bill” Scranton; Abbott Widdicombe; Gaspard d’Andelot “Don” Belin; Harriet Bundy “Hattie” Belin; Stanley Rogers “Stan” Resor; Anne Reed; Charles Alfred “Chuckie/Chucky” Pillsbury; Jane "Pil" Pillsbury; Muriel Macy; Demarest "Demi" Lloyd, Jr.; George Houk Mead, Jr.; Richard R. “Dick” Flood; Elizabeth Wayne “Betty” Coxe; Charles “Chuck” Spalding; Inga Arvad; and Mary Dickey. Also pictured are industrialist Henry Ford, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Clementine Ogilvy Spencer Churchill. Original handwritten captions are written in black ink on many of the leaves. This photograph album contains 636 photographic prints and two photo fragments.