Wood County Cooperative Extension Service Emergency Farm Labor records
Collection Overview
Abstract
The Emergency Farm Labor records of the Cooperative Extension Service span from 1943-1948, with the majority of materials covering the range of 1944 through 1945. This collection consists of correspondences between local and state agents, as well as with military personnel. In addition, the collection contains such records as applications for employment, laws and regulations, farm labor handbooks, and the leases of land used for a prisoner of war camp.
Dates
- Creation: 1943-1948
Extent
2 Cubic Feet (4 legal archive boxes)
Creator
Scope and Contents
The documents within this collection provide excellent material for a comprehensive study of the Emergency Farm Labor activities of the Cooperative Extension Service in Ohio, but may be lacking for a narrower regional study. The correspondences (1943-1947) are mainly between C.B. Stewart and a select number of other parties, including Guy Dowdy, the state supervisor of the extension service; Colonel McCormick, the man in charge of the prisoner of war camp; and regional businesses seeking manual labor. The land leases and contracts (1944-1945) regarding the prisoner of war camp are included in the collection. Furthermore, medical bills (1944-1948) highlight the types of illnesses and injuries sustained by migrant workers and various certificates of employment (1944-1945) demonstrate where these laborers were needed the most.
Biographical / Historical
The Cooperative Extension Service began as a mutual effort between land-grant universities and the United States Department of Agriculture to provide instruction on agricultural techniques and home economics. During the First and Second World Wars, the role of Cooperative Extension expanded to aid the needs of farmers and businesses in need of manual labor by acquiring the services of women, migrant workers, and prisoners of war.
In Wood County, a county agent by the name of C.B. Stewart was assigned to assist the military in establishing a prisoner of war camp in Bowling Green for the purposes of providing laborers for regional growers. Furthermore, Stewart oversaw the employment of migrant workers from Mexico and Jamaica.
Conditions Governing Access
No known access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Subject
- Title
- Guide to the Wood County Cooperative Extension Service Emergency Farm Labor records
- Author
- Matthew Kilmer, Nick Pavlik
- Date
- April 2013, September 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English