Passet Family collection

This collection represents five generations of the extended Passet family, and four of the extended Harrison family.

The bulk of the Passet collection is family correspondence, the majority of which is between Almeda and her parents, Roger and Hermina Harrison. The correspondence also includes letters written to and from Almeda and her husband Norman, Almeda’s grandmother Harriet Harrison, her brother Neal Harrison, and assorted family members and friends. There are also a small number of letters written from Almeda’s uncle Benjamin Harrison to her father Roger during WWI, and miscellaneous correspondence to various members of the extended Harrison/Passet family.

In addition to the correspondence, there are several other materials in the collection. These include legal documents, material artifacts, photographs, printed materials, and financial documents. Items of note include birth certificates, obituaries, war bond ledgers, embellished handkerchiefs from the Philippines, an unmarked WWII armored division patch, various certificates, the VE-Day issue of “The ‘All American’ Paraglide” military newspaper, and income tax paperwork from Almeda’s clerical work as a civilian at Fort Riley, Kansas.

In total, the collection covers the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, with the majority of materials dating from about 1940 – 1963. Historical events mentioned in the collection include the 1918 flu pandemic, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, US-Soviet tensions immediately following WWII, and the Korean War. Almeda’s uncle Benjamin was a soldier during WWI, though it appears that he remained in the United States due to an injury and did not see any overseas action. Her husband was a camp cook at Fort Riley, Kansas and Fort Knox, Kentucky during WWII while his brother Russell served overseas. Included in Russell’s correspondence are several pieces of Victory Mail.

In addition to the national information of note, there is also a great deal of information about Northwestern Ohio included in the collection. Letters that were written after the Passets settled in Ohio discuss various aspects of farming and small town Ohio life. It is also interesting to see how national changes impacted the residents of Northwestern Ohio; several letters between Almeda and her parents from the early 1950s discuss the pressure to register for social security and what it might mean for them.

Additionally, there is a great deal of social history to be found in the contents of the collection. In her earlier letters, Almeda was a farm wife and a new mother, and much of her correspondence reflects on the realities of both. While she was concerned with national and international news, she was also concerned with the day to day life of living and working on a farm in rural Ohio.

The recipe sheet included in the printed materials is also a wonderful example of social history. It not only reflects the cooking styles of the era, but also the advertising and marketing endeavors of companies. It was created for and distributed by Vick’s medical company, modernly most known for Nyquil and other over the counter treatments.