This collection contains material documenting the life of James Long Newsom, Sr., (1914-2007) of Durham, North Carolina. A graduate of Duke University and Duke University Law School and attended Syracuse University Law School, he began practicing law in Durham in 1938. Correspondence (1931-1940) documents his post-high school education and courtship of his future wife Frances Martin whom he met at Syracuse. As a member of the United States Naval Reserve, he fought in the South Pacific for the years 1942-1945 during World War II and this experience is covered with extensive correspondence, photographs, souvenirs, programs and military newspapers. After the war, he returned to his law practice and continued his Naval Reserve career. Also included are diplomas, certificates, family-related photographs (back to the 1910s), clippings, and genealogy.
James Long Newsom was born on March 20, 1914 to Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Laurie Newsom nee Long. James was the second born son to a family of eight. He had three brothers; Marion Eugene "Gene" Jr., John Walton, and Edward "Ned," as well as three sisters; Annie Laurie, Nancy, and Mary Toms. A native of Durham, James graduated from of Duke University and Duke University Law School. He attended Syracuse University Law School before practicing law in Durham in 1938. He met his future wife Frances "Francie" Martin at Syracuse and promptly married her October 19, 1940. As a member of the United States Naval Reserve, he fought in the South Pacific during World War II (1942-1945). In 1942, James attended naval school at Cornell University before being stationed in South Carolina, California, New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, and Tonga. His son, James "Jamie" Newsom, Jr., was born September 23rd, 1942. At the end of the war, James transferred into the Naval Reserve and went back to practice law within North Carolina. James and Frances later had a daughter named Linda. James remained an active member in the Durham Rotary Club, Durham Red Cross, Duke Alumni, and Trinity Methodist United Church. He retired from the Naval Reserve in 1974 with the rank of Commander and retired from law in 1982. Frances passed away on September 18, 2002, shortly after the couple moved from North Carolina to Maryland. James passed shortly afterwards on February 25th, 2007, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, at the age of ninety-two. He was laid to rest beside his wife at the family plot in Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, NC.
Marion Eugene Newsom, Sr., was born on March 4, 1884 in Littleton, NC. He graduated from Trinity College, now known as Duke University in 1905. He met and married his wife Annie Laurie Long in 1910. Eugene was a businessman, banker, and politician during his time. He operated the Durham Book and Stationary Company. In 1930, he served as the President of Citizens National Bank and would later become the Mayor of Durham. He served as a prominent member of the Durham Rotary Club. Eugene passed away in his sleep on September 14, 1948, at the age of sixty-four. His wife, Annie Laurie Newsom, died on June 19, 1977.
James Long Newsom, Jr., currently resides in Jupiter, Florida. Linda Silva nee Newsom currently resides in Stevensville, Maryland.
Sources:
FindaGrave. "Marion Eugene Newsom." Accessed June 23, 2017. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi/page/gr/http.www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=59212209 "Frances Martin Newsom." Accessed June 23, 2017. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Newsom&GSiman=1&GScid=47989&GRid=67966313& MooseRoots. "Frances M. Newsom - Death Record." Accessed June 23, 2017. http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/119225316/Frances-M-Newsom VoterRecords. "James L Newsom's Florida Voter Registration." Accessed June 23, 2017. https://voterrecords.com/voter/16246665/james-newsom Whitepages. "Linda N Silva." Accessed June 23, 2017. http://www.whitepages.com/name/Linda-N-Silva/Stevensville-MD/3ujuc6q
This collection consists of correspondence between James Long Newsom, Sr., and his wife, Frances Martin Newsom, and his parents Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Laurie Long Newsom between 1926 and 1949. James attended Duke University from 1932 to 1938. Between 1935 and 1937, he attended Syracuse University where he met his future wife. James began his career as a lawyer in Durham, North Carolina, where he drafted a deed to his heart (July 12, 1939) to his fiancée Frances. In 1940 James and Frances married, while James enlisted in the Naval Reserve. The couple went to Geneva, Switzerland for their honeymoon and collected a series of postcards and booklets while they traveled (undated, 1940).
In the outbreak of war, James attended Naval College at Cornell University. While there he described his training, the layout of the school (September 3, 1942), his roommates and other attendees, the curriculum and drills (September 14, 1942), and the price of uniforms. From there he was transferred to Charleston, South Carolina. In a May 12, 1943, letter, James describes the Naval Districts of the United States and their operations. Included in this are war rations book cards for the Newsom family (undated). James transferred to San Francisco and New Caledonia by 1944. During his time on the island he participated in a French officers club and the watching of local movies. James mentions life aboard a ship (November 20, 1944), his surroundings and combating mosquitos (June 22, 1944), local holidays including Bastille Day (July 12, 1944), racial tensions among the troops (June 17, 1944), and food during holidays (November 23, 1944). James also describes food offered by the Navy and local weather of the South Pacific (December 31, 1944).
In 1945, James vacationed in New Zealand and wrote on stationary with the address of the hotel purposely removed to not give away his position. He describes the local weather and New Zealand (May 20, 1945). James is relocated to Java and the Solomon Islands and his letters detail the local food and conditions (June 3, 1945), the commute to work (June 8, 1945), and plantations in the area (June 11, 1945).
Letters exchanged between him and his wife detail the war as it progressed, including battles in the South Pacific (November 10, 1944), Guadalcanal (November 29, 1944), the Normandy Invasion/D-day (June 6 1944, June 22, 1944), and other Pacific battle plans. Frances describes a friend missing in action (July 30, 1944). By May of 1945, both mention the liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps in Europe (May 30, 1945). As the war progressed, James and Frances wrote about the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima (August 7-11, 1945), Japanese peace talks and the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan (August 11, 1945), and the end of World War Two (August 14-15, 1945). On the home front, Frances mentions V-J celebrations in West Virginia (September 2, 1945). By October 1945, James returned home from the war and transferred into the Naval Reserve and continued his career as a lawyer.
Frances often wrote letters to James on her own personalized stationary and provided her husband with pictures of their son while he was away in the South Pacific. She also liked to draw images of her outfits, hair, and the scenes around her within her letters. Besides the Frances personalized stationary, many letters in the collection are written on Syracuse University, Camp Seminole, Lake Junaluska, NC, Fourteen West Elm Apartments, Chicago, IL, P.H. Hanes Knitting Company and Hotel McAlpin New York, NY, US Navy, Robert E. Lee Hotel , Citizens National Bank, Durham, NC, Hotel De Soto, and Harvey and Heddleston, OH, Hotel Bolton Square, Hotel Stewart, San Francisco, racial caricature, Marine Corp, The Drake, Chicago, IL, 44th St, New York, NY, Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco, unknown hotel stationary from New Zealand, and decorative stationary.
In addition to letters this collection includes souvenirs, programs, military papers and newspapers, as well as, a large collection of family photographs and photo negatives. The first box in the collection includes documents from before and after the Second World War. This includes twenty-two picture postcards of the SS Delta Queen, Switzerland, and Swiss stories, a currency conversion table with English, French, Belgian, and German currency, two winter carnival booklets from Syracuse University, a booklet of the Roanoke German Club, the diary of Annie Laurie Long from 1909 to 1910, a pencil drawing of Frances by James, a copy of Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Laurie Long's wedding announcement, and James's, Marion's, Annie's, and James's brother Eugene's obituaries.
Specific documents on James's attendance at Duke University include four report cards (1934-1935), a rowing team coin (1931), James's fraternity certificates (Kappa Alpha and Phi Delta Phi), two copies of his diploma, 50th year reunion of the class of 1938 pamphlet and two booklets, the Duke School of Law Alumni register, and a photograph of James Long Newsom on a Duke golf course. Because of his attendance at Duke, James and Frances were invited to attend the inauguration of Richard Nixon in 1969. The collection contains invitations and programs to the inauguration of Nixon and inaugural ball, a signed photograph of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, and souvenirs from the inauguration.
During the war, James kept English and French documents and souvenirs from his tour of the South Pacific. The items in French are a picture book on World War II titled, Depuis 1939, and Newspaper La France Australe with important topics including; the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (April 14, 1945) and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan (August 8, 1945). The English collection includes three copies of the South Pacific Daily News with the main articles on the death of FDR, Japan's surrender (August 16, 1945), and the invasion of Normandy (June 7, 1944), an undated article on communism in China, a song for the USS Pargo, and three comic pages depicting US soldiers and their interactions with native people of the South Pacific.
James also acquired items specifically from New Caledonia. This collection contains a small photobook on New Caledonia, a color pocket guide to New Caledonia, Southwest of 0°- 180° photo collection, a South Pacific Daily News article on New Caledonia, French currency, James's Iron Bottom Bay club membership card; an invitation to the Launching of the United States Naval Receiving Station Officer's Club, Nomeu, New Caledonia; V-E Day New Caledonia photo book; and two maps of New Caledonia and the South Pacific.
The photograph collection details the life of the Newsom-Long family, including childhood photographs of James Long Newsom, Sr., the bridal photo of Annie Laurie Long (November 22, 1911), James, Sr., at Duke and Syracuse, and a business trip to San Francisco later in his life. The other half of the photographs within the collection were taken in the South Pacific Islands during the Second World War. Locations of photos include: Cornell University, New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Auckland, New Zealand, and the Tonga Islands. Prominent images include a photo of a Japanese shipwreck in Guadalcanal (1945), a war cemetery in New Caledonia, the Naval Training Station at Cornell University (1942), and a photograph of Vice Admiral William L. Calhoun.
Gift of James Long Newsom, Jr.
Processing completed July 3, 2017, by Janie Knutson.
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr. to Marion Eugene Newsom, Annie Long Newsom, and Frances Martin. Contains telegrams, Valentine's Day cards, including a caricature of an African American child.
Letters exchanged between James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Includes a satirical fact book titled, Congratulations Graduate.
Letters (August 1938) exchanged between James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Contains a description of James passing the bar exam (August 8).
Letters (September-November 1938) from Frances Martin to James Long Newsom Sr. Mentions concern about conscription in the future, and the local community's response to a possible declaration of war.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin to Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Long Newsom. Also includes telegrams, and a wedding announcement for James and Frances' wedding.
Correspondence (February - March, July 1940) also includes a postcard of Havana, Cuba.
Letters (August - October 1940) from James Long Newsom Sr., Frances Martin Newsom, Annie Long Newsom, and friends to one another. Also includes four postcards from the New York World's Fair, Geneva, NY, Bradford, PA, and Western North Carolina.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr., Frances Martin Newsom, and Marion Eugene Newsom to one another. James describes attending Naval training at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, including the layout of the school, and tests and drills performed. Other important events include the birth of James Long Newsom Jr. and James Sr.'s transfer to the naval base in Charleston, South Carolina. Also includes postcards of Lewisburg, West Virginia, Buffalo Air Terminal, and Cornell University; poems by Marion; and telegrams.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr., Frances Martin Newsom, and Marion Eugene Newsom to one another. James Sr. writes on his transfer from Charleston, SC to Savannah, Georgia, and the US Naval Districts. Includes three official war ration cards (undated); telegrams; a postcard of Victory Drive, Savannah, GA; poems; and five photographs of the Newsom family.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr., Frances Martin, Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Long Newsom. Letters discuss Pearl Harbor (October 15), and the Pacific and Western Front (October 24), different forms of media consumed, and how enlisted men and civilians passed the time (October 23). Also includes newspaper clippings, a poem written by James Sr., and 2 pamphlets from the Junior League News.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Letters mention life aboard a ship (November 20), food during holidays, and descriptions of battles in the South Pacific (November 10), and Guadalcanal (November 29). Also includes telegrams, and a Thanksgiving Day card.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Subjects include descriptions of Naval activities and exercises and interactions between crew members aboard the ship (December 24). Includes newspaper clippings on Marion Eugene Newsom, Christmas and Holiday cards with photographs of a native woman from the Pacific Islands, and a Junior League News pamphlet.
Letters (January-April) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Letters written during James Sr.'s transfer to San Francisco, California, and various Naval activities, including life on board a ship (March 19), and the Medbay (March 31). Collection includes postcards, telegrams, and newspaper clippings.
Letters (May) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. is stationed in New Caledonia. Collection includes three wax copies of letters, telegrams (one specifically for Mother's Day), four photographs of James Sr. and New Caledonia, and a book titled Pacific Island Legends.
Letters (June-July) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. describes his New Caledonia surroundings and combating mosquitos (June 22), local holidays including Bastille Day (July 12), and racial tensions among the troops (June 17). James Sr. talks at length about the Normandy Invasion/D-day (June 6, June 22), and other Pacific battle plans. Also includes a typed letter in French, postcards, and newspaper clippings.
Letters (August) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. sails from New Caledonia to the South Solomon Islands. Collection also includes a postcard, newspaper clippings, and a wax copy of a letter.
Letters (September) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Also includes a poem pamphlet on the Piddling Puppy, newspaper clippings, and a card with the outline of James Jr.'s hand.
Letters (January) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. describes food offered by the Navy and local weather of the South Pacific (December 31). Also contains newspaper clippings, and a Junior League News pamphlet.
Letters (February) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. mentions a threat of flooding within the area (February 21). Collection includes two Valentine's Day cards, two articles on the Ohio River flood, letter written in French, 2 cheques, and a postcard.
Letters (March) from James Long Newsom Sr., and Frances Martin Newsom. James Sr. takes a leave from his station to vacation in New Zealand and describes the landscape and the conditions of his hotel (March 22, March 24). Frances mentions Easter Day celebrations (March 30). Includes newspaper articles, and a birthday card.
Letters (April) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. A letter from Annie Long mentions a deadly car accident that took place in Durham (April 16). James Sr. mentions watching a Disney cartoon, The Three Caballeros, (April 10), and Frances describes more celebrations that occurred during Easter (April 2). Includes a photo negative strip, a poem written by Frances, a Junior League News pamphlet, and a copy of the Wetzel Democrat Wetzel Republican newspaper.
Letters (May) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. describes New Zealand (May 20) and the local weather and writes on stationary with the address of the hotel cut out so his location cannot be detected. He mentions liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps in Europe (May 30). Also contains postcards, a Junior League News pamphlet, Mother's Day cards, newspaper articles on James Sr. and his colleagues, and on Vice Admiral William L. Calhoun.
Letters (June) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. is relocated to Java and his letters detail the local food and conditions (June 3), the commute to work (June 8), and plantations in the area (June 11). Includes newspaper clippings.
Letters (July) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Also includes a Father's day card and a Birthday card, and newspaper clippings.
Letters (August) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Topics include the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima (August 7-11), peace talks with Japan, the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan (August 11), and the end of World War Two (August 14-15). James Sr. is also offered an invitation to join the American Bar Association (July 25, August 2). Also includes newspaper clippings.
Letters (September) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. Topics include V-J celebrations in West Virginia (September 2), how to advance your position in the Navy as an officer (September 10), and James Sr.'s discharge papers (September 28). Includes a postcard and telegrams.
Letters (October) from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin. James Sr. leaves the South Pacific (October 13) for the United States. Includes five telegrams.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin to Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Long Newsom. Includes two telegrams and a get well card.
Letters from James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin to each other and to Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Long Newsom.
Newsom Sr.'s personal naval enlistment retirement papers. Also contains ship songs.
Ribbon pins for a Navy uniform
Includes newspaper clippings from the Durham Morning Herald, banquet and dinner programs, photographs of Marion Eugene Newsom, James Long Newsom Sr. and Frances Martin Newsom.
Includes the diary of Annie Laurie Long from 1909 to 1910, sermons given by James Long Newsom Sr., newspaper clippings on James Sr. and his career as a lawyer, photographs of James Sr., and the New Hope Valley Country Club, a pencil drawing of Frances by James Sr., Marion Eugene Newsom and Annie Laurie Long's wedding announcement, and obituaries for James Sr., Marion, Annie, and James Sr.'s brother Eugene.
Biographical materials, memos, and flyers. Quonset Village anniversary menu, genealogical information on the Newsom family, and a profile on James Long Newsom Sr.
Includes four report cards, a rowing team coin, James Sr.'s fraternity certificates (Kappa Alpha and Phi Delta Phi), his diploma, and certificates from the American Bar Association, Court of Appeals, Eastern District Court, Trinity United Methodist Church, and the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Includes a 50th year reunion pamphlet for the class of 1938 and two booklets, the Duke School of Law Alumni register, a photograph of James Long Newsom Sr. , invitations and programs to the inauguration and inaugural ball of Duke alumnus President Richard Nixon, and a signed photograph of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.
Collection includes poems (one written by James Long Newsom Sr.), postcards of the SS Delta Queen and Switzerland, a currency conversion table with English, French, Belgian, and German currency, twelve cards ranging from racial caricatures to Valentine's Day to Thanksgiving Day, a copy of a magazine titled, Your Child's World, the Durham Jaycee Record, two winter carnival booklets from Syracuse University, a booklet of the Roanoke German Club, telegrams, and a series of sketches of landscapes, cartoons, and people by James Sr.
2 CDs of interviews.
Picture book on World War II titled, Depuis 1939, and Newspaper, La France Australe, with important topics including the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (April 14, 1945) and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan (August 8, 1945).
Includes a French magazine called Voici: La France de ce mois, two books titled All you want to know about New Caledonia and French Resistance in the Colonies, and French newspaper clippings.
Includes the South Pacific Daily News with articles on the death of FDR, Japan's surrender (August 16, 1945), and the invasion of Normandy (June 7, 1944); article on communism in China; a song for the USS Pargo; comic pages depicting US soldiers and their interactions with native people of the South Pacific, two copies of the American Magazine, French currency, a map of New Caledonia, a drawing of a native South Pacific woman with her child by James Sr., French invitations, and an invitation to the Launching of the United States Naval Receiving Station Officer's Club, Nomeu, New Caledonia.
Collection contains photo collection books and a pocket guide, Septic magazine, and a newspaper titled Where are the Yanks.
Includes V-E Day New Caledonia book, and two maps of New Caledonia and the South Pacific.
Includes (among other images) James Sr.'s wedding photo (1940) and James Sr. at Duke University (1934).
Also includes a picture postcard of Annie Laurie Long.
Naval headshots and photographs taken at Cornell University.
Includes group photos of the Fraternities James Sr. joined at Duke and Syracuse Universities.
Portraits of James L. Newsom Sr. Also includes a sketch of him.
Also includes the bridal photo of Annie Laurie Long (November 22, 1911).
Photographs of James Newsom, Sr., as an infant and toddler.
Includes a photo of a Japanese shipwreck in Guadalcanal, and a war cemetery in New Caledonia among other photographs.
Undated images of Auckland, New Zealand.
Includes all Naval and retired Navy identification cards.
Photographs taken at the Tonga Islands and of ceremonies conducted by the Prime Minister of the region for the British and American officers.
Collection includes one illustrated comic and photographs of James Sr. with his friends Bill Bryant, John Maxwell, Ed Le Breton, "Smitty", Nick Spencer, and Herb Howard.
Also includes James Long Newsom Sr.'s passport photos.
Includes a group image of James Long Newsom Sr. on a business trip to San Francisco with a decorative folder from the hotel.
Includes, among others, a photograph of James Long Newsom Sr. at the Naval Training Station at Cornell University and a photograph of Vice Admiral William L. Calhoun.
Negatives correspond to photographs in folders 1295.11.a and 1295.11.d.
Photograph album of James Long Newsom, Sr., and family during World War II.