New York State Library
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United Spanish War Veterans of New York State
Records, ca. 1904 - ca. 1975
SC18859

Quantity: 6 Record Storage boxes and 32 Card File boxes (24 cu. ft.)
Access: Record group is open to research
Acquisition: Transferred to the New York State Library in October 1983
Processed By: Gregory G. McNall, Student Intern, College of Saint Rose, October 1989
Fred Bassett revised July 2001

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Historical Note | Scope and Content Note | Box and Folder Contents

Historical Note:

The United Spanish War Veterans was founded in 1904 out of the union of several independent Spanish-American War organizations, including the National Army and Navy Spanish-American War Veterans, the National Association of Spanish-American War Veterans, and the Service Men of the Spanish War. Among later organizations to join were the Society of the Hispano-American War, the Legion of Spanish War Veterans (from Massachusetts) and the Society of the Veteran Army of the Philippines.

All military personnel who served during the Spanish-American War and had been honorably discharged or continued to serve were eligible to become members of the organization. In addition, non-military personnel who had served in the war were eligible to join. Among them were all contracted doctors, dentists, and veterinary surgeons; all members of the Philippine scouts and other organizations of native troops maintained by the War Department in the Philippines, and all paymaster clerks on duty in the field or aboard ship.

According to its constitution, the main objectives of the United Spanish War Veterans organization were "To unite fraternally members of the United States Military who served in the Spanish-American War. To honor the memory of the fallen comrades. To assist former comrades and their families (widows, orphans, etc.). To perpetuate the memory of the Spanish American War" 1. The organization prohibited the promotion of financial aid by the organization of any person seeking public office. It also prohibited discrimination on the basis of religion.

The structure of the organization was as follows: the national level which had its headquarters in Washington, D.C., the state level, called a department, and the local level, called a camp. Every year a national convention, called an encampment, was held in a predesignated city. Just prior to the national encampment, the National Council of Administration held a meeting to discuss organizational business. Those participating in the council of administration were the commander-in-chief, the senior and junior vice commanders-in-chief, and the various department commanders. On the state level, a department encampment was also held annually; it consisted of delegates from each camp in the state as well as the department officers and past department officers. Department councils of administration, consisting of elected officers of the department and camp delegates could be called by the department commander. It served the same purpose as a national council of administration. The department of New York consisted of roughly 120 camps. On the local level, camps were able to call meetings at their own discretion.

1 Constitution and Rules and Regulations of the United Spanish War Veterans. Pages x, xi.

Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains material from the Department of New York Spanish-American War Veterans organization. It consists of 6 boxes of files, volumes, pamphlets, programs, membership cards, and other material ranging in dates from the early 1900s to the mid 1970s. There is also a card file that contains information about individual members of the organization.

Box one contains organizational material, including copies of the constitution and rules of the organization, which gives an in-depth review of the history of the Spanish-American War veterans organization. There are also histories of the department auxiliaries, which kept very concise documentation of their existence.

Box two contains minute books of the auxiliary department meetings, ranging in dates from 1911 to 1958, and also 1971. These mainly document organizational business that was discussed at the various meetings.

Box three contains financial books, including check books (with check stubs still attached), account books and membership dues books. These volumes documented such financial matters as the collection of camp dues, the logging of expenses during functions and encampments, and banking transactions.

Box four has files that mainly deal with financial matters in more recent years (1950s, 1960s, 1970s). They include a collection of bank statements and per capita tax reports, as well as bond reports and requisition forms for buttons, badges, books, and certificates.

Box five consists of files concerning department activities, including meetings, encampments, and councils of administration. There are also files containing such material as invitations to encampments, resolutions, muster rolls (camp membership files), and notices of deceased members (taps files). Disbanded camp information is also included; camps were often discontinued due to death of members.

Box six contains topical material ranging from membership rosters of other departments to a Holy Bible. There are cards that list past commanders of New York camps from around the state. The majority of material in this box consists of files containing correspondence and department papers from Arthur W. Higginbottom, Harry M. Startup, Warren Schenck, Samuel Selmer, and Charles S. Schilz, all officers of the department of New York.

The membership card files are housed in separately numbered containers with the contents filed in alphabetical order by surname. These cards are also divided as post-1920 and pre-1920. These cards contain standard directory information as well as information about an individual's military service.

Box Folder Item Contents
      Organizational Material 
  Constitution and Rules and Regulations (1929) 
    Constitution and Rules and Regulations (1930) 
    Ritual, United Spanish War Veterans (1912-1929) 
    Book of Ceremonies (1913-1925) 
    Book of Ceremonies (1944) 
    Book of Ceremonies (1952) 
    Booklets: Constitution and By-Laws 
    History of Auxiliaries, Department of New York (1908-1910) 
    History of Peekskill Camp No. 119 
  10    History of Department of New York Auxiliaries 
      Minute Books (Department of New York), U.S.W.V. Women's Auxiliary 
  1911-1915 
    1914-1920 
    1920-1924 
    1924-1927 
    1927-1930 
    1930-1936 
    1937-1942 
    1943-1958 
    1971 
      Financial Books 
  Check Book (empty) 1950-1954 
    Check Book (empty) 1954-1959 
    Check Book (empty) 1959-1967 
    Account Book, 1967-1977 
    Account Book, 1952-1953 
    Account Book, 1953-1955 
    Auxiliary Account Book, 1914-1922 
    Relief and Flag Fund 
    Camp Dues Book (Camp Nos. 41, 46, 66) 
  10    Financial Journal, 1936-1961 
  11    Expense Booklet, Memorial Day, 1941 
  12    Dues Booklet 
  13    Bank Book: National Commercial Bank and Trust Company, 1930 
  14    Bank Book: The Citizens National Bank 
  15    Dues Booklet 
  16    Per Capita Tax Booklets (19), 1964-1972 
      Financial Files 
  Bills Paid, 1971-1972 
    Refunds, 1970-1971 
    Bond Reports 
    Requisitions Forms for Supplies 
    Financial Records (Frank Saunders, Treasurer) 
    Financial Statements 
    State Vouchers 
    New York State Travel Vouchers 
      Bank Statements: 
    December 1967-December 1968 
  10    February-September 1968 
  11    January 1968-February 1969 
  12    December 1969-November 1970 
  13    January 1970-November 1972 
  14    October 1972-January 1973 
  15    December 1974-May 1975 
  16    April 1975-January 1978 
  17    Notice of Unpaid per Capita Tax 
      Per Capita Tax: 
  18    1969-1970 
  19    1st half 1970 
  20    1st half 1971 
  21    2nd half 1971 
  22-23    1st half 1972 
  24    National Reports for Per Capita Tax, 1967-1968 
      Department Files 
    Council of Administration: 
    1960-1961 
    1961-1962 
    1962-1963 
    1963-1964 
    1964-1965 
    1966 
    Council Meeting, 1970 
    Council Meeting, 1970-1971 
    Department Encampment, 1969-1970 
  10    Department Encampment, 1972 
  11    Council Meeting and Minutes of Encampment, 1972 
  12    Department of Encampment, 1978 
  13    National Encampment, 1969-1970 
  14    Transcript 
  15    Change of Address Data 
  16    Camp Rosters, 1979/General Orders and Minutes 
  17    Bulletins, May 1971 
  18    Invitations, 1972 
  19    Resolutions, 1971-1972 
  20    Requisition Forms 
  21    Installation Forms 
  22    Forms 
  23    Disbanded Camps, 1968-1970 
  24    Disbanded Camps, 1971-1972 
  25-26    Barked, 1968 
  27    Membership List of Camps 
  28    Membership 
  29    1965 Rosters/Certificate of Membership 
  30    Muster Roll, 1st half of 1965 
  31    Muster Roll, 2nd half of 1965 
  32    Muster Roll, 1965-1967 
  33    Muster Roll of Members, 1966 
  34    Deceased Past Department Commanders 
      Taps: 
  35    1967-1968 
  36    1968-1969 
  37    1969-1970 
  38    1970-1971 
  39    n.d. 
  40    63rd Annual National Encampment, 1961 
  41    57th Annual Department Encampment, 1960 
  42    58th Annual Department Encampment (2), 1961 
  43    61st Annual Department Encampment (3 proofs), 1964 
  44    62nd Annual Department Encampment, 1965 
  45    63rd Annual Department, 1966 
  46    64th Annual Department Encampment (2), 1967 
  47    Council Meeting of Administration, 1964 
      Topical Material 
    Membership Rosters: 
    Department of Utah, 1961 
    Department of Connecticut, 1960-1961 
    Department of Connecticut, 1961-1962 
    Department of Connecticut, 1962-1963 
    Department of Connecticut, 1963-1964 
    Department of Connecticut, 1964-1965 
    Department of Connecticut, 1965-1966 
    Department of Ohio, 1960 
    Department of Ohio, 1961 
    10  Department of Ohio, 1962 
    11  Department of Ohio, 1969 
    12  Holy Bible 
    13  VA Health Care Training Legislation 
    14  Proceedings, 1948 
    15  Roster Book 
      Department Cards 
      Membership Cards 
      Name Plates (2) 
    Pamphlets 
    Newspaper Clipping 
      Topical Papers:  
  3-13    Arthur W. Higginbottom 
  14-22    Harry M. Startup 
  23-24    Warren Schenck 
  25    Samuel Selmer 
  26    Charles S. Schiltz 
  27    By Laws 
  28    Utica Hotel 
  29    Auxiliary Memos 
  30    Memorandums 
  31    Samples  
  32-33    Topical Papers 
      Package 
      Picture: Annual entertainment and ball, February 9, 1935 
      Picture: Testimonial dinner and dance tendered to John W. Green, May 25, 1935 
      APPENDIX A 
      Membership Card File, Post 1920 (Alphabetical by Surname) 
    Aalst - Bechler 
    Becht - Brown 
    Browne - Clynes 
    Coady - Dayton 
    Dea - Ekstrome 
    Elardo - Freyermuth 
    Frick - Gyles 
    Haag - Hixon 
    Hoag - Jutting 
10      Kobat - Lake 
11      Lally - McCall 
12      McCann - Maxwell 
13      May - Myszks 
14      Nadeau - Peltz 
15      Pemberton - Rickert 
16      Riddell - Schring 
17      Schroeder - Smith 
18      Snell - Thomas 
19      Thompson - Watson 
20      Weaver - Zwoboda 
      Membership Card File, Pre-1920 
21      Aaronson - Brewer 
22      Bricker - Crudden 
23      Cuedek - Feulkner 
24      Fialie - Hartzen 
25      Hass - Kiethlen 
26      Kelly - Malsch 
27      Mamera - Moyer 
28      Mudgett - Pond 
29      Pope - Scurry 
30      Seaford - Tatamore 
31      Thaimas - Zwoboda 
32      Miscellaneous Address Cards 
Last Updated: February 7, 2022