Chester Lee Harris A Finding Aid to the Chester Lee Harris papers, , Anacostia Community Museum Archives by Anna Wada June 2010

Transcription

1 Chester Lee Harris A Finding Aid to the Chester Lee Harris papers, , Anacostia Community Museum Archives by Anna Wada June 010 Contact Information Anacostia Community Museum Archives Smithsonian Institution 1901 Fort Place, SE Washington. D.C (phone) (fax) ACMarchives@si.edu

2 Table of Contents Collection Overview... 1 Administrative Information... 1 Biographical Note... 1 Scope and Content Note... Subjects... Series Description/Container List... 4 Series I: Biographical files, (0.16 linear ft.)... 4 Series II: Printed materials, (0.16 linear ft.)... 4 Series III: Career, (0.08 linear ft.)... 4 Series IV: Books, (0.4 linear ft.)... 4 Series V: Photographs, (0.54 linear ft.)... 5 Subseries 5.1: Lee Harris... 5 Subseries 5.: Family... 5

3 Collection Overview Repository: Title: Creator: Anacostia Community Museum Chester Lee Harris papers Chester Lee Harris Dates: Circa , bulk dates Quantity or Extent: Abstract: Language(s): 1.7 linear feet (4 boxes) The Lee Harris papers, which dates from circa 1884 to 001 and measures 1.4 linear feet, documents the activities of Chester Lee Harris and his extended family. The papers are comprised of certificates, diplomas, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, books, and photographs. English Administrative Information Provenance The Lee Harris papers were donated to the Anacostia Community Museum in August 00 by Mr. Chester Lee Harris. Processing Information Processed in June 010 by intern Anna Wada, with the assistance of archivist Jennifer Morris. Preferred Citation The Lee Harris papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Mr. Chester Lee Harris. Restrictions on Access The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment. Ownership and Literary Rights The Lee Harris papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives. Biographical Note Chester Lee Harris was born in 1940, spending his early years at Hackensack, Page 1

4 New Jersey with his parents, Chester and Margaret Harris. His sister Renee Harris was born three years later, after which the family moved to Manhattan, New York. Lee s mother was 16 years old when he was born documentation on his father, however, is scarce. Margaret later divorced Chester and became married to William Beasley, who died in Both Lee and Renee graduated Edward W. Stitt Junior high school in New York. In the early 1960s, Lee was enlisted in the 69 th Infantry of the New York Army National Guard, participating in training at Fort Dix and Fort Drum. After his discharge, Lee married Claudette Nourse in 1969, moving into an apartment in the Bronx. He worked as a New York City Transit bus operator until Their first house was acquired after retirement in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple remains active in the community into later years of their life. At the age of fifty, Claudette graduated Bronx Community College of the City University of New York with an Associate s degree in Applied Science. Lee was fifty-nine and Claudette sixty-three when they volunteered at the Citizen s Academy of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The two-month program aimed to foster public understanding on the incentives behind police work, in order to correct common misunderstandings. The following year Lee again applied to be a police department volunteer, this time for the Programs for Accessible Living s Parking Patrol Program (P.A.L.). There is no indication of whether he was accepted into this program or not. Gatherings with his extended family continued after marriage, particularly at Christmas. His grandmother, Henrietta Cephas Brown ( Nana ) makes a consistent appearance in family photographs since Lee s birth, indicating their close correspondence. He also made trips with his extended family to locales such as Cape Cod, New Hampshire, and New York City. Scope and Content Note This collection documents the activities in the personal life of Chester Lee Harris and his family between 1884 and 001. The majority of materials contained in this collection are family and travel snapshots. The series of biographical documents and books outline major events in his life, as well as his service in the military and his community. Arrangement The papers are organized into five series. Folders within series I to IV are arranged alphabetically, while the photographic series is arranged roughly in chronological order. Documents within the folders are organized chronologically. Series I: Biographical files Series II: Printed materials Series III: Career Series IV: Books Page

5 Subjects Series V: Photographs Subseries 5.1: Lee Harris Subseries 5.: Family Topical African American families African Americans--Employment African American soldiers Travel Geographical New York, N.Y. Hackensack (N.J.) Names Harris, Lee Types of Materials Awards Books Brochures Clippings Color Photographs Ephemera Invitations Memorabilia Newspaper clippings Programs Page

6 Series Description/Container List Series I: Biographical files, (0.16 linear ft.) This series contains birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, as well as academic diplomas of Lee Harris and his family. Correspondence includes personal cards sent to Lee and Claudette Harris from family members, and a flyer of their first home on sale. Box 1 Folder 1 Title Certificates, Correspondence, circa Diplomas, Series II: Printed materials, (0.16 linear ft.) This series contains newspaper clippings that Harris saved, including that of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Particularly significant is the program of a community salute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in New York 1964, in which Lee had participated. He also collected memorabilia from his travels, such as brochures and admission tickets Community events, 1917, 1946 Historic events, Travel souvenirs, circa Series III: Career, (0.08 linear ft.) This series contains handouts on the history of the 69 th infantry, as well as applications and responses regarding the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department volunteer programs. Also preserved is a newspaper article from The Charlotte Observer, which mentions the participation of Claudette Harris as a volunteer in the Police Citizen s Academy Military activities, circa 1965 Volunteer activities, Series IV: Books, (0.4 linear ft.) This series contains several books of diverse nature, which had been collected or given to Lee Harris in his early years, as memorabilia or for reference. 1 Army manuals, 1957 Baby book, 199 Baby book, 1940 Page 4

7 4 5 6 Bible, 1961 Boy scout handbook, 1951 Black Indians, undated Series V: Photographs, (0.54 linear ft.) This series contains photographs of Mr. Harris and his family. Much of the series is comprised of photographs which depict personal and family events, such as individual portraits, travel snapshots, and extensive records of family gatherings. Subseries 5.1: Chester Lee Harris 1 4 Childhood, Apr-Oct, 1940 Childhood, Military service, General, Subseries 5.: Family Henrietta Cephas Brown ( Nana ), undated-circa 195 Howard and Henrietta Brown, undated-196 Margaret and Chester Brown Harris, Renee Harris, Claudette Harris, Family gatherings, Vacation, Vacation, Jul 1976 Friends and relatives, undated-197 Page 5