Arthur Barry papers

The collection consists of letters written to Arthur Barry by his sons H. Brewster Barry and H. Pomeroy Barry, other relatives, and friends. There is also correspondence with the officials of the schools the boys attended, as well as letters concerning the property Barry owned, and his financial and business affairs. The rest of the collection includes Barry's private journals, personal financial and tax records, and the reports and correspondence of the charities and clubs with which he was affiliated. The correspondence and records of the East Side Savings Bank, the Community Savings Bank, and the Rochester Trust and Safe Deposit Company make up the balance of the collection.

The letters Barry received from his sons span the years from 1922 to 1948, with the majority of them dating from 1943-1946 when Brewster and Pomeroy were in the Army. Brewster served in the Finance Department of the O.S.S., first at the Marine Branch, Quantico, Virginia (1944) and later in Washington, DC (1945). Pomeroy was a staff sergeant attached to the Ordnance Department, 98th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company. He was stationed in Oran, Algeria (2 September-October 1943/1 May-20 August 1944), Casablanca, Morocco (October 1943-30 April 1944), France (25 August 1944-8 April 1945), and Germany (April-September 1945). Brewster's letters, far more numerous than Pomeroy's, contain information about his wife, Vivian, their first child, Charles Arthur (born 8 January 1945), family finances, the weather, and inquiries and comments about various family members and friends. There are also several photographs, and letters and greeting cards from Vivian Barry to her father-in-law. Brewster sometimes mentions his military duties, but, because of government censorship, he does not elaborate upon them. Of special note, however, is his letter dated 15 April 1945 in which he describes Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral procession. Pomeroy also writes of the weather, family finances, friends, and relations. Until censorship was lifted in May, 1945, he, too, could not reveal his specific location or duties. Nevertheless, he did manage to send several artifacts to his father including the American Flag arm band he wore when he landed in France, a German mine field marker, and a piece of fabric marked with the Nazi eagle and swastika. These items are included with his letters.

The remainder of Barry's personal correspondence is composed of letters from family members, friends, and business associates (c1915-1946), and letters between Barry and officials of the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut (1929-1934), the Allendale School (1928-1932), and the Avon Old Farms School (1932-1937). There is also a limited correspondence between Barry and W. Griffin Kelley, Headmaster of the Newman School (1931-1934) and W. L. Agard, Dean of Williams College (1931). Letters pertaining to the construction of his house at 668 Mt. Hope Avenue (1921-1922), the maintenance of his farm in Richmond Mills (1936-1944), and the purchase and care of his Jordon automobile (1923-1930) complete the selection of his personal correspondence.

Papers from the various charitable and civic organizations with which Barry was associated make up a substantial portion of this collection. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (1929-1946), the Rochester Civic Music Organization (1938-1941), and Charlotte Whitney Allen's U.S. "Sinking" Fund (1942-1945) are the most prominent groups Barry supported. The correspondence concerning the "Sinking" Fund includes letters from Admiral C.W. Nimitz (27 May 1945) and General Dwight D. Eisenhower (29 September 1945).

The material dealing with Barry's career in banking is composed of general business correspondence (East Side, 1938-1943/Community, 1945-1952), correspondence concerning the real estate owned or controlled by East Side Bank (1938-1944), and social correspondence such as letters announcing parties and other social events sponsored by the bank. There is also some correspondence from the New York State Banking Department (1935-1952) and the Savings Bank Association of New York (1938-1947).

Mortgage Loan Applications, Statements of Condition, and the Agendas and Minutes of various committee meetings for the East Side and Community Savings Banks constitute the majority of the documents concerning Barry's banking career. The Mortgage Loan Applications (1942-1952) provide the name of the applicant, his occupation and place of employment, his annual income, the location of the property he proposed to buy, the amount of the loan for which he was applying, and whether this amount was approved. The Statements of Condition (1936-1954) give a monthly analysis of the overall condition of the bank, with a breakdown of the assets and liabilities for each department. The Agendas and Minutes of the Board Meetings (1941-1954), the Executive Committee Meetings (1940-1954), the Bond Committee Meetings (1943-1952), the Loan Committee Meetings (1942-1952), the Real Estate Committee Meetings (1949-1952), and the Investment Committee Meetings (1954) offer an account of the how the bank operated.

A number of miscellaneous bank documents from East Side and Community Savings are contained in the collection, including information about the annual operating budget (1942-1953). There are some papers dealing with Rochester banking (1936-1947) and New York State banking policy and regulations (1937-1952). There is a little material from the Lincoln-Alliance Bank & Trust Company (1928-1945) and the Rochester Trust and Safe Deposit Company (1935-1944). A selection of newspaper clippings from the East Side Bank (1937-1943), Mechanic's Savings Bank (1938-1943), Community Savings Bank (1944-1952), and other Rochester banks completes the collection.