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Descriptive Summary
Creator:	Strassman, Adolphus (alias Rich), 1850-?
Title:	Strassman, Adolphus (1850-?), Papers
Dates:	undated, 1865-1961 (bulk 1865-1915)
Abstract:	Adolphus Strassman (alias Rich) was born in 1850 in Hungary, which was at that time part of the Austria-Hungary Empire. As a child, he immigrated with his family to the United States. They settled in Fall River, Massachusetts, where he lived with his mother, Rosa, stepfather Harry Strassman, and two half-siblings, Etta and Harry. From 1863-1865, he served in the Union Army. He served as a Private in the 2nd Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Company I, under Captain John D. Parker Junior. His diary includes information about the Battle of Wyse Fork (South West Creek). The collection includes pension and discharge certificates, correspondence, a medallion, wallet with calling cards, photographs, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Commendation for services rendered (fragile, restricted), and a diary (1865).
Languages:	The collection is in English.
Quantity:	.25 cubic feet (1 document box and 1 rolled document)
Identification:	P-939
Repository:	American Jewish Historical Society
Location:	Located in AJHS Boston, MA

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Biographical Note 1

Adolphus Strassman (alias Rich) was born in 1850 in Hungary, which was at that time part of the Austria-Hungary Empire. As a child, he immigrated with his family to the United States. They settled in Fall River, Massachusetts, where he lived with his mother, Rosa, stepfather Henry Strassman, and two half-siblings, Etta and Henry. His alias, Rich, possibly comes from his birth father.

On November 23, 1863, Strassman enrolled in the Union Army. He was only thirteen years old. Correspondence from his descendants indicates that Strassman lied about his age in order to receive the government’s bounty for completion of service, which would help his family. He served as a Private in the 2nd Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Company I, under Captain John D. Parker Junior. In his diary, Strassman wrote about being on guard at Fort Rowen, North Carolina; Fort Dulton, North Carolina; Kinston, North Carolina; and Camp Chattanooga. He was present at the Battle of Wyse Fork (South West Creek) in Kinston from March 7-10, 1865, when General Braxton Bragg’s Confederate forces blocked Major General Jacob D. Cox’s Union troops from Bern-Goldsboro Railroad, which cut off supplies to General Sherman’s troops. Sherman’s two armies arrived in Fayetteville, North Carolina as Robert Hoke’s division of Bragg’s troops captured an entire New England regiment. Strassman documents this battle in his diary.

He served for three years and was discharged on September 3rd, 1865 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is stated on his discharge certificate that he was eighteen, but this is not accurate; he was fifteen or sixteen.

Strassman became a clerk and eventually a druggist. His date of death is unknown, but it appears he lived in Fall River, Massachusetts as late as the 1920s.

Chronology
March 7, 1850	Adolphus Strassman born in Hungary, then part of the Austria-Hungary Empire.
November 3, 1863	Enrolls in the 2nd Regiment of the Massachusetts Heavy Volunteer Artillery, Company I.
September 3, 1865	Discharged in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
April 26, 1872	Naturalized as a United States citizen.
1873	Worked as a Clerk.
1880	Worked as a Druggist.

• Footnotes

• ¹Information used in this finding aid is from the following sources:
  
  "Adolphus Strassman Collection” American Jewish Historical Society, New England Archives. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://ajhsboston.org/2011/06/17/adolphus-strassman-collection/>
  
  David Stephen and Jeanne T. Heidler., David J. Coles. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002, 851.
  
  Materials from the collection.
  

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Scope and Content Note

The Adolphus Strassman (alias Rich) Papers contain certificates, photographs, correspondence, a diary, medallion, wallet, a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Commendation for services rendered, and calling cards. The commendation from Massachusetts is restricted due to fragility. Of particular interest is the diary from the Civil War. The personal correspondence written about Strassman provides some additional information about his personal life.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged into a single series as follows:

• Series I: Adolphus Strassman (alias Rich), undated, 1865-1961

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011
email: reference@ajhs.org

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Related Material

No related materials.

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Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Strassman, Adolphus (1850-?), Papers; P-939; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

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Acquisition Information

Donated by Margery Benjamin in 2005.

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Access Points

This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

• Subject Names:

  • Rich, Adolphus
  • Strassman, Adolphus

• Subject Topics:

  • United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
  • United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, Jewish

• Subject Places:

  • Boston (Mass.)
  • Fall River (Mass.)

• Document Types:

  • Calling cards
  • Certificates
  • Certificates--1860-1970
  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Medallions (medals)
  • Photographs
  • Visiting cards

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Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series I: Adolphus Strassman (alias Rich), undated, 1865-1961.
English.
Box 1, Folders 1-8 and one OS document.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content: See Collection Scope and Content Note.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	1	Discharge Certificate	1865
1	2	Diary	1865
1	3	Certificate of Citizenship	1892
1	4	Correspondence	1898-1961 (with gaps)
1	5	Pension Certificate	1915
1	6	Photographs	undated
1	7	Veteran Medallion	undated
1	8	Wallet and Calling Cards	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
OS	OS	Commonwealth of Massachusetts Commendation (fragile, restricted)	1870

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