Finer family papers, circa 1920s-1950s (bulk: 1943-1947).

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Finer, Morris, creator.

Contributor:

Finer, Leonard, creator.

Finer, Mollie, creator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army. Infantry Division, 99th.

United States.

United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 393rd.

Armed Forces.

Families.

Jews.

World War, 1939-1945.

Genre:

Black-and-white photographs

Family papers

Photographs

Penn Provenance:

Gift of Trudi Abel, 2021.

Physical Description:

1 box (.25 linear feet)

Arrangement:

Organized into 2 series: I. Family photographs and II. Morris Finer military materials.

Place of Publication:

circa 1920s-1950s

Biography/History:

Morris Lee Finer was born on July 13, 1922 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Not much is known about his childhood, but his family moved to Philadelphia at some point because military records document him and his family living at the Greene Manor apartments in Philadelphia. Morris was Jewish, according to his Jewish Serviceman card. According to a war compensation document, Morris entered domestic service for the United States Army for World War II on November 30, 1942 with the 393rd Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. On September 29, 1944, the army deployed Morris overseas to the European front. Not much is known about Finer's time in the army, he rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, but on March 15, 1945, Morris was killed in action in Germany. The Army interred Morris first at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium and then, in 1947, moved his body to Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Philadelphia. Leonard S. Finer was born in Pennsylvania in 1893 and died at Lankenau Hospital on August 17, 1967. Not much is known about Leonard but, on his death certificate, it states that he was a stockbroker. Leonard was interred at Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Philadelphia. Mollie L. Finer was born in New York around 1893 and died in 1984. She was interred at Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Summary:

The Finer family papers consist of family photographs dating from the 1920s to the 1950s and materials relating to Morris Finer's service in the United States Army, dating from 1942 to 1945. The collection contains eleven photographs, eight of them portraits and the rest group photographs of family and unidentified friends. Morris Finer's military materials include booklets commemorating the 393rd Infantry Regiment and 99th Infantry Division, a certificate, correspondence, a military Christmas menu, and Morris' military portrait. The Christmas menu from 1943 includes around 80 signatures of the men in the 99th Infantry Division. The material in this series pertains more to documents created after Morris' service in the Army and not during his time. Most of the items are dated after the war and the only items in this collection from the time of Morris' service are his military proficiency certificate and the Christmas dinner program.

OCLC:

1522901464