Joseph G. Rowley collection
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Overview
- Description
- The Joseph G. Rowley collection contains documents and photographs related to Joseph Gilmor Rowley (1915-2004) a Special Agent with the Counterintelligence Corps who served in central Europe at the time of German surrender. His collection is comprised of material presumably collected during his tour in Germany and France between 1944 and 1945. Included is a series of photographs which document the liberation of Dachau, images of Allied forces at Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” (Kehlsteinhaus), and one image of the German surrender at Brest, France, among others. Also comprised in this collection is an affidavit given by Manfred Rommel (1928-2013) in April 1945 certifying his father, German General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s (1891-1944) death and the circumstances surrounding it, various postcards from Nazi Germany, identification cards, and identification papers belonging to German nationals, one of which is a soldier's identification book, Deutscher Volkssturm.
The Joseph G. Rowley collection is comprised of documents and photographs presumably collected by Joseph during his tour in Germany and France between 1944 and 1945. Included in his collection is a series of photographs which document the liberation of Dachau sometime after 1945, images of Allied forces at Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” (Kehlsteinhaus) months after its capture in June 1945, one image of the German surrender at Brest, France in 1944, among other images of Germany and France toward the end of the Second World War. Also comprised in this collection are documents identifying Joseph as a Special Agent for the Counterintelligence Corps, several postcards from Nazi Germany’s “Winter Help Work” (Winterhilfswerk or WHW) charity campaign, a German propaganda postcard, and an affidavit given by Manfred Rommel (1928-2013) in April 1945 certifying his father, German General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s (1891-1944) death and the circumstances surrounding it. A United States passport and certificate of United States Citizenship for a German man by the name of Wilhelm Weiss is also included in this collection, as well as a soldier’s identification book for a man by the name of Frank Wilhelm who was conscripted into the Deutscher Volkssturm in 1944. Newspaper clippings about the war are also comprised in this collection. - Date
-
inclusive:
1931-1946
bulk: 1944-1945
- Collection Creator
- Joseph G. Rowley
- Biography
-
Joseph Gilmor Rowley (1915-2004) was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Gilmore and Margaret Rowley.
He graduated from Calvert Hall College High School, a Catholic college preparatory school for boys located in Towson, in 1933 and then from the Baltimore Business College. Joseph worked as a bookkeeper and cashier for Shavitz & Sons, a furniture company, before enlisting in the United States Army in 1941 at the age of 26. Joseph enlisted as a private and was later joined the Counterintelligence Corps (CIC), a precursor to the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency, now known as the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. He was stationed in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. During World War II, he participated in campaigns in Normandy, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was a sergeant first class when he received an honorable discharge in 1951.
After the war, Joseph returned to Baltimore and worked for Retail Stores Service for several decades, as a buyer and merchandiser for furniture, outdoor equipment and electronics. He married Elva Sission in 1943 and with her had two children, Joseph Jr. (1947-) and Jane (1956-). In retirement, he was a consultant to the company and a notary. Joseph died in 2004 in Baltimore.
Physical Details
- Extent
-
12 folders
1 oversize folder
- System of Arrangement
- The Joseph G. Rowley collection is arranged as a two series:
•Series 1: Papers, 1931-1946 and undated
•Series 2: Photographs, 1944-1945 and undated
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany. Propaganda, German. World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation. Charity -- Associations, institutions, etc.
- Geographic Name
- Brittany (France)--History. Berchtesgaden (Germany). Germany
- Personal Name
- Rowley, Joseph G, 1915-2004. Rommel, Erwin, 1891-1944. Knittel, Gustav, 1914-1976. Wilhelm, Weiss, 1901- Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945.
- Corporate Name
- Dachau (Concentration camp)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The Joseph G. Rowley collection was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1995 by Joseph G. Rowley.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-07-06 09:11:58
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn500830
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
