A. J. Babcock Ladies Auxiliary No. 12 records

Collection

Identifier: 00098

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The records in this collection were accumulated by Jennie Dewar, who was active in the Auxiliary and the Military Order of the Lizard, and her husband, Neil A. Dewar, who was a member of the A. J. Babcock Camp. They provide only fragmentary documentation of the three organizations and reveal surprisingly little about the political activities of the United Spanish War Veterans, even though most of the records date from the 1920s and 1930s, the period during which agitation for veterans' rights peaked.

The Auxiliary records (1918-1955) are the most complete. Meeting minutes reflect the chapter's social orientation and describe the moderate detail meeting ritual and social activities. Reports to the national organization are limited to a tally of commemorative celebrations. Delegate reports on state (department) and national meetings primarily focus on procedural matters. Only the national publications offer significant information about the political goals of the organization and its lobbying efforts to achieve them.

The Camp records (1923-1957, undated) consist of miscellaneous materials such as an insurance policy and a list of local pensioners. The Goodwill Bulletin, published by the state organization, contains obituaries of Michigan Spanish-American War veterans, historical sketches relating to the war, and other news of interest to veterans.

Military Order Of The Lizard records (1958-1959) are limited to a few items which report the election of officers in the local "swamps."

Dates

Creation: 1918 - 1957

Creator

United Spanish War Veterans. National Auxiliary (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Historical Note

The A. J. Babcock Chapter of the United Spanish War Veterans Auxiliary was organized in Flint, Michigan in 1918. All members were relatives (wives, mothers, sisters) of Spanish-American War veterans. The chapter was sponsored by the A.J. Babcock Camp, the local branch of the United Spanish War Veterans. Both groups were part of a broader national movement supporting pension rights and government services for American war veterans, which took place during the latter part of the nineteenth and the first four decades of the twentieth century. The Military Order of the Lizard was a strictly social group affiliated with the United Spanish War Veterans Auxiliary.