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Photo of Joseph Rosenblum, [1918]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Field Artillery, Battalion C, 78th Division
  • Location of Service: Camp Dix, New Jersey; Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont; Camp Devens, Massachusetts; Camp Upton, New York
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/19364

View full service history

"And if one does not believe in fate, let him, the coward, read Voltaire." (Diary, 5/25/1918)

Service diaries often record the banalities of everyday life in the military, or the visceral details of combat. Corporal Joseph Rosenblum's diary stands in contrast: it begins with hand-lettered music notes and musings on Liszt and Chopin, which set the scene for the unique document which follows. Born in Romania and drafted into the Army in April 1918, Rosenblum served stateside with the field artillery. In between guard duty and 13-mile hikes, he found time to practice fugues and sonatas on the piano. Throughout his diary, he draws parallels between his experiences as a soldier and great works of literature, art, and music.

[ Photo Album ]

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[ Diary of Joseph Rosenblum ]

About this Item

Title

  • Joseph Rosenblum Collection

Names

  • Rosenblum, Joseph
  • Sparrow, Rachelle

Home State

  • New York (State)

Headings

  • -  Rosenblum, Joseph
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Field Artillery, Battalion C, 78th Division
    • Location of Service: Camp Dix, New Jersey; Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont; Camp Devens, Massachusetts; Camp Upton, New York
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1918-1918
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Original photographic print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected 1918)
  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1918)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/19364

Cite as

  • Joseph Rosenblum Collection (AFC/2001/001/19364), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Rosenblum, Joseph, and Rachelle Sparrow. Joseph Rosenblum Collection. 1918. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.19364/.

APA citation style:

Rosenblum, J. & Sparrow, R. (1918) Joseph Rosenblum Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.19364/.

MLA citation style:

Rosenblum, Joseph, and Rachelle Sparrow. Joseph Rosenblum Collection. 1918. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.19364/>.