Platz Family Papers
Scope and Content Note
The Platz Family Papers primarily consists of financial papers pertaining to the Platz family farm during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection also includes personal correspondence between the Platz family. This collection helps highlight the difficulties farmers faced during the mid-twentieth century.
Dates
- Creation: 1902-1968
Creator
- Platz, Hattie Esther (Person)
- Platz, Niles (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This manuscript collection consists of physical materials. This collection has not been digitized. This collection is open for research use only in the Reading Room. It is not available for request through Interlibrary Loan. Please contact the archive via email (archives@astate.edu) at least a week in advance of your arrival to ensure the availability of the material.
Biographical Note
Niles (Nilie) Platz was born December 4, 1878 in Indiana. In 1911, he married his second wife Hattie Esther Shidaker (born July 1893). Two years later in 1913, they welcomed their only child, Ivan. In 1921, they moved from Indiana to Arkansas to farm cotton. The Platz family settled east of Jonesboro in Lake City, Arkansas. Cotton became the staple crop for the Platz’s throughout the life of the farm. They also raised corn, wheat, beans, chickens, ducks, and pigs. Due to the Stock Market crash, the Platz family was forced to reduce their acreage dedicated to cotton. Additionally, they were unable to sell their cotton crop and accrued debt.
The income from the other crops, as well as eggs, hens, and pork, helped supplement the farm income during this time. With the beginning of World War II however, cotton prices recovered and the Platz family was able to continue farming. In 1932, Ivan Platz married Eva who was born in 1918. They had four children and took over the family farm after Ivan’s father, Niles Platz, died in 1956. Hattie, died in June of 1972. Ivan died in April of 1984.
Extent
0.834 Linear Feet (This collection consists of 21 folders in 2 document boxes.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Platz family farmed in Arkansas during the Great Depression. The main crop they grew was cotton but they supplemented their income with corn, wheat, and beans. This collection contains a ledger, receipts, letters, insurance papers, and financial papers that were accumulated over the years of running the family farm and illustrate the difficulties that farmers faced during the mid-twentieth century.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
Series 1: Home and Financial Records. contains record books with detailed notes of household and farm expenditures, including receipts for good, wages, and the amount of crops harvested. There are also bank receipts, mortgages, letters pertaining to debts, and tax papers. It also holds the Valuable Papers Pocketbook. The pocketbook contains taxes, mortgages, receipts, and invoices that were all contained within a pocketbook. Due to the poor condition of the book, the contents were removed and placed into folders in their original order.
Series 2: Correspondence. The “Correspondence” series holds personal letters exchanged within the Platz family over the course of several decades. It is arranged into two subseries. Subseries 2.1, “H. E. Platz,” contains personal letters sent to Mrs. Platz. They are addressed to Mrs. N. S. Platz, Esther Platz, Hattie Platz, and Hettie Platz, but all refer to the same person. Subseries 2.2, “Miscellaneous,” contains letters and telegrams that were addressed to Niles Platz, Russell Platz, and Ivan Platz.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was transferred to Archives & Special Collections by the Arkansas State University Museum in 2013.
Accruals
Further additions to this collection are nor expected.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Julia Corrin, Meredith McFadden, Jennifer Hardin, and Flora Smith.
Subject
- Platz, Ivan (Person)
- Platz, Russell (Person)
- Title
- Platz Family Papers
- Subtitle
- 1902-1968
- Author
- Meredith McFadden; Flora Smith, editor
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Archives & Special Collections at A-State Repository