James L. White--Plaque for Restoration of Touro Synagogue

File — Box: 19, Object: 1

Identifier: VII

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Benjamin M. Roe papers (1905-1974) consist of the personal and professional papers of Roe, an immigrant from Russia and Salt Lake City businessman and philanthropist. A limited amount of personal material is in the Benjamin M. Roe collection. Included in this portion are travel itineraries and a brief travel diary from a European trip. Travel memorabilia, including post cards and travel guides, have been filed with the travel diary. Other personal materials such as certificates and gift cards are also included. A file of newspaper clippings concerning Benjamin Roe contains little biographical information but gives a representative view of his community involvement. Newsclippings and other items dealing with Benjamin M. Roe's son Michael and the senior Roe's clothing store, Lord's, are filed with the personal material.

Evidence of Roe's philanthropic activities in the community and the nation is contained in five boxes of correspondence with related materials concerning his monetary and personal contributions. These materials have been alphabetically arranged by organization. There is some correspondence with individual author headings interfiled with the organizations because they were in some way related to Roe's contributions or community activities.

The B'nai Israel Temple records comprise an important part of the collection and a significant addition to Utah Jewish records. There are minutes of monthly meetings from 1926 to 1957, although the file is incomplete; correspondence concerned with temple business; membership lists; and financial reports. The B'nai Israel Cemetery Association account books date from 1905 to 1943 and correspondence and business records to 1957. The Sisterhood monthly minutes are from 1911 to 1944. Other financial records to 1966 are included.

Research material by Leon L. Watters for his book Pioneer Jews of Utah was turned over to Roe to assist in the writing of a history of the Jews in Utah and Idaho. These research materials include biographical sketches of early Utah Jews, notes on the history of the Jews in various occupations, and situations in pioneer Utah and Idaho. The five drafts and revisions of Watters's book are part of this section. In 1966, Juanita Brooks was commissioned by members of the Jewish community, primarily Myrtle Friedman, to write a history of the Utah and Idaho Jews which resulted in the publication in 1973 of the History of the Jews in Utah and Idaho. Correspondence concerning the controversy which developed concerning this volume and research materials for the book are filed together.

The subject file contains materials, arranged alphabetically, about Jewish activities in the state and nation including publications and newsclippings. Also in the box are pamphlets about ZCMI and Utah fraternal orders.

Books in the collection range from a booklet with maps about the movements of the Ninety-first Division in World War I, published in 1944, to The Book of Life in Hebrew and English, published in 1847. Thirteen of the books deal with the Jewish religion and are written in Hebrew, German, English, or a combination of two of these languages.

Research notes and rough draft of the autobiography of Ben Roe, edited by James M. Rock, constitute the last of this collection.

Dates

1905-1974

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.