Cape May County Historian Invited to Library of Congress

COURT HOUSE – About 10 years ago Patricia Munson-Siter, Vice Regent and ex-Regent of the Cape May Patriots Chapter of the DAR, Chair of the NJDAR Membership Committee and a dedicated family historian, learned about the Veterans History Project (VHP) being organized by the Library of Congress (LoC). Patricia had recently transferred to digital media the audio tapes her grandparents, Arnold and Clara Hoke, had recorded in 1971 discussing their experiences in WWI. Patricia is a former Captain (O-3) at United States Air Force. She served thirteen years with her husband Barry (died November 2016) who served twenty years and he also served in the Vietnam Conflict.
Patricia sent digital copies of the records, scans of photographs and documents, and a write up about the Hoke’s lives to the VHP. Since then, at least one historian has written a book on the 42^nd Rainbow Infantry Division (the unit Arnold served in) and listed the “Hoke Collection” in his list of sources.
As part of the memorial activities taking place for the 100^th anniversary of the First World War, the LoC has organized an exhibit on the subject. The Hoke Collection, particularly Clara Lewandowske Hoke’s audio recording, is a part of this exhibit. As the donor of this collection, and as a member of a family who has been active in the military since King Philip’s War (before the American Revolution War), Patricia was asked to attend an “invitation only” reception at the LoC at which guests were introduced to the exhibit and allowed to view it before the gallery opened to the public.
As an honored guest, Patricia sat in the front row at the opening ceremony, next to members of Congress, the Librarian of Congress, and other important guests. She had expected there would be other donors present and was surprised to find out she was the only donor present. All three of those who spoke during the program – Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, Karen Lloyd, the director of the VHP, and the keynote speaker, the Honorable R. Frelinghuysen, congressman from the 11^th district of NJ – mentioned the Hoke and other similar collections; and how they symbolized the importance of such donations in helping the LoC and other archives in the effort to save such first person primary sources for current and future research. They allow historians to discover how events affected people in a far deeper level than official military or government records. So far there are not many audio recordings that have been left behind by WWI veterans that have been donated to archives, and even fewer by women. Clara Hoke’s recollections of her days as a nurse in a front line hospital, complete with stories about mortar barrages hitting the hospital she was serving, may be one of the only audio recordings made by any Red Cross Nurse.
During the special tour of the exhibit, a number of historians approached Patricia about not only her grandparents but also asked about the other members of her family who have served in the military. Many were startled when she told them not only both parents, but all their brothers and sisters had been in service during WWII.
In all, Patricia found it to be an extraordinary experience and she is glad she was able to attend the reception. She was able to present some more artifacts to the Hoke Collection prior to the reception, as well as having her own experiences in the USAF recorded for the VHP. She would like to encourage others who have memorabilia from ancestors and relatives to donate them to places like local historical society museums, battlefield museums, the Library of Congress, and so on. All too often we hear what are ”horror stories for historians” of later generations throwing away such collections. You never know what material will prove useful to future historians. Patricia never thought when she donated the materials that are now the heart of the Hoke Collection that it would result in receiving an invitation to this once in a lifetime experience!