Finding Aid for Charles Strothkamp Papers, 1896-1983 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Joshua Shelly and Scott W. Schwartz

Collection Overview

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Biographical Note

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Personal and Family Papers, 1911-1983

Consists of programs, membership cards, certificates, pamphlets, correspondance, and military medals documenting Charles Strothkamp's personal life and familial relations.

Box 1

Folder 1: Commencement Program, Class of 1911 (Grade 8), June 28, 1911

Folder 2: Ruth Strothkamp (sister) Commencement Program, 1916

Folder 3: Membership cards, Clippings, Banking Documents and Pamphlets, 1918-1966

Folder 4: Bike Diary, Vol. 4, September 4, 1920-March 18, 1923

Journal includes a few loose sheets pertaining to biking tucked inside.

Folder 5: Stockton Correspondence, November 17, 1928

Folder 6: Drake School Certificate and Tuition Card, 1930

Folder 7: Job Application, 1930

Folder 8: A.G. Spalding & Bros. Reciept, January 21, 1930

Folder 9: Bronze Star Medal Citation, Elmer J. Strothkamp (brother), August 16, 1945

Folder 10: "Long & Faithful Service" Award and Correspondence, military, March 7-April 4, 1955

Folder 11: Record of Birth of Charles Strothkamp, January 31, 1966

Date indicates time of copy, not time of birth.

Folder 12: Ruth L. Strothkamp (sister) funeral card, March 7, 1979

Folder 13: Death notice, funeral card, and Certificate of Death, Charles Strothkamp, 1983

Folder 14: Expenditure Sheet, undated

Box 5

Item 1: First Aid Packet - U.S. Army (unopened), ca. 1916

Unopened first aid packet with raised lettering, "FIRST AID PACKET - U.S. ARMY; CONTRACT NOV. 2- 1916; BAUER & BLACK, CHICAGO, U.S.A.; TO OPEN-PULL RING; PATENT APPLIED FOR"

Condition: Unopened; shows wear and tear; top left edge dented

Item 2: Declaration, Medal, Good Conduct, May 11, 1944

Item 3: Medal, Campaign and Service Victory, World War II, ca. 1945

Item 4: Declaration of Faithful Service medal, 10 years, 1955

Item 5: Declaration of Faithful Service medal, 15 years, 1955

Oversize Portfolio Case 1

Item 1: Baptism Certificate, December 20, 1896

Series 2: Music, 1911-1981

Consists of two clarinets, correspondence, newsletters, route sheets, programs and maps documenting Charles Strothkamp's career as a clarinetist in the Sousa Band between 1926 and 1931 as well as his membership in the Sousa Band Fraternal Society.

Box 2

Folder 1: Music lesson notebook, March 4, 1911-April 20, 1912

Folder 2: Clarinet purchases - correspondence and reciepts, June 29, 1920-March 18, 1940

Folder 3: Unidentified correspondence re: Sousa Band, March 22, 1925

Folder 4: Uniform reciept and "Hartmann Tourobe" pamphlet, 1926

Folder 5: Sousa Band route sheets with notes, 1926-1930

Folder 6: Maps and hotel information, ca. 1926-1931

Folder 7: Non-Sousa related musical correspondence, 1926-1982

Folder 8: Correspondence withy Jay G. Sims, June 21, 1927-August 13, 1931

Folder 9: List of personnel of Sousa Band, 1928

Folder 10: Sousa Band contracts, 1928-1930

Folder 11: Derailed train telegram, September, 1929

Folder 12: Lieber Correspondence upon leaving Sousa Band, August 13, 1931

Folder 13: Sousa Band, Atlantic City Steel Pier program and pass, September 5, 1931

Folder 14: Memorial Concert to John Philip Sousa, program, March 13, 1932

Folder 15: Sousa Band Fraternal Society - addresses of members, August 1, 1974

Folder 16: Sousa Band Fraternal Society, March 1, 1980

Folder 17: John Philip Sousa Post No. 112 Newsletters, 1980-1982

Folder 18: Sousa Band Society News, July, 1981

Folder 19: Sousa Oral History Project correspondence, undated

Item 2: Clarinet: H. Selmer, model number 55, M6916, undated

Accession number: 2012-1209128.001 (A-F)

Physical condition: Good

Material composition: Grenadilla wood and nickel-plated brass

Item 3: Clarinet: H. Selmer, model BT, 15742, undated

Accession number: 2012-1209128.002 (A-E)

Physical condition: Good

Material composition: Grenadilla wood and nickel-plated brass

Series 3: Scrapbooks & Photographs, ca. 1896-1983

Consists of individual and scrapbooks containing candid photographs documenting Charles Strothkamp's and members of his immediate family, family vacations, time playing in different military bands, and his travels with the Sousa Band between 1926 amd 1931.  Nearly all of the photographs contain detailed captions of the scenes and indivdiuals pictured in the images. Of particular interest are Strothkamp's photographs of the 1929 Colorado train wreck that involved the Sousa Band as well as many photographs of the cities and theatres that Band played in during Strothkamp's career, and a candid photograph of Mr.and Mrs. Sousa in their bathing suits at Atlantic Beach.

Box 2

Folder 20: Family and personal photographs, ca. 1896-1930

Folder 21: Photographs of Strothkamp, ca. 1912-1918 and ca. 1980

Folder 22: Signed Sousa photograph, 1927

Folder 23: Military photographs, ca. 1932-1943

Includes photographs of Strothkamp's time in military bands.

Box 3

Folder 1: Young Men's Symphony Orchestra, April 22, 1923

Folder 2: Scrapbook 1 - Part 1, 1926-1930

Includes labeled photographs of the Sousa Train wreck (1929), Sousa Band members and towns visited during the Sousa Band tours.

Folder 3: Scrapbook 1 - Part 2, 1926-1927

Box 4

Folder 1: Scrapbook 2, 1913-1934

Includes photographs of young Strothkamp (January, 1913), and family vacations in the late 1920s-early 1930s.

Folder 2: Scrapbook 3, February 2, 1929-November 9, 1930

Includes additional photographs of August 9, 1929 Sousa Train wreck, as well photographs taken of cities the Sousa Band toured and family vacation photos.

Oversize Portfolio Case 1

Item 2: Panoramic photograph of the Sousa Band at the Steele Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, July 1926

Black and White Photograph

Item 3: Panoramic Photograph of the Sousa Band at the Steele Pier, Atlantic City New Jersey, July 1926

Black and White Photograph