Summary Information
Kenneth Zerwekh Papers and Photographs
1911-1992
WVM Mss 106
1.1 linear ft. (3 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder) of papers and 0.1 linear ft. (5 folders) of photographs.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)
Papers and photographs of Kenneth Zerwekh (a.k.a. Zerwick), an officer in the 3546th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company who served in Europe during World War II. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between Kenneth and his family during his World War II military service in Europe. Zerwekh, very conscious of Army censors, stayed away from writing specifically about troop movements and armed engagements. Instead, he focused on non-military topics like his collection of “spoils of war,” traveling and camp life. Several of Zerwekh's wartime letters include mention of General George S. Patton, the work of the First Army, and the celebrations that took place after VE Day. Also includes his military records, a unit history of the 3546th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company, and items that Zerwekh picked up during his military service in Europe, such as two Nazi-themed postcards. Materials not directly related to the war include correspondence from Kenneth's European vacation in 1929 and his collegiate career at Georgia Tech during the 1930's, a map of Zerwekh's route through the British Isles and souvenirs from his European vacation, and some of his exams from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The photographs include many scenic shots of European locales, as well as wartime pictures of Zerwekh, both alone and with men from his company. Also included in the collection is a photograph of a Grand Army of the Republic parade in which Zerwekh's uncle, Herman Smythe, reportedly took part.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00106 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Robert Kenneth Zerwekh was born in Davenport, Iowa on February 5, 1911; his family moved to Madison soon thereafter. After his parents separated, his mother changed his name to Kenneth Smythe Zerwick; he would go by that name until after his military service, when he reverted to his birth name. In 1929 Kenneth and his brother Otto took a seven-month tour of Europe, which was still recovering from the effects of World War I. Upon returning home, Zerwekh began attending college at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, where he joined the ROTC. He remained there for four years in pursuit of a degree in mechanical engineering, which he did not receive. In July 1942 Zerwekh entered the United States Army. He became an officer in the 3546th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company, which was part of the 1st U.S. Army. He remained stateside until January 1945, when he was shipped to the European Theater. He remained in Europe until August 1945, serving in several major battles, including the Rhineland. As a 1st lieutenant, Zerwekh was in charge of supervising supplies for jeeps, inspecting the vehicles, and advising commanding officers of major transport problems. After the war, he remained in the Army Reserves until April 1953. As a civilian, Zerwekh worked as a mechanical engineer for the Wisconsin Brick and Block Company in Madison, a business owned by his maternal uncle. He passed away in 1990.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Kenneth Zerwekh are divided into four series: Pre-War, Wartime, Post-War, and Photographs.
Pre-War (1911-1940) consists largely of the correspondence between Zerwekh and his family during his European vacation. Letters to his mother, Blanche; his uncles, Edwin and Herman; and his brother, Otto describe the sites, sounds, and activities that he experienced while traveling through Europe. Zerwekh's interest in things mechanical is evidenced by his frequent mention of flying apparatuses. This series also contains his family's responses, which generally detail daily life at home. Also included in this series are letters to and from Zerwekh during his academic career at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta. He mentions his interest in the ROTC, concerns about his grades, and his feelings on President Roosevelt and the New Deal. Other materials in this series include a congratulatory postcard to Zerwekh's parents on the occasion of his birth (1911), ephemeral souvenirs from his European vacation (1929-1930), several graded exams that Zerwekh took at Georgia Tech (1935), and the Marriage Service Booklet from Zerwekh's marriage to Evelyn Houston (1939).
World War II (1935-1946) is the largest series in this collection, and it is mostly composed of Zerwekh's letters to his wife, Evelyn, his mother, and his brother during his time in Europe, from January to August 1945; their responses are also included. Zerwekh, very conscious of Army censors, stayed away from writing specifically about troop movements and armed engagements. Instead, he focused on non-military topics like his collection of “spoils of war.” Many letters describe various items that Zerwekh acquired from German soldiers and abandoned bases such as a “Kaiser Wilhelm helmet” (he included a small sketch of it), a piano accordion, a German jet engine part, and a parachute. Zerwekh wrote of his dislike for General George S. Patton of the Third Army, whom he felt was benefiting from the hard work of the First Army (of which Zerwekh's unit was a part). He also described a celebration on the night his unit received the news that the war was over; he reported that nineteen men were shot during the out-of-control festivities. Interestingly, he wrote several letters to his wife on the back of pages from a Varga pin-up girl calendar, claiming that it was the only paper available. Letters to Zerwekh during the war focused mainly on day-to-day happenings at home. Zerwekh's wife, Evelyn, detailed the antics and development of their son John. Other paper documents include certificates that Zerwekh received from Ordnance School, miscellaneous military papers, and several items that Zerwekh picked up in Europe, such as two Nazi-themed postcards.
Post-War (1949-1992) is the smallest series and contains some documentation of Zerwekh's life after the war. Included are some business cards; papers relating to Zerwekh's time in the Army Reserves; correspondence with Karl Baur, a German man who Zerwekh met during his European vacation in 1929; and documentation of Zerwekh's service that was collected by Margaret, his second wife, in the 1980's, including a unit history of the 3546th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company and Kenneth's service records.
Photographs (circa 1920, 1944-1945) include many scenic shots of World War II-era European locales, especially war-ravaged buildings. Many wartime photos of Zerwekh, both alone and with men from his company, can also be found in this series. Included in the miscellaneous photos are a photograph taken of a Grand Army of the Republic parade in which Zerwekh's uncle, Herman Smythe, took part and a photograph of a factory-related invention of Zerwekh's other uncle Edwin Smythe.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Margaret Zerwekh, Delafield, WI, 2002. Accession Number: TR 1325 and TR 1359.
Processed by Russell Horton in 2002.
Contents List
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Series: Pre-War
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Subseries: Correspondence
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Letters from Kenneth Zerwekh
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Box
1
Folder
1
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To Edwin Smythe (uncle), 1929, 1935, undated
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Box
1
Folder
2
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To Herman Smythe (uncle), 1922, 1929, undated
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Box
1
Folder
3-4
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To Blanch Zerwick (mother), 1924-1936, undated
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Box
1
Folder
5
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To Otto Zerwick (brother), 1929, undated
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Box
1
Folder
6
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To Others, undated
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Letters to Kenneth Zerwekh
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Box
1
Folder
7
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From Karl Baur (friend), 1930
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Box
1
Folder
8
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From Edwin Smythe (uncle), 1922, 1932, 1937
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Box
1
Folder
9
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From Herman Smythe (uncle), 1927-1940, undated
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Box
1
Folder
10
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From Robert Zerwekh (father), 1929
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Box
1
Folder
11
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From Blanch Zerwick (mother), 1933, undated
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Box
1
Folder
12
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From Otto Zerwick (brother), 1929-1940, undated
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Box
1
Folder
13
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From Others, 1915-1939, undated
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Subseries: Miscellaneous
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Exams and other school documents, 1935, undated
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Ov
4
Folder
6
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Map of European vacation, 1929
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Box
1
Folder
15
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Marriage service booklet, 1939
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Postcard re: Kenneth Zerwekh's birth, 1911
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Souvenirs from European vacation, 1929-1930
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Series: World War II
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Subseries: Correspondence
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From Kenneth Zerwekh
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Box
2
Folder
1
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To Blanch Zerwick (mother), 1942-1945, undated
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Box
2
Folder
2-10
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To Evelyn Zerwick (wife), 1945, undated
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Box
2
Folder
11
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To Otto Zerwick (brother), 1942-1943, 1945, undated
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Box
2
Folder
12
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To Others, 1943-1945, undated
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From Otto Zerwick
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Box
2
Folder
13
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To Blanch Zerwick (mother), 1945
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Box
2
Folder
14
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To Evelyn Zerwick (sister-in-law), 1945
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Box
2
Folder
15
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To Kenneth Zerwekh (brother), 1941, 1944-1945, undated
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To Kenneth Zerwekh
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Box
2
Folder
16
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From Herman Smythe (uncle), 1945
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Box
2
Folder
17
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From Blanch Zerwick (mother), 1945
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Box
2
Folder
18-23
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From Evelyn Zerwick (wife), 1945, undated
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Box
2
Folder
24
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From Others, 1943-1945, undated
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Box
2
Folder
24
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Unknown Recipient/Sender, 1945, undated
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Subseries: Miscellaneous
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Box
3
Folder
1
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EM Lampoon [newsletter], 29 June 1945
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Income tax papers, 1941
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Renter's issues, 1945
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Subseries: Personal Records (Military)
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Military certificates of proficiency, 1942
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Miscellaneous military papers, 1941-1946, undated
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Subseries: War-time Memorabilia
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Nazi ephemera [4] , undated
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Nazi-themed postcards [2] , 1937, 1939
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Unused European postcards [20] , undated
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Unused Wartime postcards [4] , 1918, 1941-1945
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Used German postcards [14] , 1935-1945, undated
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Series: Post-War
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Subseries: Correspondence
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Karl Baur to Kenneth Zerwekh, 1945-1948
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Kenneth Zerwekh to Holly Zerwick, 1964
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Box
3
Folder
13
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Robert Olivett to Margaret Zerwekh, 1991-1992
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Box
3
Folder
14
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Others to Kenneth Zerwekh, 1954-1955, 1961, 1989
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Subseries: Miscellaneous
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Box
3
Folder
15
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Business cards, undated
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Box
3
Folder
16
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National Archives records, 1992
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Box
3
Folder
17
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Newspaper clippings, undated
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Box
3
Folder
18
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Partially used Army officer's notebook, undated
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Box
3
Folder
19
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Post-war Reserve papers, 1949-1953
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Box
3
Folder
20
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Unit history, 3546th Ordnance Company, 1973, 1988
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Series: Photographs
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Ph
1
Folder
27-28
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Wartime [19] , circa 1942-1945
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Ph
1
Folder
24-25
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European Theater scenery [19] , circa 1945
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Ph
1
Folder
26
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Miscellaneous [8] , undated, circa 1920, 1937
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