Missouri State University Libraries
Papers of Essie DeCamp
Collection Number: LA 3
Volume: 6.5 linear feet
Dates: 1916-1970
Provenance
The papers of Essie DeCamp were transferred from Mrs. DeCamp to Neal Moore and David Lages for deposit in the Ozarks Labor Union Archives (OLUA) in 1983. The collection was processed in 2000 by Jenni Boone.
Copyright
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).Access
The collection is unrestricted. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be obtained from the Ozarks Labor Union Archives. Citations should be as follows: Identification of the item, box and folder number, Essie DeCamp Collection, Ozarks Labor Union Archives, Missouri State University.
Biographical History
Essie DeCamp was the daughter of J. R. (Bob) Andrews, an early Springfield labor leader and founding member of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America Local 691 in 1916. She later married L. G. (Pat) DeCamp, who was also a member of Local 691. Mrs. DeCamp was a founding member of the auxiliary to Local 691, and of the Joint Council of Women’s Auxiliaries. She was also very active in the Label League.
Local 691
Local 691 of the Amalgamated Association of Street Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America was chartered in 1916. That same year, the Local went on strike against Springfield Traction Company. The strike lasted 252 days, but the workers won the right to organize and to bargain collectively. The union had the strong support of city leaders and citizenry, and the strike led the way for other street car workers in Missouri to organize. Mr. Andrews, Essie's father, was active in the strike and was a union representative in negotiations at the end of the strike. Mr. Andrews also helped several other local unions organize in Springfield, including the Laborers Local 676, the culinary workers, and the retail clerks. In addition, he served as a union representative for the AFL.
Essie's husband, Pat, went to work as a track welder for Springfield Traction while her father was a track foreman. Mr. DeCamp joined the union and became active in it, serving as an officer for several years.
691-Auxiliary
The Auxiliary to Local 691 was chartered on December 15th, 1936 when a group of 12 women met to organize an auxiliary. Essie DeCamp was among this group. Their first official meeting was held in January of 1937, although the local was not chartered until 1938 when the international auxiliary was formed. Membership of the auxiliary grew quickly. Before World War II, the auxiliary gave dinners and luncheons for members of the union, and spent time studying the origins of labor unions and ways women could help, and in welfare and service projects.
During World War II, the auxiliary kept busy serving the needs of O’Reilly hospital in Springfield. Members served as nurse aides and “gray ladies,” rolling bandages and making pads and lap robes for patients. In 1944, the International Auxiliary sponsored a fund raising program to raise money to buy at least one ambulance for the War Department for use overseas. Local 691 Auxiliary at that time had 22 members, and raised the most money per capita. They were given the honor of presenting two ambulances to the War Department on behalf of the International Auxiliary. The money raised by the auxiliaries was more than enough to buy two ambulances, and excess funds were used to buy needed equipment for O’Reilly Hospital.
After the War, union membership increased as men returned to work from armed service. Local 691 and its auxiliary was no exception. The 1950s saw the heyday of membership. During the 60s, however, membership declined. In 1970, the Auxiliary disbanded. Essie DeCamp was still a member at that time. She had served as its president for four or five years, and as secretary for "more years than I remember." (DeCamp, 1986)
DeCamp was instrumental in defining the role of women's auxiliaries in the area. According to DeCamp, the purpose of an auxiliary is to
educate the women as to the principles of Unionism in general, how to look for and demand the union label, House & Shop cards and buttons or all crafts. To study and vote on all legislation, local state and national affecting Organized Labor; by social activities bring the men into closer fellowship; to bring comfort and help in time of illness or death. An auxiliary is a help-mate to a local in much the same way as a wife is to a husband.
J.C.W.A.
The Joint Council of Women’s Auxiliaries was organized on May 28th, 1947, following the Missouri State Federation of Labor Convention. DeCamp was elected president of the organization. The Joint Council worked to organize auxiliaries in the area, and succeeded in organizing auxiliaries to the Hod-carriers and Laborers (the first auxiliary to this union in the U.S.), Bakers, Grain Millers, Electricians, and Plumbers among others. The Council also worked to help educate the wives of union members about ways they could help labor. They sponsored the Missouri State Federation of Women’s Auxiliaries when they were held in Springfield.
The Women's International Label League charter was reactivated in 1934 and was composed mostly of wives of Motion Picture Machine Operators. The League's first duty was the promotion of union labeled merchandise and union services. The Label League was eventually affiliated with the Joint Council of Women's Auxiliaries.
Bibliography
DeCamp, Essie. Interview by Neal Moore, 6 July 1983. [audiocassette]. Oral History Collection, Ozarks Labor Union Archives.
Moore, Neal. "Labor Unions in the Ozarks." [no date] [photocopy] Special Collections and Archives, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield.
Scope and Content
The Essie DeCamp Collection contains the records of the Amalgamated Street and Railway Employees Local 691, the Local 691 Auxiliary, and the records of the Joint Council of Women's Auxiliaries in Springfield, publications related to these organizations, and some personal papers. The collection is organized in five series:
Series I: Local 691, 1916-1964
Contains records of Local 691 of the Amalgamated Association of Street
Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America from 1916-1964 (bulk:
1920s-1930s). It is arranged in alphabetical order by folder title (chronologically
within each folder) and includes agreements, constitutions and bylaws,
correspondence, membership records, minutes, and more.
Series II: Local 691-Auxiliary, 1939-1970 (bulk: 1940s-1950s)
Contains the records of the auxiliary to Local 691 from the formation
of the auxiliary to its disbandment. It is arranged in alphabetical order
by folder title (chronologically within each folder) and includes constitutions
and bylaws, convention proceedings, correspondence, financial records,
minutes, and more. This series also includes several scrapbooks of the
local which document the history of the local from about 1940 to 1969.
Series III: JCWA, 1936-1969
Contains the records of the Springfield, Missouri Joint Council of Women's
Auxiliaries from 1944-1965 and records of the Union Label League, which
was affiliated with the JCWA for a time, from 1936-1969. The series is
arranged in alphabetical order by folder title (chronologically within
each folder), and includes correspondence, minutes, and more from the
JCWA.
Series IV: Personal, 1937-1970
Contains miscellaneous personal papers, arranged in alphabetical order
by title and chronological within each folder.
Series V: Publications, 1939-1969
Contains various publications related to the many union activities in
DeCamp's life. It is arranged in alphabetical order by title of publication,
and chronological order within each title, and contains In Transit, Motorman,
Conductor, and Motor Coach Operator, Official News (of the AFL-CIO) and
more.
Related Materials in OLUA
DeCamp, Essie. Interview by Neal Moore, July 6, 1983. [audiocassette]. Oral History Collection.
Amalgamated Ass'n of Street and Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employes Local 691 Auxiliary, Banner, n.d. Hangs in OLUA.
Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employes Local 691 Auxiliary Charter, in map case.
Records of the Amalgamated Association of Street Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America, Local 691, an unprocessed collection in OLUA.
Container List
| Series I: Local 691 | ||||
| 1 | Agreements | 1922 — 1954 | ||
| 2 | Arbitration | 1930 | ||
| 3 | Bonds | 1920 — 1935 | ||
| 4 | Central Trades & Labor Assembly — Delegates present | 1931 — 1932 | ||
| 5 | Constitutions and Bylaws | 1947-1950,n.d. | ||
| 6 | Constitutions and Bylaws — other | 1943 — 1959 | ||
| 7 | Correspondence | 1919 — 1928 | ||
| 8 | Correspondence | 1929 — 1930 | ||
| 9 | Correspondence | 1931 — 1934 | ||
| 10 | Correspondence | 1935 — 1938 | ||
| 11 | Correspondence | 1939 — 1952 | ||
| 12 | Correspondence | n.d. | ||
| 13 | Court Cases | 1949 — 1964 | ||
| 14 | Elections | 1931 — 1939 | ||
| 15 | Financial | 1918 — 1923 | ||
| 16 | Financial | 1921 — 1929 | ||
| 17 | Financial: Auditor’s Quarterly Report | 1919 — 1935 | ||
| 18 | Financial: Springfield Traction Company | 1916 — 1920 | ||
| 19 | Grievances | 1920 — 1935 | ||
| 20 | Membership | n.d. | ||
| 21 | Membership | 1928 — 1933 | ||
| 22 | Membership - Application | 1916 — 1935 | ||
| 23 | Membership - Withdrawal Card | 1917 — 1925 | ||
| 24 | Membership - Rules and Regulations | n.d. | ||
| 25 | Membership - Working Card | 1929 — 1938 | ||
| 26 | Membership - Employees Physician Assoc. | 1934 — 1940 | ||
| 27 | Membership - Other | 1916 — 1947 | ||
| 28 | Minutes | 1921 — 1922 | ||
| 29 | Minutes | 1921— 1933 | ||
| 30 | Minutes | 1925 — 1930 | ||
| 31 | Miscellaneous | 1933—1951, n.d. | ||
| 32 | News Clippings | 1916 — 1964 | ||
| 33 | Pamphlets | 1926 — 1953 | ||
| 34 | Plan of Insurance | n.d. | ||
| 35 | Presidents Report | 1930 | ||
| 36 | Resolutions | 1922 — 1929 | ||
| 37 | Wage Scales | 1946 — 1947 | ||
| Series II: 691 Auxiliary | ||||
| 1 | AFL — CIO | 1949 — 1965 | ||
| 2 | Auxiliary Manual | ca. 1962 | ||
| 3 | Business and History | 1938-1970, n.d. | ||
| 4 | Cards and Notes | 1958-1970, n.d. | ||
| 5 | Constitutions and Bylaws | 1949 — 1967 | ||
| 6 | Constitutions and Bylaws-AFL — CIO | |||
| Auxiliaries | 1939-1961, n.d. | |||
| 7 | Constitutions and Bylaws-International | 1941 — 1969 | ||
| 8 | Constitutions and Bylaws-Missouri State | 1948 - 1962 | ||
| Auxiliaries | ||||
| 9 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1946 | ||
| 10 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1951 | ||
| 11 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1953 | ||
| 12 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1955 | ||
| 13 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1959 | ||
| 14 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1961 | ||
| 15 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1963 | ||
| 16 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1965 | ||
| 17 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1967 | ||
| 18 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | 1969 | ||
| 19 | Conventions-International Auxiliary | n.d. | ||
| 20 | Conventions-Miscellaneous | 1946 — 1967 | ||
| 21 | Conventions-Missouri Federation Women’s | 1949 - 1954 | ||
| Auxiliary of Labor | ||||
| 22 | Conventions-Missouri Federation Women’s | 1955 — 1959 | ||
| Auxiliary of Labor | ||||
| 23 | Conventions-Missouri State AFL — CIO | 1960 - 1968 | ||
| Auxiliaries | ||||
| 24 | Correspondence | 1939 — 1963 | ||
| 1 | Correspondence | 1965 — 1970, n.d. | ||
| 2 | Financial Report & Membership Record | 1946 — 1947 | ||
| 3 | Financial — Auditor’s Quarterly Report | 1946 — 1970 | ||
| 4 | Financial Report | 1964 — 1970 | ||
| 5 | Minutes | 1937 — 1944 | ||
| 6 | Minutes | 1940 — 1949 | ||
| 7 | Minutes | 1950 — 1963 | ||
| 8 | Minutes | 1964 — 1970 | ||
| 9 | Misc. | 1941 — 1965, n.d. | ||
| 10 | Missouri State Auxiliary newsletters | 1956 — 1968 | ||
| 11 | Missouri State Labor Council, AFL — CIO | 1939 — 1969 | ||
| 12 | News Clippings | 1934 — 1967 | ||
| 13 | Pamphlets | 1957 — 1963, n.d. | ||
| 14 | Resolutions | n.d. | ||
| 15 | Right-to-Work | n.d. | ||
| Series III: J.C.W.A. | ||||
| 16 | AFL — CIO National Auxiliaries | 1963 — 1964, n.d. | ||
| 17 | Correspondence | 1944 — 1965 | ||
| 18 | History | 1953 — 1954 | ||
| 19 | Label League-Membership and Minutes | 1936 — 1937 | ||
| 20 | Label League-Miscellaneous | 1939 — 1969 | ||
| 21 | Label League-Publicity | 1953 — 1964, n.d. | ||
| 1 | Label League-Union Label Directory | 1947 — 1951 | ||
| 2 | Minutes | 1947 — 1951 | ||
| 3 | Minutes | 1957 — 1963 | ||
| 4 | Minutes | 1951 — 1953 | ||
| 5 | Minutes | 1953 — 1957 | ||
| 6 | Miscellaneous | 1958 — 1966, n.d. | ||
| 7 | News Clippings | 1950 — 1965 | ||
| 8 | Pamphlets | n.d. | ||
| Series IV: Personal | ||||
| 9 | 31st Convention of A.A. of S.E.R.&M.C.E. of A. | 1953 | ||
| 10 | 33rd Convention of A.A. of S.E.R.&M.C.E. of A. | 1955 | ||
| 11 | Membership Cards | 1948 — 1970 | ||
| 12 | Miscellaneous | 1937 — 1969 | ||
| 13 | News Clippings | 1936 — 1983 | ||
| Series V: Publications | ||||
| 14 | AFL — CIO Auxiliaries Publications | 1961 | ||
| 15 | Friends | Oct. 1964—Apr. 1965 | ||
| 16 | In Transit | Feb. 1957-Sep. 1958 | ||
| 17 | In Transit | Oct. 1958-Dec. 1959 | ||
| 18 | In Transit | Jan. 1960-Dec. 1961 | ||
| 19 | In Transit | Jan. 1962-July 1963 | ||
| 20 | In Transit | Aug. 1963-Dec. 1964 | ||
| 21 | In Transit | Feb. 1965-Dec. 1965 | ||
| 22 | Labor’s Monthly Survey | Sept-Oct. 1950 | ||
| 23 | Legislative News | Nov. 1962-Oct.1967 | ||
| 24 | Miscellaneous | 1943-1963 | ||
| 25 | Motorman, Conductor and Motor Coach Operator | Aug. 1939-July 1951 | ||
| 26 | Motorman, Conductor and Motor Coach Operator | Aug. 1951-Sep. 1955 | ||
| 1 | Official News | Jan.1957-Mar. 1964 | ||
| 2 | Official News | June 1964-Apr. 1966 | ||
| 3 | Official News | May 1966-Nov. 1969 | ||
| 4 | Political Memo from COPE | May 1963-Jan. 1965 | ||
| Box 6, Oversized | ||||
| 1 | Local 691: Miscellaneous | 1956 | ||
| 2 | 691-Auxiliary: Conventions — International Auxiliary | |||
| 3 | JCWA: Label League — Publicity | 1963, n.d. | ||
| 4 | Personal: Miscellaneous | 1936 | ||
| 5 | Publications: AFL-CIO Auxiliaries Reporter | 1958-1960 | ||
| 6 | Publications: In Transit | Apr. 1966- Feb. 1969 | ||
| Box 7, Oversized | ||||
Series II: 691-Auxiliary Four scrapbooks compiled by the auxiliary |
ca.1941-1965 | |||