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Betty Otto Collection

folders (0.75 linear feet)

(1930 – 1938)

bulk 1936-1938

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier SC2021.017
Creator(s) Bricker, James; Otto, Betty
Acquisition

Purchased by Dr. Beatriz Hardy (Dean of Libraries and Instructional Resources) in 2020 
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding Aid written by Kate Harris, September 2021
Related Materials None
Separated Materials See Nabb Center Staff
Abstract

The Betty Otto Collection contains correspondence between Betty Otto and James Bricker, a young, American couple from 1930 to 1938. The bulk of the letters are written from 1936 to 1938 and cover topics such as daily life, wedding plans, work life and social life.

Biographical History

James Bricker was born in 1910 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and died in 1970 at the age of 59. He was married to Elizabeth Jane "Betty" Otto and they lived in Narberth, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. Betty Otto was born in 1910 in Pennsylvania and died in 1987 at the age of 77.

 

James Bricker - Find a Grave

Elizabeth Otto Bricker - Find a Grave

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the Betty Otto Collection consists of letters to Betty Otto in Narberth, Pennsylvania from her fiance, James "Jimmie" Bricker at his job site in Chicago, Illinois. Bricker wrote mainly from the Harrison Hotel in Chicago where he stayed while installing an air conditioning system at Chicago's Palmer House. Bricker was employed by the Philadelphia firm, Charles S. Leopold as an air conditioning engineer. Bricker's letters to Otto detail his working life, long hours and his colleagues. He frequently discusses future plans for their marriage and eventual purchase of a house, a 1937 letter includes a hand drawn floor plan detailing his plans for their future house. A 1938 letter summarizes the cost of their intended honeymoon. Bricker sends money home to Otto to deposit in savings for their future life together and often discusses his concerns about losing his job in a difficult time. The collection also contains a small number of letters to James Bricker from Betty Otto. In these letters she shares news of her family, education and social life. A number of letters to Betty from her parents and friends round out the picture of life in the 1930's.

Arrangement Statement See Nabb Center Staff

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • Engineering
    • Personal correspondence
    • Social Life and Customs
    • The Great Depression
  • Location Terms
    • Chicago (Il.)
    • Pennsylvania

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

Box 1

  1. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, undated - 1936
  2. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, Jan-April 1937
  3. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, May-August 1937
  4. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, Sept-December 1937
  5. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, Jan-March 1938
  6. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, April-July 1938
  7. Letters to Betty Otto from James Bricker, July 1938

Box 2

  1. Letters to James Bricker from Betty Otto, 1937-1938
  2. Letters to James Bricker from Betty Otto, undated
  3. Letters to Betty Otto, Misc., 1930-1937
  4. Letters to Betty Otto from her mother and father, 1930

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

None