The Abraham L. Brearcliffe Jr. Collection is comprised of materials collected by Brearcliffe, Jr. during his time at Boeing. Although Brearcliffe worked at Boeing from 1930-1945, the materials in this collection are almost exclusively from the war years (1941-1945).
Series I. Unions is comprised of labor union membership materials, primarily for the Sheet Metal Worker's International Association and the International Association of Machinists, including identification cards and dues receipts. There is also a leather wallet which holds identification cards and receipts from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association.
Series II. World War II consists of a small amount of personal materials related to living on the Home Front during World War II, including ration coupons for sugar, gasoline, and liquor as well as tire inspection records and mileage tickets, selective service cards, and two (2) booklets, including one on how to grow a victory garden and one with air raid instructions. There are also assorted tips for successful supervising and job training. Additionally, there is a 1936 booklet by Benjamin Franklin titled To a Young Man--On How to Choose a Mistress, which was found with the supervising and job training materials. Although unrelated to the rest of the collection, it has been retained to give a clearer picture of Brearcliffe's character and sense of humor.
Series III. Boeing is comprised of materials specifically related to Boeing Aircraft Company employees, including work assignments, a November 1941Manual for Employees, and several booklets, including one that outlines social activities and classes for female workers and one with information on Boeing'sInvention Incentive Plan. There are also two (2) telephone directories; a 1940 report by Walter L. Sundstrom, Report of Foreman Training Conference: Held with the Foreman of the Boeing Aircraft Company, Seattle, Washington; and a small amount of technical drawings and work instructions, including a thin metal sheet which may have been used to measure rivets and two (2) work flow diagrams. Additionally, Brearcliffe's foreman's binder, which includes payroll forms, inter-departmental memos, work orders, staff rosters, and letters to staff members, is also included.
Following the textual materials related to Boeing there are eight (8) black-and-white photographs depicting the Boeing B17F and Boeing B17G Flying Fortress. The aircraft is shown in flight, including in formation, and on the ground. Five (5) of the images include a stamp on the reverse "Official Air Force Photograph, Nov 1944, Army Air Field, Alexandria, LA" while two (2) of the images have the same stamp, except are marked as "Dec 1944". One (1) image has no stamp.
At the end of the collection are seven (7) clippings, mostly from unidentified publications, with topics including Boeing history and the Museum of Flight's acquisition of the Red Barn. Identified publications include The Seattle Times and The News Tribune [Tacoma, Washington]. Some of the clippings were annotated by Brearcliffe, Jr. Additionally, the collection has three (3) issues of Boeing News and two (2) issues ofContact!, a newsletter delivered to aviation workers during World War II, including the February 5, 1942 edition which mentions Brearcliffe, Jr. on the cover page.
Series I. Unions is comprised of labor union membership materials, primarily for the Sheet Metal Worker's International Association and the International Association of Machinists, including identification cards and dues receipts. There is also a leather wallet which holds identification cards and receipts from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association.
Series II. World War II consists of a small amount of personal materials related to living on the Home Front during World War II, including ration coupons for sugar, gasoline, and liquor as well as tire inspection records and mileage tickets, selective service cards, and two (2) booklets, including one on how to grow a victory garden and one with air raid instructions. There are also assorted tips for successful supervising and job training. Additionally, there is a 1936 booklet by Benjamin Franklin titled To a Young Man--On How to Choose a Mistress, which was found with the supervising and job training materials. Although unrelated to the rest of the collection, it has been retained to give a clearer picture of Brearcliffe's character and sense of humor.
Series III. Boeing is comprised of materials specifically related to Boeing Aircraft Company employees, including work assignments, a November 1941Manual for Employees, and several booklets, including one that outlines social activities and classes for female workers and one with information on Boeing'sInvention Incentive Plan. There are also two (2) telephone directories; a 1940 report by Walter L. Sundstrom, Report of Foreman Training Conference: Held with the Foreman of the Boeing Aircraft Company, Seattle, Washington; and a small amount of technical drawings and work instructions, including a thin metal sheet which may have been used to measure rivets and two (2) work flow diagrams. Additionally, Brearcliffe's foreman's binder, which includes payroll forms, inter-departmental memos, work orders, staff rosters, and letters to staff members, is also included.
Following the textual materials related to Boeing there are eight (8) black-and-white photographs depicting the Boeing B17F and Boeing B17G Flying Fortress. The aircraft is shown in flight, including in formation, and on the ground. Five (5) of the images include a stamp on the reverse "Official Air Force Photograph, Nov 1944, Army Air Field, Alexandria, LA" while two (2) of the images have the same stamp, except are marked as "Dec 1944". One (1) image has no stamp.
At the end of the collection are seven (7) clippings, mostly from unidentified publications, with topics including Boeing history and the Museum of Flight's acquisition of the Red Barn. Identified publications include The Seattle Times and The News Tribune [Tacoma, Washington]. Some of the clippings were annotated by Brearcliffe, Jr. Additionally, the collection has three (3) issues of Boeing News and two (2) issues ofContact!, a newsletter delivered to aviation workers during World War II, including the February 5, 1942 edition which mentions Brearcliffe, Jr. on the cover page.
Dates
- 1921-1945, 1967-1970
- Majority of material found within 1941-1945
Creator
- Brearcliffe, Abraham Lincoln, 1899-1984 (Compiler, Person)
Language of Materials
All materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information
contact us.
Conditions Governing Use
The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.
Extent
0.6 Cubic Feet (1 full-width letter size document box and 1 oversized folder)
Abstract
Abraham Lincoln Brearcliffe, Jr. (1899-1984) was born in Washington state and worked for Boeing from 1930-1945. The collection features photographs, clippings and newsletters, foreman's materials, labor union membership books, and assorted ephemera from Brearcliffe's time at Boeing, most of which are almost exclusively from the war years (1941-1945).
Biographical Note: Abraham Lincoln Brearcliffe, Jr.
Abraham Lincoln Brearcliffe, Jr. was born March 12, 1899 in Washington. He was the son of Abraham L. Brearcliffe, a Seattle resident who was an active member of the Socialist Labor Party. Abraham Brearcliffe Jr. worked for Boeing from 1930-1945. Brearcliffe, Jr. worked at Plant II during World War II, primarily on Boeing B-17F Flying Fortresses but likely shifted duties at some point during wartime production.
Brearcliffe, Jr. was a member of the Sheet Metal Workers Union and the International Association of Machinists. He moved out of the city after retiring from Boeing, and died in June 1984 in Puyallup, Washington.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials.
Brearcliffe, Jr. was a member of the Sheet Metal Workers Union and the International Association of Machinists. He moved out of the city after retiring from Boeing, and died in June 1984 in Puyallup, Washington.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Separated Materials
The following items have been separated from the archival component and are kept in Objects storage:
The following materials has been separated from the archival component of this collection and is kept in the Library:
Please contact us for more details.
- Three (3) pins, including a Boeing employee badge and two (2) commemorative pins
The following materials has been separated from the archival component of this collection and is kept in the Library:
- Manuals for Employees. Seattle and Renton, WA: Boeing Aircraft Company, 1941.
- Report of Forman Training Conference, Held with the Boeing Aircraft Company, Seattle, Washington, March 11-April 5, 1940. Olympia, WA: Washington State Board for Vocational Education, 1940.
- General Safety Standards. Olympia, WA: State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries, 1949.
Please contact us for more details.
- Aerospace industries
- Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress
- Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress
- Boeing Company
- Boeing Company -- Employees
- Brearcliffe, Abraham Lincoln, 1899-1984
- Collective labor agreements
- England Air Force Base (La.)
- International Association of Machinists
- Labor unions
- Sheet Metal Workers' International Association
- United States. Army. Air Corps
- Victory gardens
- World War, 1939-1945
- booklets
- clippings (information artifacts)
- directories
- employees' manuals
- newsletters
- newspapers
- photographic prints
- ration coupons
- receipts (financial records)
- technical drawings
Creator
- Brearcliffe, Abraham Lincoln, 1899-1984 (Compiler, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Abraham L. Brearcliffe Collection
- Status
- Completed - Level 3
- Author
- L. Zaborowski, J. Parent
- Date
- 2014
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Edition statement
- 2nd Edition
Revision Statements
- November 2018: This finding aid has been revised to reflect updated DACS and Museum of Flight standards. Finding aid migrated to ArchivesSpace.
- June 2020: Updated related agents.
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
Contact:
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org