The material consists of newspaper articles, photographs, pamphlets, souvenirs, and newsletters on Hamilton's reign as Queen of the Hoboes as well as a brief history of the Hoboes of America Organization from 1908 1987. Among such items are newspaper articles on Garnette Hamilton herself, Hoboes of America's motto, accomplishments, responsibilities, requirements for admission, and the meaning of the word hobo. This last point was very important to Hamilton and the Organization. In almost every article, Mrs. Hamilton stressed the difference between the words hobo, tramp, and bum. These words do not mean the same thing and Mrs. Hamilton wanted to make sure the public was informed of these differences. The photographs concentrated on Hamilton and the Hoboes of America's annual conventions. Also included are stubs and souvenirs of past conventions. The newsletters contain poetry written by hoboes, letters to the editor (Hamilton), and personal notes on various members. Each newsletter was dedicated to a different hobo member.
Biographical/Historical note:
Garnette Olive Hamilton was crowned Queen of the Hoboes for life in 1957. Her official title is "Queen of the Knights of the Road, Air and Seven Seas Inc." In 1955 her nephew joined the Hoboes of America Organization, and her love of travel and interest in this unusual organization soon prompted her to join also. Hamilton became one of the first women to be accepted into the organization.
The Hoboes of America Organization was formed in 1908 by Jeff Davis. The organization's purpose was to act as an non profit service group to aid local charities as well as to encourage runaways to return home. In 1957, Hamilton's good deeds for others in need, as well as her friendliness, earned her the title of Queen of the Hoboes for Life in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles, as well as Empress of India. She gave many interviews as Queen of the Hoboes and appeared on Jack Linkletter's Show in 1959. Hamil¬ton has been the editor and publisher of the Hobo Newsletter for the last sev¬en years and remains Queen of the Hoboes (1988).
The items shown here are from a collection of hobo documents and memora¬bilia donated by Garnette Olive Hamilton.
Provenance:
The Hamilton Papers were received from Mrs. Garnette O. Hamilton of Canton, Ohio in August, 1987. An additional notebook of Hobo poetry was received from its compiler, Ms. Rose Marie Jackson, in January, 1989.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation Search this
Extent:
0.8 Cubic feet (1 flat box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Programs
Pamphlets
Travelers' checks
Photographs
School yearbooks
Diplomas
Contracts
Commemoratives
Memorial service booklets
Diaries
Correspondence
Date:
1940-1942
Summary:
Photographs, a Kansas Wesleyan University yearbook (with personal messages and inscriptions), diplomas, correspondence regarding Torrence's disappearance, newspaper clippings, his memorial service booklet or program, and a diary which he kept during a week-long adventure as a "hobo" in Kansas.
Scope and Contents:
This small collection is comprised of several types of material including Vernon's high school and college diplomas, college yearbook with handwritten notes from classmates, photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings about the discovery of his remains, and his memorial service booklet. Of special interest is a 1940 pocket diary containing Vernon's account of a week long adventure as a "hobo" in rural Kansas when he and a friend hopped freight trains, slept in boxcars and a hay stack, washed up in a "jungle," and met other men traveling the rails. In 2000 an attempt was made by the author of this finding aid to obtain additional information about Vernon from the FBI under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts (FOIA). The material obtained focused on the finding of his body and the process of identifying his remains; little information about his days as a conscientious objector was provided. The FOIA material is in this collection's control file.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical / Historical:
Vernon Keith Torrence was born in McCune, Kansas, on November 18, 1921. After graduating from high school in Solomon, Kansas, Vernon entered Kansas Wesleyan University from which he graduated with honors in history in 1942. During his senior year he was the editor of the University's 1942 yearbook, the "Coyote." His pacifist beliefs were in place at least by his senior year as evidenced by the comments fellow students wrote in Vernon's copy of the yearbook. Vernon's father was a Methodist minister who also held anti war sentiments.
In September 1942 Vernon was drafted and joined the Civilian Public Service as a conscientious objector. His alternative service took him to Buck Creek, North Carolina, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Markleeville, California, under the auspices of the National Park and Forestry Service. In December 1943 he began work with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, serving in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. In March 1945 he walked out of Conscientious Objector's Camp # 98 in Arizona; two months later he was picked up, arraigned, and released on bond by the U.S. District Court. That fall Vernon received a notice of dismissal of his court case, and he took this to mean that his alternative service was now complete and began working for a construction company in Los Angeles. The government felt otherwise and declared him absent without leave.
In the summer of 1946 Vernon put his savings into American Express Travelers Checks and began hitchhiking to Kansas to visit his family. He never arrived. On August 27, 1956 a ranger found his body in rugged terrain in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, California, where Vernon had apparently fallen while hiking alone. The FBI, which had continued to search for Vernon until 1951, identified the body from the travelers checks. Vernon was buried in Minneapolis, Kansas, on October 13, 1956.
Provenance:
The material in this collection was maintained by Vernon's parents, Ira and Madge Torrence, and his younger sister, Lois Torrence, a fellow student at Kansas Wesleyan University who was devoted to her older brother. Upon their deaths the material was obtained by the remaining sister, Margaret Torrence Donnald, whose husband, Morrill Donnald, donated the material to the Archives Center, NMAH, in January 2000.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Conscientious objectors -- World War, 1939-1945 Search this
