Finding aid published in 2018. Copyright Historical Society of Plainfield.
Created by Harold Family members
Dates: 1906-1995, with gaps; bulk 1906-1963
Extent: 1 document case, 1 oversized box

Abstract: The Harold Family Papers contains photographs taken by Robert James Harold (Bob) of the Cliff Cook Plainfield High School protest of 1937-1938, materials related to the Bicknell family, Plainfield High School yearbooks and graduation programs, local newspapers, and other ephemera and artifacts concerning the city of Plainfield, New Jersey. The protest photos, as well as other period photos are of special interest to researchers due to their inclusive nature.

Language: English
Repository: Historical Society of Plainfield, Drake House Museum, 602 West Front Street, Plainfield, NJ 07060, 908-755-5831, [email protected], www.drakehouseplainfieldnj.org
Conditions Governing Use: This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction: Copyright restrictions apply. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Harold Family Papers collection of Historical Society of Plainfield, Plainfield, N.J.
Physical Access: The items in this collection may be used by patrons who abide by the guidelines of the Historical Society of Plainfield Archive.
Technical Access: No additional technology is required to use this collection.
Collection Processed by: Debra Schiff, Archivist, in 2014-2017
Finding Aid Author: Debra Schiff, Archivist
Description Control: Description based on DACS.

History:
Catherine Harold, daughter of Robert James Harold (1918-1991) and Mildred Ellen Harper (1921-2014), has periodically donated materials connected with her Plainfield family members. The first donation, in 2014, comprised Plainfield High School newspapers from 1938-1939, photographs from the same time period, newspapers documenting President Kennedy’s assassination, Plainfield High School yearbooks, and childhood drawings. Most recently, Ms. Harold donated in 2017 Plainfield postcards and photographs, and other ephemera.
Catherine has one sister, Patricia Harold Zabriskie. Their maternal grandparents were Samuel B. (1896-1983) and Mary Bicknell Harper (1897-1961), who lived on East Second Street. Samuel was a draftsman in an aircraft factory. Mary’s parents, Ariadne Coddington (1870-1965) and John Gerald Bicknell (1872-1951) lived at 736 and 742 South Avenue. John was a blacksmith in the South Avenue location for many years.
Robert’s parents were Alice Harold (1888-1979) and Herbert J. Harold (1878-1938). Herbert was a musician and later an undertaker. They lived on East Second Street.

Scope and Content:
The Harold Family Papers span 1906-1995, with the bulk of the records from 1906-1963. Of note are a series of large-format photographs taken by Bob Harold during his senior year of high school (1937-1938) in Plainfield. He documented students and others protesting the firing of Coach Clifford W. Cook (Cliff).

Additional items of note include Plainfield High School newspaper The Entrée from 1938-1939. These items were collected by Bob and Mildred Harper (soon to become Bob’s wife and take his last name) during their senior years of high school. Other materials in the collection include the donor’s maternal aunt’s certificate of unexposure to polio.  

Organization and Arrangement:
The collection is divided into 7 series: 1. Visual Materials, 2. Works on Paper, 3. Certificates, 4. Ephemera, 5. Newspapers, 6. Yearbooks, 7. Publications, and 8. Artifacts. Within the series, it arranged by date and alphabetically.

Related Collections: Ephemera Collection, Plainfield High School section

Index Terms:
Corporate Names/Organizations:
Courier-News
First Presbyterian Church
Plainfield High School
Tepper’s Department Store
White’s Dry & Fancy Goods
Subjects:
Polio
Protest movements
People:
Bicknell, Florence B.
Cook, Clifford W.
Harold, Mildred H.
Harold, Robert J.
Places:
Plainfield (N.J.)
Genre Terms:
Certificates
Ephemera
Newspapers
Visual materials
Yearbooks

Container List

Box 1, Visual Materials and Newspapers, 1937-1963

Folder Number	Series Name	Folder Title	Date
1	Visual Materials	Plainfield High School Cliff Cook Protest and Dance Photographs	1937-1938
2	Newspapers	Plainfield Courier News clippings	1951-1969, with gaps
3	Newspapers	The Sun	1933
4	Newspapers	The Entrée	1938-1939

 

Box 2, Works on Paper, Certificates, Ephemera, Visual Materials, Yearbooks, Publications, and Artifacts, 1924-1947, with gaps

Folder Number	Series Name	Folder Title	Date
1	Works on Paper	Catherine Harold’s Childhood Artwork	1959, undated
2	Certificates	Florence Bicknell’s Certificates	1916, 1918
3	Ephemera	Advertisements	1925, undated
4	Ephemera	Plainfield High School Commencement Programs	1938, 1938
5	Ephemera	Plainfield High School Class of 1938 Reunion	1958, 1978
6	Ephemera	Programs	1946-1995, with gaps
7	Visual Materials	Postcards	1906-1912, undated
8	Yearbooks	Plainfield High School	1938-1939
9	Publications	First Presbyterian Church	1952
10	Publications	This is North Plainfield	1978
11	Artifacts	Tepper’s Shoe Horn	Undated