Julius A. Barr Correspondence and Clippings

The Julius A. Barr Correspondence and Clippings is a small collection consisting primarily of textual materials documenting Barr's professional and personal life from the late 1920s until his death in 1939.

The bulk of the collection consists of letters written by Barr, as well as a few written by his wife Hortense, to his parents residing in Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1926 until 1939. The letters shed light on his military training; his work importing and demonstrating aircraft for the Chinese military; a brief stint with the Boeing Company in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1934; his return to China; and personal matters such as details about his children and his wife, his living situation, cultural impressions of China, and travels around various parts of China, Bali, and Australia. A letter written by his wife Hortense to her in-laws after his death details the 1939 crash of the Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner near Mount Rainier while Barr was serving as a Boeing test pilot and its aftermath. There is also one letter in the collection from Pearl S. Buck to Barr's parents describing benefits of membership to the China Relief Legion.

Several clippings that were collected and saved by Barr's parents mention Barr. They are primarily from American papers, though one from an Amsterdam newspaper is also present. Many of the articles document the 1939 crash of the Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner. Other clippings highlight accolades Barr received and give news on his career. Two business cards for Barr are also present: one for his work representing the Boeing Company and one for his service as an airplane pilot for the Chinese government.

The collection also includes 23 black-and-white photographs. Many are informal portraits of Barr and snapshots of his children. There are a few scenic pictures of places in China, a few images of Barr with colleagues, and two images of Balinese women. Presumably, most of these photographs were prints that Barr sent home to his parents to illustrate his life in China to them. Also present are three panoramic group portraits from Barr's military training at Brooks Field, Texas, including the 1927-1928 class, the graduating flying cadets on August 15, 1927, and the 47th Squadron on November 6, 1926.

Digitized Materials: The correspondence and a selection of the photographs have been digitized from this collection.