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Voldemar Veedam papers

 Collection
Identifier: IHRC3601

Abstract

Personal papers; manuscripts of memoiristic books an plays; notes about Estonian refugee ships in 1940´s; notebooks; correspondence; newspaper clippings and photocopies of articles; 9 audio tapes of interviews with Estonians who sailed to USA on refugee ships in 1940´s [?]; prinet matter, incl. "Erma mersõit"="The Cuise of the Erma" by V. Veedam (Augsburg-Haochfeld 1947) The collection was arranged in 1997 by Mercia Braun-David

Dates

  • Creation: 1947-1973

Language of Materials

Estonian, English, German, Russian, Finnish

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS

Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.

OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Voldemar Veedam was born on 06.11.1912 in Tallinn, Estonia and died on 02.03.1983 in Washington, USA. He studied: at the Ella Hirsch Music School, at the H.Kubu High School in Tallinn (graduated 1931); 1932-1942 philosophy at the University of Tartu on that time he was working for living as a reporter and musician. He worked: from 1938-1940 in Tallinn House Owners Society as a secretary; 1940-1941 in The People’s Commissariat as a cleric; nationalized garage as assistant accountant; 1942-1943 in the newspaper "Eesti Sõna"="Estonian Word" as reporter and editorial writer. 1943 he fled to Finland and there he was employed by a wholesale store of school materials, on the side he contributed occasional articles about Estonian sport to the "Suomen Urheliulehti"="Finnish Sports Daily". He Studied in 1944 at the University of Helsinki, but lefts Finland before MA. 1944 fled to Sweden, there he worked in the State’s Handicraft Institute as a research worker and he helped to compile a Swedish-Estonian dictionary. 1945 emigrated to USA. He worked as a houseman, gardener, sales clerk, millinery clerk, office clerk, laborer, time checker, painter, florist, cook, janitor, factory worker, violinists and insurance official; 1955-1957 USIA, IBS/RE as a translator-announcer; 1957-1958 USIA, Munich Radio Center as a program editor; 1958-1966 USIA, IBM/PE Estonian Service as a radio information specialist; 1966-1971 Library of Congress in Washington as a subject cataloger-translator, library-technician; 1971-1974 Voice of America Estonian Service as a writer, as a chief of the service. Social activities: Students Society "Raimla"; YMCA. Father: Tõnis (1873-1938) was a carpenter, mother: Marie (1887-1950).

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet

PROVENANCE

Collection transferred to the IHRC from the Estonian Archives in the U.S.A. (EAU) in 2003-2005. It was processed as part of a collaborative project between the Estonian Archives in the USA (Lakewood, New Jersey), the National Archives of Estonia (NAE), and the IHRC in March 2011. Gerli Raadik and Peeter Valjas of the National Archives in Tallinn, Estonia, worked with IHRC staff on the project.

Title
Inventory of the Voldemar Veedam papers.
Author
IHRC Archives
Date
2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding Aid in English

Collecting Area Details

Contact The Immigration History Research Center Archives Collecting Area

Contact:

612-625-4800