Gertrude Margaritte Ivory Bertram collection
Scope and Contents
This World War II collection relates to Gertrude Margaritte Ivory Bertram, an African American nurse who served in the U.S. Army. The collection consists of letters, photographs (depicting herself and her fellow nurses in uniform, as well as African American G.I.s, and a few photographs from her time in West Africa), personal items, books, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and interviews. The materials mainly document Bertram's time at Fort Bragg, NC, but there is some information concerning her life before enlistment, travels during enlistment, and life after enlistment. Most of her enlistment was spent in West Africa and at Fort Bragg, NC. This collection is important, as it covers the unique experiences of women and African Americans during World War II, and offers insight that differs from the majority white male G.I. perspective. It depicts African American nurses in both a professional setting and casual settings as Bertram enjoyed downtime with her friends.
Dates
- 1938-2007
- Other: Majority of material found in 1942
- Other: Date acquired: 10/07/2007
- Other: Date accessioned: 2020-04-22
Creator
- Bertram, Gertrude Margaritte Ivory (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to all researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Biographical or Historical Information
Bertram was born in Clarksville, Georgia, on February 17, 1916. She attended nursing school at the Brewster Hospital and School of Nurse Training in Jacksonville, Florida, which was the first African American hospital in the United States. She then enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 1, 1941 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a ward nurse. While in the Army, Bertram served as a ward nurse in Fort Bragg and later in the West African theater and Louisiana. After the war, she continued to work as a nurse, wrote a book, and raised a family.
Extent
.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement Note
Creator
Custodial History
This collection was donated by Gertrude Margaritte Ivory Bertram. The collection was acquired by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience on October 7, 2007.
Custodial History
Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.
- African American soldiers--Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African American veterans--Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African American women employees Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African American women--Civil rights--History--20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African American women--History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African Americans--Civil rights Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African Americans--Employment Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Fort Bragg (N.C.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military nursing--Europe Subject Source: Local sources
- Military nursing--United States Subject Source: Local sources
- Monrovia (Liberia) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Monrovia (Liberia)--History. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Nurses -- United States -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States -- History, Military -- 20th century -- Sources Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States--Armed Forces--African Americans--History--20th century Subject Source: Local sources
- United States--Armed Forces--Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States--Armed Forces--Nurses--Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States--Race relations--History--20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Army Nurse Corps
- Women--United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Africa Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--African Americans Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Medical care--United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Pictorial works Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Women--United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Gertrude Margaritte Ivory Bertram collection
- Author
- Mallory McGovern
- Date
- April 22, 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the FSU Special Collections & Archives Repository
116 Honors Way
PO Box 3062047
Tallahassee FL 32306-2047 US
850-644-3271
lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu