Van Winkle, Julian Proctor, Jr. (1914-1981) Papers
Collection held by the Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky
Creator: Van Winkle, Julian Proctor, Jr., 1914-1981
Title: Papers, 1941-1949
Rights: In copyright – non-commercial use permitted. For more information regarding literary and copyright interest for this collection, contact the Collections Department at gro.lacirotsihnoslif@hcraeser.
Size of Collection: 0.53 cu. ft. and 1 wrapped vol.
Location Number: Mss. A V217d
Finding aid created by: Lynn Pohl
Date finding aid created: 30 July 2026
Date finding aid last updated: 30 July 2026
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of the World War II journals, scrapbooks, and other papers of Julian Proctor Van Winkle Jr. of Louisville, Kentucky. The scrapbooks include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and military newsletters. Julian served in the Pacific Theater as a U.S. Army captain, leading Company A of the 44th Tank Battalion. He was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery and leadership during the Philippines campaign. Materials document his military service as well as his involvement with Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company while he was in the Army.
Folders 1-2 hold Julian’s daily journals from January 1944-May 1945. He writes about being stationed at Camp Barkeley in Texas, traveling with his company to the Northwest and across the Pacific Ocean to New Guinea, fighting in the Philippines campaign on Leyte Island, getting injured in a battle at Breakneck Ridge, and being evacuated to New Guinea for surgery. In entries from February-March 1945, he writes about traveling back to the Philippines to rejoin his company in the liberation of Manila and the freeing of Allied prisoners.
Folder 3 holds a Japanese military map of Tarlac, Philippines. A handwritten inscription claims Julian found the map on Leyte Island.
Folders 4-7 hold the pages of a deconstructed scrapbook, which includes correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and military records and newsletters from 1941-1949. In much of the correspondence, Julian writes to his father, Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr., about wartime events and distillery business matters. There are also letters dated 1941-1943 from Roger C. Newberry, who died in early 1943 during his military service in North Africa. Miscellaneous papers, photographs, and newspaper clippings in the scrapbook relate to Van Winkle family members, Julian’s military service, and other events during World War II. Processing note: Because correspondence and other materials in this scrapbook were falling off the pages, a processing archivist dismantled the post-bound album, transferred the pages and loose materials to archival folders, and kept them in the donor’s original order.
Volume 8 is a scrapbook documenting Julian’s time serving in the Pacific Theater from March 1944-May 1945. There are handwritten accounts copied from Julian’s letters that accompany photographs with captions about the people and places pictured, ephemera, newspaper clippings, and military records and newsletters.
Related collections:
Van Winkle family films, ca. 1934-1935, 1947-1952, 2 MP4s [Mss. A V285].
Residence for Mr. & Mrs. Julian Van Winkle Jr., Louisville, Ky., 1953, in Nevin & Morgan Architects Collection, 1921-1970, 2003 [Mss. AR N526a / roll 25].
Photograph of the Van Winkle family [PC22.0003].
Biographical Note
Julian Van Winkle Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on 3 February 1914 to Katie Smith Van Winkle and Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle. In 1932, Julian Jr. began working at W.L. Weller and Sons, where his father was president. In 1935, W.L. Weller and Sons merged with the Stitzel Distillery to become Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company. Julian Sr. served as the new company’s president. After graduating from Princeton in 1937, Julian Jr. became the treasurer of Stitzel-Weller, which was booming due to the popularity of its Old Fitzgerald and W.L. Weller brands.
In August 1940, Julian Jr. married Kate Hardy (1915-1997), and they lived in the Indian Hills neighborhood of Louisville. The couple had three children: Sarah Van Winkle Campbell, Katherine Van Winkle Terry, and Julian Van Winkle III.
In 1941, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Julian volunteered for the United States Army. In February 1942, he reported for in-processing in the Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky, after which he spent several months at Camp Campbell for training. In 1943, following officer instruction school, he was placed in Command of Company D, 44th Armored Regiment, a National Guard unit that had been attached to the 12th Armored Division “Hellcats” in preparation for combat. After Van Winkle led his men through basic training, the unit was transferred to Tennessee for a final exercise and reflagged the 44th Tank Battalion. Van Winkle was promoted to captain and assumed command of Company A. In the winter of 1943, the 44th Tank Battalion moved to Camp Barkeley, Texas, for several months of grueling exercises, and in March 1944 it was transported by rail to Portland, Oregon. While the rest of the 12th Armored Division deployed to the Atlantic Theater, the 44th was placed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ross and deployed to the Pacific Theater. On March 22, it left for New Guinea aboard the U.S. Army Transport Kota Baroe.
About fifty days later on May 12, the 44th Tank Battalion landed at Milne Bay in southeastern Papua New Guinea. The assault on Leyte in the Philippines began on 17 October 1944. The four-day naval battle in Leyte Gulf was the largest of World War II. On October 20, Julian’s tank company landed on Leyte Island. As Company A hit the beach on Leyte, ships offshore pounded enemy positions. From the first day it was grim, savage combat, often hand to hand, up and down slick, muddy ravines and rainswept valleys.
On November 11, during the battle of Breakneck Ridge in the Philippines, Julian was shot by a sniper in his hand. Julian was later evacuated to New Guinea, where he underwent several surgeries and remained hospitalized through January 1945. In late January and early February, he made his way back to his company first by catching a plane from New Guinea to the Philippines, then hitchhiking to his men on the Island of Luzon as General MacArthur was making his assault on Manila. For his wounds and heroic actions, Julian received the Purple Heart and Silver Star.
In late 1945, Van Winkle returned home and rejoined his father at Stitzel-Weller as its vice president. Upon the retirement of his father in 1964, Julian became president of Stitzel-Weller until it was sold in 1972.
Sources:
https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/v-julian-van-winkle-jr
https://www.historynet.com/war-stories-bourbon-man-breakneck-ridge/
Folder/Item/Box List
Box 1
Folder 1: Journal, Jan.-Dec. 1944
Folder 2: Journal, Jan.-May 1945
Box 2
Folder 3: Japanese military map of Tarlac, Philippines, ca. 1942-1944
Folder 4: Deconstructed scrapbook (1 of 4), 1941-1949
Folder 5: Deconstructed scrapbook (2 of 4), 1941-1949
Folder 6: Deconstructed scrapbook (3 of 4), 1941-1949
Folder 7: Deconstructed scrapbook (4 of 4), 1941-1949
Wrapped
Volume 8: Scrapbook, March 1944-May 1945
Subject Headings
For details on how the below subjects appear in this collection, search the subject in the manuscript database at https://filsonhistorical.org/collections/manuscript-database/.
Newberry, Roger C., 1916-1943.
Race relations.
Stitzel-Weller Distillery (Shively, Ky.)
United States. Army.
Van Winkle, Julian Proctor, 1874-1965.
Whiskey industry – Kentucky.
World War, 1939-1945 – Philippines.