Justin Hess (1921-2006) Papers, 1941-1999
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Hess, Justin, 1921-2006
Title: Justin Hess (1921-2006) Papers, 1941-1999
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 1 cu. ft.
Location Number: Mss. A H586
Biographical Note
Justin Hess (1921-2006) was born in Edelfingen, Germany to Bernard Hess (1883-1956) and Meta Adler Hess (1897-1984), a Jewish couple. Due to rising anti-Semitism in Germany, Justin Hess immigrated to the United States with his parents and younger brother, Adolf Hess (ca. 1931-1999). They travelled on the S.S. Manhattan and arrived in New York, NY in 1938. By 1939, Hess was resettled in Louisville, KY. In 1943, Hess enlisted in the U.S. Army and served until he was discharged in 1946.
Hess worked for Universal Roofing and Siding Co. before opening his own roofing business in Louisville, the Justin Hess Roofing Co., which he retired from in the 1980s. His main hobby was stamp collecting and he was a member of the Louisville Stamp Society. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, Hess’s romantic partner, Joan, died by suicide and Hess grieved for many years. In 1980, Hess married Mary Pearl Coots Flener (ca. 1923-2011), a fellow stamp collector.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists mainly of correspondence, both to and from Justin Hess (1921-2006), a Jewish German immigrant to Louisville. The bulk of this collection relates to Hess’s hobby of stamp collecting.
Folder 1, 1941-1981, contains notebooks relating to Hess’s army service during World War II. The two Basic Field Manuals include the Soldier’s Handbook (1941) and the Engineer Soldier’s Handbook (1943). This folder also includes bookkeeping notebooks related to Hess’s roofing business.
Folder 2, 1979-1986, contains correspondence related to the Justin Hess Roofing Co.
Folder 3, 1970-1993, contains letters written in German.
Folder 4, 1979-1999, contains letters related to Keneseth Israel and other synagogues.
Folders 5-14, 1946-1999, contain letters mostly related to Hess’s stamp collection and the buying and selling of stamps. Folders 6-8, 1970-1979, also include several letters related to the death of Joan, Hess’s romantic partner.
Folders 15-16, 1970-1998, contain newsletters of the Louisville Stamp Society.
Folder 17, undated, contains miscellaneous papers including an old life insurance policy, correspondence, and a written argument by Hess arguing that he is not responsible for other people littering his property.
Folder List
Box 1
Folder 1: Army and Work Notebooks, 1941-1981
Folder 2: Roofing Business, 1979-1986
Folder 3: German Letters, 1970-1993
Folder 4: Jewish Organizations/Congregation Keneseth Israel Letters, 1979-1999
Folder 5: Correspondence, 1946-1965
Folder 6: Correspondence, ca. 1970-1971
Folder 7: Correspondence, 1972
Folder 8: Correspondence, 1973-1979
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1980-1984
Folder 10: Correspondence, 1985
Folder 11: Correspondence, 1986
Folder 12: Correspondence, 1987-1989
Folder 13: Correspondence, 1990-1994
Folder 14: Correspondence, 1995-1999
Folder 15: Stamp Chatter Newsletters 1970-1988
Folder 16: Stamp Chatter Newsletters 1993-1998
Folder 17: Miscellaneous, undated
Subject Headings
Business enterprises – Kentucky – Louisville.
Emigration and immigration.
Germany.
Grief.
Jewish businesspeople – Kentucky – Louisville.
Jews – Kentucky – Louisville.
Roofing.
Stamp collecting.
Stamp collectors.
Suicide.
United States. Army.
World War, 1939-1945.
