mshm025 Eekhoff papers, 1915-1970 (bulk 1921-1957) Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections

South Hadley, MA

Finding aid generated in MARC format from database, then encoded using Perl scripts and XSL stylesheet. 2003-05-20 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mshm025 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Eekhoff papers, 1915-1970 (bulk 1921-1957) Finding Aid MS 0532 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Eekhoff, Henry, (Henry Isaac George) b. 1879. Eekhoff papers 1915-1970 1921-1957 MS 0532 LD 7096.6 1927 Bigglestone 1 box (2.5 linear in.) Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections

South Hadley, MA

Eekhoff, Henry Isaac George, b.1879; World War I soldier, farmer, merchant, and gold miner. Papers contain letters and photographs concerning his life in Papua New Guinea and Australia during the Japanese invasions of the island during World War II and photographs of his service in World War I. English. Biographical Note

Henry Isaac George Eekhoff was born in 1879 and married Frances Elinor Keyworth in 1902. Doris L. Bigglestone, a 1927 graduate of Mount Holyoke, was his cousin. Eekhoff lived in the South Pacific and had two children, Stanley Gordon and Dorothy. Eekhoff fought for Britain in World War I , and then worked in Lau, Australia where he owned a store and tried gold mining. In 1957, he retired with his wife to Cairns, North Queensland. Frances died in 1964. Henry Eekhoff died in Australia, in his nineties.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Henry Isaac George Eekhoff Papers contain correspondence and photographs sent to relatives, including Dorothy L. Bigglestone Heath, Mount Holyoke College graduate, 1927. The letters chiefly describe Eekhoff's experiences as a farmer and gold miner in Papua New Guinea and Australia, 1921-1957, with most of the letters written from the Matanatar plantation. Eekhoff provides detailed descriptions of the local people, landscape, and agricultural production of the plantation. Of special note with the collection are Eekhoff's comments on the Pacific Theater of World War II, the "Iron Curtain," and the Korean War. Eekhoff talks about United States interest in the Pacific, as well as the development of the space program. Also included are photographs of Eekhoff's World War I service.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

Unrestricted

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Henry Eekhoff Papers, Mount Holyoke College, Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Search Terms Eekhoff, Henry, b. 1879. Heath, Doris L. (Doris Louise), 1905- Bigglestone, Doris L. (class of 1927). Agriculture - Papua New Guinea. Farmers - Papua New Guinea. Gold miners - Papua New Guinea. Merchants - Papua New Guinea. World War, 1914-1918 - Medical care - France. World War, 1939-1945 - Papua New Guinea. Australia - Description and travel. Papua New Guinea - Description and travel. Letters