Armand Putz Family Collection

GOGA 37169

Golden Gate National Recreation Area
ATTN: Park Archives and Records Center
Building 201, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
[Mailing Address]	Park Archives and Records Center
Presidio of San Francisco
Building 667 McDowell Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94129
[Physical Address]	

www.go.nps.gov/gogacollections

Phone: 415-561-2807
Fax: 415-441-1618

 

Introduction

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Park Description

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), a unit of the National Park Service, was established by an Act of Congress on October 27, 1972. The 80,000-acre park encompasses a great diversity of cultural and natural resources in and around the Bay Area of San Francisco, California.  It includes Muir Woods National Monument and Fort Point National Historic Site.

The park holds almost five million three-dimensional and documentary artifacts dating from the time before European contact to the present.  They are preserved and maintained for the public by the Division of Cultural Resources and Museum Management, which includes the Park Archives and Records Center (PARC). 

Park Archives and Records Center

Historical Note

GGNRA and the sites within it have been collecting records since their inception. The PARC was established in 1994 to receive records and archival collections from the U.S. Army and the Presidio Army Museum after the closure of the Presidio of San Francisco as an Army base. The collections continue to grow through the donation of materials by private individuals, transfer of inactive park records by staff, and acquisition of relevant documentary materials.

Scope of Collections

The archival collections in the custody of the GGNRA document the history and activity of the various sites and groups associated with the park, described in the park’s Scope of Collection Statement (2009). 

The PARC contains U.S. Army and National Park Service facility records for the Presidio of San Francisco, forts and coast defense sites in the area, and various GGNRA sites.  Subjects and sites documented include the United States Army (Bear Flag Revolt, Civil War, Spanish-American War, Mexican War, World War I, Army Air Service, Coast Artillery, Army medical facilities and issues, World War II, Army support during natural disasters, Viet Nam War, and Operation Desert Storm); Alcatraz Island (Army fortress, Army Disciplinary Barracks, U.S. Penitentiary, and Indian Occupation); the natural resources conservation movement resulting in the establishment of Muir Woods National Monument; agriculture in the Marin Headlands; Point Reyes Peninsula and Bolinas Lagoon areas; U.S. Lifesaving/Coast Guard Services; San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906; Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915; natural resources and environmental issues; and preservation of open space in the Bay Area.  Also included in the PARC are many of the GGNRA administrative records that document the development and expansion of this park.
Visiting the PARC for Research

The PARC is located in an historic brick building, formerly a cavalry stable, on the Presidio of San Francisco.  Collections and archives support services are available for walk-in research during open hours or by appointment.  Please contact the PARC (see below) for the current schedule of reference hours.

Copy Services 

Black and white photocopy services for standard and oversize materials are available on-site.  Color photocopying, photographic duplication, and duplication of other media are available by special arrangement.  Researchers are charged for all duplicates on a cost-recovery basis.

Rights and Publications

Copies are provided under the Fair Use provisions of the Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.).  Researchers must complete a Permission to Publish Contract form with the Park Archivist for any other intended use of these materials (such as publication or exhibit).  Researchers should consult with staff regarding their needs for commercial or public use of materials.  

Legal Status of Holdings

Many holdings of the PARC were acquired/transferred prior to the establishment of the archives program, and have little documentation on their provenance (source/chain of custody).  All materials received after 1994 have been accessioned and documented.  If provenance cannot be determined, the PARC assumes that it owns the property rights, but does not own the copyright. Staff will provide assistance, but it is the responsibility of the researcher to acquire permission from the copyright holder to cite, quote, or reproduce collection materials.

Collections developed by or for government organizations or operations are in the public domain and may be used, cited, and quoted without restriction, provided they are properly credited to the PARC.  The archives contain no national security classified materials.

Donations to the Collections

The PARC welcomes donations of a variety of historic materials that meet the criteria in the Scope of Collections Statement and do not duplicate existing holdings. Collections are maintained for research use in perpetuity; there is no guarantee that items will be exhibited.  If you own materials that may be relevant to the themes of GGNRA and would like to deposit them in the PARC, please consult with an archivist.

How to Use This Finding Aid

This document contains information on the contents and significance of an archival collection.  It includes descriptive information; repository information; collection history; biographical or historical information on creators of the collection; and a container or folder list of everything in the collection.  After reviewing the finding aid, please discuss your specific needs with the archivist who will locate and retrieve the relevant materials. 

How to Use the Collections

Please follow all rules and regulations regarding research, the use of the research facility, and the handling of collection materials. This will protect the collections so they continue to be available for generations to come. If anything appears to be out of order or damaged, please notify a staff member.

Contacts

For additional information on the use of archival collections at GGNRA, please contact the Park Archives and Records Center: 

	Mailing Address: 
	National Park Service					
	Golden Gate National Recreation Area
	Attn:  Park Archives and Records Center		
	Fort Mason, Bldg. 201
	San Francisco, CA  94123

	Physical Address:
		Park Archives and Records Center
		Presidio of San Francisco
Building 667 McDowell Avenue
		San Francisco, CA 94129
		Phone:	(415) 561-2807
		Fax: (415) 441-1618

Armand Putz Family Collection

Scope and Content

Title 
Armand Putz Family Collection 

Dates
Inclusive: 	1880-1945
	Bulk:		1898-1925

Collection Number 
Catalog Number GOGA 37169 (Accession Number GOGA-3636)

Volume
1.45 LF
	2 document boxes, 2 oversize, and 1 oversize folder

Provenance 
The Armand Putz Family Collection was donated by Susan Thomas, granddaughter of Armand Putz who was the bandmaster of the Third Artillery Corps band at the Presidio of San Francisco from turn of the early 1900s until 1925.

Description
The collection depicts the musical history of Armand Putz, Third Artillery Bandmaster at the Presidio of San Francisco from 1900s to 1925, his musical performance career with the United States Army, and materials representing his descendants. The collection is comprised of photographs, original music scores, published music, books, war ration books, journals, newspapers, and a scrapbook that has many articles written about Armand Putz’s musical and personal career.

History
Armand Putz was born in the south of France at an unknown date. Armand was an exquisite cornet soloist, a master trumpeter, and a competitive fencer. He arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1884, joining the United State Army as a cornet player. Putz moved to Dallas, Texas in 1887 where he was appointed Chief of his musical society and Bandmaster of the Third Regiment National Guard. In 1889, Armand went to live in New York where he obtained great success in the Regiment’s band at the Sea Beach Palace of Coney Island, a whimsical amusement park and resort where he directed music for four seasons. In 1896, Armand’s band joined Captain Paul Boyton’s Aquatic Traveling Circus and the following year his music was chosen for concerts at Lagoon Island, a resort on the shore of the Hudson River in New York. Perhaps his most famous and significant direction was for the Third Artillery Band at the Presidio of San Francisco beginning in the early 1900s. The twenty five plus member band played around the Bay Area and California including the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, and Piedmont Park, Oakland, California. The band performed in competitions and schools around California. Although Armand was serving for the United States Army, he was widely admired back in his birth country of France as a member of the Society of Beautiful Arts of France as well as his efforts on behalf of French residents in San Francisco during the great fire and earthquake of 1906. Armand was an active member in the Bay Area community as the instructor of the Loyal Sons’ Band No. 1 of Oakland, Noble Putz of the Islam Temple Shriner’s band in San Francisco, member of the Masonic Golden Gate Lodge No. 30 in San Francisco, and bandmaster of the Petaluma Municipal Band. Armand married Edythe S. McGuire, New York socialite, in the Presidio Chapel on May 8, 1910. They had two children together, Jean and Harriet. Armand retired in 1925 and resided in Santa Cruz, California until his death in1936. He is buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio of San Francisco.  

Preferred Citation 
“Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, Armand Putz Family Collection, GOGA 37169”

Index
	Bandmasters—United States
	Berkeley (Calif.)
	Boyton, Paul, 1848-1924
	Circus Bands
	Concerts 
	Fencings
	France
	McGuire, Edythe S. 	
	Music		
	New York	
	Oakland (Calif.)
	Presidio of San Francisco (San Francisco, Calif.)	
	Putz, Armand
	Putz, Jean A. 
	Santa Cruz (Calif.)
	San Francisco (Calif.)	
	Third Artillery Band	
	United States Army

Formats 
	Articles
	Newspapers
	Photographs
	Ration books 
	Song-books

Processing Information 
Processed by Terryn Liljedahl 
	Completed in September 2015
Series Description
The Armand Putz Family Collection is made of two Series. The first series focuses on the musical career of Armand Putz including his military service. Series two contains later materials collected by later family members which relate to their WWII experience. 

Series I: Armand Putz, 1880-1936
		 
Arrangement:	Thematic and material 
Formats: 	Articles
		Journals
		Music books
		Music—Scores
		Newspapers
		Photographs
		Scrapbooks
Description:	News articles, photographs, a journal, a scrapbook of Armand Putz’s musical success throughout the United States and mainly within the Bay Area from 1880 until his death 1936, his hand written music, and published musical works. This series is divided into three sub-series. Oversize materials have been separated and housed according to size.		
Subseries A:	Personal Papers
This subseries consists of newspapers, a handwritten journal dated 1880-1892, small musical books on trumpets, cornets, a music dictionary, and a scrapbook with news clippings of Armand with concert reviews, stories of his fencing career, travel, news of the 3rd artillery band, letters, his marriage, his retirement, membership card with the Masonic temple, Elks Lodge, and Shriners, and even news from his home back in France
		Subseries B:	Photographs
Nine images of Armand fencing, Armand with his band in a parade (possibly in San Francisco), Armand in his later years, portraits of Armand in his uniform, and a portrait of an instrument maker, Col. C. G. Conn.
		Subseries C:	Music
Comprised of Armand’s hand written oversized music books (one of the books has musical writings from his son, Jean A. Putz in it as well but the majority of the oversize handwritten music books were written by Armand), and published musical works of Armand like “Welcome to California”  “The Presidio Waltz”, and “Come on to Treasure Island”, a piece that him and his son created. This subseries is organized by individual musical pieces that were written by Armand first then pieces that were written by him and his son

Series II: The Putz Family, 1940-1960 [?]	

Arrangement:	Format
Formats: 	Music book 
		Newspaper
		Photographs
		Poster
		Ration books
		Paper
Description:	Materials related to the descendants of Armand Putz. This series contains photographs, music, World War II ration books, a poster, and an Oakland Tribune newspaper from 1945. Oversize materials have been separated and house according to size.

Box and Folder List

Collection Title:	Armand Putz Family Collection
Collection Number:	GOGA 37169

Box #	Folder #	Description	
		Series 1: Armand Putz, 1880-1936	
		Subseries A: Personal Papers	
1	1	Handwritten journal of Armand Putz, dated 1880 to 1892 (language in French)	
1	2	“Trumpeter’s Hand Book and Instructor” by William S. Littleton, 1902	
1	2	“Complete Instructive Manual for Bugle, Trumpet, and Drum” by V.F. Safanek, 1918 	
1	2	“Music Lover’s Handbook” The University Society, New York, 1911	
1	3	“The Service Song Book” Prepared for the Men of the Army and Navy by the International Committee of Young Men’s Christian Associations, 7th Edition, 1917	
1	3	“Essentials of Music Theory, Elementary” by Carl E. Gardner, 1912	
1	3	“Novallo’s Music Primers and Educational Series, Harmony” by John Strainer, 1898	
1	3	“The Fundamentals of Music” by Karl W. Gehrkens, 1924	
1	4	“The Technic of Baton” by Albert Stoessel, 1920 	
1	4	“Répertoire de Morceaux d’ Ensemble pour Franfares et Harmonies,” 1907	
1	4	French News Article	
1	5	Scrapbook 1 of 7: newspaper cutouts of Armand’s musical success and fencing career	
1	6	Scrapbook 2 of 7: newspaper cutouts of Armand’s performances with artillery bands on the East Coast and West Coast 	
1	7	Scrapbook 3 of 7: newspaper cutouts of Armand’s marriage announcements, concerts, and membership cards for Free and Accepted Masons of California, Islam Temple, and Ancient Egyptian Order of Scioty	
1	8	Scrapbook 4 of 7: newspaper cutouts on news of Armand, concert programs, and music sheets	
2	1	Scrapbook 5 of 7: newspaper cutouts of Armand’s band news, programs, a letter to Armand, and one newspaper 	
2	2	Scrapbook 6 of 7: newspaper cutouts of Armand’s band news, concert reviews, letters, and a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, United States of America vs. Virgil A. Ranes No.6332	
2	3	Scrapbook 7 of 7: newspaper cutouts of Armand’s musical career in California, dog ownership, concert programs, letters, and Edison Diamond Disc Records advertisement 	
O.S. Folder	1/1	French Newspaper, 1879	
		Subseries B: Photographs	
2	4	One [1] photograph of Armand and competitor in a field with fencing attire on	
2	4	One [1] photographs of Armand and competitor in a field fencing	
2	4	Three [3] photographs of Armand and competitor in a field fencing with masks on	
2	4	One [1] photograph of Army band marching in the streets of San Francisco on Kearny street 	
2	4	One [1] photograph of Armand Putz in his older years, on back says “Grandfather Putz”	
2	4	One [1] photograph of Armand on his birthday, August 16th 	
2	4	One [1] photograph of Armand in a yard dressed in a suit and hat 	
2	4	Two [2] portraits of Armand in Bandmaster Uniform (acid free paper photocopy)	
2	4	Three [3] images of a young boy, possibly Armand Jr., in band uniform (acid free paper photocopy)	
2	4	One [1] image of Armand and boy in Band Uniforms (acid free paper photocopy)	
2	4	One [1] image of collage with Mrs. Putz, Armand, a death announcement, and image of Armand with his band (acid free paper photocopy)	
2	4	Two [2] images of Armand in Band Uniform, one he is holding a gun and the other is a portrait (acid free paper photocopy)	
3 
O.S. 20x24	1	One [1] photographic portrait of Col. Conn, signed, July 31, 1913	
		Subseries C: Music 	
3 
O.S. 20x24	2	“On to Treasure Island” by Armand Putz and Armand Putz, Jr.	
3 
O.S. 20x24	2	“Fort Winfield Scott March” by Armand Putz	
3 
O.S. 20x24	2	“Polka” by Armand Putz	
3 
O.S. 20x24	2	“Welcome to California” by Armand Putz	
3
 O.S. 20x24	3	“The Presidio Waltzes” by Armand Putz	
3 
O.S. 20x24	3	Blank music scores, various lyrics, music notes, and songs (not written by Armand)	
4 
O.S. 13x18		One [1] original songbook with handwritten music and notes of “The Presidio Waltzes” by Armand Putz	
		Series II: The Putz Family, 1940- 1960 [?]	
2	5	One [1] photograph of Jean A. Putz and Harriet Marie Putz, 1955	
2	5	One [1] photograph of unknown Putz relative 	
2	5	One [1] photograph of unknown Putz relatives 	
2	5	Six [6] World War II ration books issued to Jean Armand Putz and June Pauline Putz (Wife)	
2	5	“Elson’s Pocket Music Dictionary” by Louis C. Elison, 1909 [stamped, Property of Jean Putz]	
2	5	One [1] hand drawing of a record flute box 	
2	5	One [1] piece of paper with the title “Transport Repair, J.A. Putz”	
2	5	One [1] service craftsman examination with cover letter to Jean A. Putz	
O.S. Folder 1	1/1	One [1] Presidio Army Museum poster and One [1] Oakland Tribune newspaper dated 1945