Peter Carroll Papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Peter Carroll (1943-2024) was an author, historian, educator, and co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. The Peter Carroll Papers (1930-2024) include documents created and collected by Peter Carroll, including administrative documents related to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) and Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) organizations; written works and research files on individual veterans, as well as subjects related to the Spanish Civil War and the U.S. government's treatment of soldiers; and oral history recordings and transcripts.
Biographical Note
Peter Carroll (1943-2024) was an author, historian, educator, and co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. Starting in the mid-1970s, Carroll developed relationships with several members of the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB). He was deeply involved with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) since the organization's creation in the late 1970s, serving as chair of the Board of Governors from 1994-2010 and 2018-2020, and on the Executive Committee. He also served as co-editor of The Volunteer, co-curated several exhibits, and taught workshops on the Spanish Civil War to educators and students. Carroll conducted extensive research with members of VALB and worked to preserve their stories. Alongside his work with ALBA, he also chaired the Advisory Committee of the Puffin Foundation and advised on the Activist Gallery of the Museum of the City of New York.
Carroll authored and edited more than 20 books, including The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the Spanish Civil War (1994) and They Still Draw Pictures: Children's Art in Wartime from the Spanish Civil War to Kosovo (2002), co-authored with Anthony L. Geist. He also frequently wrote newspaper articles on subjects related to the Spanish Civil War and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
Sources:
Faber, Sebastiaan. "In Memoriam: Peter Neil Carroll (1943-2024)." The Volunteer, Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, 18 Sept. 2024, albavolunteer.org/2024/09/peter-neil-carroll-1943-2024/.
Arrangement
The records are arranged in three series, with one further arranged in subseries. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows:
Series I. Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives Administrative Files, arranged chronologically;
Series II. Spanish Civil War Research Files;
Series II.A Written Works, arranged alphabetically;
Series II.B Research Files, arranged alphabetically;
Series III. Oral History Interviews, arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
The Peter Carroll Papers (1930-2024) include documents created and collected by Peter Carroll. The collection is comprised of administrative records of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) and Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) organizations, as well as Carroll's personal research files on the Spanish Civil War.
Administrative documents of ALBA in this collection include notes and agendas from the Board of Governors and Executive Committee, financial documents, event ephemera and planning files, recordings of events, issues of their journal The Volunteer (and of its predecessor, The Volunteer for Liberty), teaching materials on the Spanish Civil War, documentation of archival acquisitions, and files of the Bay Area chapter. This collection also includes VALB files, such as event ephemera and project documentation. Events represented in this collection include anniversary dinners and gatherings from 1976-2002, Spanish Civil War anniversary commemoration gatherings and ceremonies, monument dedication ceremonies, memorial services, film screenings, book talks, and exhibitions.
Carroll's research files on the Spanish Civil War include written works by himself and other authors, notes and primary sources used in the writing of his book The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the Spanish Civil War (1994), notes and documents collected on individual veterans and subjects, and oral history recordings and transcripts. Subjects that Carroll collected materials on include court proceedings related to the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and the Subversive Activities Control Act (SACA), discrimination faced by American soldiers, discrimination by the American government of ALB veterans, and deserters of the International Brigades. His research files also include document scans with accompanying notes and correspondence from Special Collections in Moscow, documents requested from the FBI via the Freedom of Information Act, and audiovisual recordings on the Spanish Civil War collected by Carroll.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from Series III, Oral History Interviews. Materials in this series are for use in the reading room only.
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Peter N. Carroll over audiovisual materials in the collection were relinquished and transferred to the public domain in February 2017 by Peter N. Carroll. These materials are governed by a Creative Commons CC0 license, which permits publication and reproduction of materials accompanied by full attribution. See, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Preferred Citation
Suggested format for citing materials in a collection:
Identification of item, date; Peter Carroll Papers; ALBA 281; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Peter N. Carroll in 2011, 2018, December 2021, and June 2024, and by Peter Carroll's children in January 2025. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2011.021, 2018.132, 2021.092, 2024.037, and 2025.016.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted. An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact NYU Special Collections (special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596) with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Appraisal
In 2026 during processing, 1 linear foot of publications, duplicate materials, and student work were deaccesioned; 25 commercial video recordings and 2 commercial audio recordings were deaccessioned; and 18 commercial, duplicate, or corrupted born-digital carriers were deaccessioned.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processing decisions made prior to 2018 have not been recorded. At the time of accessioning, materials associated with Accession number 2018.132 were rehoused in acid-free folders and archival boxes. Born-digital items were separated from the material, boxed, labeled, and inventoried.
In 2024, an accretion of research materials and writings were rehoused in archival boxes, maintaining original order and retaining original folders, except in the case of loose materials. These materials were added to the collection's inventory.
In September 2026, this collection was arranged and described by an archivist. Paper materials were placed in acid-free folders in manuscript boxes, oversized materials were foldered and housed appropriately according to their size, and rusty paperclips and staples were removed. Audiovisual materials were placed in format-appropriate housing. Paper, audiovisual, and born-digital materials were arranged intellectually and their description was integrated.
In 2026, born-digital carriers containing data were forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged in Forensic Toolkit. The born-digital audio and video recordings were arranged separately in directories on locally-mounted networked storage and intellectually integrated into appropriate series. New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content.
