Hamilton’s Timely Topics newsletter began in 1943 to keep Hamilton employees in Lancaster and overseas up to date on the latest news from the companies' various departments and the role Hamilton was playing in the war effort. The early issues are filled with a combination of news from the various departments, wedding and birth announcements, stats from the various company sports leagues, articles about the importance of Hamilton to the war effort, news from employees serving overseas, and tips for making the most of one’s victory garden. After the war, Timely Topics continued to report news and stories about the company and its employees’ activities and seems to have ceased publication around 1970. It was revived in 1979 and ran for several years before stopping again and being revived yet again in 1997 as the company’s newsletter.
Timely Topics is an amazing resource for locals who may find themselves or their friends and relatives in the newsletters, as well as genealogists and scholars who may use them for research. The articles and features, like “What Do You Think?” give a peek into the daily lives, interests, and values of former Hamilton employees. As the introductory editorial says in May of 1943, “You are a slice of the real America our boys are fighting for. You—your families—your homes—your jobs—your fun—your plans—your dreams—yes, altogether you are a genuine sample of our wartime home front, ready to make any sacrifice to speed the safe and victorious return of your loved ones and neighbors out there fighting.”
All of the issues currently housed in the Library & Research Center have been scanned and are present here. If you know of or have in your possession issues that are not represented here and would be willing to let us scan them, please contact the library. The library will make copies or scans of individual pages or issues for a small fee. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
