Joseph Family Papers
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Biographical/Historical Note
Genevieve R. Joseph, also referred to in the collection as Genny, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York on February 6th, 1963. Genevieve R. Joseph has three siblings, including an older sister Beatrice Ann Joseph (1947-2008) and two older brothers, one of which is Michael James Joseph (born October 16th, 1954). She earned an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts Honors and Communications and Media Arts in 1983, a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from SUNY Albany in 1985, and a Master’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Race and Ethnicity, also from SUNY Albany, in 1988. She then worked as a social science researcher for the State of New York. Genevieve R. Joseph took up Middle Eastern belly dancing as a hobby and was a member of the Yallah Dance Ensemble based in Albany, New York in the early 1990s. In 1996 she moved to North Carolina and became involved with the Triangle Lebanese Association; she coordinated the first Lebanese Festival at the North Carolina state fairgrounds in 1999. In North Carolina, she worked as a nonprofit program manager for global education and cultural exchange, and fundraiser for visual arts and conservation of nature. Genevieve R. Joseph married Philip White in 2006.
Genevieve Norman Joseph (1924-2011), Genevieve R. Joseph’s mother, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York to Sam Norman (1883-1972) and Rose Nader Norman (1889-1955). Rose Nader Norman ran a neighborhood grocery store and the couple managed their home as a boarding house. Genevieve Norman Joseph, also known as Gen, married Charles Michael Joseph (1918-2002) of Wendell, North Carolina on March 2, 1946. Genevieve Norman Joseph was a member of the Lebanese American Daughters, an organization closely related to the Lebanon-American Club of Poughkeepsie. She also worked as a Nursing Aide.
Charles “Charlie” Michael Joseph, Genevieve R. Joseph’s father, was born in Connecticut to parents Namy Yusef Becharra and Julia Asmer in 1918 and was raised in Wendell, North Carolina from the age of eight months. He had nine siblings: Lucy, Eddie (Naim), Mamie (Thmam), Charlie (Khalil), George (A'Eid, Geryus), Evelyn (Jamila), Helen (Thatla), Abe (Ibrahim), Joe (Yusef), and Dolores (Julia). His father, Namy Joseph, ran a store on Main Street and another one beside the family home. Charlie Joseph served in the US Marines during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945 as a corporal. He was stationed in Recife, Brazil and Guam during the war. In Poughkeepsie, Charlie Joseph ran a luncheonette and was active in the Lebanon-American Club, serving as its president from 1962 to 1966. Upon their daughter Genevieve R. Joseph’s graduation from SUNY Albany in 1985, Genevieve and Charlie moved from Poughkeepsie to Wendell, North Carolina, Charlie’s hometown.
Scope/Content Note
The Joseph Family papers contain materials related to three generations of the Joseph family as well as families related to them. The collection focuses on the lives of Genevieve Norman Joseph, her husband Charles Joseph, and their daughter Genevieve R. Joseph. The collection also includes materials related to Genevieve R. Joseph’s grandparents and their extended family, both in Lebanon and in the United States.
Much of the collection consists of photographs from the early twentieth century to the twenty-first century. The photographs primarily include family photographs and portraits, as well as photographs from Charles Joseph’s deployment during World War II in Brazil and Guam. Also included in the collection are materials related to Genevieve R. Joseph’s dance career, newspaper clippings, articles from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, materials related to Charles Joseph’s time in the Marines, event pamphlets and flyers, prayer cards, obituaries, academic materials, correspondence, and some physical objects.
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Collection Tree
This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections.
