The Joseph and Josephine Balsz Collection

TITLE: The Joseph and Josephine Balsz Collection

DATE RANGE:  1912-1960s

CALL NUMBER:  Y-MS 24

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  6 linear feet (10 boxes)

PROVENANCE:   Donated by the Balsz Estate, 1965

COPYRIGHT: The Yuma County Library District owns the copyright to this collection.    

RESTRICTIONS: This collection is unrestricted.   

CREDIT LINE:  Joseph and Josephine Balsz Collection, Y-MS 24, Yuma County Library District

PROCESSED BY: Linda Whitaker, May 2014

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE:    

Joseph (Joe) M. Balz, son of David Balsz and Luz Redondo Balsz, was born August 5, 1879 in Yuma, Arizona. The Balsz family owned the Yuma Wholesale Meat Company and had extensive interests in the cattle business where son Joseph Balsz and other family members served in various capacities. He ran for Yuma Postmaster in 1934 and held that position for ten years until he resigned due to poor health. He died of heart failure in 1945. 

Josephine P. Canét (Connais) Balsz, born January 1, 1894 was an artist and came to Yuma from New Orleans circa 1912 to paint at the request of Nick Larson.  Upon marrying Joe Balsz (prior to WWI but exact date is unknown), she became very active in women’s organizations and cultural groups. Josephine was also a singer and musician who was invited to perform at many social gatherings and in local theatre productions. A University of California correspondence course in creative writing taken in the 1930s fueled Josephine’s aspiration to become a writer.   They had no children. Josephine died in May 7, 1965.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE:  

There is little personal information in this collection and the correspondence is fragmentary. Business ledgers document transactions with livestock ranchers and customers in Arizona, Colorado, California, and Mexico. Oversized boxes include Yuma Postmaster citations for service and an educational certificate for Mary Piedad, Joseph’s sister as well as a postcard scrapbook compiled by another sister, Lilah. Note that Balsz family photographs can be found in the AHS-Rio Colorado Subject Photograph Collection.

The bulk of this collection are drafts of Josephine’s short stories and novelettes, many of which are based on stories told by Joe Balsz growing up along the Rio Colorado River as a rancher and part of the extended and influential Balsz-Redondo family.  Manuscript dates are largely unknown. The writings provide insights into personalities, relationships, and life in early 20^th Century Yuma. She wrote under several pen names including Joshua Sands, Jean Sands and Josephine Canét.  It is not known what, if any, of the manuscripts were published. The publications listed below were used as resources for various writings or collected for the Balsz’s private library. 

Arranged in two series under each name and alphabetically and chronologically within.

CONTAINER LIST: