Series 1 of the Bendel Family Papers contains diaries, correspondence and biographical material pertaining to various members of three generations of the Bendel and Handley families (1861-1963). Through Rudolph Bendel, Sr.'s journals, these Papers are also a source for study of American maritime activities in the Pacific during the first two decades of the twentieth century. In Winifred Bendel Lombardi's Honolulu letters to her mother one gains an insider's glimpse of political life in Hawaii at the dawn of statehood. Series 2 contains drafts and notes generated by Winifred Handley Bendel in the course of her activities as a local historian and author in the City of Fremont and in Washington Township, Alameda County (Calif.). Series 3 contains minutes, reports and other documents pertaining to the affairs of the Fremont city government (1956-1959).

The Bendel Family lived for some one hundred years in Alameda County, California. The first generation were prosperous merchants with a strong interest in military affairs. In the second generation, two sons pursued military careers. The younger of these two, Roland Bendel, created most of the papers in this collection. His son, Roland Jr. became a US Naval aviator.

Collection is open for research.