Jim Burwell Handwritten Letter to Clarence Snyder — Founding of A.A. in Philadelphia — February 1940

An extraordinary handwritten letter from Jim Burwell to Clarence Snyder, postmarked February 29, 1940, documenting the earliest days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia.

Written less than one year after the publication of the First Edition Big Book, this remarkable letter captures A.A. history as it was happening. Burwell had recently moved to the Philadelphia area for work and immediately began gathering alcoholics who were interested in the new recovery movement. In his letter to Snyder, he reports the group’s earliest growth:

“Have started an A.A. group here & last week we had 3 at the meeting & this week we have 7 alkys.”

This is not a later recollection or commemorative account. It is a direct, contemporary report from one pioneering member to another, written during the actual formation of the Philadelphia group.

Jim Burwell and the Beginning of A.A. in Philadelphia

Jim Burwell was one of the earliest members of the New York fellowship and later became widely known through his Big Book story, “The Vicious Cycle.” He played an important role in shaping the inclusive spiritual language of Alcoholics Anonymous and was among the early voices advocating that the program remain open to alcoholics with differing religious beliefs and backgrounds.

In February 1940, however, A.A. was still a small and loosely connected movement. Its groups were concentrated primarily in Akron, New York, and Cleveland. There was no established national service structure, no central office as later generations would know it, and no proven formula for starting a group in a new city.

This letter records Burwell confronting that challenge directly.

He explains that several of the men gathering with him had already been sober for months “on a spiritual basis” and that he believed they had formed “a swell nucleus.” He also notes that the members were eager to begin helping others but had received little response from local publicity or from the Big Book.

Burwell Seeks Clarence Snyder’s Help

The recipient, Clarence Snyder, was one of A.A.’s earliest and most influential pioneers. Snyder helped establish the first separate A.A. group in Cleveland, where the young Fellowship experienced rapid growth following a series of favorable newspaper articles in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Burwell specifically asks Snyder to send him those articles and explain how the Cleveland members handled the resulting publicity:

“What I wish you all would do is to send me the articles you run in the Plain Dealer & any other dope you have there so we can do something similar here.”

He continues by asking Snyder to describe how the publicity effort was organized, what response it produced, and what he would do differently if beginning again.

That request gives the letter exceptional historical significance. It documents the direct transfer of early A.A. experience from Cleveland to Philadelphia: one pioneer seeking practical guidance from another on how to introduce the new Fellowship to a city, attract suffering alcoholics, and build a functioning group.

A Primary Document from A.A.’s Formative Period

The contents of the letter place the reader inside the earliest expansion of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Burwell records:

• His recent move to the Philadelphia area
• The creation of a new A.A. group
• Growth from three attendees to seven within a single week
• The presence of several men already sober on a spiritual basis
• The group’s desire to begin working with other alcoholics
• The limited response from local publicity and the Big Book
• His request for Cleveland’s successful newspaper materials
• His appeal to Snyder for practical advice based on experience

At the time this letter was written, the Big Book had been available for less than a year. A.A. was still small enough that its expansion depended largely upon personal relationships, handwritten correspondence, mailed literature, newspaper clippings, and the willingness of individual members to carry the message into new communities.

This letter is a vivid surviving example of that process.

Letter Transcription

218 N. Wycombe Ave.
Lansdowne, Pa.
(No. Phila.)

Dear Clarence & Dottie,

This will be a surprise
(good or bad) to hear from me.

Moved down here on a new
job about two weeks ago.
The job looks pretty good
for the long pull.

Have started an A.A.
group here & last week we
had 3 at the meeting & this
week we have 7 alkys.

Several of them have been sober
for a number of months on
a spiritual basis & I do feel
we have a swell nucleus
started & they all want to go
to work. But there has not
been much response from
Phila. on the part publicity
or book.

What I wish you all would do
is to send me the articles you
run in the Plain Dealer & any
other dope you have there
so we can do something similar
here. Also let us hear how
you handled it all & the
response you had. And also
how you would do it this time
if you were starting out again.

I know this is a large
order but it sure would help
us here. Of course I heard
your swell talk you made to
the Cleveland boys that Sunday
in N.Y.C. & that helps a lot.

Give my best regards to
everyone there that I know.
& please send all this as
soon as you find time.

Then would like to get
out your way & see your
gang. Best regards to you both
& please pardon the scrawl.

Jimmy Burwell

Envelope

The original envelope is included and is addressed to:

Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Snyder
c/o City Loan Co.
E. 14th & Euclid St.
Cleveland, Ohio

It is marked Air Mail and bears a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 29, 1940 postmark.

Item Details

Author: Jim Burwell
Recipient: Clarence Snyder and his wife, Dorothy
Date: February 1940
Postmark: February 29, 1940
Location written: Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Format: Handwritten letter with original mailing envelope
Pages: Two handwritten sides on one folded sheet
Signature: Signed “Jimmy Burwell”
Subject: Formation of Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia and request for Cleveland publicity materials

Condition

The letter remains in very good condition for an original piece of personal correspondence from 1940. The sheet retains clear, dark handwriting throughout and shows its original mailing folds. There is light age toning and minor scattered spotting consistent with age.

The accompanying envelope shows expected postal handling, edge wear, light soiling, and age toning. The address, stamps, and February 29, 1940 Philadelphia postmark remain clearly visible.

Please review all photographs carefully for a complete understanding of the condition and appearance of both the letter and envelope.

Historical Significance

This is not simply an autograph letter between two recognizable early members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

It is a firsthand documentary account of Jim Burwell establishing A.A. in Philadelphia and seeking instruction from Clarence Snyder based on the successful development of A.A. in Cleveland.

The letter connects two central pioneers, two foundational A.A. cities, the influence of the Cleveland Plain Dealer publicity, and the earliest spread of the Fellowship beyond Akron and New York.

Few artifacts illustrate the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous with such immediacy. Burwell is not looking back on the founding of a group. He is describing it week by week, reporting its first attendees, identifying its challenges, and asking another pioneer how to proceed.

An exceptional primary-source document from the formative period of Alcoholics Anonymous and an important artifact for the advanced collector of A.A. history, early correspondence, founding-era material, or original recovery ephemera.