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Joseph Isaac Bluestone (1860-1934) Collection

 Collection
Identifier: P-323

Scope and Content Note

Contains the memoirs and scrapbooks of Joseph Bluestone concerning his numerous communal activities, especially those in the Zionist movement. There are also letters, newspaper clippings and programs, primarily in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English, collected by Bluestone and pertaining to his personal life, and his Zionist activities. The collection also includes manuscript pages of Hebrew poetry, including the manuscript of his book Shirim u-meshalim; photographs of Bluestone; condolence letters; tributes; memorials after his death; articles about Bluestone; correspondence pertaining to the memoirs and scrapbooks collected by Harry Bluestone; and items pertaining to other members of the Bluestone family. The Harry Bluestone inventory has been annotated to indicate items missing from the collection and those for which only a photocopy exists. A description of the collection was published by Hyman B. Grinstein in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, no. 35 (1939), and a detailed inventory was prepared by Harry Bluestone.

Dates

  • undated, 1875-1991

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility, or privacy.

Use Restrictions

No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.

For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org

Biographical Note

Dr. Joseph Isaac Bluestone was born in Kalvarija, Lithuania, in 1860. He received a classical Talmudic education, as well as training in the Haskalah. He immigrated to New York at the age of 19. He studied medicine at New York University while supporting himself as a Hebrew teacher. After graduating in 1890, he opened his own medical practice on the Lower East Side, at the same time affiliating with the newly-formed Beth Israel Hospital. He was deeply involved with the early American Zionist movement, attending the 1903 Zionist Congress in Basel as a delegate, as well as other communal activities. He also wrote a volume of poetry Shirim u-meshalim, published in Tel Aviv in 1931. Bluestone died in New York in 1934.

Extent

8 Manuscript Boxes

5.70 Linear Feet

Abstract

Contains the memoirs and scrapbooks of Bluestone, concerning his numerous communal activities, especially those in the Zionist movement. A description of the collection was published by Hyman B. Grinstein in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, no. 35 (1939), and a detailed inventory was prepared by Harry Bluestone (n.d.).

Physical Location

Located in AJHS New York, NY

Acquisition Note

Bequest of Harry Bluestone in 1977.

Title
Guide to the Joseph Isaac Bluestone (1860-1934) Collection, undated, 1875-1991 P-323
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by marc2ead_ajhs.xsl
Date
© 2009
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2016-09-16: PDF box list converted to dsc. Finding aid encoding revised. Biographical Note added. Rachel S. Harrison
  • November 10, 2017.: Catalog record and access points updated by Emily Anna Smith. EAD Access points updated by Tanya Elder.
  • June, October 2020: EHyman: post-ASpace migration cleanup.

Repository Details

Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States