Carl A. Grosser Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains materials by and about Carl A. Grosser and his family. It includes correspondence, mostly from 1938-1939, between Carl Grosser and his friends and family; Grosser's emigration materials and official and vital documents; some professional materials; ephemera, and a few alumni newsletters about Grosser's Viennese high school, the Wasa Gymnasium.
The collection also contains materials about other members of Carl Grosser's family, such as a family tree (descended from Salomon Grosher, circa 1700s); two letters from the late nineteenth century; and materials about Grosser's father Oscar and mother Else.
Dates
- Creation: 1889-1985
Creator
- Grosser, Carl A., 1912–1985 (Person)
Language of Materials
This collection is in English and German.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open to researchers.
Access Information
Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Biographical Note<extptr actuate="onload" altrender="Portrait of Carl Grosser (1912-1985)" href="http://digital.cjh.org/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=1584931" show="embed" title="Portrait of Carl Grosser (1912-1985)" linktype="simple"/>
Carl Anatole Grosser (1912–1985) was born in Vienna, Austria to Oscar Grosser (1878-1930) and Else (Elsie) Grosser (1886-1959, née Fleischner, later remarried to Ernst Witz). He attended Wasa Gymnasium in Vienna. After graduation, and after his father's death in 1930, Grosser went to England to learn about business, and upon his return worked in the Grosser tie factory until 1938. After fleeing Austria in the summer of 1938, via Czechoslovakia and Italy, Grosser arrived in the United States. Through family connections in the Midwest, he ended up settling in South Bend, Indiana. He worked variously as a cab driver, a car salesman, and a translator, as well as in the apparel industry.
Grosser's mother Else left Austria in 1939 for the United States, arriving via Cuba. After some time in New York, she also lived in South Bend, Indiana, from 1946 to 1948, but then returned to Vienna. Her second husband, Ernst Witz, took over the former Grosser tie business there.
In 1944, Grosser married Frida Ilmer Grossman (1906-1992). She was a professor for German at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. They had one daughter, Susan. In 1982, the couple moved to Florida, where Carl Grosser died in April 1985.
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)
Abstract
This collection contains materials by and about Carl A. Grosser (1912-1985) and his family. It includes correspondence, emigration materials and official and vital documents, and other materials. It also contains items about other members of Carl Grosser's family, including a family tree and materials about Grosser's father Oscar and mother Else.
Arrangement
This collection was arranged into two series. Within each series, folders are arranged alphabetically.
Separated Material
A memoir by Carl Grosser was removed to the LBI Memoir Collection (see Related Materials).
The following books were removed to the LBI Library. Dedications and title pages of the Busch and von Doderer works were photocopied and placed in this collection.
- Busch, Wilhelm. Lustige Bilder-Geschichten für Kinder. (1917)
- von Doderer, Heimito. Die Merowinger, oder Die totale Familie. (1962)
- Simon, André. Das Büchlein von den Geistigen Getränken. (1960)
Processing Information
Duplicate items were removed. Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders and reboxed. Two fragile 19th century letters were placed in Mylar sleeves. Photographs were placed in envelopes.
Subject
- Grosser, Carl A., 1912–1985 (Person)
- Schaller, Hans (Person)
- Witz, Else, 1886-1959 (Person)
- Grosser family (Family)
- Title
- Guide to the Carl A. Grosser (1912–1985) Collection 1889-1985 AR 10559
- Author
- Processed by Kevin Schlottmann
- Date
- © 2012
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation
Revision Statements
- March 25, 2015 : dao links added by Emily Andresini.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
