Goldschmidt-Stierstadt Family Collection, Witzenhausen
Scope and Content Note
The materials in this collection include correspondence, citizenship certificates, school papers and computational books, marriage documents, passports, military service certificates, immigration and emigration papers, business and banking documents, photographs, a Stierstadt Festschrift, family trees and documents relating to the Goldschmidt-Stierstadt family's history. Though the bulk of the material is related to Alfred Stierstadt, information regarding Goldschmidt-Stierstadt predecessors is also included.
The correspondence in Series I consists of typed and hand-written personal and professional letters. Documents, also in Series I, make up the bulk of the collection, containing printed, typed, photocopied and hand-written documents; there is a range of subjects within this series, including invitations to court, family history, immigration and emigration, professional records, birth and marriage certificates, as well as school, legal and vital records. The photograph series contains pictures of family members and the family apartment from Cologne, Germany.
Dates
- 1835-2001
- Majority of material found within 1875-1941
Creator
- Seligman, Suzanne Eva (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English and German.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Access Information
Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Reserve" button.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org
Biographical Note<extptr actuate="onload" altrender="Portrait of Alfred and Erna Stierstadt" href="http://digital.cjh.org/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=1484575" linktype="simple" show="embed" title="Portrait of Alfred and Erna Stierstadt"/>
Samuel "Sally" Stierstadt was born on July 20, 1852 in Olpe, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; he worked as a manufacturer in Cologne-Lindenthal. Paula Goldeberg was born on April 27, 1859 in Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Sally and Paula married in Köln and had one child, Alfred Stierstadt (July 24, 1881-July 29, 1971). Alfred enlisted with the German military in 1900; he served throughout World War I and was discharged on November 28, 1918. Alfred received recognition for his efforts fighting in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes from February 4-February 22, 1915.
Jakob Goldschmidt was born on June 1, 1848 in Witzenhausen, Germany; he worked as a banker in Gotha, Germany. Regina Meyer was born on April 11, 1856 in Schwarza, Thuringia, Germany. Jakob and Regina married on January 31, 1876 in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; they had one child, Erna Goldschmidt (Januray 7, 1887-March 27, 1967) in Gotha, Germany.
Alfred Stierstadt and Erna Goldschmidt married on November 18, 1910. They had two children, Marie Charlotte Stierstadt (April 23, 1912-July 5, 1951) and Eva Suzanne Stierstadt (born September 25, 1917). Alfred and family immigrated to the United States in 1941 and settled in New York.
Marie Charlotte Stierstadt married Herbert Block, who died on May 6, 1988 in Washington, D.C. Eva Suzanne Stierstadt married Henry Seligman on December 11, 1947 in Great Neck, New York. Henry Seligman died on January 20, 1990.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection contains official documents, vital records, family trees, correspondence, original and photocopied photographs, ephemera, historical documentation and family papers pertaining to the Goldschmidt-Stierstadt Family of Witzenhausen.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into two series in the following manner:
Separated Material
Photographs removed to the LBI Photograph Collection. The book Chronik der Gemeinde Stierstadt, edited by August Korf, was removed to the library; photocopies of relevant materials were kept in the collection.
Processing Information
With no perceptible original order, an order was imposed. Once evaluated, the contents of the collection were divided and grouped together by subject. Due to deterioration the photo album was taken apart; the one page with a notation was photocopied. Photographs were placed in archival envelopes for preservation purposes.
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Cologne (Germany)
- Correspondence
- Emigration and immigration
- Genealogical tables
- Germany -- History -- 20th century
- Goldschmidt family
- Gotha (Germany)
- Jews -- Genealogy
- Marriage
- Military service, Voluntary
- Photographs
- Saxony (Germany)
- Stierstadt family
- Stierstadt, Alfred, 1881-1971
- Stierstadt, Erna, 1887-1967
- Witzenhausen (Germany)
- World War, 1914-1918
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of the Goldschmidt-Stierstadt Family, Witzenhausen 1835-2001 AR 164
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Kate Jadwin
- Date
- © 2012
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from Goldschmidt-StierstadtFamily
Revision Statements
- November 26, 2012 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
