Weichert Family Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains the personal papers of Joachim and Käthe Weichert and their son Hans (later John). Included are education records, military records, official documents, medical records, emigration records, photographs, prints of painted portraits, and the Austrian Heritage Collection questionnaire completed by John Wykert in 2000.
Among the Weichert family official documents in folder 1 are birth certificates, tax records, and records of their payment of a levy on Jewish property (Judenvermögensabgabe). Their emigration papers include their correspondence with U.S. authorities regarding visas and proof that they paid taxes (Steuerliche Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigungen). The correspondence in folder 3 consists of a few telegrams and letters to family members in the United States regarding the sponsorship of other relatives still in Europe. Joachim Weichert’s education records consist mainly of lists of the courses they took and their grades. Joachim’s university records are also included as well as proof of his completion of state exams in law. A photograph of him as a young man and a humorous newsletter called the “Kneip Zeitung” are also included with these educational records. Joachim’s military records consist mainly of official records of his posts from 1915, when he voluntarily enlisted, to 1918. He was officially taken off the list of registered service members in 1923. Käthe Weichert’s medical records show that she spent time at the Anton Loew Sanitorium in Vienna in 1924 and again in 1927 to give birth to Hans. The portraits in folder 9 are mainly prints or photocopies of painted portraits with handwritten notes on the back. The identity of the artist is not clear.
Dates
- 1888-2001
Creator
- Wykert, John Husserl, 1927- (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German and English with a few items in Czech.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open to researchers.
Access Information
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 "Request" button.
Biographical Note
John Husserl Wykert was born Hans Weichert in Vienna in 1927 to Joachim David Weichert and Marie née Husserl. After immigrating to the U.S., John Husserl Wykert earned his Bachelor’s degree at Tufts College, and took some postgraduate courses at New York University. He worked as a medical writer and also edited a book on the Holocaust, The Book of Alfred Kantor.
John’s father Joachim David Weichert was born in 1882 in Bedihost, Moravia (now Czech Republic), the son of Adolf and Eva Weichert. Joachim attended high school (Gymnasium) in Brünn and studied law at the University of Vienna. He established a law practice in Vienna. He married Katharina (Käthe) Husserl, the daughter of Hermann and Marie Husserl, relatives of the philosopher Edmund Husserl. Joachim and Käthe had two children, Hans (born in 1927) and Liliane (born in 1932). The family lived at Gonzagagasse 9 in Vienna's First District until 1938, when they fled the Nazis and immigrated to the United States under the sponsorship of Käthe's brother Siegfried Husserl. Hans traveled with a cousin in August of 1938, and his parents and sister followed in September 1938. The family settled in New Jersey.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection contains the personal papers of Vienna lawyer Joachim David Weichert, his wife Käthe, and their son Hans (later John). The family immigrated to the United States in 1938. Included are education records, military records, official documents, medical records, emigration records, photographs, and prints of painted portraits.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by family member.
Digitization Note
The collection was digitized and made accessible in its entirety.
Bibliography
Processing Information
Photographs and torn items were placed in envelopes and Mylar sleeves. Some materials were rehoused into new folders.
- Title
- Guide to the Weichert Family Collection 1888-2001 AR 25558
- Author
- Processed by Leanora Lange
- Date
- © 2014
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Processing made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany. Digitization made possible by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany
Revision Statements
- March 2015: dao links and digitization information added by Leanora Lange.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository