Hal Stern Family Collection

The Hal Stern Family Collection documents the lives of the related families Schwartz (Schwartzbart), Thal and Stern. The primary focus is on their lives and employment in southern Germany and their emigration to the United States. Information is available on their commercial background as well as information on their military service. The collection consists further of personal correspondence between family members, official educational documents, travel documents, proof of ancestry, naturalization documents, financial and investment documents, a few photographs of their residence in the United States and a genealogical overview about the Schwartz family.

In 2019 Hal Stern wrote down this genealogical overview about the Schwartz family. It can be found in folder 1/6. The information goes back to his ancestors Moses Jacob Schwartzbart and Babette Schwartzbart who lived in Lenkersheim in southern Germany in the early 19th century.

Information about their son Michael Schwartz, born in 1823, his education and certificates of employment are to be found in folder 1/1. Furthermore, in folder 3/1, the collection includes his and Lena Schwartz's oversized passports, both issued in 1845. Correspondence such as a letter from 1851 in which Michael Schwartz was appointed "treasurer of the Jamaqua Cavalry", presumably in Jamaica, his letter with advice for life, presumably addressed to his descendants, and his daughter's letters to her brother Jake are to be found in folder 1/2.

There are two documents in folder 3/2 concerning Isidor Tahl, the husband of Pauline Schwarz: his oversized certificate of naturalization was issued in 1893; and there is a letter addressed to him from 1893.

There are two documents in this collection concerning Hugo Stern: his certificate of naturalization and his military identification issued in 1898, both in folder 1/4. The only document pertaining to Rafael Palm in this collection is his military pass which was issued in 1880 in folder 1/3.

Furthermore there are oversized loan letters issued by the state of Hamburg (issued 1909 and 1914) and Berlin (1912 and 1915) in folder 3/3 and photographs of an unidentified family apartment in folder 3/4.

Finally, folder 1/5 holds an undated list of stocks written on a safe keeping envelope issued by the Chase National Bank of the City of New York.