Inge Worth Estate Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection is arranged into five series in four boxes. Series I documents Inge’s life in Germany with correspondence, official documents, and family photographs; the series also documents the aftermath of Inge and her family’s escape from Germany with personal writings and restitution claims. Series II highlights Inge’s two marriages with materials on her first husband that include brochures, pamphlets, and employment documentation; the series also includes materials on Inge’s second husband that include photographs and sympathy cards, along with greeting cards acknowledging milestone birthdays for both Inge and Peter. Series III chronicles Inge’s life in Lincoln with personal correspondence and photographs, along with articles and clippings about her friends in the Lincoln community and their accomplishments. Series IV contains correspondence, postcards, and photographs that chronicle Inge’s extensive travels throughout Europe and the United States. Series V includes general correspondence and greeting cards from mostly unknown senders.
Dates
- 1880s-2016
- 1950-1980
Creator
- Worth, Inge (Person)
- University of Nebraska--Lincoln (Organization)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English and German.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
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
Inge (née Josephsohn) Worth was born in the Free City of Danzig to Ida (née Aron) and Eric Josephsohn; she was an only child in a prosperous family. She moved with her parents in 1938 to New York City, where her father, an amateur pianist who lectured and wrote on classical music and opera, struggled to find employment after moving to New York and also struggled with depression because of his displacement from Germany. Upon arrival, Eric changed the family name from Josephsohn to Joston. Inge attended Julia Richman High School and graduated from Rhodes Preparatory School before enrolling at Hunter College. In 1947, Inge married Manfred Keiler, also a German-Jewish refugee living in New York, and together they moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Manfred taught art and where Inge worked as an administrator. In 1965, five years after Manfred’s death from heart failure, Inge married Peter Worth, an art historian at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln; they remained married until Peter’s death in 2010. Inge died in 2016 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Extent
4 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection documents the life of Inge (née Josephsohn) Worth (1922-2016), born in the Free City of Danzig, Germany (now Gdansk, Poland), who immigrated with her parents to New York City in 1938 and then to Nebraska in 1947 with her first husband. Series I documents Inge’s life in Germany and its aftermath. Series II highlights Inge’s two marriages and milestone birthdays for both Inge and her second husband, Peter Worth. Series III chronicles Inge’s life in Lincoln. Series IV highlights Inge’s extensive travels throughout Europe and the United States. Series V includes general correspondence and greeting cards from mostly unknown senders.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in five series:
- Series I: Family Life in Germany and Aftermath, 1880s-1986
- Series II: Marriages and Milestones, 1934-2016
- Series III: Life in Lincoln, 1960s-2016
- Series IV: Travel, 1949-2010
- Series V: General Greetings, 1990s-2015
Processing Information
This collection has been processed for the first and so far, only time; there are no previous inventories or finding aids describing the collection. The materials arrived in five boxes, with dates and descriptions on some but not all envelopes and folders. Some of the original order has been kept; in many cases, materials from different folders have been combined when they relate to the same topics. Items are placed together according to chronology and document type.
- Articles
- Arts
- Brochures
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- College teachers
- Cookbooks
- Correspondence
- Friendship
- Gdańsk (Poland)
- Jewish families
- Jewish refugees
- Jews -- Germany
- Joston, Eric, 1895-1976
- Keiler, Manfred L., 1908-
- Lincoln (Neb.)
- Manuscripts (documents)
- New York (N.Y.)
- Notebooks
- Notes (documents)
- Official documents
- Photographs
- Publications (documents)
- Restitution
- Scrapbooks
- United States -- Emigration and immigration
- Universities and colleges
- Voyages and travels
- Worth, Peter, 1917-2010
- Title
- Guide to the Inge Worth Estate Collection
- Author
- Processed by Matthew Hauptman
- Date
- 2023
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
