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Gersuny Family Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 7271/MF 754

Scope and Content Note

The Gersuny Family Collection is arranged in a single series and documents business activities and personal lives of a number of members of the Gersuny family from Teplitz, Bohemia (now Teplice, Czech Republic). It includes business records, personal and business correspondence, vital records, photographs, school reports, and family history materials.

Business related records include real-estate contracts, sale contracts, Hausierbuecher (permit to peddle linen, wool, and cottons), financial balances and lists, and correspondence.

Family papers include vital records such as birth and death certificates, school reports, personal correspondence, and family histories.

Individuals most prominently represented in the collection are Eduard Gersuny (1844-1876), the son of Isaak and Eva Caroline Gersuny, Isaak Gersuny (1798-1864), Gottlieb Gersuny (1846-1924), Otto Gersuny (1889-1964), and Sophie Gersuny

Other family members represented in the collection are Emanuel Gersuny, Gotthelf Gersuny, Wilhelmine Fink, née Gersuny (the daughter of Gottlieb and W. Gans), Rosa Loebl, and Philipp Israel Wesel.

With the exception of an essay about family history by Otto Gersuny all the documents in the collection date to the pre-WWII period in the life of the Gersuny family.

Dates

  • 1777-1950s
  • Majority of material found within 1838-1935

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in German with some English. Very few materials are in Yiddish and Czech.

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

Access Restrictions

Researchers must use microfilm (MF 754)

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

The Gersuny family came to Germany after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. At first they settled in Amsterdam, eventually moving to Hamburg in the early sixteenth century. In 1740 the family moved to Teplitz, Bohemia (now Teplice, Czech Republic), where the larger part of the family lived until the 1930's. Other members of the Gersuny family moved to Vienna.

The Gersuny family traces its lineage to Abraham Gersuny (Gersuni), who was born in about 1765 and died in 1843 in Teplitz. His son, Isaak Gersuny (Isak Gersuni) worked as a teacher in both Jewish and non-Jewish schools. Abraham Gersuny’s other son, Gotthelf Gersuny, was a merchant. Isaak Gersuny was married to Eva Caroline (Karoline) Gersuny, who was a peddler and was involved with the sale of linen, wool, and cottons among other business activities. Isaak and Eva Caroline had two sons: Gottlieb and Eduard. Gottlieb (1846-1924) was a merchant while Eduard (1844-1876) served as a secretary at the Weltausstellung in Vienna. In 1875 Gottlieb married Wilhelmine Popper and had a daughter, who was given the name Wilhelmine, after her mother died at childbirth. Wilhelmine Fink, née Gersuny, was born in 1875 and was last heard from in 1942 from the Lodz ghetto. Gottlieb married Sophie Gans and in 1889 had a son Otto. Otto attended a gymnasium in Teplitz and later became a physician. During WWI Otto served as an army physician. After the war, he had his own practice in Teplitz. As things started to deteriorate in Germany in 1930s, Otto and his family moved to Vienna. After the Anschluss, they were able to obtain a visa to America, where they went in 1940. Otto Gersuny opened his practice in New York in 1942. He died in 1964.

The larger portion of the Gersuny family stayed in Europe and perished during WWII.

Extent

1 Linear Feet (+ 1 OS folder)

Abstract

The collection consists of papers of the members of the Gersuny family form Teplitz, Bohemia (now Teplice, Czech Republic). It documents the history of the family, their involvement with real estate, trading, and other types of business. Included here are business records, financial records, personal and business correspondence, vital documents, and personal documents.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in a single series. Materials are arranged alphabetically by last name.

Microfilm

The collection is available on 3 reels of microfilm:

  1. Reel 1: 1/1-1/6
  2. Reel 2: 1/7/1-1/16
  3. Reel 3: 1/17-1/23

Related Material

Otto Gersuny Collection at the Leo Baeck Institute AR 25146

Separated Material

Photographs have been removed from the collection.

Title
Guide to the Records of the Gersuny Family 1777-1950s (bulk 1838-1935) AR 7271/MF 754
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Yakov Sklyar and Michael Simonson
Date
© 2007
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.

Revision Statements

  • July 2010:: Links to digital objects added.

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States