Edith (Lichtenstein) Freese Collection

The collection provides insight into the childhood of Edith (Lichtenstein) Freese prior to World War II and her later life after having escaped to the United States.

Contained in folder 1/1 is correspondence from 2000 to 2016. This folder comprises a set of greeting cards from Edith’s friends, including Erna Böhm of Bremen, Germany, to her and a letter written by Jeffrey A. Greene. Of particular note is the inclusion of a letter to the editor written by Jeffrey Greene to Vanderbilt magazine about his childhood, because it is the only item in the collection that provides concrete information about Edith's life in the United States. A friendship book from Edith's childhood dating from 1930 through 1940 is contained in folder 1/2.

A Herz family tree beginning with the patriarch, Samuel Herz, who lived in the 1700s, was created by Edith in the 1990s and is stored in an oversized folder.

The photographs contained in folder 1/3 are taken from a family album dating possibly from the 1910s through 1949 that also included newspaper clippings of death notices from 1956-1974 to identity some family members. The photographs are most likely of Edith’s childhood, featuring her younger brother and her parents. Many of the photographs are unidentified. Family members identified in the photographs include Elisabeth (Ella) Herz, Herman Herz, Martha Herz, and Edith’s aunt, Dina. This folder also contains a 1915 postcard and cake recipes sent to Edith by her aunt, Emma. Finally, photographs of Johanna (Herz) Lichtenstein’s grave in Steinheim am Main can be found in this folder. The loose photographs contained in folder 1/4 feature a vacation, possibly to Toronto, Canada, in July 1995. This folder also includes two postcards written to Edith by her friends. A history of Steinheim am Main, Edith's birthplace, completes this collection.