Housebooks

This collection contains papers of various members of the Braun family of Nuremberg, as well as the related Bernhard, Busse and Orfali families. Included are a variety of materials: diaries, household budget and account books, lists, travel diaries, poetry, correspondence, family trees, sketchbooks and a few official papers.

This collection details the lives and immigration experiences of Herta and Leo Leab. Given Herta Leab's experience as an executive in the Scherk cosmetics company and as the owner of her own company, Hedda Maar Cosmetics, it includes significant material on the cosmetics industry in Germany and the United States. Losses suffered by the Marcus, Liebeskind, and Scherk families in Nazi Germany and the Leabs' efforts to receive restitution are also well documented, along with some material on the town of Gilgenburg (now Dabrowno, Poland) and World War I. The collection is comprised of extensive personal and business correspondence, family and official papers, notebooks, clippings, and a few photographs.