Prudnik (Poland)

This collection holds the papers of Emmanuel Fraenkel and his wife, Thea Fraenkel. Emmanuel Fraenkel was a textile factory owner in Neustadt, Germany (now Prudnik, Poland). Due to the politics of Aryanization Fraenkel lost his property and fled with his wife to England, where he was granted citizenship. The collection documents the Fraenkel family effort for restitution by Ernst Fraenkel (son) and his widow.

This collection contains correspondence, family keepsakes, legal records and other papers of the John Peters family, descended from the Pinkus family of Upper Silesia. The family was notable for its large textile factory in Neustadt, Germany (now Prudnik, Poland) and involvement in local culture, politics, and civil life. "Aryanization" forced Hans Hubert Pinkus, John’s father, to emigrate and take his family to the UK in 1939. The John Peters (Pinkus) Family Papers document the lives and the relationships of these men and their families in the decades after WWII, including legal applications for restitution.

The collection contains papers including vital documents, membership cards, awards, medals, diaries, memoirs, diaries, manuscripts, legal papers, correspondence, business records, wills, genealogies and family histories regarding the Pinkus family, notable textile manufacturers in Neustadt (now Prudnik, Poland) in Upper Silesia, and their personal and business affairs. The family was also highly regarded for its support of civic and cultural affairs in the area, and corresponded with several notable cultural figures.

The collection focuses on the genealogical research of Elizabeth Brody and John Peters of the related Ehrlich, Fränkel, and Pinkus families. The collection primarily contains correspondence; however it also includes: genealogical notes, family trees, photographs, a small travel diary, and papers relating to Elizabeth Brody's trip to Europe in 2010.