letters from a german-jewish immigrant family
These 160-year old letters were written by a German Jewish family, several living in southwestern Germany and others who had immigrated to Louisiana. The letters first came into general public view in 2015 as part of an essay published in the annual journal of the Southern Jewish Historical Society (SJHS), and are provided as part of this website. The essay provides important context about the history of these letters and the people who wrote them. The letter collection also has been added to the German Heritage in Letters project: germanletters.org/
The letter collection includes about 120 pieces of correspondence written in German, Yiddish and English between 1855 and 1871. The letters have been translated and arranged in 5-year increments. Guides to each letter collection, listing the dates and a brief synopsis of the collection contents, are available via these links:
1855-1860 Overview
1861-1865 Overview
1866-1871 Overview
Original letters as they appear are not in chronological order; two collection sets are undated. Each letter set corresponds to a companion document displaying the actual letters. Click on the links next to the text to access the letters.
For permission to use these letters, visit the Louisiana State University, Hill Memorial Library, website at https://askus.lib.lsu.edu/special. The letters are part of a larger collection at the library -- the Meyers Brothers Collection. A collection guide can be viewed here: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/findaid/2909.pdf
Any questions about the translations or other information on this website should be addressed to Jay Silverberg at [email protected].
Website Photos: A photo of the Meyer Brothers Store. At the time the photo was taken, the name had been changed to "JLEVY" -- the brothers' first cousin, Jonnie Levy, who managed the store until the early 1920s when bankruptcy forced him to close; a photo of the historic Clinton courthouse, across the street from the store.
The letter collection includes about 120 pieces of correspondence written in German, Yiddish and English between 1855 and 1871. The letters have been translated and arranged in 5-year increments. Guides to each letter collection, listing the dates and a brief synopsis of the collection contents, are available via these links:
1855-1860 Overview
1861-1865 Overview
1866-1871 Overview
Original letters as they appear are not in chronological order; two collection sets are undated. Each letter set corresponds to a companion document displaying the actual letters. Click on the links next to the text to access the letters.
For permission to use these letters, visit the Louisiana State University, Hill Memorial Library, website at https://askus.lib.lsu.edu/special. The letters are part of a larger collection at the library -- the Meyers Brothers Collection. A collection guide can be viewed here: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/findaid/2909.pdf
Any questions about the translations or other information on this website should be addressed to Jay Silverberg at [email protected].
Website Photos: A photo of the Meyer Brothers Store. At the time the photo was taken, the name had been changed to "JLEVY" -- the brothers' first cousin, Jonnie Levy, who managed the store until the early 1920s when bankruptcy forced him to close; a photo of the historic Clinton courthouse, across the street from the store.
The outside of an envelope to Abraham Levy, the address noted as "Baisara" -- for Bayou Sara, a thriving Louisiana community during the mid-1800s along the Mississippi River and the first home in the United States for some family members. After his immigration in the early 1840's, Levy became a successful merchant and used his wealth and contacts to support numerous members of the family.
