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Title: |
Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson Family Papers |
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Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722 http://www.wrhs.org |
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Creator: |
Gerson, Eleanor Rosenfeld Family |
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Dates: |
1817-1993 |
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Quantity: |
0.80 linear feet (2 containers) |
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Abstract: |
Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson continued her family's tradition of activism in Jewish and other educational, philanthropic, and social service organizations in Cleveland, Ohio. She served as a trustee and chairperson of the School on Magnolia, an alternative school, from 1973-1982. In 1985 the school was renamed the Eleanor Gerson School. Other organizations she was active in included the American Civil Liberties Union of Greater Cleveland, the Women's Community Foundation, the Jewish Family Service Association, the Jewish Community Federation, Mount Sinai Hospital, the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, the Heights Area Project, and the Cleveland Scholarship Program. Eleanor Rosenfeld married Benjamin Gerson in 1937, and had four children. She was the great-granddaughter of Edward Lazarus and Henrietta Wilmersdorfer Rosenfeld, who had immigrated to New York City from Uhlfeld, Germany in the mid-nineteenth century. Their son, Louis Rosenfeld, married Frederica Fatman, daughter of Joseph Fatman, in 1874. Joseph Fatman and his brother, Aaron, were owners of the firm of Fatman and Company, tobacco dealers. In December 1862, they were among the thirty Jewish merchants ordered out of Paducah, Kentucky, in the Department of the Tennessee by General U.S. Grant's Order Number 11. Eleanor Gerson's parents, Edward Lazarus and Bertha Rosenfeld, moved to Cleveland from New York City in 1925. Edward was an executive in his father-in-law Emanuel Rosenfeld's firm, Grabler Manufacturing Company. He was also active on the boards of many Jewish social service organizations. Bertha Rosenfeld was a founder of the Council of Jewish Women's Jewish Big Sister organization, and was active in other Jewish and women's groups. Bertha's parents, Emanuel and Lena Rosenfeld, came to Cleveland in the 1870s from Germany and were members of Temple Tifereth Israel. Lena Rosenfeld was an active member of the Cleveland Section, National Council of Jewish Women and The Temple's Women's Association. The collection consists of correspondence, legal and genealogical documents, diaries, account books, and newspaper and other clippings of the Rosenfeld, Fatman, and Gerson family members. Of particular interest to Civil War historians are contemporaneous documents relating to General Grant's Order Number 11 which expelled Jews from areas in the jurisdiction of the Department of the Tennessee. |
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Identification: |
MS 4660 |
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Location: |
closed stacks |
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Language: |
The records are in English |
Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson (1915-2000), the compiler of the materials in this collection, continued her family's tradition of philanthropy and community leadership in Jewish and other organizations in Cleveland, Ohio. She served as a trustee and chairperson of the School on Magnolia from 1973 to 1982, during which time she helped to guide it toward becoming an alternative school for students having problems at other schools. In 1985 the school was renamed The Eleanor Gerson School. She was also active in the following organizations: the American Civil Liberties Union of Greater Cleveland, the Women's Community Foundation, the Jewish Family Service Association, the Jewish Community Federation, Mount Sinai Hospital, the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, the Heights Area Project, and the Cleveland Scholarship Program. Gerson'a vitae is located in Folder 2 of this collection.
Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson was the great-granddaughter of Edward Lazarus Rosenfeld (1817-1891), referred to as Lazarus in most documents and in this finding aid, and Henrietta Wilmersdorfer Rosenfeld (b. 1826). Lazarus and Henrietta Rosenfeld immigrated to New York City from Uhlfeld, Germany with their seven children sometime in the mid-nineteenth century. Lazarus and his brother Naphthalie (Naphthali) were early members of New York City's Temple Emanu-El. Lazarus was president of Temple Emanu-El from 1864-1865, as well as a founder of New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital and Hebrew Orphan Asylum.
Louis Rosenfeld (1848-1901), Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson's grandfather, was the oldest son of Lazarus and Henrietta Rosenfeld. He was in the import-export business with other family members in New York City, Germany, and London. Louis married Frederica (Rika) Fatman, daughter of Joseph Fatman, in 1874. The couple had four sons: Edward Lazarus (1875-1947), Joseph Fatman (known as Jessie), Francis, and Carl. Louis Rosenfeld died at a spa in Bad Nauheim, Germany, where he had gone to seek treatment for his weak heart.
Frederica Fatman Rosenfeld's father, Joseph Fatman, and uncle, Aaron Fatman, formed the New York City firm of Fatman and Company, which dealt in tobacco. In December 1862, Joseph Fatman was among the thirty Jewish merchants ordered out of Paducah, Kentucky, in the Department of the Tennessee by General Ulysses S. Grant's Order Number 11 during the American Civil War. Grant's order accused the Jews "as a class" of war profiteering and ordered them out of the territory under his control. This order was later rescinded by President Lincoln.
Edward Lazarus Rosenfeld, Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson's father, was born in New York City. In 1906, he married Bertha Rosenfeld (1881-1959), a relative of his. Bertha was the daughter of Emanuel (1840-1921) and Lena (Lina) (1848-1934) Rosenfeld of Cleveland. Emanuel and Lena Rosenfeld, born in Furth and Bamberg, Germany, respectively, came to Cleveland in the 1870s where they were members of the Tifereth Israel (later known as The Temple). Emanuel Rosenfeld was president of Grabler Manufacturing Company, a Cleveland firm which made malleable pipe fittings. Lena Rosenfeld was an active member of the Cleveland Section of the National Council of Jewish Women as well as The Temple's Women's Association.
In 1925, Edward and Bertha Rosenfeld, who had previously lived in New York City, moved to Cleveland, where Edward became an executive in his father-in-law's firm, Grabler Manufacturing Company. He served as a member of the board of Cleveland's Jewish Welfare Federation, as president of the Jewish Family Service Association (1938-1945), as chairman of the Case Workers Council, as president of the Jewish Social Bureau, and as a director of the Cleveland Youth Bureau. He was also a trustee of the Jewish Vocational Bureau, the Jewish Children's Bureau, and Mount Sinai Hospital, and a member of the Cleveland Welfare Federation and the Central Budget Commission. In 1946, he was recognized by the Community Chest with its Distinguished Service Award.
Bertha Rosenfeld was a founder of the Council of Jewish Women's Jewish Big Sister organization, and was active in the Council Educational Alliance, the Red Cross, and the Jewish Family Service Association. She was also a member of the Women's City Club.
Edward and Bertha had three daughters: Marion Rosenfeld Morgan Wiley (b. 1907), Edith Rosenfeld Stern (b. 1911), and Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson. Eleanor Rosenfeld married Benjamin S. Gerson (1911-1973) in 1937, and had four children: Jill, Judy, Margaret, and Tom.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson
The Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson Family Papers, 1817-1993, consist principally of correspondence and legal and genealogical documents. The collection also includes diaries, account books, and newspaper and other periodical clippings.
This collection is of value to researchers interested in the history of German Jewish families in the United States (specifically Cleveland, Ohio, and New York City). Because the collection span is from 1817 to 1993, researchers can trace the activities of the members of one family over four generations. Of particular interest to Civil War historians as well as historians of anti-Semitism in America are contemporaneous documents relating to General Grant's Order Number 11 which expelled Jews "as a class" from the Department of Tennessee because they were suspected of trading across lines. Responding to outrage from the American Jewish community, President Lincoln soon rescinded this order.
None.
Related Material: Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 5271 Benjamin S. Gerson Family Foundation Records; MS 5272 Gerson-Margolis Foundation Records; and MS 5273 Ellie Fund Records.
All photographs have been removed to the photograph and print collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4660 Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson Family Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Eleanor Rosenfeld Gerson, 1993 and 1994.
Processed by Jane H. Rothstein in 1995