Finding aid for the Abraham Stearn Papers
Title:
Abraham Stearn Papers
Repository:
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722
http://www.wrhs.org
Creator:
Stearn, Abraham
Dates:
1876-1914
Bulk dates:
1898-1914
Quantity:
0.25 linear feet (1 container)
Abstract:
 Abraham Stern was a Cleveland, Ohio, born philanthropist and financier. He joined Moses, Levy and Co., a fancy goods and toy store, in 1868. It became Levy and Stearn in 1872 and Stearn and Co., ca. 1905. Stearn was a director of the Society for Savings, the American Savings Bank and other institutions. He was a trustee of the Foundation of Jewish Charities and of the Jewish Orphan Asylum. He married Bertha Rohrheimer in 1876. The collection consists of a financial journal, lists of expenses, an advertisement, the marriage contract of Abraham Stearn and Betha Rohrheimer (1876) and a letter book detailing Stearn's stocks, investments, and his interest in the National Acme Manufacturing Co. Other topics include Levy and Stearn, charitable organizations and family affairs.
Identification:
MS 4056
Location:
closed stacks
Language:
The records are in English

Biography of Abraham Stearn

Abraham Stearn (1847-1921) was president of The Stearn Company and a well-known philanthropist and financier. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1847, Stearn joined Moses, Levy, and Company, a fancy goods and toy store, in 1868. The store changed its name to Levy and Stearn in l872 and to Stearn and Company ca. 1905. Stearn was a director of the Society for Savings, the American Savings Bank, and other institutions. He was a founding trustee of the Federation of Jewish Charities, and a trustee of the Jewish Orphan Home.


click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Levy and Stearn

Scope and Content

The Abraham Stearn Papers, 1876, and 1898-1914) consist of a letterbook, 1898-1913, financial journal, 1898-1914, lists of expenses, 1910-1914, an advertisement, and the marriage contract of Abraham Stearn and Bertha Rohrheimer, 1876.

The letterbook consists mainly of letters to business associates and family. Stearn's stocks and investments dominate the correspondence, particularly detailing his interests in the National Acme Manufacturing Company. Other subjects include charitable organizations, family affairs and Levy and Stearn. The financial journal lists Abraham Stearn's monthly personal expenses. This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and the Jewish community there in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Statement of Arrangement

The papers are arranged in six folders.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material: Related Material

The researcher should also consult PG 343 Abraham Stearn Photographs.


Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Jewish bankers -- Ohio -- Cleveland
Jewish capitalists and financiers -- Ohio -- Cleveland
Jewish merchants -- Ohio -- Cleveland
Jews -- Ohio -- Cleveland
Stearn, Abraham, 1847-1921

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4056 Abraham Stearn Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Alan S. Geimer, 1987

Processing Information

Processed by Dorit Cohen in 1987