Finding aid for the Anita Blimbaum Family Papers
Title:
Anita Blimbaum Family Papers
Repository:
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722
http://www.wrhs.org
Creator:
Blimabaum, Anita Family
Dates:
1929-1990
Bulk dates:
1942-1949
Quantity:
0.20 linear feet (1 container)
Abstract:
 Anita Solomon Blimbaum (1958-) is a resident of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Her family lineage speaks to the high proportion of immigration from Eastern Europe to the Cleveland area as her ancestors were from Belarus, Russia, and Poland. Though Anita's maternal side of the family was spread across the globe, they managed to keep in touch with one another regularly through letters and photographs, many of which were written by her mother, Josephine Solomon; grandmother, Julia Costello; aunt, Stacha (Sadie) Kasperek; and other relatives of the Costello and Kasperek families. The collection consists of correspondence written to and from the Costello and Solomon families, particularly Josephine and her mother, Julia, as they corresponded with their relatives abroad. The collection includes letters between Henryk Kaminski and Joseph Lewanski and Ignacy Kaminski (father of Julia Costello); Josephine and Samuel Solomon and the Lesser family (relatives from England); Julia Costello and niece Hella Kasperek; Julia Costello and nephew Kasimir Kasperek; and Julia Costello and sister Stacha (Sadie) Kasperek.
Identification:
MS 5381
Location:
closed stacks
Language:
The records are in English and Polish

Biography of the Anita Blimbaum Family

Anita Solomon Blimbaum (1958) is a resident of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Born Anita Solomon to Samuel and Josephine Costello Solomon, her family lineage speaks to the high proportion of immigration from Eastern Europe to the Cleveland area. Her paternal grandparents, Morris and Helen (Lieb) Solomon, were Jewish immigrants from Belarus, Russia, while her maternal grandfather, Stanley Costello emigrated from Poland with his parents, Jos and Agnes (Tellese) Costello. Her grandmother, Julia Kaminski Costello was born in Cleveland, but had strong ties to Poland, with at least one sister, Stacha (Sadie) Kasperek, residing there and parents, Ignacy and Teofila Lawinski Kaminski emigrating from the area to Cleveland. Though Anita's maternal side of the family was spread across the globe, they managed to keep in touch with one another regularly through letters, many of which were written by Josephine Solomon and Julia Costello, Stacha (Sadie) Kasperek, as well as other relatives of the Costello and Kasperek families.

Scope and Content

The Anita Blimbaum Family Papers, 1929-1990 and undated, consists of correspondence written to and from the Costello and Solomon families, particularly Josephine and her mother, Julia, as they corresponded with their relatives abroad. The collection includes letters between Henryk Kaminski and Joseph Lewanski and Ignacy Kaminski (father of Julia Costello); Josephine and Samuel Solomon and the Lesser family (relatives from England); Julia Costello and niece Hella Kasperek; Julia Costello and nephew Kazimierz Kasperek; and Julia Costello and sister Stacha (Sadie) Kasperek.

This collection is of value to researchers interested in the history of the Solomon and Costello families of Cleveland, Ohio, and the Kasperek family of Poland. Researchers interested in the lives of immigrant families to the United States, and particularly their correspondence with relatives in their home countries, will also find this collection to be valuable. Additionally, as many of the letters were written by civilians in Poland during World War II and immediately after, researchers studying the effects of the war on Polish civilians will also find this collection to be of interest. Other topics of interest covered by this collection include Polish casualties of war and the civilian reaction to the war in Warsaw, as well as Polish civilians' attempts to recover and relocate in the years following the war.

Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type and then alphabetically by last name of correspondent.

Restrictions on Use

None

Restrictions on Access

None.

Indexing Terms

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

Subjects:

Costello family --Correspondence.
Kasperek family.
Lesser family.
Poland -- Emigration and immigration.
Polish Americans -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Solomon family -- Correspondence.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Jewish.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Polish.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Refugees.

Persons:

Blimbaum, Anita Solomon, 1958-
Costello, Julia Kaminski.
Kaminski, Henryk.
Kaminski, Ignacy.
Kasperek, Hella.
Kasperek, Kazimierz.
Kasperek, Stacha.
Lewanski, Joseph.
Solomon, Josephine Costello.
Solomon, Samuel.

Preferred Citation

[Container ____, Folder ____] MS 5381 Anita Blimbaum Family Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Anita Blimbaum in 2014.

Processing Information

Processed by Whitney Stalnaker and Matthew Gauthier in 2015.


Detailed Description of The Collection



Anita Blimbaum Family Papers, 1929-1990; undated

Box 1 / Folder 1
Correspondence, from Poland, between Julia Costello and the Kasperek family, 1945-1946




Box 1 / Folder 2
Correspondence, from Poland, between Julia Costello and niece Hella Kasperek, 1934




Box 1 / Folder 3
Correspondence, from Poland, between Julia Costello and sister Stacha (Sadie) Kasperek, 1929-1950




Box 1 / Folder 4
Correspondence, from Poland, from Henryk Kaminski to Josef Lewanski and Ignacy Kaminski, 1948




Box 1 / Folder 5
Correspondence, from England, between Josephine and Samuel Solomon and the Lesser family, 1973, 1990




Box 1 / Folder 6
Correspondence, unidentified, in Polish, undated