Baerwald Family Correspondence

The Baerwald Family Correspondence Collection primarily consists of a bound volume of handwritten correspondence of members of the Baerwald and related families. The correspondence is arranged chronologically, and dates from 1889 through 1919, with a gap between 1908 and 1919 and only a few letters from each year. The bulk of the correspondence is from Hermann Baerwald, director of the Philanthropin School in Frankfurt am Main, to his sons Paul and Emil and especially to his son-in-law Johannes Behrendt (called Hans) and daughter Elise (called Lieschen), although letters of other extended family members are also present.

The earliest letters in the volume are from the lawyer Johannes Behrendt of Danzig (today Gdańsk, Poland), who married Elise Baerwald. Many of the letters in the bound volume are between Johannes and Elise Behrendt and Hermann Baerwald and his wife. In addition, many of Hermann Baerwald's letters were to or about his sons Paul and Emil Baerwald. Among these are letters that discuss Emil's work in the United States in 1893-1894, when he worked for American Metal, Inc., while others mention his later work in London in 1898. Some of Hermann Baerwald's letters are written on the stationery of L. Baerwald of Nakel, Prussia (today Nakło nad Notecią, Poland). One lengthy letter of October 31, 1891 from Hermann Baerwald to his daughter Elise describes her birth in 1867 and early years but also a planned family trip to London, where he hoped his youngest son Paul would begin his business training. One of the latest letters of the volume dates from 1908, when Johannes Behrendt wrote his daughter Susi Behrendt.

Most letters in this collection convey news of family members' activities and health, including mention of visits with other family members as well as Hermann Baerwald's advice to his children, anecdotes about earlier days, or news of family in Nakel as well as Frankfurt and elsewhere. Perhaps due to the great distances of several family members from one another, Hermann Baerwald's correspondence seems to primarily focus on the family, conveying news of their doings rather than centering on his professional work at the Philanthropin school. Engagement and marriage announcements for several couples are found among the correspondence, including the engagements of Johannes Behrendt and Elise Baerwald in 1889 and of physician Arnold Baerwald and Therese Reichenberger in 1894, and the marriage of Selma Baerwald and Arther Frenkel of Berlin in 1906.

One folded letter was not bound with the others letters of this collection and has been placed in the second folder of the collection. Dating from 1919, later than any other letters in the collection, this long letter is from Eduard (Edu) Baerwald in Liebenzell, Germany to his brothers Emil and Paul Baerwald. Among the many topics it covers, it includes some information on the activities of Arnold Baerwald.