Klopstock family papers
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Overview
- Description
- The Klopstock family papers include biographical material, emigration and immigration material, correspondence, publications, and photographs documenting Johanna Klaus and Norbert, Hilda, Ruth, and Liselotte Klopstock’s immigration to the United States from Berlin in 1940. The collection also includes documents and correspondence from Norbert Klopstock while imprisoned at Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany and the Kitchener internment camp in Richborough, Kent.
Biographical materials include a copy of Hilda Klopstock’s birth certificate and a German passport and identity card for Johanna Klaus (Hilda’s sister).
Emigration and immigration materials include correspondence, immigrant questionnaires, affidavits, and packing lists documenting Hilda, Ruth, Liselotte, and Johanna’s successful effort to obtain visas andimmigrate to the United States from Berlin. Also included in the series are correspondence, applications, and money transfers relating to Norbert’s effort to leave Kitchener in England and immigrate to the United States.
Klopstock family correspondences include a postcard from Norbert while imprisoned at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, telegrams sent to Kitchener for Norbert informing him of his family’s safety, and correspondence between family members about daily life and plans to leave Germany.
Subject files include report cards, certificates, and reference letters for Ruth from various schools and institutions and report cards for Liselotte and Norbert. This series also includes records documenting Norbert’s time in the Kitchener internment camp, including a pamphlet titled, While you are in England: Helpful Information and Guidance for Every Refugee, an identity card, documents regarding transit to the camp, a letter of reference, and a permit to leave the camp.
Publications include a magazine titled Some Victims of the Nazi Terror, which contains photographs and propaganda information about the Kitchener camp in Richborough, England. The series also includes newspapers Aus alter und neuer Zeit and N.Y. Saats-Zeitung und Herold.
Photographic materials consist of a photograph of Hilda Klopstock’s cousin. - Date
-
inclusive:
1902-1945
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Lillian Cohn
- Collection Creator
- Klopstock family
- Biography
-
Norbert Klopstock (b. 1896) was born in Berlin and owned a retail plumbing supply store that was confiscated under the Nazi regime. He married Hilda Klaus (b. 1894) and had two daughters Ruth (b. 1922) and Liselotte (b. 1931) On Kristallnacht, Norbert was arrested and imprisoned at Sachsenhausen concentration camp. After his release, he managed to escape to England, where he was interned in the Kitchener internment camp. Hilda, Ruth, and Liselotte fled Germany through Italy and arrived in the United Stated in early 1940. Norbert joined his family in March 1940.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Correspondence. Photographs. Newspaper. Negatives.
- Extent
-
1 box
1 oversize folder
- System of Arrangement
- The Klopstock family papers are arranged as six series:
Series 1: Biographical materials, approximately 1922-1939 and undated
Series 2: Emigration and immigration materials, approximately 1921-1945
Series 3: Klopstock family correspondence, approximately 1920-1941
Series 4: Subject files, 1902-1940
Series 5: Publications, approximately 1930-1945
Series 6: Photographic material, undated
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Lillian Cohn donated this collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in February 1997.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-06-02 08:46:25
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn44536
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
