Search

This volume contains financial records, copied poetry and prayers, and colored illustrations compiled by various members of the Holstein family of Pennsylvania in the mid- to late 18th century. Most of the text is written in German.

This volume (about 100 pages) contains financial records, copied poetry and prayers, and colored illustrations compiled by various members of the Holstein family of Pennsylvania in the mid- to late 18th century. Most of the text is written in German.

Much of the volume is comprised of financial accounts recorded between 1753 and 1757, with 3 English-language promissory notes and receipts dated as late as January 1826; the later items pertain to John Holstein. Poems, devotions, and brief notes are written alongside the accounts. Numerous colored drawings in black, red, and yellow ink are located throughout the volume. These illustrations, which are crude examples of the Fraktur style, include floral patterns, pictures of people (sometimes represented by stick figures), and drawings of birds. Page 91 contains rubbings taken from 14 coins minted as late as 1831, including coins with the "draped bust" design, a "large cent," and a piece of Spanish currency.

The Marcus Ahlenfeld papers contain correspondence, documents, notes, and other material related to Ahlenfeld's medical education in Germany and to his medical practice in the United States.

The earliest letters in the Correspondence series date to Ahlenfeld's time in Germany, though the series spans most of his time in the United States. Material in this series is written primarily in German, but also includes items in Hebrew and in English. The correspondence series contains incoming correspondence relating to Ahlenfeld's 1832 journey to America and contains many letters of recommendation from various acquaintances, as well as a letter certifying his graduation from the University of Maryland (April 6, 1835). Later items in the series include several personal letters and a certificate of Ahlenfeld's citizenship (June 13, 1845). Items in the series postdating Ahlenfeld's death are addressed to his wife Esther.

The Documents and Receipts series consists of documents related to Ahlenfeld's education in Germany, as well as several receipts related to his life before emigrating to the United States.

The Manuscript prescriptions series contains 8 undated items.

The Medical notes series includes items in English, German, and Hebrew (much of the German and Hebrew writing is written with Yiddish script). The English language notes consist of 34 pages discussing "...Salubrity, Longevity, Mortality and prevalence of diseases in the principal Countries and cities of the civilized world" (undated).

The Notes, fragments, and miscellaneous series includes material written in both German and Hebrew (again, the German and Hebrew texts are written largely with Yiddish script).

• Rules for official medical examinations in Berlin (December 1825)
• French pamphlet regarding cholera (1831)
• Two reprinted letters of recommendation for Marcus Ahlenfeld ([1835])
• Rules for "die Königliche Bibliothek" in Berlin (undated)
• Pages from a German instructional book, possibly in history (undated)
• Pages from a German medical text (undated)

The German medical textbooks series has 5 items: two books on human anatomy, a medical dictionary, a chemistry encyclopedia, and a Latin dictionary and grammar.