Collections : [University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center]

The 105 letters in this collection document the experience of a German Jewish family in the years immediately before, during, and shortly after World War II. Nathan and Johannna Rosenberg of Breisach, Germany, had three sons: Julius (1900-1942), Eugen (1901-1964), and Alfred (1911-2005). Eugen left for Palestine in 1935. Alfred, with his wife and her parents immigrated to the United States in August 1938. Most of the letters were written to Alfred by his brothers, his parents, and other relatives between 1938 and 1946. Most of the letters are from Julius, Emmy, Nathan, and Johanna; some of these they wrote from the labor camp in Gurs to which many Jews in Breisach were deported in October 1940. Contains typewritten transcriptions (German) and English translations for most letters.

This collection contains one linear foot of material and includes 105 letters between Rosenberg family members, friends, and acquaintances. It documents the firsthand experiences of a German Jewish family before, during, and after the Holocaust, and also includes the experiences of family members who emigrated from Germany in the years immediately before the Second World War. The letters were received and collected by Alfred Rosenberg, and as a result most are addressed to him and Alise Rosenberg and few are written by them.

The collection is organized in two series: Papers and Photographs. The Papers series consists of Williams's reminiscences of his experiences as a military officer in the Philippine Constabulary stationed in the mountain district of North Central Luzon, particularly his essay Spear and Bolo Interlude (68 [i.e., 72] p., typescript with holograph corrections); of his employment by the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company of New York in the South China Division, including an essay and a report describing the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941 and his subsequent six-month imprisonment at the internment camp on Stanley Peninsula; and of a childhood friendship with a black man, accused, tried, convicted, and hung for the murder of a white policeman in Booneville, Missouri. The Papers also include documents (diploma, commission papers, passport, etc.), military memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and a large collection of photos, chiefly depicting military camps and native inhabitants of Luzon. The second half of the collection is comprised of Williams's photographs, all have been digitized with links available in this finding aid.

The collection consists of Williams's reminiscences of his experiences as a military officer in the Philippine Constabulary stationed in the mountain district of North Central Luzon, particularly his essay Spear and bolo interlude (68 [i.e., 72] p., typescript with holograph corrections); of his employment by the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company of New York in the South China Division, including an essay and a report describing the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941 and his subsequent six-month imprisonment at the internment camp on Stanley Peninsula; and of a childhood friendship with a black man, accused, tried, convicted, and hung for the murder of a white policeman in Booneville, Missouri. The Papers also include documents (diploma, commission papers, passport, etc.), military memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and a large collection of photos, chiefly depicting military camps and native inhabitants of Luzon. The second half of the collection is comprised of Williams's photographs, almost entirely of his time in the Philippines. Subjects are most often people, mostly posing for the photograph; some more candid photographs; some are of landscapes and scenery. All have been digitized with links available in this finding aid.