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Inventory of the Keyserling Family Papers - Part II, 1900-2010
Inventory of the Keyserling Family Papers - Part II, 1900-2010
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: | Correspondence, school records, photographs, writings, financial records, home movies, clippings, and other materials of the Keyserling family of Beaufort, South Carolina. Materials relate to William Keyserling; his wife Jennie Hyman Keyserling; Leon Keyserling, American economist and lawyer; Herbert Keyserling, Beaufort physician; Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling, Beaufort state representative and wife of Herbert Keyserling; and their children, Judith Keyserling, Billy Keyserling, Beth Keyserling Kramer, and Paul Keyserling. |
Title: | Keyserling family papers - Part II |
Creator: | Keyserling family |
Date(s): | 1900-2010 |
Extent: | 4.60 linear feet (8 document boxes, 1 oversize folder, 7 DVDs) |
Repository: | Jewish Heritage Collection, Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries 66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 Phone: (843) 953-8016 Fax: (843) 953-6319 URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu |
Call Number: | Mss 1049b |
Language of Material: | Materials in English |
Biographical Note
Born in Lithuania, William Keyserling (1869-1951) immigrated in 1888 to the United States and settled in Beaufort, South Carolina. He established himself with the Macdonald, Wilkins Co., a cotton ginnery and wholesale warehouse located on St. Helena Island, advancing from cotton gin machinist to business partner. In 1907 Keyserling married New Yorker Jennie Hyman (1881-1935). The couple initially lived on St. Helena Island but later moved to Beaufort where Jennie was active in the town's civic affairs, becoming a member of the Parent Teacher Association, the Civic League, and the Clover Club, a women's literary and social group. The Keyserlings had four children: Leon Keyserling (1908-1987), Beth Keyserling Rosenfarb (1909-1978), Rosalyn Keyserling Schreiber (1910-1944), and Herbert Keyserling (1915-2000).
Leon Keyserling attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He worked as Senator Robert F. Wagner's chief legislative aide from1933 to 1937 and helped draft major New Deal legislation. From 1946 to 1953 he served on President Truman's Council of Economic Advisors and became its chairman. After leaving government service in 1953, Keyserling practiced as a lawyer and private consulting economist, working with various national organizations, governments, firms, and individuals. In 1971 Keyserling retired to devote his time as president and director of the Conference on Economic Progress (CEP), a nonprofit research organization dealing with U.S. economic development and national economic policies.
Herbert Keyserling attended the College of Charleston and the Medical College of South Carolina. From 1941 to 1946 he served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps attached to the First Marine Division, participating in several landings and battles during World War II, including the landing on Guadalcanal, the first major U.S. offensive in the Pacific. Upon his discharge he returned to Beaufort, opening his own private practice and joining the Beaufort Memorial Hospital as a member of the medical staff, becoming chief of staff shortly thereafter. In 1996 he retired after fifty years of practice but remained on Beaufort Memorial Hospital's emeritus staff until his death in 2000. In 1944 Herbert married native New Yorker, Harriet Hirschfeld (1922-2010). A graduate of Barnard College she was the first woman to serve on the Beaufort County Council and a sixteen-year member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing House District 124. She was a leader in promoting better public education and enhanced cultural opportunities in South Carolina. The couple had four children: Judith Keyserling (1946-2012), Billy Keyserling (1948- ), Beth Keyserling Kramer (1952- ), and Paul Keyserling (1952- ).
Judith Keyserling worked in marketing, public relations, and fundraising. She was director of marketing and public relations for The Washington Ballet, vice president of marketing and public relations at the Milwaukee Symphony, and executive vice president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. In 2006 she founded her own marketing firm, Keyserling+associates, with offices in Beaufort and Washington, D.C.
Billy Keyserling worked in Washington, D.C. as a legislative and administrative assistant in the United States House and Senate. He was an assistant to South Carolina Representative John Jenrette Jr. and to Senator Fritz Hollings; he directed Hollings presidential campaign in 1984. In 1989 he returned to Beaufort and shortly thereafter was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives where he served for two terms before serving one term on Beaufort City Council. In 2008 he was elected mayor of Beaufort.
Beth Keyserling Kramer is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a licensed professional counselor in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Paul Keyserling is a filmmaker, photographer, and independent media production professional based in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Collection Overview
Correspondence, school records, photographs, writings, financial records, home movies, clippings, and other materials of the Keyserling family of Beaufort, South Carolina. This finding aid describes the second accession (Part II) of the Keyserling family papers. Part I, which has significant overlap with Part II in regards to chronology and subject matter, is described here. Materials in the second accession primarily relate to William Keyserling and Jennie Hyman Keyserling, their children Leon Keyserling and Herbert Keyserling, Herbert's wife, Harriet Hirschman Keyserling, and their children, Judith Keyserling, Billy Keyserling, Beth Keyserling Kramer, and Paul Keyserling. Correspondence among family members consists primarily of letters between William Keyserling and Jennie Hyman Keyserling and from the children of Herbert Keyserling and Harriet Hirschman Keyserling to their parents. School records include progress reports, certificates, sport and performance programs, and school essays. Photographs include portraits of Jennie Hyman Keyserling and Leon Keyserling as well as images of Judith Keyserling, Billy Keyserling, Beth Keyserling Kramer, and Paul Keyserling. Writings include partial rough drafts of essays, notes, poetry, published articles, and speeches. Financial records include titles, deeds, and mortgages purchased and owned by Macdonald, Wilkins Co., letters and receipts related to the closing of the estate of William Keyserling, and Herbert Keyserling's personal ledger listing yearly donations, dues, and taxes paid. Audiovisual materials include home movies of the Keyserling and Hirschfeld families as well local news interviews with Harriet Keyserling, Herbert Keyserling, and Billy Keyserling. Clippings from local and state newspapers are related to Herbert Keyserling's retirement from private practice, Billy Keyserling's political career in Washington, D.C., and Paul Keyserling's participation in the Hilton Head Island Rugby Club. Materials related to Beth Israel Synagogue in Beaufort, South Carolina, include community annex blueprints as well as cemetery plats of the southern half of Beth Israel cemetery
Collection Arrangement
1. | William Keyserling, 1900-1950 |
2. | Jennie Hyman Keyserling, 1903-1935 |
3. | Leon Keyserling, circa 1909-1977 |
4. | Herbert Keyserling, 1915-2007 |
5. | Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling, 1928-2008 |
6. | Judith Keyserling, 1950-1982 |
7. | Billy Keyserling, 1954-2010 |
8. | Beth Keyserling Kramer, 1958-2009 |
9. | Paul Keyserling, 1958-2010 |
10. | Beth Israel Synagogue, 1926-1964 |
11. | Audiovisual, 1928-2000 |
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.Names
- Keyserling, William, 1869-1951
- Keyserling, Jennie Hyman, 1881-1935
- Keyserling, Herbert, 1915-2000
- Keyserling, Harriet Hirschfeld, 1922-2010
- Keyserling, Judith, 1946-2012
- Keyserling, William
- Kramer, Beth Keyserling, 1952-
- Keyserling, Paul, 1952-
- Keyserling, Leon H. (Leon Hirsch), 1908-1987
- Keyserling family
Subjects
- Jews--South Carolina--Beaufort--History
- Jews--South Carolina--Beaufort--Social life and customs
- Jewish politicians--South Carolina--Beaufort
- Jewish physicians--South Carolina--Beaufort
- Economists--United States
Places
- Beaufort (S.C.)
- South Carolina--Politics and government
Types of Material
- Correspondence
- School records
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Financial records
- Black-and-white photograph
- Color photographs
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Plats (maps)
- Drawings (visual works)
- Medals
- Writings (document genre)
- DVDs
Related Resources
Related Material
Related materials in Special Collections include the Leon Keyserling papers (Mss 1052), an oral history interview with Herbert Keyserling (Mss 1035-036), and the publications Leon H. Keyserling: A Progressive Economist by Donald K. Pickens (2009), Doctor K: A Personal Memoir by Herbert Keyserling (1999), and Against the Tide: One Woman's Political Struggle by Harriet Keyserling (1998).
Separated Material
The first accession (Part I) of the Keyserling family papers (Mss 1049a: Boxes 1-29 including oversize material) is described here.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Close All | Open All1. William Keyserling, 1900-1950
This series consists of personal correspondence primarily from Jennie Keyserling to husband William Keyserling but also includes letters from friends and family. Correspondence from 1944 to 1946 consists of letters among William Keyserling, Harriet Keyserling, and B. Herbert Keyserling and is related to B. Herbert Keyserling's hospitalization at the Payne Whitney Clinic. Also included are financial records including titles, deeds, and mortgages for real estate purchased and owned by MacDonald, Wilkins Co., of which Keyserling was a partner, as well as several small notebooks and a ledger consisting of yearly personal expenses, revenues, and donations. Additional materials relating to William Keyserling are also located in the first accession (Part I) of the Keyserling family papers. The inventory can be found here.
Includes typed speech given at Penn School on St. Helena Island, several small address books, pocket notebook, handwritten notes, photocopied obituaries, newspaper clipping, and receipts.
2. Jennie Hyman Keyserling, 1903-1935
This series consists of personal correspondence primarily from William Keyserling to wife Jennie Keyserling but also letters from her brother Charles Hyman, friends, and family. It also contains materials relating to the various associations, clubs, and leagues of which she was a member, including correspondence, annual, financial, and district reports as well as clippings, membership lists, and printed matter. Photographs consist of several portraits. Writings include partial rough drafts of essays and notes. Additional materials relating to Jennie Hyman Keyserling are located in the first accession (Part I) of the Keyserling family papers. The inventory can be found here.
Includes a New Palestine newspaper and handbill, the pamphlet After Three Years: The Progress of the Jewish Farm Colonies in Russia, photocopied obituary, address book, bank account book, correspondence, and blank postcards.
3. Leon Keyserling, circa 1909-1977
This series consists of a small amount of personal correspondence, assorted photographs, including Leon Keyserling with President Harry S. Truman and Coretta Scott King, and clippings. Additional materials relating to Leon Keyserling are located in the first accession (Part I) of the Keyserling family papers. The inventory can be found here.
4. Herbert Keyserling, 1915-2007
This series consists of biographical material; correspondence consisting of a small number of personal letters from family and friends; military service materials relating to Keyserling's service as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, including medals and a Marine Corps Recruit Depot Passover Haggadah; financial materials including letters and receipts related to the closing of the estate of his father, William Keyserling, as well as a personal ledger listing yearly donations, dues, and taxes paid, and miscellaneous personal receipts. The series also contains materials relating to Herbert Keyserling Day, a celebration of Keyserling's retirement from private practice, and writings, including speeches, humorous poems, and clippings related to his personal memoir, "Doctor K." Additional materials relating to Herbert Keyserling are located in the first accession (Part I) of the Keyserling family papers. The inventory can be found here.
Includes materials relating to Dr. Donald Gatch and his hearing before the Senate Select Committee regarding medical care of the poor in Beaufort County and at the Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Materials also relate to Keyserling's television interview given as part of a story about Dr. Gatch for the NBC television program The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
Includes Thirteenth Annual Beaufort Water Festival brochure, a B'nai B'rith service fund award, several B'nai B'rith "Chai" Certificates of Honor, boating license, and Doctor K cover proof.
5. Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling, 1928-2008
This series consists of a small amount of personal correspondence as well as photographs, including images of Judith Keyserling, Billy Keyserling, Beth Keyserling Kramer, Paul Keyserling, B. Herbert Keyserling, Leon Keyserling, and niece Rachel Rosenfarb. Also included is material relating to Pauline Steinberg Hirschfeld, Harriet's mother, consisting of memoirs and travel writings. Beth Israel Sunday school materials include vocabulary sheets and graded final exams from Harriet's time as a teacher there. Additional materials relating to Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling are also located in the first accession (Part I) of the Keyserling family papers. The inventory can be found here.
Includes bank books, U.S. Marine Corp. identification card, birth announcement for the Keyserling twins, Paul and Beth, and an American Business Women's Association certificate of appreciation
6. Judith Keyserling, 1950-1982
This series consists of personal correspondence primarily from Judith Keyserling to her parents, including letters from camp, college, and her time living and working in Washington, D.C.; school records, including progress reports and commencement announcements; and professional materials relating to her work as a music promoter and booking manager in Washington, D.C., including clippings, announcements, and publications.
Includes black and white photo booth photograph and dance performance programs.
7. Billy Keyserling, 1954-2010
This series consists of personal correspondence primarily from Billy Keyserling to his parents, including letters from boarding school, college, and his time living and working in Washington, D.C.; school records, including progress reports, certificates, essays, and a team portrait of Billy's junior high school football team, the Beaufort Ripples; and writings, including articles written for the College of Charleston student publication The Meteor, "Longshot Democrats Never Had a Chance in the Media" written for the Washington Post, the commentary "It's Wrong for the Media to Write Off the Other Candidates" written for the Washington Post National Weekly Edition, and assorted commentaries written for the Beaufort Gazette. Also included are campaign materials and clippings associated with Keyserling's 2008 Beaufort mayoral race and clippings relating to his political work in Washington, D.C.
Newsletter published by William Keyserling and Associates.
Includes small color photograph of Billy Keyserling, News and Courier newspaper service award, Boy Scouts of America newspapers and catalog, resume, and clippings
8. Beth Keyserling Kramer, 1958-2009
This series consists of personal correspondence primarily from Beth Keyserling Kramer to her parents, including letters from camp and college; school records, including progress reports, essays, and certificates; and photographs, including black and white class portraits and photographs of the counselors and campers at Camp Judea, a Jewish summer camp located in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Dance performance and horse show programs, rehearsal schedules, and camper address lists from Camp Judea and High Rocks camp.
9. Paul Keyserling, 1958-2010
This series consists of personal correspondence primarily from Paul Keyserling to his parents, including letters from camp and college; school records including progress reports, essays, certificates, and Southern District Football Jamboree souvenir programs; photographs, including black and white class portraits, Beaufort Bantam football team portraits, and photographs of the counselors and campers at Camp Judea, a Jewish summer camp located in Hendersonville, North Carolina; and art created by Paul Keyserling, including assorted early pencil and crayon drawings and photojournalism work for the Beaufort Gazette, Osceola, and Charlotte Observer. Also included are clippings relating to Paul Keyserling's participation in the Hilton Head Island Rugby Club.
Includes Eighth Annual Beaufort Water Festival brochure, certificate of Bar Mitzvah, The WJWJ Television Story brochure, and a Hilton Head Island Rugby Club cloth patch and brochure.
10. Beth Israel Synagogue, 1926-1964
Includes side elevation, foundation, and floor blueprints and a general contract for materials and labor. Also included is a listing of actual and estimated materials.
Plats of the southern half of the Beth Israel cemetery.
Includes handwritten Hanukkah celebration program, Bar Mitzvah speech, and letter soliciting donations.
11. Audiovisual, 1928-2000
Includes DVDs compiled by Paul Keyserling of Keyserling and Hirschfeld home movies as well as local television news interviews with Harriet Keyserling, Herbert Keyserling, and Billy Keyserling.
Includes retirement tribute, profile, and television interviews.
Includes television interviews with Billy Keyserling.
Includes retirement ceremony and television interview.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Keyserling family papers - Part II, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Materials were donated in 2005 by Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling and Paul Keyserling.
Processing Information
Processed by Joshua Minor, April 2012.
Encoded by Joshua Minor, April 2012.
Finding aid updated with additions to the collection by Joshua Minor, July 2012.
Reviewed, edited, and uploaded by Martha McTear, June 2012.
Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.