To search the full text of this finding aid, type Ctrl and F on a PC. Mac users, type Command and F. A box will appear in the browser window. To search the full document, Open All must be selected first in the Detailed Description of the Collection.
Inventory of the Kornfeld Family Papers, 1905-1961
Inventory of the Kornfeld Family Papers, 1905-1961
Descriptive Summary
| Abstract: | The collection consists of photographs, passports, immigration records, and other papers of the Kornfeld family of Vienna, Austria. The Kornfelds, fleeing Nazism, immigrated to the United States in 1939. |
| Title: | Kornfeld family papers |
| Creator: | Kornfeld family |
| Date(s): | 1905-1961 |
| Extent: | 0.1 linear feet (2 folders) |
| 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 1065-026 |
| Language of Material: | Materials in English, German, Czech, and Italian |
Biographical Note
Alexander and Mathilde Spitz Kornfeld lived in Vienna, Austria, with their son, Walter, prior to World War II. Alexander Kornfeld was a World War I veteran and worked as an executive in a textile business. The German occupation of Austria in 1938 and subsequent persecution of Austrian Jews forced the Kornfeld family to make plans to escape the country.
Mathilde Kornfeld's nephew, Paul Kern, had immigrated to the United States in the 1920s and provided the Kornfeld family with U.S. affidavits for immigration. Walter Kornfeld obtained his American visa in January 1939 and traveled to America aboard the RMS Queen Mary in February. Alexander and Mathilde Kornfeld, who received their American visas on August 20, 1939, had difficulty obtaining exit permits from the German government, a problem compounded by the outbreak of war. But in October 1939, the Kornfelds obtained exit permits and tickets for travel to New York aboard the Italian ship SS Rex. The Kornfeld family reunited and settled in the Bronx before moving to Athens, Georgia, in 1955, where Walter taught veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia.
Collection Overview
Photographs, passports, immigration records, and other papers of the Kornfeld family of Vienna, Austria. Also included is Alexander Kornfeld's memoir, which details his family history, his Austrian military service in World War I and subsequent business career, and his struggle to flee Austria with his family at the beginning of World War II. Materials consist of digital images and photocopies.
Collection Arrangement
Materials are described at the folder level.
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
- Kornfeld family
Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
- World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities
- Holocaust survivors--Austria--Vienna
Places
- Vienna (Austria)
Types of Material
- Digital images
- Memoirs
- Photo CDs
- Photocopies
Inventory
Photographs of Alexander Kornfeld, his wife, Mathilde, and their son, Walter. Nearly all photographs were taken in pre-war Vienna and include family portraits and group photographs, including Alexander Kornfeld with his military unit. Other images include the Kornfeld family's German passports, U.S. certificates of naturalization, ghetto money, and other papers. Materials consist of digital images on CD and photocopies.
Alexander Kornfeld's memoir details his family history, his Austrian military service in World War I and subsequent business career, and his struggle to flee Austria with his family at the beginning of World War II.
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], Kornfeld family papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Materials were donated in 2005 and 2008 by Thomas Kornfeld.
Processing Information
Processed by Rebecca McClure, October 2011.
Encoded by Rebecca McClure, March 2012.
Reviewed and uploaded by Martha McTear, March 2012.
Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.
