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Inventory of the Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt Papers, 1866-2010
Inventory of the Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt Papers, 1866-2010
Descriptive Summary
| Abstract: | Writings, newspaper clippings, poetry, plays, publications, correspondence, photographs, and other personal papers of Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt of Charleston, South Carolina. Materials mostly relate to the Berendt and Gelson family histories as well as Benjamin's and Anna's travels. Also included are Aleph Zadik Aleph Chapter 143 publications from the 1950s and 1960s. |
| Title: | Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt papers |
| Creator: | Berendt, Benjamin, 1912-2010;
Berendt, Anna Gelson, 1913-2001 |
| Date(s): | 1866-2010 |
| Extent: | 3.40 linear feet (2 document boxes, 1 slim document box, 1 flat box, 1 oversize folder) |
| 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 1089 |
| Language of Material: | Materials in English |
Biographical Note
Benjamin Berendt (1912-2010) was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to Isaac and Mary Berendt, who immigrated to New York in 1871 from Konin, Poland.
Benjamin Berendt attended Charleston High School, was an active member of AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph) Chapter 143, and studied history at the College of Charleston, where he graduated in 1935. Berendt became a partner of Berendt Brothers, Inc. and traveled throughout the Carolinas and Georgia selling wholesale shoes, handbags, and other leather goods.
Anna Gelson (1913-2001) was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Louis and Zelda Gelson. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and spent a brief period on Yonges Island following Louis Gelson's death. They eventually returned to Charleston and opened a grocery store at 572 Meeting Street.
Gelson and Berendt were married in 1940. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Benjamin Berendt enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a shore patrol officer in the South Pacific. Anna Berendt worked as a civilian employee at the North Charleston naval base, where she handled purchase requisitions for naval supplies. After the war, Benjamin Berendt continued his work as a salesman. The Berendts were members of Charleston's Brith Sholom Beth Israel, and Anna was active in the Charleston chapter of Hadassah and the National Council of Jewish Women. She also served as an advisor for B'nai B'rith Girls (sister organization to AZA) and was an avid writer.
Collection Overview
Writings, newspaper clippings, poetry, plays, publications, correspondence, photographs, and other personal papers of Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt of Charleston, South Carolina. Most of the writings, poetry, and plays were composed by Anna Gelson Berendt and include narrative histories of her ancestors in Russia and their immigration to the United States. Also included are materials relating to the Berendt family history and Benjamin's and Anna's travels as well as AZA Chapter 143 newsletters.
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
- Berendt, Anna Gelson, 1913-2001
- Berendt, Benjamin, 1912-2010
- Berendt family
- Gelson family
- Aleph Zadik Aleph
Subjects
- Jews--South Carolina--Charleston--History
Places
- Charleston (S.C.)
Types of Material
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Color photographs
- Black-and-white photographs
- Plays (document genre)
- Poetry
- Publications
- Writings (document genre)
Related Resources
Related Material
Related materials in Special Collections include a 1996 oral history interview with Benjamin Berendt (Mss 1035-076).
Inventory
Benjamin Berendt, 1866-2010, undated
Includes genealogical material, family trees, bow tie charts, and a brief biography of Benjamin Berendt written by his son, Gerald Berendt.
Memorial calendar for Isaac Berendt (d. 1866)
Includes photocopied pages from Berendt's high school yearbook The Argus and his college yearbook The Comet. Original copies of the yearbooks can be found in Special Collections.
Includes a small mezuzah and a prayer book from the Jewish Welfare Board.
Anna Gelson Berendt, 1908-2001, undated
Includes biographical writings, family trees and census documents.
Photocopy of passenger manifest listing her parents, Louis and Zelda Gelson.
Includes newspaper clippings regarding the Rosen family and Leon Gelson.
Includes school essays and papers, handwritten notes, and tests.
Writings, 1974-1991, undated
Unpublished manuscript recounting the lives of the Gelson and Rosen families in Russia and America as well as Anna's life as a young girl growing up on Yonges Island, South Carolina, and in Charleston, South Carolina.
Includes a 1981 issue of the College of Charleston's literary and art journal Miscellany.
Includes the plays Ellen and Eddie, 572 Meeting Street, and stage diagrams.
Pamphlets, postcards, and travel writings from the Berendt's trip to New England.
Photographs, circa early 1900s -2004
Includes newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and other papers of Gerald Berendt, son of Benjamin and Anna Berendt. Materials relate to Gerald Berendt's position as assistant professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. Contains photocopies and original documents.
Includes eight issues of Chaza, the AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph) Chapter 143 newsletter, as well as two other AZA newsletters: Five Folder and Jewish Star and Harold Koslow Pledge Class. Benjamin Berendt served as vice president and later as president of AZA Chapter 143 in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Gerald Berendt served as editor, advisor, and president in the mid-1960s.
Includes newspaper clippings and printed material, such as a Barton's Kosher Confectioners pamphlet and a 1971 Manischewitz eight-day menu planner and recipe guide for Passover. Workbook for Children's History of Israel, Part 1 by Sulamith Ish-Kishor is also included.
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], Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Materials were donated in 2011 by Gerald E. Berendt.
Processing Information
Processed by Joshua Minor and Sarah M. Dorpinghaus, April 2011.
Encoded by Joshua Minor, March 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.
