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Inventory of the Colman and Blank Families Papers, 1845-1993
Inventory of the Colman and Blank Families Papers, 1845-1993
Descriptive Summary
| Abstract: | The collection consists of professional and personal correspondence, professional materials, photograph albums and photographs, and other assorted papers of the Colman and Blank families of Charleston, South Carolina. Materials relate to Beverly Isabel Colman, a former managing editor for Schocken Books, and her great-great grandmother Rosa Simmons Blank, Rosa's son, Isadore Blank, and Isadore's son, Edwin J. Blank. |
| Title: | Colman and Blank families papers |
| Creator: | Colman family;
Blank family |
| Date(s): | 1845-1993 |
| Extent: | 2.15 linear feet (5 document boxes, 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 1111 |
| Language of Material: | Materials in English |
Biographical Note
Beverly Isabel Colman (1940-1999), daughter of John H. and Rosabel Blank Colman (1916-2009) was born in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1962 with a BA in English literature and was a managing editor for Schocken Books, a publisher of Jewish fiction and non-fiction books located in New York City.
Rosa Simmons Blank (d. 1915), Beverly's great-great-grandmother, was a member of the Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Society of Charleston. Her son, Isadore Blank (1862-1947), father of Edwin J. Blank (1886-1968), was president of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim from 1917 to 1937.
Collection Overview
The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence, professional materials, photograph albums and photographs, and other assorted papers of the Colman and Blank families of Charleston, South Carolina. Materials primarily pertain to Beverly Isabel Colman, a former managing editor for Schocken Books, and her maternal ancestors Rosa Simmons Blank, Rosa's son, Isadore Blank, and Isadore's son, Edwin J. Blank. Materials related to Beverly Isabel Colman include school records, personal and professional correspondence, books, and other papers pertaining to Beverly's work as a managing editor. Photograph albums contain assorted family photographs, ephemera, and genealogical information concerning the Elias, Blank, Furchgott, and Colman families. Also included are a series of leases, mortgages, and bonds for a George Street property, part of the Glebe Lands owned by St. Philip's Episcopal Church, purchased by Rosa Simmons Blank in 1882; miscellaneous materials related to Isadore Blank and his son, Edwin J. Blank; a Lillye Blank commemorative china plate; a newspaper clipping scrapbook given to Minnie R. Loryea from Rev. David Levy; a pair of silver Shabbat candlesticks; and a Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim centennial booklet.
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
- Colman, Beverly
- Blank, Rosa Simmons, d. 1915
- Blank, Isadore, 1862-1947
- Blank, Edwin J., 1886-1968
- Colman family
- Blank family
- Schocken Books
Subjects
- Editors--South Carolina--Charleston
- Jewish families--South Carolina--Charleston
Places
- Charleston (S.C.)
Types of Material
- Correspondence
- Photograph albums
- Black-and-white photographs
- Color photographs
- Legal documents
- 45 rpm records
- Scrapbooks
- Candlesticks
Related Resources
Related Material
Related materials in Special Collection include the Hebrew Benevolent Society papers, 1867-1984 (Mss 1059).
Inventory
Beverly Isabel Colman, 1953-1993
Personal correspondence, 1964-1993, undated
General correspondence from friends and family as well as correspondence related to family history and financial matters.
Professional materials, 1965-1987, undated
Assorted professional correspondence, books, and other materials relating to her work as managing editor for Schocken Books, a publisher of Jewish fiction and non-fiction books located in New York City.
Assorted correspondence regarding the editing and English translation of a collection of Franz Kafka's letters.
Letters to Ottla & the Family, 1976-1982
Contains assorted promotional materials and correspondence regarding editing.
Contains a copy of The Jewish Holiday Kitchen and assorted correspondence regarding its editing.
Photograph albums and photographs, 1961-1978, undated
Contains images of Beverly Isabel Colman and her brother Randolph Colman.
Contains images of Beverly Isabel Colman and friends at camp.
Album contains family photographs and genealogical information concerning the Elias, Blank, Furchgott, and Colman families.
Contains materials related to Rosa Simmons Blank, mother of Isadore Blank. Materials include a series of leases, mortgages, and bonds for a George Street property purchased by Rosa in 1882, part of the Glebe Lands owned by St. Philip's Episcopal Church.
Contains miscellaneous materials related to Isadore Blank, son of Rosa Simmons Blank and president of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim from 1917 to 1937. Materials include a "living letter" 45 rpm recording that Isadore Blank sent to Mrs. H. Elias, a copy of Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of George S. Legaré, a copy of The American Israelite containing the article "The Cradle of American Judaism" by Jacob S. Raisin, and several photo buttons of Isadore, his wife, Belle, and son, Edwin.
Contains miscellaneous materials related to Edwin J. Blank, son of Isadore Blank. Materials include a patent for a combined cotton chopper and cultivator, a patent for a stalk cutter, a consent decree discharging Edwin from his duties as executor and trustee under the will of Ishum F. Lanier, a list of library books, and a black and white photo of his nurse.
Portrait of Lillye Blank surrounded by signatures of friends.
Given to Minnie R. Loryea by Rev. David Levy. Scrapbook contains Minnie's letters to The American Israelite newspaper as well as miscellaneous poems, articles, and obituaries.
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], Colman and Blank families papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Materials were donated in 2006, 2009, and 2011 by Rosabel Colman and Randolph Colman.
Processing Information
Processed by Colleen O' Connor and Joshua Minor, October 2012.
Encoded by Joshua Minor, October 2012.
Reviewed and uploaded by Martha McTear, February 2013.
Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.
