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Start Over Subject Charities Subject German Americans Form Scrapbooks

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German Society of Pennsylvania institutional records, 1764-1968 (bulk) 1764-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:
27.4 linear feet
Abstract:
The German Society of Pennsylvania, founded in Philadelphia in 1764, directed its early efforts to assisting new German immigrants, especially those forced into indentured servitude when they were unable to pay their sea fare. Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries, the Society was very visible in the thriving German-American community in Philadelphia, boasting just over one thousand members at the peak of its growth, in the late 1870s. In the 20th century, the Society’s scope and prominence was affected by the two World Wars, which created suspicion and criticism of Germanic culture. That suspicion and government scrutiny played a role in the dwindling membership of the Society. In the post-World War II era the Society channeled its overseas relief activities through a Quaker-based aid society. In the second half of the century, the neighborhood was also changing, as it became predominantly African-American, rather than German, and more impoverished. But the Society pressed...(see more)

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]

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Frederick W. Haussmann scrapbook, circa 1921-1925

Extent:
0.3 linear feet (1 volume/box + 6 folders)
Abstract:
Scrapbook kept by Frederick W. Haussmann, from approximately 1921 to 1925, related to his recreational and volunteer activities in Philadelphia, especially concerning the United Singers of Philadelphia (Vereinigte Sänger von Philadelphia), an umbrella organization of German-American choral societies, and the related regional group, Nordöstlicher Sängerbund, as well as the charitable organization Hilfsfond, which raised funds for humanitarian aid to Germany following the First World War. The volume also includes a section devoted to obituary clippings on German Americans in Haussmann's milieu.

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]