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Krutzke family papers

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Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]611 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Herbert Fritz Krutzke was born in Wehlau am Königsberg in East Prussia, Germany, on March 16, 1889. He immigrated to the United States in 1911, sailing from Hamburg, Germany, to Philadelphia on the ship Prinz Adalbert. Before immigrating to the United States he served two years in the German army. In 1914 he married another German immigrant, Luise Emilie Greger, who was born on May 20, 1896 in Friedland, East Prussia, Germany. Herbert was naturalized on February 2, 1916. They had two sons and two daughters: Herbert George (1916-1998), Helen (1918-1981), Eleanor (1920-2006), and Warren J. (1926-2006). Herbert Fritz was a successful businessman who ran his own business. He died in November 1969 in Philadelphia, and Luise (Louise) died in February 1987.

Hans Georg Krutzky was the older brother of Herbert. He was born in Germany in 1880 and immigrated to the United States in 1904, settling in Philadelphia, where he worked as a watchmaker. He married Klara E. Rogge in 1907 and they had one daughter named Klara, who was born in 1913. Hans died sometime in 1925.

Herbert and Hans had another brother, Bruno, who died in 1916 in Romania during World War I.

Maria Krutzky (née Alexander) was born in 1881 and lived in Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany (today, Kaliningrad, Russia). She was married to Walter Krutzky, who may have been a brother of Herbert and Hans, since she refers to herself as sister-in-law in her letters to Herbert and Luise Krutzke. Walter died in 1920, leaving Maria a widow with two small children. One of those children was Jutta Krutzky, who married Fred Kraaz on May 26, 1950. Jutta Krutzky was born in 1917. The other child was Lothar Krutzky, who was born in 1918 and died in 1943, at Lake Ladoga, Russia, during World War II. After World War II Maria lived with her daughter, first in Krefeld then in Menden, West Germany. She died on March 5, 1959.

The brothers Gustav and Harald Streit were nephews of Herbert and Luise Krutzke.

This collection contains correspondence, photographs and memorabilia from the Krutzke (Krutzky) family. The correspondence, spanning the years 1911 to 1969, is mostly addressed to Herbert Fritz Krutzke and/or his wife, Luise Krutzke (née Greger), German Americans who came from East Prussia and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their correspondents are relatives or friends living in Germany. Two letters are addressed to Herbert's brother Hans Krutzky, and Hans's wife Klara, who were also living in Philadelphia. The correspondence is from two separate periods of time, 1911 to 1934 and 1948 to 1969. Included are several wedding and death announcements, and some greeting cards. A few of the photographs are cabinet cards that date to the 1890s. Also included are two religious prints, and an art work, partly sewn, with a handwritten text, created by a German child in school, in the 1860s or early 1870s.

This collection is arranged in three series. Series I consists of correspondence that was written and sent from Germany to Herbert and Luise Krutzke in Philadelphia. Series II consists of various family photographs. Series III contains memorabilia, including religious prints and a child's art work.

Presumably the gift of the Krutzke family.

Publisher
German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Brett Tobias
Finding Aid Date
2013.06
Sponsor
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from the Max Kade Foundation, as part of the grant project "Retrieval and Cataloging of the German-American Experience, 1918-1960."
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the German Society of Pennsylvania with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Collection Inventory

Maria Krutzky, 1914-1934, undated. Contains 6 letters, one death notice and 1 photo. Two of the letters are addressed to Hans and Klara Krutzky.
Box 1 Folder 1
Physical Description

Contains 6 letters, one death notice and 1 photo. Two of the letters are addressed to Hans and Klara Krutzky

Jutta Kraaz (née Krutzky), 1948-1969, undated. Includes 7 letters, 1 engagement announcement, 1 marriage announcement, 2 Christmas cards and 5 photos.
Box 1 Folder 2
Physical Description

Includes 7 letters, 1 engagement announcement, 1 marriage announcement, 2 Christmas cards and 5 photos

Gustav and Harald Streit, 1952-1957. Contains 1 letter from Gustav Streit, 3 letters from Harald Streit, 1 marriage announcement between Harald Streit and Jutta Bock, and 1 postcard from Jutta and Harald Streit.
Box 1 Folder 3
Physical Description

Contains 1 letter from Gustav Streit, 3 letters from Harald Streit, 1 marriage announcement between Harald Streit and Jutta Bock, and 1 postcard from Jutta and Harald Streit

Miscellaneous letters, 1913-1949. Contains 1 letter with photo from Superintendant Barkowski (a former teacher of Luise Krutzke); 1 letter from Fridel and Merth Greger (daughters of Emma Greger, and nieces of Luise and Herbert Krutzke), including 1 photo of Bruno Greger; 1 letter from W.D. Hermann (an uncle of Luise Krutzke); 2 letters from Lina Ulbrich (a school friend of Luise Krutzke), 1 postcard from Anna Strey (a childhood friend of Luise Krutzke), and 1 letter from Fritz Kriegsmann (an old friend of Herbert Krutzke).
Box 1 Folder 4
Physical Description

Contains 1 letter with photo from Superintendant Barkowski (a former teacher of Luise Krutzke); 1 letter from Fridel and Merth Greger (daughters of Emma Greger, and nieces of Luise and Herbert Krutzke), including 1 photo of Bruno Greger; 1 letter from W.D. Hermann (an uncle of Luise Krutzke); 2 letters from Lina Ulbrich (a school friend of Luise Krutzke), 1 postcard from Anna Strey (a childhood friend of Luise Krutzke), and 1 letter from Fritz Kriegsmann (an old friend of Herbert Krutzke)

Miscellaneous correspondence: greeting cards, 1911-1913, undated. Includes 4 confirmation cards, 1 birthday card and 1 New Year's card.
Box 1 Folder 5
Physical Description

Includes 4 confirmation cards, 1 birthday card and 1 New Year's card

Herbert and Luise Krutzke photographs, circa 1890s to 1933. Contains 20 photographs of various family members including ones of Herbert Krutzke, Bruno Krutzky, Maria Krutzky, Jutta Krutzky, Lothar Krutzky, Hans Greger.
Box 1 Folder 6
Physical Description

Contains 20 photographs of various family members including ones of Herbert Krutzke, Bruno Krutzky, Maria Krutzky, Jutta Krutzky, Lothar Krutzky, Hans Greger

Fred and Jutta Kraaz photographs, 1949-1950, undated. Includes 1 portrait photograph of Fred Kraaz,1 portrait photograph of Jutta Kraaz, and 22 photographs of Fred and Jutta Kraaz and friends on vacation.
Box 1 Folder 7
Physical Description

Includes 1 portrait photograph of Fred Kraaz,1 portrait photograph of Jutta Kraaz, and 22 photographs of Fred and Jutta Kraaz and friends on vacation

Print, "Christus am Kreuz," by Albrecht Dürer (8-7/8 x 7"), undated.
Box 1 Folder 8
Print, "Maria mit dem Christuskinde," by Carlo Maratti (9-1/4 x 7"), undated.
Box 1 Folder 9
Framed art work, circa 1860s-1870s. Item resembling a sampler: ribbon stitched on in the outline of a heart, on a paper collage background; and the heart filled in with a text in German, handwritten on paper. On the verso of the item is an inscription in English, in an unidentified hand, saying that the item was made in school by the writer's grandmother, who was born in 1855 and died in 1935. Could possibly have belonged to Maria Krutzky's mother.
Box 2
Physical Description

Item resembling a sampler: ribbon stitched on in the outline of a heart, on a paper collage background; and the heart filled in with a text in German, handwritten on paper. On the verso of the item is an inscription in English, in an unidentified hand, saying that the item was made in school by the writer's grandmother, who was born in 1855 and died in 1935. Could possibly have belonged to Maria Krutzky's mother

Print, Suggest