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Julius H. Greenstone Family Papers

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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. 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

Call Number:
SCRC 419
Repository:
Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
Extent:
2.92 linear feet (5 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Julius H. Greenstone Family Papers, SCRC 419, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Date:
1841-1982 (inclusive) and 1894-1955 (bulk)
Creator:
Greenstone, Julius H. (Julius Hillel), 1873-1955
Form:
Clippings, Correspondence, Diplomas, Financial records, Immigration records, Ledgers (account books), Legal documents, Marriage certificates, Manuscripts, Negatives, Pamphlets, Photocopies, Photographs, Property records, School records, and Scrapbooks
Abstract:

Julius H. Greenstone was a conservative rabbi, bookseller, author, and educator in Philadelphia. The son of Pesah David Grunstein and Leah Puskelinsky, Julius was born in Mariampol, Lithuania, on April 23 or 25, 1873. He immigrated to the United States in 1894. Greenstone graduated from the City College of New York, Jewish Theological Seminary, and the University of Pennsylvania. He served as spiritual leader of Congregation Mikveh Israel from 1900 to 1902 before joining the faculty of Gratz College in 1905, where he taught religion and education until 1933. He later served as principal from 1933 to 1948 and as principal emeritus at Gratz from 1948 to 1955 Greenstone authored articles and books on Jewish topics, was a contributing editor to the Philadelphia weekly newspaper The Jewish Exponent, and sold English and Hebrew language "books of Jewish interest." Julius H. Greenstone married Carrie Amram in 1902, and they had three children, Leah, Gella, and Deborah. After Carrie's death, he married Ray Steindhardt Abeles in 1916. Greenstone died March 7, 1955.

The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence; published and unpublished writings on topics including Jewish history, education, and biblical texts; financial records from Greenstone's bookselling activities; and papers related to the education and personal life of Greenstone and other members of his family. Collection includes a small amount of material collected by Greenstone's descendants after his death.

The collection is arranged into 4 series as follows:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1874-1982, bulk 1902-1936, undated
Series 2: Writings, 1894-1951, undated
Series 3: Bookseller's records, 1902-1934, undated
Series 4: Family papers, 1841-1961, undated

Bookseller's records purchased from Carmen Valentino/American Historical Manuscripts in July 1986. All other records in collection were donated by Deborah Greenstone, Gella Greenstone Kraus, and Maxwell Farber between 1982 and 1990. A portion of the collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.

The bulk of the family photographs in Series 4 have been digitized and are available online on the Temple University Digital Collections website.

Collection processed and finding aid prepared in October 2019 by Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist.

Leary's Book Store Records, SPC.MSS.PP003, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

People
Organization
Subject
Place

Publisher
Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
Finding Aid Author
Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
Finding Aid Date
June 2024
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

The Julius H. Greenstone Family Papers are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The donors have not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries. Other creators' intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Series 1: Correspondence, 1874-1982, bulk 1902-1936, contains primarily incoming personal and professional correspondence addressed to Julius. Some personal correspondence is addressed to Julius' first wife Carrie and other members of the Greenstone and Amram families. There is extensive condolence correspondence regarding the deaths of Carrie and Carrie's parents Esther and Werner D. Amram. A few letters of personal correspondence post-date Julius' death. Professional correspondence with contemporary rabbis and scholars relates to Greenstone's writing and publishing activities. Correspondents regarding his dissertation "The Turkoman Defeat at Cairo" include Richard Gottheil, Wilhelm Bacher, Adolf Buchler, and Henry Malter. Correspondence is primarily in English, with some letters in Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, and German. This series is arranged chronologically.

Personal correspondence: General, 1874-1982, undated.
Box 1 Folder 1
Personal correspondence: Jewish Maternity Association, 1901-1913.
Box 1 Folder 2
Personal correspondence: engagement of Julius Greenstone and Carrie Amram, 1902.
Box 1 Folder 3
Personal correspondence: wedding of Julius Greenstone and Carrie Amram, 1902.
Box 1 Folder 4
Personal correspondence: condolences regarding death of Esther Amram, 1912.
Box 1 Folder 5
Personal correspondence: condolences regarding death of Werner D. Amram, 1913.
Box 1 Folder 6
Personal correspondence: condolences regarding death of Carrie Amram Greenstone, 1914.
Box 1 Folder 7
Professional correspondence: General, 1902-1935, undated.
Box 1 Folder 8
Professional correspondence: dissertation "The Turkoman Defeat at Cairo", 1906.
Box 1 Folder 9
Professional correspondence: Jewish Publication Society, 1906, 1920.
Box 1 Folder 10
Professional correspondence: "Some Early Jewish Catechisms", 1909.
Box 1 Folder 11
Professional correspondence: Mendes, Henry Pereira, 1909-1929.
Box 1 Folder 12
Professional correspondence: Statistical Data of Jewish Religious Schools, 1910.
Box 1 Folder 13
Professional correspondence: Schechter, Solomon, 1913-1915.
Box 1 Folder 14
Professional correspondence: Solis-Cohen, Solomon, 1914, 1934.
Box 1 Folder 15
Professional correspondence: Adler, Cyrus, 1915-1936.
Box 1 Folder 16
Professional correspondence: Alexander Kohut Memorial Volume, 1919.
Box 1 Folder 17
Professional correspondence: Marx, Alexander, 1924-1925.
Box 1 Folder 18
Professional correspondence: Tchernowitz, Chaim, 1925.
Box 1 Folder 19
Professional correspondence: Sobato Morais book Italian Hebrew Literature, 1925-1926.
Box 1 Folder 20

Scope and Contents

Series 2: Writings, 1894-1951, contains published articles by Greenstone mainly pasted in scrapbooks, including "The House of Israel" and "About Men and Things" columns that appeared in The Jewish Exponent, and reviews of Greenstone's works The Religion of Israel (1902) and The Messiah Idea in Jewish History (1906). This series also includes unpublished manuscripts and pamphlets. The bulk of the records in this series are in English, with some articles and handwritten manuscripts in Yiddish. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

"Compositions", 1894.
Box 1 Folder 21
Congregational Activities: A Series of Four Sermons Delivered Before the K.K. Mickve Israel, 1901.
Box 1 Folder 22
Jewish Legends About Simon-Peter, 1950.
Box 1 Folder 23
Published articles, 1907-1951.
Box 1 Folder 24
Scrapbook: published articles and book reviews, 1900-1915.
Box 1 Folder 25
Scrapbook: published articles, 1928-1931.
Box 3 Folder 1
Scrapbook: published articles, 1935-1941.
Box 4 Folder 1
Miscellaneous manuscripts, 1894-1929.
Box 1 Folder 26

Scope and Contents

Series 3: Bookseller's records, 1902-1934, contains business records related to Greenstone's bookselling activities including account books listing book purchases and sales by supplier or customer name; cashbooks listing amounts paid or received by date; daybooks recording daily book sales; and a sales ledger recording books sold from personal libraries bought by Greenstone. Some ledger entries are written in Hebrew or Yiddish. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Account books, 1902-1906.
Box 1 Folder 27
Account books, 1906-1918.
Box 1 Folder 28
Account books, 1913-1919.
Box 1 Folder 29
Cashbooks, 1913-1919.
Box 1 Folder 30
Cashbooks, 1919-1927.
Box 1 Folder 31
Daybooks, 1907-1913.
Box 1 Folder 32
Daybooks, 1913-1915.
Box 2 Folder 1
Daybooks, 1915-1918.
Box 2 Folder 2
Daybooks, 1918-1921.
Box 2 Folder 3
Daybooks, 1921-1923.
Box 2 Folder 4
Daybooks, 1924-1926.
Box 2 Folder 5
Flier and invoice (blank), 1904, undated.
Box 2 Folder 6
Purchase of copyright and book stock agreement: Abodath Israel, 1934.
Box 2 Folder 7
Sales ledger, 1906-1918.
Box 2 Folder 8

Scope and Contents

Series 4: Family papers, 1841-1961, contains personal materials by and about Julius, Carrie, and other members of the Greenstone and Amram families, including school records; family photographs including individual and group portraits; vital and immigration records; diplomas and certificates; and property records such as deeds and indentures. A small amount of records in this series are in Hebrew, Polish, Russian, or Latin. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Carrie Amram autograph book, 1879-1885.
Box 2 Folder 9
Carrie Amram Gratz College records, 1897-1901.
Box 2 Folder 10
Carrie Amram school records, 1894-1896.
Box 2 Folder 11
Certificates, citations, and diplomas, 1883-1957.
Box 5 Folder 12
Family photographs, 1903-1925, undated.
Box 5 Folder 13
Family photographs and negatives, 1900-1952, undated.
Box 2 Folder 14
Family photographs: Julius and Carrie Greenstone, 1900-1902.
Box 2 Folder 15
Gratz College Alumni Association 80th birthday dinner honoring Julius H. Greenstone, 1953.
Box 2 Folder 16
Gratz College Alumni Association 80th birthday dinner honoring Julius H. Greenstone photographs, 1953.
Box 5 Folder 17
Gratz College Alumni Association testimonial dinner honoring Julius H. Greenstone, 1936.
Box 2 Folder 18
Gratz College Alumni Association testimonial dinner honoring Julius H. Greenstone photographs, 1936.
Box 5 Folder 19
Gratz College Julius H. Greenstone Memorial Prize, 1957-1958.
Box 2 Folder 20
Gratz College memorial meeting, 1955.
Box 2 Folder 21
Immigration records, 1894-1953.
Box 2 Folder 22
Izydor Kraus school records, 1913-1919.
Box 5 Folder 23
Julius H. Greenstone 70th birthday anniversary, 1943.
Box 2 Folder 24
Julius H. Greenstone school records, 1895-1905.
Box 2 Folder 25
Ketubbot, 1902-1915.
Box 5 Folder 26
Newspaper clippings, 1902-1961.
Box 2 Folder 27
Prayer delivered at Carrie Amram's funeral, 1914.
Box 2 Folder 28
Property records, 1880.
Box 2 Folder 29
Property records: 1225 North Lawrence Street and 1228 North Leithgow Street, 1911-1946.
Box 2 Folder 30
Property records: 643-645 Perth Street, 1909.
Box 2 Folder 31
Property records: 927 Poplar Street, 1841-1876.
Box 2 Folder 32
Property records: 929 Poplar Street, 1841-1866.
Box 2 Folder 33
Werner D. Amram last will and testament, 1904.
Box 2 Folder 34

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