Scope and Content note
Biographical/Historical note
Conditions Governing Use
Acquisition
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Title: Schnurmann family papers
Collection number: 6036
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
German
Physical Description:
5.0 Linear feet
no containers yet
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1930-1955
Date (inclusive): 1898-1970s
Abstract: Alfred Schnurmann (born 1905 in Mulhouse, Alsace-Lorraine) was the son of a prosperous Jewish wool merchant. Alfred attended
the university at Konstanz and worked as a salesman of textiles and clothing, settling in Berlin. In 1930 he married Hetta
Hertel divorced her in 1936. His daughter Marion remained in his custody. In 1940, Alfred and Marion were able to obtain visas
to the United States as part of the “French” quota, and traveled to the U.S. via Japan and settled in San Francisco. Alfred
worked at the Richelieu Hotel and then for Levi Strauss before getting a job in 1945 with the Southern Pacific Railroad. He
worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad until his retirement in 1983. In 1950, Alfred married his girlfriend Faye Faber.
The collection contains photographs, negatives, and slides dating from the 1890s to the 1980s, many of them taken in Germany
before and during World War II, including some family photos of Faye Schnurmann (Alfred’s second wife) and her family in Germany.
Also included in this collection are letters to Alfred Schnurmann from relatives and associates. Numerous letters are from
family members in Palestine and the new state of Israel, detailing the situation and the war going on there. Correspondence
between Alfred and his daughter Marion, during her stay at the Wyk orphanage in the 1930s, is also included. In addition,
there are many legal documents including notarized birth, marriage, and death certificates for Alfred’s ancestors, which were
used in attempts to prove the French ancestry of Alfred in order to emigrate from Germany. Original birth and marriage certificates
of Alfred and Marion Schnurmann are also included, as well as citizenship documents. The collection contains a few family
trees for Alfred Schnurmann, various newspaper articles about post-Nazi Germany, newspaper articles with tips for financial
well-being, and papers relating to Alfred’s work with the Southern Pacific Railroad.
creator:
Schnurmann, Alfred
Scope and Content note
The Alfred Schnurmann family papers consist of numerous photographs, negatives, and slides dating from the 1890s to the 1980s.
This collection contains many photographs of Alfred’s friends, family, and childhood, as well as pictures and postcards from
Alfred and Faye’s trips to Europe and Israel. A good portion of the photos in this collection were taken in Germany before
and during World War II, including some family photos of Faye Schnurmann (Alfred’s second wife) and her family in Germany.
Also included in this collection are letters to Alfred Schnurmann from relatives and associates. Numerous letters are from
family members in Palestine and the new state of Israel, detailing the situation and the war going on there. Correspondence
between Alfred and his daughter Marion, during her stay at the Wyk orphanage, is also included. In addition, there are many
legal documents including notarized birth, marriage, and death certificates for Alfred’s ancestors, which were used in attempts
to prove the French ancestry of Alfred in order to emigrate from Germany. Original birth and marriage certificates of Alfred
and Marion Schnurmann are also included, as well as citizenship documents. Finally, the collection contains a few family trees
for Alfred Schnurmann, various newspaper articles about post-Nazi Germany, newspaper articles with tips for financial well-being,
and papers relating to Alfred’s work with the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Biographical/Historical note
Alfred Schnurmann was born in 1905 in Mulhouse, Alsace- Lorraine which was then part of the German Empire. His father, Leopold
Schnurmann was a prosperous Jewish wool merchant and his mother was Julie (Lang) Schnurmann. Alfred attended the university
at Konstanz and worked as a salesman of textiles and clothing, settling in Berlin. In 1930 he married Hetta Hertel and their
daughter Marion was born in 1932. Hetta and Alfred divorced in 1936, and Marion remained in Alfred’s custody. In 1937, Marion
was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and Alfred placed her in the Wyk orphanage for Jewish girls. During this time, Alfred made
many attempts to emigrate out of Germany, applying for visas to France, Palestine, and the United States. Alfred’s mother,
Julie Schnurmann-Lang, and two sisters, Miriam and Alice, emigrated to Palestine in 1939, and they sent many letters back
to Alfred about their situation there. In 1940, Alfred and Marion were able to obtain visas to the United States as part of
the “French” quota, and so they traveled to the U.S. via Japan and settled in San Francisco. Alfred worked at the Richelieu
Hotel and then for Levi Strauss before getting a job in 1945 with the Southern Pacific Railroad. He worked for the Southern
Pacific Railroad until his retirement in 1983. In 1950, Alfred brought his girlfriend, Faye Faber, over to America and they
were married that year. Between the 1950s and the 1970s, Alfred and Faye took several trips to Europe, Israel, and other places
in the United States.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Exile Studies Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Acquisition
Purchased from PBA Galleries, San Francisco. March 2013
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], Schnurmann Family Papers, Collection no. 6036, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California
Processing Information
The collection was rehoused and described by Michaela Ullmann, Lisa Ebiner Gavet, Natalie Camacho, and Emily Hodgkins.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Schnurmann, Marion
Clippings
Correspondence
Ephemera
Exiles--Germany--20th century--Archival resources
German language--Archival resources
Germany--Emigration and immigration--History--1933-1945--Archival resources
Germany--Politics and government--20th century--Archival resources
Jews--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century--Archival resources
Manuscripts
Nonprofit organizations--California--Los Angeles County--History--Archival resources
Persecution--Germany--20th century--Archival resources
Photographs