Weinman (Fritz) Papers, 1860-2001

Summary

Title:

Fritz Weinman Papers

Dates:

1860-2001

Abstract:

The Fritz Weinman Papers document the life of Jewish German emigre, Fritz (Fred) Weinman and his family through correspondence, vital documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. The archival materials document his efforts to leave Nazi Germany and the places he lived before ultimately settling in the Pacific Palisades. Several documents also record property lost by his family and efforts to receive restitution.

Extent:

2.46 linear feet

Language:

English , German , Spanish; Castilian , Czech , French .

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Background

Scope and content:

The Fritz Weinman Papers document the life of Jewish German emigre, Fritz (Fred) Weinman and his family through correspondence, vital documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. The archival materials document his efforts to leave Nazi Germany and aspects of the places he lived before ultimately settling in the Pacific Palisades. Several documents also record property lost by his family and efforts to receive restitution. His last name is sometimes spelled "Weinmann." The collection is arranged into three series: Family History (1928-1997), Biographical (1860-2001), and Correspondence (1939-1975).

Series I, Family History, includes bank receipts, vital records, correspondence, clippings, and notes related to the lives of Fritz Weinman's family members. These include his mother Adele, brother Bruno and his wife Elizabeth, sister Edith Weinmann Dittman, sister Gerde (Gerda) Weinmann Goedhart, brother Kurt, grandfather Samuel Weinmann, and other family members. The series is arranged alphabetically by family member name.

Series II, Biographical, contains documents, research, photographs, and writing related to Fritz Weinman. This series is divided into two subseries.

Subseries A, Weinman, Fritz, includes vital records, documents, and photographs recording Weinman's life and journey across Europe, Mexico, and ultimately to the United States. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by country or by individual's name, and then chronologically within.

Subseries B, Weinman-Roberts, Dr. Lois, includes historian Dr. Lois (Barbara Johnson) Weinman-Robert's biographical research and writing.

Series III, Correspondence, contains letters and a telegram written to Fritz Weinman and his family, primarily from friends and associates. The series is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent when the writer is known.

Biographical / historical:

Fritz Weinman was born in 1903 in Magdeburg, Germany into a prominent coal-mining and shipping family. When WWI broke out, he supported the German Army by contributing his allowance to the war effort. Weinman was Jewish, and with the rise of antisemitism in Germany leading up to World War II, he decided to leave the county in 1939. Many of his family members were unable to leave. Nazis murdered his sister and brother-in-law in a death camp during World War II. His mother Adele emigrated to England. Other family members that survived the Holocaust encountered difficulties living in Germany's post-war, Soviet Union controlled Eastern Zone.

Weinman lived in Czechoslovakia, France, and Mexico before settling in Hollywood, California. He worked a number of jobs, including as a truck driver in France and as an optometrist in California. He married Maria Elizabeth Goldenblum in Las Vegas in 1939 in order to remain in the United States. He became a United States citizen in 1945 and legally changed his name to Fred in September 1978. He and his second wife Dr. Lois Weinman-Roberts built a home in Pacific Palisades among a community of other German emigrants.

Acquisition information:

Dr. Lois Weinman Roberts and Dr. Michael Meyer

Arrangement:

Series I: Family History, 1928-1997

Series II: Biographical, 1860-2001

Subseries A: Weinman, Fritz, 1860-1996

Subseries B: Weinman-Roberts, Dr. Lois, 1931-2001

Series III: Correspondence, 1939-1975

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-09-13 23:47:09 +0000 .

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Location of this collection:

California State University, Northridge, Special Collections

18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330, US

Contact:

(818) 677-4594

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