SHLENKER-HIRSCH-MOYSE FAMILY PAPERS

(Mss. 4911)

Inventory

Compiled by

Evgeny Badredinov

Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections

Special Collections, Hill Memorial Library

Louisiana State University Libraries

Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University

2004

CONTENTS OF INVENTORY

Summary	3
Biographical/Historical Note	4-5
Scope and Content Note	5
List of Series and Subseries	6
Series and Subseries Descriptions	7-9
Index Terms	10-11
Container List	12

Use of manuscript materials. If you wish to examine items in the manuscript group, please fill out a call slip specifying the materials you wish to see. Consult the Container List for location information needed on the call slip.

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Permission to examine archival materials does not constitute permission to publish. Any publication of such materials beyond the limits of fair use requires specific prior written permission. Requests for permission to publish should be addressed in writing to the Head, Public Services, Special Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803-3300. When permission to publish is granted, two copies of the publication will be requested for the LLMVC.

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SUMMARY

Size

50 items, 2 v.

Geographic Locations

Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas

Inclusive Dates

1878-1949

Bulk Dates

1878-1896, 1907-1909, 1941-1949

Languages

English, German

Summary

Correspondence, photographs, printed items, and two scrapbooks reflect the life of a Jewish family in Mississippi and Louisiana in the 1880s-1940s. Newspaper clippings also relate to the activities of the prominent Texas Rabbi Henry Cohen.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Reproduction Note

Photoduplication permitted.

Related Collections

Moyse-Gottlieb Family Papers, Mss. 4671.

Sylvia Elgutter Weiss Papers, Mss. 4830.

Citation

Shlenker-Hirsch-Moyse Family Papers, Mss. 4911, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, La.

Stack Locations

Range W:13

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE

Isaac Shlenker (originally Schlenker, 1831-1912) was born in Westhoven, Bavaria, Germany, and brought to the U.S. by his parents. He became one of the pioneer merchants of Trinity, La., and later moved to Natchez, Miss., where he continued his successful business career until his retirement. In 1882, his daughter Carrie (1863-1924) married his business partner Jacob Hirsch (1854-1922), also a German native and a successful Natchez merchant. Isaac’s other daughters were Lena, Flora, and Retta (1874-1944). Retta married Julius Lemle in 1896.

Carrie and Jake Hirsch had three daughters, Flora Hirsch Selig (1883-1943), Rowena Hirsch Arent (1885-1953), and Leah Hirsch Moyse (1888-1967). Leah married Isaac (Ike) Moyse (1887-1966), a civil engineer and a 30-year employee of the Humble Oil and Refining Company in Baton Rouge. Leah became known as a community and church activist in Baton Rouge. She served as president of the Temple B’Nai Israel Sisterhood and the Louisiana Federation of Temple Sisterhoods. Leah and Ike Moyse had a daughter Jacqueline, who married Morris A. Kaufman.

Isaac Moyse was a son of Simon Moyse (1855-1946), a native of Nancy, France, who came to the U.S. in 1872 and became a successful merchant in Donaldsonville, La. From 1881 to 1916, he ran a general merchandise business in St. Gabriel, La. From 1916 until his retirement, he was one of the leading retailers in Baton Rouge and served as vice-president of the Sommers, Inc.

Simon’s other son, Hermann Moyse Sr. (1891-1985), received a statewide recognition as a prominent Baton Rouge lawyer, president of the East Baton Rouge Bar Association, and vice-president of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He represented East Baton Rouge in the State Legislature in the 1922-1923 sessions. An expert in banking law, he worked as attorney for the City National Bank in Baton Rouge since its inception in 1933 and became its vice-president and trust officer in 1946. He served in various capacities with the Chamber of Commerce, the Red Cross, and other civic groups. He participated in the First and the Second World Wars and received numerous military awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

Simon’s daughter, Stella Moyse (1894-1974), married a son of Carrie and Jake Hirsch, Edward K. Hirsch (1892-1951), a medical doctor in Baton Rouge. Simon’s other daughter, Carrie Moyse (1886-1964), married Max E. Mansberg (b.1870), an assistant manager of the Krauss Company in New Orleans. Carrie and Max had two daughters, Josie (b.1906) and Bernice (b.1909).

Irvin M. Shlenker was another prominent representative of the later generation of the Shlenker family. He was a Monroe, La. businessman associated with F. Straus and Son, wholesale grocers. In 1937, he moved to Houston, Tex., where he became an active figure in business and civic life, working as president of the Gulftex Drug Co. and

chairman of the board of the Houston National Bank. He was also known as a philanthropist and a president of Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest Reform Jewish synagogue in Texas. Named for him is the Shlenker School in Houston, established in 1982 as the first Reform Jewish day school in Texas.

The family had connections with Henry Cohen (1863-1952), a prominent Texas rabbi, who served most of his life in Galveston, Texas, and became nationally known for his public activism, particularly for advocating prison reform and providing relief for immigrants and the 1900 hurricane victims.

For more historical information, see: Shpall, Leo. The Jews in Louisiana. New Orleans, La.: Steeg Print. & Pub. Co., 1936. For a recent biography of Henry Cohen, see: Kessler, Jimmy. Henry Cohen: The Life of a Frontier Rabbi. Austin, TX: Eakin Press, 1997.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Papers of the Shlenker-Hirsch-Moyse family concern family matters, business life, and personal and social activities, particularly the wedding of Carrie Shlenker and Jacob Hirsch. Correspondence, addresses primarily to Carrie Hirsch, describes family news. Postcards with correspondence are addressed to Isaac (Ike) Moyse and feature unidentified family members and possibly business partners. Photographs of various formats are primarily unidentified family photographs. Scrapbooks include telegrams and newspaper clippings related to the Shlenker-Hirsch wedding, as well as printed, Jewish-themed pictures.

LIST OF SERIES AND SUBSERIES

I. Correspondence, 1883-1928, undated (box 1)

Subseries 1. Letters, 1883-1928, undated

Subseries 2. Photo postcards with correspondence, 1907-1909, undated

II. Printed items, 1878-1949, undated (box 1)

Subseries 1. Newspaper clippings, 1882-1949, undated

Subseries 2. Miscellaneous items, 1878-1910, undated

III. Photographs and prints, ca. 1890-ca. 1945, undated (box 1)

Subseries 1. Albumen mounted prints, ca. 1890, undated

Subseries 2. Gelatin silver prints, ca. 1890-ca. 1910, undated

Subseries 3. Carte de visite, 1884

Subseries 4. Photo postcards, ca. 1909, undated

Subseries 5. Moyse family group photograph, ca. 1945

IV. Scrapbooks, 1882-ca. 1883 (box 2)

SERIES AND SUBSERIES DESCRIPTIONS

I. Correspondence, 1883-1928, undated

Subseries 1. Letters, 1883-1928, undated

Four letters are addressed to Carrie Hirsch (three from her sister Lena and one from her husband Jacob Hirsch, or Jake) and concern family matters, mostly children’s and adult family members’ health. The Feb. 7, 1889, letter from Lena describes a new house in Cary, Miss., where she and her husband Ed moved to shortly before. The Feb. 20, 1896, letter from Lena mentions Retta Shlenker’s upcoming marriage on April 4, 1896. In all her letters, Lena invites Carrie and her family to visit them and assures her of sufficient room to accommodate everybody. A letter to Jacob Hirsch from his nephew (Jan. 8, 1883) describes the nephew’s progress in his studies at the Medical Department at Southwestern University in Memphis, Tennessee, and requests financial assistance. A letter from Rabbi Henry Cohen (June 6, 1928) congratulates Jacqueline Moyse on her successful passage into the senior class at high school.

Subseries 2. Postcards with correspondence, 1907-1909, undated

All postcards are addressed to Isaac (Ike) Moyse and relate to family matters. They feature unidentified family members and possibly business partners. The July 17, 1907, postcard is from Ike’s father, Simon Moyse, informing the son that they all are well in St. Gabriel, La. It mentions Ike’s brother, Hermann. One postcard (Dec. 24, 1909) contains Christmas greetings from Lappy (?). An undated postcard is addressed to “Uncle Ike” and features Ike’s sister Carrie, her husband Max E. Mansberg, and their two daughters, Josie and Bernice, possibly in front of their house in Jeanerette, La.

II. Printed items, 1878-1949, undated

Subseries 1. Newspaper clippings, 1882-1949, undated

Two 1882 clippings relate to the Hirsch-Shlenker wedding. A clipping from March 30, ca. 1882, describes old English, German, and Jewish wedding customs. The subseries also includes two death notices in German for Babette Hirsch, who died in Germany on October 8, 1894, at the age of 83, and an obituary for Isaac Shlenker (March 15, 1912) compiled by Carolyn Marx and briefly outlining his biography. Five clippings (from 1941-1949) contain materials about Henry Cohen, a prominent Texas rabbi and a leader of the Southern Jewish community. They describe his life and personality, service as a rabbi, and his devotion to public activism. A clipping from the post-1942 period contains a report about the acquisition of controlling interest in the Houston National Bank by Irvin M. Shlenker and his Monroe business associates, and provides biographical details about Irvin M. Shlenker (undated). A clipping from the early 1940s reports on Edwin K. Hirsch’s military service in the rank of the Air Corps captain (undated). Another clipping

from approximately the same period announces the election of Ike Moyse’s wife, Leah Hirsch Moyse, as president of the biennial assembly of the Louisiana Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (undated).

Subseries 2. Miscellaneous items, 1878-1910, undated

Miscellaneous printed material consists of Carrie Shlenker Hirsch’s annual report (grade book) from the Sylvester-Larned Institute in New Orleans (Dec. 1878), an invitation to the forty-fifth annual commencement exercises at the University of Louisiana’s Medical Department (March 21, 1879), a program of the performance of H.J. Byron’s comedy “Our Boys” at the Opera House and mentioning Flora Shlenker among the cast (May 9, 1881), an invitation to the commencement exercises at the Western Military Academy in Upper Alton, Illinois (June 7-8, 1910), an advertisement for the Express steamers from New York to Europe (undated), and two business cards.

III. Photographs and prints, ca. 1890-ca. 1945

Subseries 1. Albumen mounted prints, ca. 1890, undated

Albumen mounted prints represent group pictures of unidentified family members, picnicking with their children.

Subseries 2. Gelatin silver prints, ca. 1890-ca. 1910, undated

Gelatin silver prints represent individual and group portraits of unidentified family members and possibly business partners.

Subseries 3. Carte de visite, 1884

A portrait of a three-month-old Flora R. Hirsch, made at Norman’s Studio in Natchez, Miss.

Subseries 4. Photo postcards, ca. 1909, undated

Five undated photo postcards from the late 1900s represent individual and group portraits of unidentified family members and possibly business partners.

Subseries 5. Moyse family group photograph, ca. 1945

A group photograph of the Moyse family members, including Leah Hirsch Moyse and Jacqueline Moyse.

IV. Scrapbooks, 1882, undated

v. 1 1882 A scrapbook of Carrie Hirsch containing telegrams and newspaper

clippings related to her wedding in 1882.

v. 2 undated A scrapbook presented by Carrie Hirsch to her sister Retta and

containing newspaper clippings with poetry and various printed and

colorful Judaica.

INDEX TERMS

(Materials relating to these people, places, and things can be found in the series indicated, as represented by their numbers.)

Terms Series

Businessmen—Louisiana—History	I.1; II.1
Businessmen—Mississippi—History	I.1; II.1
Cohen, Henry, 1863-1952	I.1; II.1
Galveston (Tex.)—History	I.1; II.1
Hirsch family	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-4; IV
Hirsch, Babette, d. 1894	II.1
Hirsch, Carrie Shlenker, 1863-1924	I.1-2; II.1-2; IV
Hirsch, Edwin K.	II.1
Hirsch, Jacob, 1854-1922	I.1-2; II.1-2; IV
Houston National Bank (Houston, Tex.)	II.1
Immigrants—United States—History—19th century	II.1
Jewish bankers—Texas—History—20th century	II.1
Jewish families—Louisiana	I.1; II.1-2; III.1-5; IV
Jewish families—Mississippi	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-5; IV
Jews—Louisiana	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-5; IV
Jews—Mississippi	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-5; IV
Jews—Social life and customs	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-5; IV
Judaica	IV
Lemle, Retta Shlenker, 1874-1944	IV
Letters	I.1
Louisiana Federation of Temple Sisterhoods	II.1
Mansberg, Carrie Moyse, 1886-1964	I.2
Mansberg, Max E., b.1870	I.2
Marriage customs and rites, Jewish	II.1; IV
Merchants—Louisiana	I.1; II.1
Merchants—Mississippi—Natchez	I.1; II.1
Mississippi—Social life and customs—History	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-5; IV
Monroe (La.)—History	II.1
Moyse family	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-3, 5
Moyse, Hermann Sr., 1891-1985	I.2
Moyse, Isaac (Ike), 1887-1966	I.2; II.1-2
Moyse, Jacqueline	I.1; III.5
Moyse, Leah Hirsch, 1888-1867	I.1; II.1; III.5
Moyse, Simon, 1855-1946	I.2
Natchez (Miss.)—Social life and customs	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-4; IV
Obituaries	II.1
Photographs	III.1-5

Postcards	I.2; III.4
Scrapbooks	IV
Selig, Flora Hirsch, 1883-1943	III.3
Shlenker family	I.1-2; II.1-2; III.1-3; IV
Shlenker, Flora	II.2
Shlenker, Irvin M.	II.1
Shlenker, Isaac, 1831-1912	II.1
Shlenker, Lena	I.1

CONTAINER LIST

Stack Location	Box	Folder	Contents
W:13	1	1	Series I. Correspondence, 1883-1928, undated Subseries 1. Letters, 1883-1928, undated
		2	Subseries 2. Photo postcards with correspondence, 1907-1909, undated
		3	Series II. Printed items, 1878-1949, undated Subseries 1. Newspaper clippings, 1882-1949, undated
		4	Subseries 2. Miscellaneous items, 1878-1910, undated
		5	Series III. Photographs and prints, ca. 1890-ca. 1945, undated Subseries 1. Albumen mounted prints, ca. 1890, undated
		6	Subseries 2. Gelatin silver prints, ca. 1890-ca. 1910, undated
		7	Subseries 3. Carte de visite, 1884
		8	Subseries 4. Photo postcards, ca. 1909, undated
		9	Subseries 5. Moyse family group photograph, ca. 1945
W:13	2	--	Series IV. Scrapbooks, 1882, undated (v. 1-2)