Mattie L. Goldberg papers, 1886-2001

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Summary

Creator:
Goldberg, Mattie L., 1887-1989
Abstract:
Mattie L. Goldberg (1887-1989) was the daughter of Birdie Kronheimer and William Lehman. The Kronheimer-Lehman family was a well-known Jewish family in Durham who were active in civic, social, and business circles. Collection includes correspondence, family photographs, scrapbooks, notebooks, and other materials that document the lives of the family, social, civic, and business lives of the Kronheimer, Lehman, and Goldberg families and their extended family members in Durham, N.C. Materials focus most on Mattie L. Goldberg, Carolyn Goldberg Knuemann, and Harry W. Lehman, but other family members are represented as well.
Extent:
2.75 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 2 CD-Rs)
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13047

Background

Scope and content:

Collection includes correspondence, photographs, notebooks, and newspaper clippings that document the family, social, civic, and business lives of the Kronheimer, Lehman, and Goldberg families and their extended family members in Durham, N.C. Mattie Lehman's notebooks record her daily family and social life in Durham before her marriage in 1913 to Julian Goldberg. Later reminisces and interviews with Mattie Goldberg describe family and social life in the Trinity Park neighborhood of Durham from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. The Kronheimer-Lehman house on Minerva Avenue is the subject of some of these reminisces, and it features in several photographs as well.

Other materials such as Carolyn Goldberg's schoolwork and scrapbook document her childhood and education in 1920s Durham. Correspondence from the 1950s between Carolyn and her husband Carl Knuemann provides family and employment updates, as well as discussions of their marital difficulties. One or two letters from Carolyn reference domestic abuse inflicted upon her by Carl.

A scrapbook of clippings from Durham newspapers documents Harry W. Lehman's activities as a leading merchant in Durham. Clippings mostly pertain to Lehman's role as a member of the Durham Merchants Association and the Durham County Taxpayers' League.

Biographical / historical:

Mattie L. Goldberg (1887-1989, born Mattie K. Lehman) was the daughter of Birdie Kronheimer and William Lehman. The Kronheimer-Lehman family was a Jewish family who lived in Oxford, N.C. until 1899, when they moved to Durham with other members of their extended family. Mattie Lehman married Julian Goldberg in 1913, and together they had one daughter: Carolyn L. Goldberg (1914-1986). Carolyn attended Smith College and worked in newspaper editing. In 1954 she married Carl Knuemann, a German man who worked in the newspaper publishing industry in Europe. The couple divorced in 1960 and had no children.

The Kronheimer-Lehman family was established by the 1857 marriage of Isaac and Rosa, two German Jews who immigrated to the United States. Isaac and Rosa Kronheimer had ten children, including Birdie (Mattie Lehman's mother), Lonie, Ben, and Frances. Many members of the Kronheimer-Lehman family lived together in a house on Minerva Avenue in Durham. Mattie's uncle, Benjamin F. Kronheimer, built and ran the Kronheimer Department Store on West Main Street in Durham. Benjamin Kronheimer was widely considered to be a leading merchant in Durham. After retiring, Harry W. Lehman (1889-1963; Mattie Goldberg's brother), took over running the family business. In addition to running the Kronheimer store, Harry Lehman was an active member and leader in the Durham Merchants Association and the Durham County Taxpayers' League.

Sources: North Carolina Marriage Records, Death Indexes, Divorce Indexes, Death Certificates; Virginia Select Marriages; United States 1900 Federal Census and Newspapers Obituary Index (accessed via Ancestry.com, February 2024).

Acquisition information:
The Mattie L. Goldberg Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as gifts from Mattie L. Goldberg in 1971, the estate of Carolyn Knuemann in 1986, and Frances Troub Roberts in 2003.
Processing information:

Processed by Leah Tams, February 2024.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 1976, 1986, 2003-0078.

Arrangement:

Arranged with general family materials first, followed by groups of materials related to specific family members.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Mattie L. Goldberg Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1kf2s