Carl Lenneberg papers
Extent and Medium
folders
oversize folders
book enclosure
6
2
1
Creator(s)
- Carl W. Lenneberg
Biographical History
Carl Werner Lenneberg (1899-1989) was born on November 5, 1899 in Remscheid, Germany and had an older brother Georg (b. 1898). Their father, and later Carl and his family, owned a store in Remscheid. Carl was a soldier in the 8th (Rhenish) Foot Artillery Reserve Battalion, XVI Army Corps, German Army, during the First World War. He was awarded several medals for his combat service. Carl’s fiancé, Hildegarde Hilb (Hilde, b. 1912 in Ulm) immigrated to the United States in May 1937. Carl and Georg were arrested during Kristallnacht in November 1938 and sent to Dachau concentration camp. They were released in December. Carl, Georg, and Fritz Hilb (b.1919 in Ulm), Hilde’s brother, booked passage on the MS St. Louis and left for Havana, Cuba, on May 13, 1939, with 937 passengers. During the voyage, Carl wrote nearly daily letters to Hilde as well as others in Germany and kept a diary. After the ship was denied entry in Cuba and returned to Europe they disembarked in Antwerp, Belgium and got an apartment in Brussels along with another shipmate, Fritz Buff. Carl and Georg used this time to continue learning English. Fritz Hilb left for England and, in February 1940, sailed from Liverpool on the MS Scythia. On April 11, 1940, Carl and Georg left on the SS Westernland from Antwerp, arriving in New York on April 25. On April 27, 1940 Carl married Hilde. They settled in New York City and had a son.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ron Lenneberg
Funding Note: The accessibility of this collection was made possible by the generous donors to our crowdfunded Save Their Stories campaign.
Ron Lenneberg donated the Carl Lenneberg papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2011.
Scope and Content
The Carl Lenneberg papers include biographical materials, immigration documents, a diary, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to Carl Lenneberg’s experiences aboard the MS St. Louis with his brother, Georg, and his future brother-in-law, Fritz Hilb. Included are documents detailing their emigration from Germany and correspondence and photographs relating to their plight aboard the St. Louis in 1939 as well as a diary Carl kept throughout the voyage. Biographical material includes a passport for Carl Lenneberg, photographic postcard and catalogs from the family store, and a certificate, identification card, and proof of membership relating to Carl’s service in World War I. The collection includes a typewritten diary kept by Carl during his time on the St Louis. In his entries, Carl writes about daily activities and the weather and provides detailed information about what he is hearing regarding not being able to disembark in Cuba, cruising to the United States, receiving information that they are being sent back to Europe, and disembarking in Belgium. Emigration and immigration material includes financial documentation, correspondence regarding Carl, Georg, and Fritz’s attempts to gain entry into Cuba, and a Cuba immigration card for Carl. Newspapers clippings include articles from Le Patriote Illustre, De Dag, and Het Laaste Nieuws relating to the St. Louis. Also included is a Los Angeles TImes article including an interview with Carl. St Louis documents include a cabin plan where Carl marked the cabin he stayed in (D368), a menu from May 21, 1939, receipts for money transfers, a book cover for Voyage of the Damned, and telegrams and correspondence to Hilde about landing in Cuba, being sent to United States, turning back to Europe, landing in Antwerp, and his departure on the SS Westerland.
System of Arrangement
The Carl Lenneberg papers are arranged as a single series.
People
- Lenneberg, Carl, 1899-1989.
- Carl W. Lenneberg
Corporate Bodies
- St. Louis (Ship)
Subjects
- Cuba--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939‐1945)‐‐Personal narratives.
- Jewish refugees.
- Antwerp (Belgium)
- United States--Emigration and immigration--History.
Genre
- Document
- Diaries.
- Photographs.