Schames family Papers

The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of the Schames family (later James family) of Stuttgart, Germany including the pre-war lives of Max and Käthe Schames and their children Annemarie and Heiner in Stuttgart, their flight from Germany to Amsterdam, and their immigration to the United States via Cuba. Included is biographical material, immigration documents, correspondence, and photographs. Biographical material includes family books, identification papers, a German passport, marriage papers, memorial books, and documents relating to Max Schames’s military career during World War I. Also included is a family history of the Ausburger family, who was most likely related to Käthe Schames’ family and documents related to Max Schames parents, Heinrich and Franziska Sara Schames. Immigration documents consists of papers related to the Schames family’s efforts to immigrate to the United States via Cuba including naturalization certificates and paperwork to change the family’s last name from Schames to James, Heiner’s name to Henry, and Annemarie’s name to Anne. Correspondence includes letters written by Max Schames during World War I, prewar letters received by Käthe, and wartime letters received from family in Stuttgart. Photographs includes prewar family photographs, depictions of Max Schames during World War I, and depictions of the Schames family after their immigration to the United States.

The collection is arranged as four series. Series 1. Biographical material, 1871-1984; Series 2. Immigration, 1940-1952; Series 3. Correspondence, 1910-1959; Series 4. Photographs, circa 1890-1955