Rustemeyer Family, Papers, 1884-1953 (C4017)

.3 linear feet, 1 computer disc

INTRODUCTION

The Rustemeyer Family papers contain correspondence written to Bernard Rustemeyer by friends and family in Germany after his immigration to America in 1882. The collection also includes newspaper clippings and photographs of the Rustemeyer, Alteköster, Stöckebrand, and Giese families, and Rustemeyer's hometown, Körbecke, Germany.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Rustemeyer Family papers were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Hubert Backes and Eleanor Schepers on November 9, 2005 (Accession No. 6115).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Bernard Rustemeyer was born on April 16, 1866, in Körbecke, Germany and immigrated to Hermann, Missouri, in 1882. He kept in close contact with friends and family who remained in Germany and corresponded regularly with his cousin, August Stöckebrand, along with friends from his youth, and one of his former teachers.

During the depression that afflicted Germany after World War I, Rustemeyer assisted his friends and family by sending care packages of food and clothing. He also donated goods to various German charities and half-way homes. Bernard Rustemeyer died on July 13, 1953.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Rustemeyer Family papers consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs that Bernard Rustemeyer's received from his German friends and relatives. The collection is arranged by type of material and the correspondence is arranged chronologically.

The bulk of the collection consists of original letters written in German and English translations by Raymond C. Backes. The first folder contains a forward written by Backes, as well as a name and subject index to the letters. Also included are original newspaper clippings from Germany during the decade following World War I and leading up to World War II. Scans and photocopies of photographs of various members of the Rustemeyer family and their descendents make up the remainder of the collection. The images are also available on computer disc.

FOLDER LIST

f. 1	Correspondence (translations), 1884-1921
f. 2	Correspondence (translations), 1922-1923
f. 3	Correspondence (translations), 1924-1936
f. 4	Correspondence (translations), 1946-1948
f. 5	Correspondence (translations), 1948-1953
f. 6	Correspondence (originals), 1884-1921
f. 7	Correspondence (originals), 1922-1923
f. 8	Correspondence (originals), 1924-1936
f. 9	Correspondence (originals), 1946-1948
f. 10	Correspondence (originals), 1948-1953
f. 11	Photographs and genealogical information, n.d.
f. 12	Calendar, Körbecke, Germany, 2005
f. 13	“A Walk Through Möhnesee-Körbecke (Germany) on the Traces of Your Ancestors,” n.d.
f. 14	Newspaper clippings, 1922-1948
c.d. 1	Copies of photographs

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.

Index Terms	Location
Alteköster family	f. 1-11
Backes family	f. 11; c.d. 1 (pictorial image)
German Heritage Archives	f. 1-14
German-Americans--Missouri, Osage County	f. 1-10
Germany, Körbecke	f. 9, 11-13; c.d. 1 (pictorial image)
Germany, Körbecke	f. 1-10, 13, 14
Germany--Economic conditions--1918-1933	f. 1-3, 6-8
Germany--Economic conditions--1945-1990	f. 4, 5, 9, 10
Germany--History--1918-1933	f. 1-10
Germany--History--1945-1955	f. 4, 5, 9, 10
Germany--History--Allied occupation, 1918-1930	f. 2, 3, 7, 8
Germany--Immigration and emigration, 1920s	f. 2, 3, 7, 8
Giese family	f. 11; c.d. 1 (pictorial image)
Inflation--Germany, 1920	f. 1-3, 6-8
Jews--Germany, 1920s	f. 1, 3, 6, 8
Knaden family	f. 4, 5, 9, 10
Nazism--Attitudes toward	f. 5, 10
Reconstruction (1914-1939)--Germany	f. 1-3, 6-8
Reconstruction (1939-1951)--Germany	f. 4, 5, 9, 10
Reichsbanknotes, 1920s	f. 7
Rustemeyer family	f. 1-11
Rustemeyer family	f. 11, 12; c.d. 1 (pictorial image)
Schenke, Franz	f. 2, 3, 7, 8
Schepers family	f. 11; c.d. 1 (pictorial image)
Stöckebrand family	f. 1-3, 6-8, 11, 13
Stöckebrand family	f. 11; c.d. 1 (pictorial image)
World War, 1914-1918--Civilian relief	f. 1, 2, 6, 7
World War, 1914-1918--Germany	f. 1, 6
World War, 1914-1918--Public opinion--Germany	f. 1, 3, 6, 8
World War, 1914-1918--Rationing--Germany	f. 1, 6
World War, 1939-1945--Civilian relief	f. 4, 9