Guide to the Anna Greenberg Family Papers and Photographs, 1905-2013
Rauh Jewish Archives
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
- Title
- Anna Greenberg Family Papers and Photographs
- Creator
- Anna Greenberg
- Collection Number
- MSS 1010
- Date [inclusive]
- 1905-2013
- Extent
- .5 linear feet (1 box)
- Language of Materials
- The material in this collection is in English, Russian, and Hebrew.
- Abstract
- This collection, consisting mainly of photographs, documents the life of a 20th-century Jewish family in Pittsburgh, including neighborhood scenes, recreation at city parks and the Emma Farm Camp, workplace scenes at the Veterans Administration, friends and relatives in the military during World War II, and family holidays.
Preferred Citation
Anna Greenberg Family Papers and Photographs, 1905-2013, MSS 1010, Rauh Jewish Archives, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
History
Samuel L. Greenberg was born in 1891 and emigrated from near Kiev, Ukraine, circa 1910. He settled in Pittsburgh, joining an uncle who already lived there. In 1915 he married Esther Wool, whom he had known as a child in Ukraine. He became a United States citizen in 1920. Samuel had a job repairing machinery at the Westinghouse plant in East Pittsburgh for a short time; he also worked in the wholesale egg business and as an insurance salesman, retiring from the Prudential office. Esther died in 1978 and Samuel in 1989.
Samuel and Esther Greenberg had two daughters. Anna R. (known as Ann) graduated from Schenley High School in 1934 and then went to business school. She worked for thirty-six years as a medical transcriptionist and general office worker for the Veterans Administration in Pittsburgh until 1978. She worked in the Development Department at Carnegie Mellon University until 1991. She died in 2013.
Bertha Greenberg graduated from Schenley High School in 1938 and from the University of Pittsburgh in 1942. She married Leonard Louik in 1942, and they lived in Washington DC during World War II. They had one son, Chris Louik, and were later divorced. Bertha obtained a Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh and worked at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh until her retirement. She died in 2003.
In their later years, Anna and Bertha were inseparable companions, taking classes together and attending the Pittsburgh Symphony and many other cultural events. They were members of Rodef Shalom Congregation.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection includes three folders and two albums, one belonging to each of the sisters. The bulk of the material consists of photographs; most are unidentified as to people and dates. The earliest photographs are from Russia and Palestine. Among the photographs there are a number of New Year cards made by the Sissman Studio in the Lower Hill District. The photos document the life of a 20th-century Jewish family in Pittsburgh, including neighborhood scenes, recreation at city parks and the Emma Farm Camp, workplace scenes at the Veterans Administration, friends and relatives in the military during World War II, and family holidays. There are also a few family documents, news clippings, and the cassette tape copies of the oral history of Samuel Greenberg done in 1968 by the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Chapter. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Rauh Jewish Archives Senator John Heinz History Center Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania , January 2014
Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and ArchivesSenator John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-454-6364
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/libraryArchives.aspx
Restrictions on Access
None
Restrictions on Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Acquisition Information
Gift of a bequest from the estate of Anna Greenberg in 2013. Accession #2013.0106
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Martha L. Berg in November 2013.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Veterans Administration Medical Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Emma Farm Camp (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Sissman Studio (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Personal Name(s)
- Greenberg, Samuel L.
- Greenberg, Esther Wool
- Greenberg, Anna R.
- Louik, Bertha Greenberg
Subject(s)
- Parks -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Collection Inventory
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