© The contents of this finding aid are the copyright of the University of Chicago Library
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Heller, Helen Family. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
The family of Helen Rudolph Heller immigrated to the United States in the nineteenth century. Heller herself trained as a classical pianist and was married to Albert Heller, whose family founded B. Heller and Company in Chicago.
The Helen Heller Family Papers include correspondence, printed matter, mementos, and legal documents of the Rudolph and Wetzler families dating from the 1840s to 1940s. Series I contains proclamations, broadsides, and other printed material pertaining to the 1848 revolutions in the German states; most of these documents were printed in Vienna. Series II contains general family correspondence and papers dating from 1840 to 1893, including letters between various family members in Europe and the United States, the 1853 marriage certificate of Joseph Rudolph and Charlotte Wetzler, Joseph Rudolph’s will, and an 1865 German language account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Series III contains letters to and from Bertha Rudoplh dating from the early 20th century. Series IV contains correspondence and other documents of the Wetlzer family dating from 1883 to 1921, including programs and publicity for concerts given by members of the Wetzler family. Also included is correspondence pertaining to musical compositions by Herman Wetzler, as well as an 1890 photograph of Minna Wetzler.