The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Hermann Eduard Von Holst Collection 1869-1902
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Von Holst, Hermann Eduard. Collection |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1869-1902 |
| Size: | 6.5 linear feet (10 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Hermann Eduard Von Holst (1841-1904), Professor of History, University of Chicago. Von Holst was a German national who taught at the Universities of Freiburg and Strasbourg prior to his immigration to the United States in 1892. Upon his arrival he became Chair of the History Department at Chicago, a position he held until ill health mandated his retirement in 1900. Von Holst's master work, The Constitutional and Political History of the United States (1876), examined the development and operation of American democracy from a critical stance. The Von Holst collection includes his correspondence, biographical material, writings, and journals. There is also a notebook of letters pertaining to the German Patriotic Aid society, an organization of German aliens who followed the political events of their homeland. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Von Holst, Hermann Eduard. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Hermann Eduard Von Holst (1841-1904), Professor of History, University of Chicago. Von Holst was a German national who taught at the Universities of Freiburg and Strasbourg prior to his immigration to the United States in 1892. Upon his arrival he became Chair of the History Department at Chicago, a position he held until ill health forced his retirement in 1900. Von Holst's master work, The Constitutional and Political History of the United States (1876), looked critically at the development and operation of American democracy. In particular, Von Holst demonstrated the incommensurability of liberal ideals and the institution of slavery. American scholars and citizens alike were dismayed by the suggestions of immorality and self-interestedness within their leadership class. Von Holst's other publications include The Constitutional Law of the United States of America (1885); John C. Calhoun (1882); John Brown (1888); and The French Revolution Tested by Mirabeau's Career (1894).
The materials are divided into five series. Series I consists of biographical material. Series II contains correspondence both to and from Von Holst. Many of the letters are of a personal nature. Series III contains draft and published versions of Von Holst's writings. Many of the photographs that constitute Series IV depict Von Holst, but others are of unidentified individuals. Series V, which consists of a single box of oversized materials, contains certificates issued to Von Holst and others by various organizations.
The Von Holst collection consists primarily of biographical and scholarly material. The correspondence section includes numerous letters to and from his wife and mother, and a smaller amount of correspondence with academic colleagues. The collection also contains several journals and notebooks pertaining to his travels and research notes. There is a small amount of Von Holst's published material and unpublished writings. Finally, the collection contains newspaper clippings both extracted by and pertaining to him, and there are several folders of photographs of Von Holst and family members.
One item of particular interest is a letterbook generated by the German Patriotic Aid Society compiled during Von Holst's first period of residence in the United States, 1867-1874. Von Holst, like many other German immigrants, was deeply concerned with the unification wars in Germany. He and Theodor F.C. Petrasch (not identified) served as secretaries of the New York City-based German Patriotic Aid Society. The dates of the Society's letterbook, July 28, 1870-January 24, 1871, parallel the dates of the Franco-Prussian War, July 19, 1870-January 28, 1871. German aid societies were organized in many American cities. The letterbook contains copies of letters to representatives of aid societies nationwide.
The letters were intended to persuade all the German-American aid societies to adhere to a central organization based on the Chicago constitution of August 18, 1870. In Chicago, delegates determined that all contributions for the relief of war invalids and soldiers' widows and orphans would be channeled through New York. The 30 Chicago delegates appointed as their Berlin representative Friedrich Kapp, 1824-1884. Kapp was one of the most respected German-American leaders in New York from 1850 until 1870, when he returned to his homeland to participate in the formation of the new German state. The correspondence between Von Holst and Kapp pertaining to the German Patriotic Aid Society is housed in Series II of the Von Holst collection.
Series I: Biographical Data |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Memorial to the U.S. Senate with Respect to the Spanish Treaty, Jan 30, 1899 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Presentation of His Portrait, Oct 14, 1903 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Call to the University of Chicago |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Lecture Notes |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Der Reichstagscandidat, 1890 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Honors, Learned Societies, etc. |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Banquet Programs |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Biographical Data |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Clippings and Typewritten Pages |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | Materials pertaining to his death (1 of 2) |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | Materials pertaining to his death (2 of 2) |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | List of Books in the Library of Professor Von Holst |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | Journal (handwritten in German) |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Handwritten list of the Unpublished Papers and Letters of Hermann Eduard von Holst |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Illinois Trust and Savings Bank: Letters and Statements, 1901-3 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Die Ameritandifche Democratie in Staat und Gefellfchft bon e.v. holst |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Kalendar fur das Jahr 1892; handwritten monthly account book; unlabeled handwritten notebook |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Three notebooks with handwritten text, lists |
Series II: Correspondence |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Letters to his wife from New York, 1871 |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Letters to his wife - Trip to Chicago and Milwaukee after Chicago fire, 1872 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | Letters to his wife. Journey to Washington, March and April, 1872 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Letters to his wife. Journey to Berlin, 1875 |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | Letters to his wife. Journey to Berlin, 1877 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | Letters to his wife. Journey to London, 1876 |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | Letters to his wife. Journey to the U.S., 1878-1879 |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | Letters to his wife. Journey to London, 1881 |
| Box 2 Folder 14 | Letters to his wife. Journey to U.S., 1883 |
| Box 2 Folder 15 | Letters to his wife. Journey to Europe, 1896 |
| Box 2 Folder 16 | Letters to his Mother. 1855-1884 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Letters to Kapp. 1869-1883 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Letters to Eugene Ernst Prüssing. 1886 – 1903 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Letters to his Son. 1879-1902 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Letters to Erbgrossherzog |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Unidentified letters |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | Letters from his Wife. 1871 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Letters from his Wife. 1872 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Letters from his Wife. 1875 (1 of 2) |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Letters from his Wife. 1875 (2 of 2) |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | Letters from his Wife. 1876 (1 of 3) |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | Letters from his Wife. 1876 (2 of 3) |
| Box 3 Folder 11 | Letters from his Wife. 1876 (3 of 3) |
| Box 3 Folder 12 | Letters from his Wife. 1877 (1 of 3) |
| Box 3 Folder 13 | Letters from his Wife. 1877 (2 of 3) |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Letters from his Wife. 1877 (3 of 3) |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Letters from his Wife. 1878 (1 of 2) |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Letters from his Wife. 1878 (2 of 2) |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Letters from his Wife. 1879 (1 of 3) |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Letters from his Wife. 1879 (2 of 3) |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Letters from his Wife. 1879 (3 of 3) |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Letters from his Wife. 1881-1882 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Letters from his Wife. 1883 |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | Letters from his Wife. 1884-1885 |
| Box 4 Folder 10 | Letters from his mother. 1867-1869 |
| Box 4 Folder 11 | Letters from his mother. 1870 |
| Box 4 Folder 12 | Letters from his mother. 1871 |
| Box 4 Folder 13 | Letters from his mother. 1872 |
| Box 4 Folder 14 | Letters from his mother. 1873 |
| Box 4 Folder 15 | Letters from his mother. 1874 |
| Box 4 Folder 16 | Letters from his mother. 1875 |
| Box 4 Folder 17 | Letters from his mother, 1876 |
| Box 4 Folder 18 | Letters from his mother 1877 |
| Box 4 Folder 19 | Letters from his mother. 1878-1881 |
| Box 4 Folder 20 | Letters from his mother, undated |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Letters of his wife to her mother, 1871-1885 |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | Miscellaneous family letters |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | (von Holst. Chronik und Stammbaum der Familie von Holst. Freiburg i, Br. 1911) |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | Letters from the Grand Duke of Baden |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | Letters from Carl Schurz |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Letters from Sybel 1868-1892 |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Letters from F. Kapp |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Letters from Eugene Ernst Prussing |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Alexander Hamilton Correspondence |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | Letters from William Rainey Harper |
| Box 5 Folder 11 | Letters from Albert Bushnell Hart |
| Box 5 Folder 12 | Letters from J. Laurence Laughlin |
| Box 5 Folder 13 | Letters from Marr |
| Box 5 Folder 14 | Letter from George Bancroft |
| Box 5 Folder 15 | Letters from Andrew Dickson White |
| Box 5 Folder 16 | Letters from Henry Villard |
| Box 5 Folder 17 | Miscellaneous letters in English that include- |
| Box 5 Folder 18 | Benjamin S. Terry |
| Box 5 Folder 19 | J. Franklin Jameson |
Series III: Writings |
| Box 5 Folder 20 | Biographical Studies 1, 2, 5, 6 (1 and 2 in typescript, c. 58 p. are reprints, c. 46 p.); Educational Studies 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 (all reprints, c. 124 p.) |
| Box 5 Folder 21 | American Studies 1, 2, 3 (ms. - 1 in German, 1 in English), 4 (typescript), 6, 9 (ms.), 10, 11, 12 (ms.), 13, 14 (ms.), 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 (ms.), 28, 29, 30 |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | European Studies |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Acquisitions and Lessons of 1813 |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Newsprint re: Acquisitions and Lessons of 1813 |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Correspondence from America for the Kölnische Zeitung 1869-1871, Nos. 1-51 |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | Correspondence for the Westliche Post Nos. 1-7 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | Correspondence for Die Neue Welt Nos. 1-6 |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | Correspondence for Rigasche Zeitung Nos. 1-15 |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | Correspondence for Neue Frankfurter Presse No. 1 |
| Box 6 Folder 9 | Correspondence for Deutsches Wochenblatt No. 1-7 |
| Box 6 Folder 10 | Correspondence for Deutsches Wochenblatt, newsprint |
| Box 6 Folder 11 | Collected newsprint items |
| Box 6 Folder 12 | German Patriotic Aid Society; letterbook (copies of correspondence) 1870-1871. |
| Box 6 Folder 13 | Ms. of History of the 19th Century |
| Box 6 Folder 14 | Entwickelung der pilitischen ideale des 18. jahrhunderts |
| Box 7 Folder 1 | Ms. of Genesis of the French Revolution |
| Box 7 Folder 2 | Ms. of History of the Reformation |
| Box 7 Folder 3 | Ms. of History of the French Revolution |
| Box 7 Folder 4 | Ms. of Preussische Geschichte (in German Shorthand) |
| Box 7 Folder 5 | Mss. and fragments |
| Box 7 Folder 6 | Ms. Europaische Geschichte (in German Shorthand) |
| Box 7 Folder 7 | Ms. Deutsche Geschichte des Mittelalters (in German Shorthand) |
| Box 7 Folder 8 | Ms. Geschichte des 19 Jahrhunderts (in German Shorthand) |
| Box 7 Folder 9 | Ms. Miscellaneous Notes (in German Shorthand) |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | Four blue notebooks
|
| Box 8 Folder 2 | Handwritten travel notes (five small notebooks) |
| Box 8 Folder 3 | Shorthand notes on future writings |
| Box 8 Folder 4 | Librertur (notebook) |
| Box 8 Folder 5 | Unlabeled green notebook with handwritten notes |
| Box 8 Folder 6 | Three small notebooks with handwritten notes |
| Box 8 Folder 7 | Newspaper clippings by Von Holst |
| Box 8 Folder 8 | Press Notices (1 of 5) |
| Box 8 Folder 9 | Press Notices (2 of 5) |
| Box 8 Folder 10 | Press Notices (3 of 5) |
| Box 9 Folder 1 | Press Notices (4 of 5) |
| Box 9 Folder 2 | Press Notices (4 of 5) |
Series IV: Photographs |
| Box 9 Folder 3 | Photographs (1 of 3) |
| Box 9 Folder 4 | Photographs (2 of 3) |
| Box 9 Folder 5 | Photographs (3 of 3) |
Series V: Oversized Materials |
| Box 10 Folder 1 | Certificate of Membership, Massachusetts Historical Society, to HVH, 13 February 1879 |
| Box 10 Folder 2 | Certificate, Friedrick von Gottes Gnaden Grolscherzog von Baden, Herzog von Boehringen, 24 April 1889 |
| Box 10 Folder 3 | Certificate, Friedrick von Gottes Gnaden Grolscherzog von Baden, Herzog von Boehringen, 24 April 1889 |
| Box 10 Folder 4 | Certificate, Friedrick von Gottes Gnaden Grolscherzog von Baden, Herzog von Boehringen, 24 April 1889 |
| Box 10 Folder 5 | Certificate, Friedrick von Gottes Gnaden Grolscherzog von Baden, Herzog von Boehringen, 17 July 1880 |
| Box 10 Folder 6 | Certificate, from Alpha Chapter, Phi Rho Sigma, Charter for Gamma Chapter at Rush Medical College, Chicago, 1895 |
| Box 10 Folder 7 | Certificate of Membership, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, to HVH, 6 January 1887 |
| Box 10 Folder 8 | Certificate, Regia Scientiarum Academia Borussica, to HVH, 25 July 1889 |