Subject: Cemeteries

One-half page autograph letter, initialed J.C., from Chicago, Illinois, dated June 24th, 1857, to Isaac Leeser in Philadelphia. The writer requests that the dedication of the new Kehilah Anshe Mayrif cemetery in Chicago, along with a related German news clipping from the *Deborah*, be included in Leeser's *Occident*. This letter is notable due to the rarity of early Jewish correspondence from Chicago, given losses from the Great Chicago Fire.

Billhead for work performed at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 8, 1867. The billhead features a vignette of plumbing fittings and lists Jesse Tittermary as a plumber. This is one of twelve such billheads. The billhead was created by Abraham Hart for Mount Moriah Cemetery.

Broadside announcing a special meeting of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 1, 1849, to enact by-laws regarding burial grounds and interment rules. Printed on blue paper, measuring 8" x 12".

Indenture document conveying a cemetery plot in the Congregation Benai Israel cemetery in Kalamazoo, Michigan, dated June 1, 1882. The deed lists Joseph Speyer as the owner of the plot and includes the signatures of several early Jewish settlers in Kalamazoo: Bernhard M. Desenberg, L. Stern, Henry Stern, D. Lilienfeld, and B. L. Desenberg.

Draft deed of agreement between Congregation B'nai Jeshurun and Congregation Sha'ari Tephila, New York, New York, concerning the sale of a portion of their cemetery near Cypress Hills for $3000. The agreement stipulates that the sale be conducted according to the laws of Beth Olom Cemetery as of March 12, 1856. The document is dated May 20, 1856.

Deed of sale for land purchased by the Society of Peace of Carbondale from the Hillside Coal & Iron Company for the establishment of a cemetery. The deed, dated November 2, 1891, and recorded November 18, 1891, includes a map and details a purchase price of $50.00. The Society of Peace later became Congregation Agudath Sholom.

Draft agreement between Congregation B'nai Jeshurun and Congregation Shaari Tephila for the sale of a portion of their cemetery near Cypress Hills, New York, for $3,000. The agreement, dated April 1, 1856, specifies that the sale is to be conducted according to the laws of Beth Olom Cemetery as of March 12, 1856. Four drafts are present, each with corrections. The document is a manuscript item.

Draft agreement between Congregation B'nai Jeshurun and Congregation Sha'ari Tephila in New York, New York, concerning the sale of a portion of their cemetery near Cypress Hills for $3000. The agreement, dated April 1, 1856, stipulates that the sale is to be conducted according to the laws of Beth Olom Cemetery as of March 12, 1856.

Draft agreement between Congregation B'nai Jeshurun and Congregation Sha'ari Tephila in New York, NY, concerning the sale of a portion of their cemetery near Cypress Hills for $3000. The agreement references the laws of Beth Olom Cemetery and is dated April 15, 1856. Multiple drafts with corrections are present.

This archival collection contains three legal documents related to a lawsuit concerning the relocation of the Shaaray Tefila Cemetery in New York City. The lawsuit, filed in the New York Supreme Court on May 30, 1856, pits plaintiffs Benjamin J. Hart and David J. Levy against defendants Louis Levy, John M. Davies, Edward Josephs, Aaron S. Solomons, and Joseph Aden (trustees of Shaaray Tefila). The documents include a request for deposition of the plaintiffs (dated May 30, 1856), a copy of an affidavit from Alexander Kursheet for the defendants (filed June 20, 1856), and a group of possibly incomplete draft documents. The suit stemmed from a New York State law passed in 1850-1851 prohibiting further burials in Lower Manhattan, prompting Shaaray Tefila to establish the Beth Olam Cemetery in 1851 with two other Manhattan congregations. The documents detail the legal proceedings surrounding the sale and relocation of the original Shaaray Tefila cemetery. The Shaaray Tefila Synagogue, founded in 1845, was officially chartered in 1848 by primarily English and Dutch Jews who had previously been members of B'nai Jeshurun. Its first rabbi, Samuel Isaacs, was one of few English-speaking rabbis in the United States at the time and remained in that post until 1877.

A one-page letter written in English by Rabbi Dr. Max Lilienthal to Julius Freiberg on August 31, 1871, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The letter concerns a Halachic opinion on the disinterment of graves from an older Jewish cemetery for transfer to a new cemetery. It includes a reference to Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise's opinion on the matter. The letter shows the lower left corner is torn.

Minutes book of the Farband Labor Zionist Order, Baltimore, Maryland, covering the period from August 1, 1937, to August 24, 1953. The book contains approximately 110+ pages and is written primarily in English with some notes in Hebrew. The minutes include attendance and contribution lists, reports from various committees (including a cemetery committee), and numerous references to the State of Israel.

Carte-de-visite (CDV) photograph of the Jewish Cemetery on Ocean House Road in San Francisco, California. The verso of the photograph is titled "468. Jewish Cemetery, Ocean House Road" and includes a cancelled two-cent revenue stamp dated September 10, 1868. A similar photograph exists in the Library of Congress collection, dating to 1866.

A resolution, likely written by Isaac Leeser, granting permission for the burial of Frederick Samuel, a non-member of Mikveh Israel, in the cemetery. The resolution stipulates that services and shiva be conducted by Leeser and that a fee of $100 be paid. The document is undated but is clearly in Leeser's hand and is estimated to be from the early 1840s. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1842.

Legal document surveying the Hebrew Burying Ground in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Surveyed and signed by Henry Carpenter on July 17, 1822. Details a conveyance from Thomas Cookson and his wife to Isaac Nunes Recus and Joseph Simons on February 3, 1746, for the establishment of the burial ground. Includes a survey map. Potentially the earliest extant legal record of this historic cemetery.

Trade card of Louis Landgraf, Superintendent of Adath Jeshurun Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The card is undated, but circa 1885. The Adath Jeshurun Cemetery opened in 1861 and is located at Bridge and Walker Streets in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. Handwritten notes in pencil appear on the card.