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Colman and Blank families papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 1111

Collection Overview

The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence, professional materials, photograph albums and photographs, and other assorted papers of the Colman and Blank families of Charleston, South Carolina. Materials primarily pertain to Beverly Isabel Colman, a former managing editor for Schocken Books, and her maternal ancestors Rosa Simmons Blank, Rosa's son, Isadore Blank, and Isadore's son, Edwin J. Blank. Materials related to Beverly Isabel Colman include school records, personal and professional correspondence, books, and other papers pertaining to Beverly's work as a managing editor. Photograph albums contain assorted family photographs, ephemera, and genealogical information concerning the Elias, Blank, Furchgott, and Colman families. Also included are a series of leases, mortgages, and bonds for a George Street property, part of the Glebe Lands owned by St. Philip's Episcopal Church, purchased by Rosa Simmons Blank in 1882; miscellaneous materials related to Isadore Blank and his son, Edwin J. Blank; a Lillye Blank commemorative china plate; a newspaper clipping scrapbook given to Minnie R. Loryea from Rev. David Levy; a pair of silver Shabbat candlesticks; and a Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim centennial booklet.

Dates

  • Creation: 1845-1993

Creator

Language of Material

Materials in English

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical Note

Beverly Isabel Colman (1940-1999), daughter of John H. and Rosabel Blank Colman (1916-2009) was born in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1962 with a BA in English literature and was a managing editor for Schocken Books, a publisher of Jewish fiction and non-fiction books located in New York City.

Rosa Simmons Blank (d. 1915), Beverly's great-great-grandmother, was a member of the Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Society of Charleston. Her son, Isadore Blank (1862-1947), father of Edwin J. Blank (1886-1968), was president of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim from 1917 to 1937.

Extent

2.15 linear feet (5 document boxes, 1 oversize folder)

Abstract

The collection consists of professional and personal correspondence, professional materials, photograph albums and photographs, and other assorted papers of the Colman and Blank families of Charleston, South Carolina. Materials relate to Beverly Isabel Colman, a former managing editor for Schocken Books, and her great-great grandmother Rosa Simmons Blank, Rosa's son, Isadore Blank, and Isadore's son, Edwin J. Blank.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.

Acquisitions Information

Materials donated in 2006, 2009, and 2011 by Rosabel Colman and Randolph Colman.

Related Material

Related materials in Special Collection include the Hebrew Benevolent Society papers, 1867-1984 (Mss 1059).

Processing Information

Processed by Colleen O' Connor and Joshua Minor, October 2012.

Title
Inventory of the Colman and Blank Families Papers, 1845-1993
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by: Joshua Minor; machine-readable finding aid created by: Joshua Minor
Date
2012
Description rules
Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.

Revision Statements

  • Finding aid revised December 2013 by Martha McTear: Edited flat storage encoding.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections
College of Charleston Libraries
66 George Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424
(843) 953-8016
(843) 953-6319 (Fax)