Summary Information
A.R. Hohlfeld Papers circa 1875-1956
- Hohlfeld, A.R. (Alexander Rudolf), 1865-1956
Mss 116; PH 1171
2.0 c.f. (5 archives boxes); plus additions of 110 photographs
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of Alexander Hohlfeld, a University of Wisconsin professor of German and a Goethe specialist, including correspondence, clippings, holograph and typescript notes and drafts of papers, articles, and speeches, memo books, address books, and miscellaneous papers. Includes correspondence relating to appointments to the Carl Schurz Exchange Professorship, a file regarding anti-German feeling during World War I, and a copy of a manuscript book of poetry by Adolf Guntsner. English, German
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00116 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Alexander Rudolf Hohlfeld was born in Dresden, Germany, December 29, 1865. He attended the Annenreal-Gymnasium in Dresden from 1876 to 1884 and received his Ph.D. from the University of Leipzig in 1888. In 1889 he came to the United States to join the faculty of Vanderbilt University as Professor of Germanic Languages and later as Dean of the Academic Department. In 1901 he came to the University of Wisconsin where he was appointed chairman of the German Department, a position he maintained from 1904 until his retirement in 1936, when he was given emeritus rank. He was active in forming the Graduate School and guiding it through its early years to a position of eminence. Intent upon linking the University more closely with that larger whole of which it is a part, he was also instrumental in establishing the Carl Schurz Exchange Professorship, which through the years brought to the campus illustrious visiting scholars.
Professor Hohlfeld's field of special competence was Goethe's poetry and philosophy, a subject to which he dedicated himself throughout his life in books and study essays, many of which appeared in distinguished American and European journals and in lectures and addresses before both popular and academic audiences.
Many honors were conferred upon Hohlfeld, the most intangible being that “Hohlfeld of Wisconsin” became a synonym of authority in matters pertaining to the study of German. He was a Past President of the Modern Language Association, Past President of the American Association of Teachers of German, a member of the Goethe Gesellschaft in Weimar and the Goethe Verein of Vienna, and an honorary member of the Deutsche Akademie in Munich. In 1937 the degree of Litt. D. was conferred upon him by Middlebury College. In 1938 a special number of the Monatshefte fur deutsche Unterricht was dedicated to him. In 1951, the city of Frankfurt, Goethe's birthplace, honored Hohlfeld with its Goethe Medal and a handwritten scroll for his contributions to the advancement of Goethe scholarship. And in December of 1955, on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, the German Federal Republic conferred upon Hohlfeld the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit, the highest recognition that that nation can bestow. In addition, Hohlfeld was a member of the governing board of the National German-American Teachers' Seminary in Milwaukee. At its discontinuation in 1926 he was instrumental in the transfer of the Seminary's entire endowment to the University of Wisconsin for the benefit of teacher training work in the Department of German.
In 1890 Alexander Hohlfeld married the former Helen Agatha Voss of Elgin, Illinois, with whom he had four children.
Alexander Hohlfeld died on April 18, 1956.
Arrangement of the Materials
This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 2 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. Henry J. Jeddeloh (Helen Hohlfeld Jeddeloh), a daughter of Alexander Hohlfeld, July 1962 to October 1966. Four additional letters presented December 20, 1972 and June 8, 1973 were interfiled in the correspondence. Accession Number: M62-145; M63-252; M65-406; M66-414; M72-495; M73-145
Processed by S.H., October 1970.
Contents List
Mss 116
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Part 1 (Mss 116): Original Collection, 1888-19562.0 c.f. (5 archives boxes) The Papers consist primarily of a portion of Alexander Hohlfeld's academic, professional, and personal papers including incoming and outgoing correspondence; clippings; holograph and typescript notes and drafts of papers, articles, and speeches; memo books; address books; miscellaneous personalia; and printed material. They are arranged in four categories: Correspondence, Articles and Speeches, Clippings, and Biographical Memorabilia. The CORRESPONDENCE, much of it in German, has been arranged alphabetically by author or subject and chronologically within the folders. Much of it concerns appointments for the Carl Schurz Professorship for various years; thus a folder on an individual who was being considered for that position contains correspondence both from the individual himself and from other people concerning him in addition to various non-correspondence items on the same subject. As a result, a number of the folder titles are more subject than author oriented. There is also a folder of general material concerning this professorship (Box 1, folder 8). Other subjects covered in the correspondence concern internal business and disputes within the German Department at the University of Wisconsin; plans for the publishing of Fifty Years with Goethe, a volume of Professor Hohlfeld's essays on Goethe put together by some of his colleagues as a tribute to him; and the death of his son Rudy in the jungles of South America. Also the ill-will and bitterness toward the German-American peoples in this country that was precipitated by the wave of nationalistic anti-German hysteria during World War I is clearly documented in various letters to and from him in both a personal and professional capacity and in clippings of newspaper stories and editorials (Box 3, folders 21-22). In addition, there is much correspondence of a more general personal or professional nature. For a list of major correspondents, see the contents list below. The ARTICLES AND SPEECHES consist of holograph and typescript notes and manuscripts for articles, speeches, papers, etc. most of which are fragmentary and unidentified, in addition to Hohlfeld's bibliography (Box 5, folder 8) which itself appears to be incomplete; it reveals how poorly the writings preserved here represent the corpus of his work. For a more detailed breakdown of this section, again see the contents list below. The CLIPPINGS consist of various unsorted English and German language newspaper clippings most of them mentioning Hohlfeld or written by him. Also included in this section are a group of clippings and programs related to the German theater. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMORABILIA, in addition to containing miscellaneous items of personal nature including some unsorted notes and papers, also contains the six volumes which are described in detail in the container list.
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Series: Correspondence
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General
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Box
1
Folder
1
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1901 May 27 - 1941 January 19
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1943 August 5 - 1956 June 12; undated
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Beutler, Ernst, 1940 March 17 - 1956 August 4
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Blanknagel, John C., 1949 September 25 - 1953 September 15
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Bluhm, Heinz, 1943 June 18 - 1956 January 26
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Bruns, Friedrich, 1946 December 28 - 1956 January 26
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Caratheodory, Constantin, 1932 January 14 - 1936 June 15
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Carl Schurz Professorship - General, 1913 January 8 - 1948 March 9; undated
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Driesch, Hans, 1925 April 21 - 1927 February 24; undated
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Euphorion, 1953 March 11 - 1956 February 2
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Feise, Ernst & Dorothy, 1953 July - 1955 November 9; undated
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Freudenberg, Karl, 1925 December 1 - 1931 July 27
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Fuerst, Norbert, 1949 October 1 - 1952 August 4
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Gausewitz, Walter, 1946 January 18 - 1950 August 28
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Box
2
Folder
2
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German Department (University of Wisconsin), 1929 Spring? - 1954 April 5
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Gunvaldsen, Kaare M., 1947 September 16 - 1954 May 26
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Hagen, Oskar, 1923 June 7 - 1925 February 3
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Henel, Heinrich, 1942 June 7 - 1955 November 28
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Hohlfeld, Rudolph, 1925 September 8 - 1927 June 8
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Jantz, Harold, 1939 April 22 - 1956 April 16
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Jeddeloh, Helen Hohlfeld, 1956 April 19 - June 23
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Kuhnemann, Eugen, 1911 February 17 - 1916 December 24
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Meessen, H.J., 1942 November 7 - 1955 November 9
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Milwaukee Seminary Trust, 1947 July 28 - December 10
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Morgan, B.Q., 1947 August 8 - 1956 January 28
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Naumann, Hans, 1925 June 10 - 1928 December 11
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Nordmeyer, H.W., 1943 November 19 - 1955 August 28
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Otto, Max, 1943 January 14 - 1955 December 30
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Pabst, Ida, 1949 August 7 - 1956 January 11; undated
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Philippson, Ernst, 1950 January - 1956 January 1
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Price, Lawrence M., 1934 December 7 - 1955 December 12; undated
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Purin, Charles M., 1948 May 4 - 1955 December 8; undated
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Ranke, Hermann, 1922 March 26 - 1953 May 9
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Reese, Hans, 1947 November 12; undated
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Rosenberg, Ralph, 1949 September 28 - 1952 April 18
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Sommerfeld, Arnold, 1921 May 28 - 1923 June 5; undated
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Trunz, Erich, 1949 April 12 - December 31
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Box
3
Folder
13
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Twaddle, Freeman, 1947 July 8 - October 4; undated
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Box
3
Folder
14
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University of Wisconsin Press, 1951 June 5 - 1957 January 18
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Box
3
Folder
15
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von der Leyen, Friedrich, 1950 February 4 - 1953 August 4
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Box
3
Folder
16
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von Gruenigen, J.P., 1937 March 10 - 1954 January 15
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Box
3
Folder
17
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von Schleinitz, Fritz, 1949 November 19 - 1953 June 3; undated
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Box
3
Folder
18
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von Weise, Leopold, 1934 February 28 - July 7
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Box
3
Folder
19
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Voss-Lessing controversy, 1929 November 14 - 1936 June 19
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Box
3
Folder
20
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Whitesell, Fritz, 1952 September 27 - 1953 February 9
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World War I
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Box
3
Folder
21
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Personal materials-special file, 1914 August 20 - 1919 May 27
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Box
3
Folder
22
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“Personal aspects of the War,” 1914 September 24 - 1919 October 5 : Expanded file of material from previous folder.
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Series: Articles and Speeches
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Box
4
Folder
1
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“Buhenbilder and Buhnenanweisungen in Goethe's Faust”
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Box
4
Folder
2
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“Faust Am Kaiserhof”
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Box
4
Folder
3
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“Zum Iridischen Ausgang von Goethes Faustdichtung”
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Reviews - miscellaneous
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Box
4
Folder
5
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“Outlines, mss., etc. of matters connected with the War and English-German problems in general”
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Miscellaneous notes, outlines, etc.
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Series: Clippings
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Box
4
Folder
7-8
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Clippings - general
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Programs, clippings, etc. regarding theater in Germany, 1908
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Series: Biographical and Memorabilia
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Architect's drawings for house
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Certificates, Awards, etc.
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Deutschamerikamscher Kongress, 1932 October 27-29
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Deutsches Haus, Germanische Gesellschaft
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Unsorted notes and papers
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Miscellaneous printed items, programs
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Box
5
Folder
8
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Biographical and Bibliographical materials
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Box
5
Volume
1
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Memo Book, 1906-1942 : Contents: pp. 1-69, Books Received, 1906 May 18-1938; pp. 70-99, Personliche Briefe II, 1940 January 3-1942 June 5; pp. 100-199, Personliche Briefe, 1922 November 5-1939 December 26; Record of Invitations; Guests from Abroad
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Box
5
Volume
2
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Record of Correspondence, 1942 June 5 - 1952 November 5 : Also lists former students now teaching German.
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Box
5
Volume
3-4
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Address Books
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Box
5
Volume
5
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Book of poetry by Adolf Guntsner : Facsimile? of mss. notebook.
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Box
5
Volume
6
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Die Altenglischen Kollektivmisterian, Inaugural Dissertation at University of Leipzig, by Alexander Hohlfeld, 1888 Bound copy
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PH 1171
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Part 2 (PH 1171): Additions, circa 1875-1950 110 photographs (1 archives box) : Photographs of family, friends, associates, academic colleagues, and students of Hohlfeld.
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