The Rabbi Joseph L. Baron Papers have been arranged into seven major series: Correspondence, Diaries, Minutes, Proceedings, Literary Productions, Subject Files, Miscellaneous, Biographical Material, and Scrapbook Material.
Spanning the years 1910 to 1960, the CORRESPONDENCE series is the largest and richest in the collection. It is divided into four sub-series: Family, Personal, Professional, and Literary. The Family sub-series includes chronologically arranged correspondence between Baron and his parents, Hirsch Leib and Ida Rachel Baron; his three sisters, Sophie Baron Levinsohn, Frieda Baron Boorstein, and Anna Baron; his brother, Samuel Baron; and his nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law, and sister-in-law. The Personal sub-series contains correspondence between Baron and close personal friends and acquaintances and is also arranged chronologically. The Professional sub-series, which is arranged alphabetically by correspondent, includes pastoral, congregational and organizational correspondence, as well as ethical queries and responses from rabbinical colleagues and prominent scholars and theologians. The Literary Correspondence is arranged by title and thereunder alphabetical by correspondent. Included in this sub-series is correspondence with publishers, promoters, and fellow authors. Several foreign languages occur throughout the entire series including the following: Yiddish, Hebrew, German, French, and Polish. All names found in the Professional Correspondence and Literary Correspondence, as well as prominent names found in the Family Correspondence and Personal Correspondence can be located through the use of the Name Index at the end of this finding aid.
The DIARIES, MINUTES, PROCEEDINGS series is divided into two sub-series: Personal and Professional. Included in the Personal sub-series are diary leaves spanning the years 1914 to 1933. The Professional sub-series includes diary leaves, minutes, and proceedings documenting the activities of various institutions and organizations including the W.P.A. Advisory Committee, Wisconsin Conference of Liberal Synagogues, Wisconsin Rabbinical Association, Temple Emanu-El--Milwaukee, Milwaukee Jewish Committee, and the Yavneh School for Unaffiliated Children.
Included within the LITERARY PRODUCTIONS series are the following sub-series: Manuscript Materials, Articles, Reports, Compositions, and Orations. All of the sub-series are arranged alphabetically by title with one exception: the Orations are further divided into Sermons, Addresses, Lectures, and Eulogies. The arrangement of the Sermons is chronological.
The SUBJECT FILES contain course notes, jottings, quotes, and clippings on various topics which were collected and saved by Rabbi Baron to be consulted for later use in sermons, classroom lectures, speeches, and other scholarly pursuits. They are arranged alphabetically by topic.
The MISCELLANY includes calendars, membership cards, certificates, circulars, flyers, announcements, invitations, programs, temple bulletins, clergy copies of marriage licenses, proof sheets, and other ephemeral items.
The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of one folder and includes biographical sketches and vitae used primarily for introducing Rabbi Baron at speaking engagements.
The SCRAPBOOK MATERIAL includes clippings spanning the years 1914 to 1960 and a scrapbook containing clippings, programs, and announcements spanning the years circa 1918 to circa 1941.
