Veit-Simon Family Collection 1763-1965

This collection contains papers of several generations of the Veit and Simon families, including: passports, letters of protection, contracts, testaments, a few photographs, and a real-estate deed signed by Moses Mendelssohn, father-in-law of Simon Veit. The folder of commemorative poems has both elegiac poems for funerals, including Dorothea Schlegel's original handwritten poem for Simon Veit, her first husband, as well as celebratory wedding poems.Business correspondence of the banking firm Gebrüder Veit includes letters from the Rothschilds, as does some of the correspondence of partner Uhde Veit located in folder 7. The folder of Moritz Veit's correspondence includes business correspondence with Karl von Savigny. Folder 7 comprises smaller collections of correspondence by various Veit and Simon family members, including Simon Veit, Uhde Veit, Philipp Veit, and Carl Berthold Simon. Johanna Veit's correspondence includes two letters from Prince George of Prussia, and the family documents contain two letters from Kaiser Frederick William's office denying a Jewish man entry into the Prussian civil service. Finally, the Arnold Otto Meyer correspondence includes a letter from Aby Warburg and other notable figures in the museum and cultural spheres. Most items are originals, a few are photocopies.Separate in Safe: Letter by Dorothea Schlegel, August 28, 1819, and document regarding power of attorney given by Fromet (Gugenheim) Mendelsohn, widow of Moses Mendelsohn, to Simon Veit, September 3, 1789; 2010 July 21--these items are missing.The Veits and the Simons were families of prominent Jewish businessmen and booksellers in eighteenth- and nineteenth- century Berlin.The banker Simon Veit was married to Dorothea Schlegel née Brendel Mendelssohn, daughter of Moses Mendelssohn; their son Philipp Veit became a prominent painter. This Philipp Veit is not to be confused with two other family members named Philip Veit, one of whom was Simon's brother, and another of whom was Simon's nephew. For more detailed information, consult the family trees located in folders 1 and 5.Moritz Veit was a prominent publisher and bookseller, as well as a member of the 1848 National Assembly in Frankfurt.The banking firm Gebrüder Veit was founded by Solomon, David, and Simon Veit, sons of Juda Veit Singer, the family patriarch. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, the firm 'specialized in money-market and securities arbitrage,' enjoying 'the highes reputation both in Germany and abroad.' The firm stayed under family control for nearly 150 years, before the depression of 1931 brought on its demise.Arnold Otto Meyer was the head of an eponymous export firm in Hamburg.10-page inventory reflecting original arrangement is available in folder 1/1.Photographs removed to Photograph CollectiondigitizedLiebermann, Ma