Henry Knepler papers

The Henry Knepler papers include biographical materials, correspondence, photographs, and writings documenting Henry Knepler and his relatives, their lives before the war in Vienna, where Hugo Knepler was in the music business, Henry’s travel to England via Kindertransport and subsequent internment as an enemy alien in England and Canada, his mother’s survival in Austria by hiding under a false identity, and Hugo’s escape to Monaco, eventual arrest, and transport to Auschwitz where he did not survive. Some of these materials are photocopies. Biographical materials document the lives of Henry, Hedwig, and Hugo Knepler as well as their Hiltl, Iverus, Knepler, Mehler, Moser, and Pollak relatives. Records include citizenship documents; birth, baptismal, marriage, and death certificates; passports and identity cards; Henry’s Kinderstransport application; and Hedwig’s financial, immigration, and restitution files. Henry’s academic accomplishments in Canada, Hugo’s professional relationships with Arthur Nikisch, Pablo Casals, Leo Slezak and Ludwig Karpath, and Hugo’s arrest and deportation are also documented in this series. Some of these materials are photocopies. Most of the correspondence in the collection is among Henry, Hedwig, and Hugo Knepler. These letters trace Henry’s travel to England, his life in England as a refugee and an enemy alien, his travel to Canada, his life in Canada as an enemy alien and then as a student, and his immigration to the United States; Hedwig’s life in hiding in Vienna and later efforts to immigrate to the United States; and Hugo’s travel to Monaco, arrest, and transport to Auschwitz via Drancy. Correspondence between the Kneplers and their friends and family members further document those experiences and family and friends’ efforts to emigrate. Of particular interest are Hedwig’s letters to her son from October and November 1945 in which she describes her life in Vienna during the war and a January 1945 letter from Hilda Lorant to Hedwig describing Hugo’s arrest. Additional correspondence documents the internment of Leo Glück, Bettina and Ignaz Kraus, and Rosa Moser at Theresienstadt. Most of the correspondence was numbered by the correspondent or the donor. Photographic materials include a publicity photograph showing Hugo Knepler performing eight of his skills and photocopies of photographs of Hedwig and Hugo Knepler and their family members and friends. Writings by Hugo Knepler include manuscripts about casino games, a newspaper clipping of an “interview” with himself, and a copy of Hugo Knepler’s book, O diese Künstler!: Indeskretionenen eines Managers about his music business in Vienna and his relationships with musicians.

The Henry Knepler papers are arranged as four series: I. Biographical materials, approximately 1850-2004, II. Correspondence, 1939-2004, III. Photographic materials, approximately 1938, 2004, IV. Writings by Hugo Knepler, approximately 1920-1931