Firestone/Brin Family papers

Collection

Identifier: umja0009

Staff Only

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a bulk of correspondence written by Irma and Milton Firestone to their daughter Ruth while she was studying at Vassar College. Also included are more general correspondence, newsclippings, telegrams, certificates, programs, pamphlets, and related materials. All materials date between 1908 and 2016.

Dates

1908-2016

Creator

Firestone, Irma (Person)
Firestone, Milton (Person)

Use of Materials

Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.

Copyright

Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Requests to publish should be arranged with the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives; please contact the archives for more detailed copyright information.

Historical Note

Irma Cain Firestone was born in Milwaukee in 1886 and grew up in Chicago. Her paternal grandparents left the Alsace region of France in the 1850s and settled in Brazil before immigrating to Whitehall, New York. Irma's mother's family emigrated from Germany. Both German and English were spoken at home. Irma graduated from Vassar College in 1907 at a time when there were few fellow Jewish students. She married Milton Firestone in 1914; they resided in St. Paul and had three children, the youngest of whom, Ruth, was born in 1921. Ruth went to Vassar in 1937 when she was only 16 years old. Her brother George Firestone and her future husband, Howard Brin, were at Harvard College that same year, while her older brother, Linn, was at Harvard Law School. Irma, who spoke German, was involved with bringing German Jewish refugees to St. Paul and was very active in advocacy groups, serving as a volunteer with Jewish Family Service in St. Paul. She passed away in 1957. Ruth went on to become a well-known writer and book reviewer for both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the American Jewish World. Ruth passed away in 2009.

Extent

1 Cubic Foot (2 Hollinger boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of materials from the Firestone/Brin family: Ruth Firestone Brin and her parents Irma Cain Firestone and Milton Firestone, who resided in St. Paul, Minnesota and were all very active in the local Jewish community.

Source of acquisition

Donated to the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest in 2010 by Judith Brin Ingber. Added to in 2013 by David Brin. Added to by Judith Brin Ingber in 2018.

Subjects

Education Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Jews Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Jews -- Minnesota Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Women in higher education Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings