STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER-ST. LOUIS
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
The Wessel\Schaefer papers were donated by Richard Wessel on July 9, 1991. Lillian Schaefer married Emil Wessel in 1920. Lillian was born on July 10, 1897 in St. Louis and Emil Wessel was born at New Hanover, Illinois on March 24, 1899. They met at a church play in 1918. The Wessels' had three children and lived in Webster Groves. Emil Wessel operated a wholesale poultry and hide business on Commission Row in downtown St. Louis.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The collection contains correspondence received by both Lillian Schaefer and Emil Wessel before their marriage as well as diaries kept by Lillian Schaefer during the same period. The remainder of the collection is the contents of two scrapbooks which were disposed of after the contents were removed. Of special interest may be some theater and symphony programs from the 1916-1920 period. The Photographs are almost entirely unidentified.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
Series 1: Correspondence. The Correspondence ranges from postcards to Lillian Schaefer's parents in 1907 to letters received by wessel family in 1952. Of special interest are the letters to Lillian from numerous suitors during World War I. These letters should be read with the diaries that she kept as there are many references in the diaries relating to specific letters or their authors.
Series 2: Diaries. The diaries are from three time periods. The first is 1917-1920 when Lillian was a young girl. the second period is a short time at the beginning of 1945 followed by the third period 1967-1974 the latter are sketch books and diaries of travels.
Series 3: Scrapbooks. The scrapbooks contained a variety of material including theater programs, newsclippings, church material and photo guide books of other cities. The scrapbooks were discarded after the contents were removed.
FOLDER LIST
BOX 1
1. Correspondence from William C. Wienberg 1918-1919
2. Correspondence from Jack Finegan 1917-1918
3. Correspondence from Jack Finegan 1919
4. Correspondence from Jack Finegan 1920-1924
5. Correspondence from Tom Hamilton 1918-1919
6. Correspondence from Eddie Faber 1915-1918
7. Correspondence from Emil Wessel to Lillian Schaefer 1918-1923
8. Correspondence from Emil Wessel to others 1918
9. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer c. 1912-1921
10. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer 1912-1914
11. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer 1915
12. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer 1916
13. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer 1917
BOX 2
14. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer 1918
15. Correspondence to Lillian Schaefer 1919-1921
16. Correspondence from Lillian to Emil Wessel 1920-1921
17. Correspondence to Emil Wessel 1918-1920
18. Correspondence to Emil Wessel 1935-1940
19. Correspondence from George Wamser 1941-1943
20. Correspondence from Bob Harter 1942-1945
21. Correspondence from and regarding Jack Salsman 1947-1951
22. Correspondence from Bill and Marge Nowack 1941-1953
23. Correspondence to Wessel family 1932-1939
24. Correspondence to Wessel family 1940-1949
25. Correspondence to Wessel family 1950-1952
26. Correspondence to others, unfinished and unmailed 1914-1951
27. Large greeting cards, girt tags and announcements nd.
BOX 3
28. Post cards and greeting cards 1907-1952
BOX 4
29. Dairy of Lillian Schaefer 1917-1918
30. Diary of Lillian Schaefer 1919-1920
31. Diary of Lillian Wessel 1945
32. Diaries and sketch books of Lillian Wessel 1967-1974
33. Anonymous writings, poems, stories etc. nd
34. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Indian Guides 1923-1940
35. Evangelical Church 1930-1939
36. Wessel children material
37. Peoples Art Center 1952
BOX 5
38. Leaflets, receipts and notices 1916-1940
39. Community Press directory of west St. Louis County 1952
40. Theater programs 1916-1920
41. St. Andrews Young Peoples League 1920
42. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra programs 1917-1919, 1934-1935
43. Newsclippings 1915-1943
44. The Soldiers French Phrase Book 1917
45. Photo guide books, Cleveland, Ohio 1917
46. Photo guide book, Middleton , Ohio c.1916
47. Photo guide book, Springfeild, Ohio c. 1916
48. Photo guide book, Charlotte, N.C. 1917
49. Photographs 522.1-522.45 nd
522.44 negative of postcard depicting Eads bridge.
522.45 negative of postcard depicting Union Station.
INDEX
Boy Scouts f.34
Cub Scouts f.34
Faber, Eddie f.6
Family Life f.1-49
Finegan, Jack f.2-4, 28
Hamilton, Tom f.5
Harter, Robert f.20
Peoples Art Center f.37
Salsman, Jack f.21
Schaefer, Lillian f.1-49
St. Andrews Young Peoples Club f.41
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra f.42
Wamser, George f.19
Wessel, Emil f.7-8, 16-49
Wienberg, William C. f.1
WW I f. 1-3, 5-14, 17, 28-29, 44
WW II f.19-20, 24, 28
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER-ST. LOUIS
222 THOMAS JEFFERSON LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
ONE UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD
ST. LOUIS, MO 63121
(314) 516-5143
whmc@umsl.edu