Guide to the Blumberg Family Papers

Record Group 227

Date Span:  1838 – 2003       

Extent:  4 items    

Biographical Sketch:  Susan & Leslie Blumberg are long-time residents of Dothan [AL], and active in their church and the community.

Blumberg Family History:  Hyman Blumberg arrive in the United States from Prussia (Lithuania) in the 1870s.  Mr. Blumberg married Esther Abrams, and he worked a variety of jobs as they made their way south.  After driving the stage from Geneva [AL] to Columbia [AL] for some time, he decided Poplar Head (now Dothan) would be a place to start a business.  In 1891 or 1892 (sources differ), he opened Blumberg's in a tent located on the northwest corner of N. Foster & W. Main.  In 1909, Blumberg's store moved to the southeast corner of Foster & Main streets, occupying the ground floor of the Silver Hotel building.  By 1922, Mr. Blumberg owned the entire building.  Blumberg's Department Store became one the largest department stores in Dothan and drew customers not only from Alabama, but also, Georgia and Florida.  Blumberg's was a full-line department store and was the first business in the area to install an escalator.  Mr. Blumberg passed away in 1934 and Mrs. Blumberg passed away in 1949.  Blumberg's Department Store operations were carried on by the Blumberg family until 1975 when the store closed.  The Blumberg descendants remain an active and prominent family in the Dothan community.

Scope/Content:  Contains a bound edition of the Sanborn insurance maps for Dothan, AL, an issue of the National Intelligencer newspaper, an annotated street map with notes compiled by Mr. Leslie Blumberg indicating the house location of individual residents and/or families, and a scanned image of the Jewish section of the Dothan City Cemetery map.

Processing Note:  The cemetery map had deteriorated, becoming brittle.  It was repaired, encapsulated in Mylar, and returned to the Blumberg's.  Wiregrass Archives retained a scanned copy of the cemetery map.  The newsprint has been rehoused in an oversized folder, the bound edition of Sanborn maps tagged with I.D. tag and both of these items will be placed in a map drawer.  The one letter sized document folder will be housed in the Short Collection until such time as more Blumberg material is acquired.

Preferred Citation:  Blumberg Family Papers, RG 227.  Wiregrass Archives, Troy University--Dothan Campus, Dothan, AL.

Access Limits?:  Open

Proc Date:  03/27/2017                       Processor:  TB

 

INVENTORY

File I.D.                                            File Label

227-17-0317-MD 17-OS1              Book:  Insurance Maps of Dothan, Alabama: 1893, 1898, 1903, 1907, 1920, 1931.   ca.2003.  New York, NY : Sanborn Map Company.  [104] leaves; maps; 50 cm.   "Presentation book to Leslie & Susan Blumberg, Dec 2003 from Rex Roach"

227-17-0317-MD 17-OS2              Newspaper:  National Intelligencer.  J. Gales & W. W. Seaton, editors.  9 June 1838.  Washington, D.C.    Vol. XXXIX [39] No. 5607.  Handwritten name W. Holt in upper right corner.  Folder includes a photocopy of a news article concerning the Holt family.

227-17-0317-001-001                    Hand-annotated map compiled by Mr. Leslie Blumberg of homes of individual residents and/or families known to him.  Compiled ca. 1950s

227-17-0317-002-001                    Scanned copy of Temple Emanu-El cemetery map - online access only.  See Also:  RG 116 Temple Emanu-El

 

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Wiregrass Archives
Troy University Dothan Campus
Everett 128
502 University Dr.
Dothan, AL  36303

Phone: 334-983-6556 x21327
Email: wiregrassarchives@troy.edu