Moses Kaufman papers

Abstract

The Moses Kaufman papers (dated 1874-1924; 2.5 cubic feet; 6 boxes) comprise correspondence, manuscripts, scrapbooks, portrait drawings, and newspaper clippings that document Moses Kaufman's life as a businessman and political figure in Lexington, Kentucky during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Moses Kaufman papers
Date
1874-1924 (inclusive)
Extent
2.5 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Antisemitism -- United States
Business correspondence
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Democratic Party (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century
Elections -- Kentucky.
Family -- History
Jewish businesspeople
Jewish historians -- Kentucky.
Jewish leadership -- Kentucky -- Lexington
Jewish merchants -- Kentucky -- Lexington
Lexington (Ky.) -- History
Obituaries.
Postmasters.
Prohibition -- Kentucky.
Roads -- Design and construction -- Kentucky -- 19th Century.
Scrapbooks
Water-supply -- Kentucky -- Lexington.
James, Ollie Murray, 1871-1918
Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by format.
Finding Aid Author
Austin Coke, Carol Street
Preferred Citation
87m49: [identificiation of item], Moses Kaufman papers, 1874-1924, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Moses Kaufman was born on January 15, 1845, in Bavaria, Germany. His parents were Menke and Rela Strauss Kaufman, and he had a twin sister named Sarah. In 1858, Kaufman moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked with his uncle, Meyer Strauss, in the clothing business. During 1867, Kaufman married Esther Levy, daughter of Rabbi Isaac Levy of Cincinnati. Together, they had five children though one died during childhood. Also in 1867, Kaufman moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he established the Kaufman Clothing Company with his cousin, Phil Strauss. In 1879, Kaufman began a long career in local government when he was elected to the General City Council of Lexington. In 1895, Kaufman was elected to represent Lexington in the Kentucky State Legislature. Five years later, in 1900, he became city treasurer until in 1905 he was appointed as city auditor, a position which he held for eight years. On January 5, 1915, Kaufman was appointed postmaster by President Woodrow Wilson and served this post until 1924 when he retired.
Kaufman wrote frequently in local newspapers, such as the Lexington Herald, on topics regarding Judaism. Oftentimes he wrote to explain the significance of Jewish people in global and American history to a predominately Christian audience within Lexington. He was invited to speak on Judaism with the Methodist Centenary Church, the Knights of Columbus, the University of Kentucky, Hamilton College, and the Young Men's Institute, a Catholic organization. Kaufman also published writings criticizing antisemitic articles printed by The Dearborn Independent, a newspaper owned by Henry Ford. He helped organize the Adath Israel congregation, the first Jewish congregation in Lexington. Esther Kaufman died in 1922, and Moses Kaufman died two years later, in 1924.
Scope and Content
The Moses Kaufman papers (dated 1874-1924; 2.5 cubic feet; 6 boxes) comprise correspondence, manuscripts, scrapbooks, portrait drawings, and newspaper clippings that document Moses Kaufman's life as a businessman and political figure in Lexington, Kentucky during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection contains documents concerning the Jewish community of Lexington, particularly describing Judeo-Christian relationships within Lexington and the work of the Spinoza Society, which organized burials for Jewish individuals in Lexington. Newspaper clippings detail the development of the Kaufman Clothing Company, Kaufman's role in city government, his efforts in explaining Judaism to a Christian audience, and his defense of Judaism from antisemitic views. Correspondence reveals Kaufman's relationships with prominent individuals such as Judge Charles Kerr, Senator J.C.W. Beckham, Cotton Noe, suffragist Josephine K. Henry, Irvin S. Cobb, Samuel M. Wilson, James C. Cantrill, Johnson Camden, May Collins, Helen R. Gutman, Ollie M. James, and State Senator Thomas A. Combs.
Scrapbooks and newspaper clippings within this collection detail Kaufman's government career through his many years as a city councilman, state representative, city auditor, city treasurer, and as postmaster. Topics within these clippings discuss his role in securing Lexington's waterworks, modernization of infrastructure, and Kaufman's run for the office of mayor of Lexington. This collection also contains articles concerning Jewish history written by Moses Kaufman and published in local newspapers. Topics include Jewish history and oppression within Russia, the beliefs of Judaism, Jewish history from antiquity through U.S. history, and prohibition. Much correspondence within this collection discusses articles written by Moses Kaufman concerning his youth and the concept of the soul as friends and neighbors wrote to him to thank him for his work. The collection also contains obituaries concerning Esther Kaufman, Moses Kaufman, Charles Chilton Moore, May Collins, and several other friends of Kaufman. Additional clippings from this collection discuss the history of Jewish people in Lexington as well as the business sector of the city.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

Contents of the Collection

Manuscripts, circa 1922

Handwritten manuscripts, undated

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Published pamphlets, circa 1922

  • Box 1, folder 2
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Correspondence, 1896-1924

Allen, Robert McDowell correspondence, 1917

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Anderson, F. Paul correspondence, 1921-1923

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Beckham, J.C.W. correspondence, 1900-1914

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Beckner, Lucien correspondence, 1922

  • Box 1, folder 7
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Bogatzky, Lilian correspondence, 1920

  • Box 1, folder 8
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Bowmar, Dan M correspondence, 1922

  • Box 1, folder 9
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Breckinridge, Desha correspondence, 1924

  • Box 1, folder 10
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Byonz, W.V. correspondence, 1915

  • Box 1, folder 11
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Cantrill, J. Campbell correspondence, 1916

  • Box 1, folder 12
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Carroll, John D. correspondence, 1920

  • Box 1, folder 13
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Cassidy, J. Ernest correspondence, 1911

  • Box 1, folder 14
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Cassidy, M. A. correspondence, 1917-1922

  • Box 1, folder 15
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Collins, May Louise correspondence and obituary, 1896

  • Box 1, folder 16
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Combs, Thomas A. correspondence, 1918-1920

  • Box 1, folder 17
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Conkwright, Bessie Taul correspondence, 1920-1922

  • Box 1, folder 18
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DesCognets, Louis correspondence, 1920

  • Box 1, folder 19
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Gutman, Helen correspondence, 1921

  • Box 1, folder 20
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Hawkins, W. B. correspondence, 1921

  • Box 1, folder 21
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Henry, Josephine K. correspondence, 1896-1923

  • Box 1, folder 22
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Houchin, R. M. correspondence, undated

  • Box 1, folder 23
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Kahn, Fannie correspondence, undated

  • Box 1, folder 24
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Kaufman, Moses correspondence drafts, undated

  • Box 1, folder 25
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Kerr, Charles correspondence, 1914-1924

  • Box 1, folder 26
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Landman, Isaac, 1923

  • Box 1, folder 27
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Lynch, Billy correspondence, 1915

  • Box 1, folder 28
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Maret, James correspondence, 1922

  • Box 1, folder 29
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Melcher, Columbus R. correspondence, 1923

  • Box 1, folder 30
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Minor, John correspondence, 1920

  • Box 1, folder 31
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Noe, James Thomas Cotton correspondence, 1914-1922

  • Box 1, folder 32
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Patterson, James K. correspondence, 1917

  • Box 1, folder 33
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Rauch, Joseph correspondence, 1923

  • Box 1, folder 34
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Ross, James M. correspondence, 1919

  • Box 1, folder 35
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Stackhouse, T. C. correspondence, 1921

  • Box 1, folder 36
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Stanley, A. O. correspondence, 1922-1924

  • Box 1, folder 37
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Stewart, J. G. correspondence, 1907

  • Box 1, folder 38
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Straus, Isaac and Stanley correspondence, 1921

  • Box 1, folder 39
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Strauss, Ben and Joseph correspondence, 1911-1921

  • Box 1, folder 40
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Whitley, W. H. correspondence, 1920

  • Box 1, folder 41
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Wilson, Samuel M correspondence, 1922-1923

  • Box 1, folder 42
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Wise, Leo correspondence, 1923

  • Box 1, folder 43
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Correspondence concerning the death of Esther Kaufman, 1922

  • Box 1, folder 44
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Moses Kaufman birthday letters, 1919-1924

  • Box 1, folder 45
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Postmaster correspondence, 1915-1922

  • Box 1, folder 46
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Scrapbooks and clippings, 1874-1924

Charles C. Moore obituaries, 1906

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Friends articles and clippings, 1901-1917

  • Box 2, folder 2
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James Mulligan poems and obituary, 1915

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Judaism articles and clippings, 1903-1924

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Judaism articles and clippings, undated

  • Box 2, folder 5-6
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Kaufman Clothing Company and retail, 1880-1918

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Lexington city government, 1904-1916

  • Box 2, folder 8
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Lexington city government and finances, 1904-1924

  • Box 2, folder 9
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Lexington post office and postmaster appointment, 1914-1921

  • Box 2, folder 10
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Lexington social life, 1893-1917

  • Box 2, folder 11
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Moses Kaufman obituaries, 1924

  • Box 2, folder 12
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Moses Kaufman poetry, 1890-1921

  • Box 2, folder 13
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Political activities; clippings, 1893-1918

  • Box 2, folder 14
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 1, concerning Lexington city government, 1874-1883

  • Box 3, folder 1
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 2, 1877-1896

  • Box 3, folder 2
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 3 concerning market house and elections, 1879-1881

  • Box 4, folder 1
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 4, 1883-1892, 1901-1904

  • Box 4, folder 2
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 5, 1893, 1913-1914

  • Box 5, folder 1
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 6, 1901-1915

  • Box 5, folder 2
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 7, 1894-1923

  • Box 6, folder 1
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Moses Kaufman scrapbook no. 8, 1895-1924

  • Box 6, folder 2
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Portraits, 1908

Kaufman family portrait drawings, 1908

  • Box 1, folder 3
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.

Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.

Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.

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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.

If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.