Alonzo Rothschild Papers, 1880-1919 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains papers related to Rothschild's Lincoln research, as well as Lincoln pamphlets, brochures, facsimiles, and research correspondence. Correspondents include John Coons, J. O. Cunningham, Evarts B. Greene, J. T. Harahan, Robert Hewitt Jr., Archibald M. Howe, Frederick Hill Meserve, O. H. Oldroyd, Samuel Oppenheim, C. M. Palmer, Bliss Perry, William Seward Jr., Judd Stewart, Thomas J. Taaffe, Ida M. Tarbell, Dorothy Lamon Teillard, Marcus L. Urann, James R. B. Van Cleave, and Jessie Palmer Weber. Also included are personal papers concerning Rothschild's participation in the Lincoln Fellowship, the Good Government Club, the Anti-Imperialist League, and the Free Religious Association. Rothschild's unpublished biography, written by his son John, is also included, along with Rothschild family photographs.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Alonzo Rothschild (1862-1915) was a New York City jeweler and journalist who founded The Jewelry's Weekly, a successful publication for the jewelry trade. Rothschild retired at the age of twenty-eight and devoted the rest of his life to independent research and writing. He moved to Massachusetts where he developed an interest in Abraham Lincoln. He published two books, Lincoln, Master of Men: A Study in Character and "Honest Abe": A Study in Integrity, the latter published posthumously.

Acquisition Source: The Library acquired this collection in 1969, originally as part of the Robert S. Barton Papers, the bulk of which accompanied the William E. Barton collection.