Scope and Contents:
This collection contains papers and documents of the Herbst and Garleb families, who immigrated from Germany to Monroe County, Ill., during the 1860s. Herbst family materials include an 1860 letter from a relative in Waterloo, Ill., sent to the family while they were still in Germany, and the 1877 and 1880 naturalization certificates of John Herbst and Niclaus Herbst. The Garleb family items consist of a transcript of the German-language diary kept by Johann Carl Herrmann Garleb as he immigrated from Berlin in 1866, and four photocopies of German-language documents from the 1840s. These include Johann C. H. Garleb's 1847 baptism certificate, and three work and travel related documents used by his father, Johann Christian Garleb.
Professor John H. Herbst, grandson of both Johann C. H. Garleb and John Herbst, donated these items to the Library in 1998.