The family papers were collected by Eva Philippson, a granddaughter of rabbi Ludwig Philippson. Many of the folders on individual family members contain biographical sketches written by her composed of information taken from Alfred Philippson's memoirs. Several written works will be found in this collection. Among Ludwig Philippson's items are his handwritten "Wörterbuch zu Jesais" as well as several poems, some of which were written for family members such as his brother Phöbus and a grandchild. "Mythologie, Literatur," a manuscript by Mathilde Philippson, appears to have been written while she was still a child. The most prominent manuscripts of this collection, however, are the lengthy memoirs of Alfred Philippson, written while he was in Theresienstadt. These documents consist of over 300 typed pages of his memories of family members and growing up as a child in the family's house in Bonn, his time as a student in Bonn and Leipzig, his travels as a geographer, and his teaching experiences. In addition to manuscripts, the collection also holds two diaries, one by Henriette Philippson from 1838 and another by Moritz Philippson, written in 1850 while he was studying medicine in Jena

Notable among the items of this collection are also the letters of family members, which are usually handwritten. Letters are often between family members. Ludwig Philippson's letters include his last known letter, sent to his son Martin in 1899. Papers from Mathilde Philippson also contain letters sent to Martin and his wife in the late 1800s. Letters of Phöbus Philippson include one sent to his brother Ludwig. Among the many letters of Moritz Philippson are those he sent to his family while serving as an army doctor and one sent to his siblings after his engagement to Meta Philippson. There are many letters of Eva Philippson, often in French. Some of her correspondence focuses on retrieving her father's pension and family history, which she may have used to compile the family trees found in this collection. Several official documents are also available for members of the family. Included among these are birth and marriage certificates for Ludwig and Meta Philippson, a birth certificate for Paula Philippson, a death notice for Alfred Philippson, and wills for Hermann Hirsch and Franz Philippson. Other prominent items in this collection include the many family trees and notes on family history found in the folder "Family Trees." Genealogical information here concerns both the Philippson family and associated families including members of the Hirsch, Wolffstein, Ephraim, and Simoni families

The Philippson family was a German Jewish family with roots in Saxony. The name Philippson was first used by Moses Philippson, the father of rabbi Ludwig Philippson, and was derived from Moses's father's name of Philipp Moses. Ludwig Philippson was born on December 28, 1811 in Dessau. He was the son of Moses Philippson, a teacher, and Marianne Levy-Wust. By the time he was fourteen, Ludwig Philippson was reciting poetry and writing literary pieces; by the next year he had left Dessau to study in Halle, where his older brother Phöbus was studying medicine. It was through Phöbus that he became interested in scientific studies. His first work was published at 16, under his brother's name: Die Propheten Hosea, Joel, Jona, Obadja und Nahum in metrisch-deutscher Übersetzung. In 1829 he began to attend the University of Berlin, with a major in classical philology. Since the family had exhausted much of its funds when sending his older brother to study medicine, and Jews could not receive scholarships, Ludwig Philippson supported himself by writing. Some of these early works appeared in publications such as Die Freimütige and the Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung. In 1833 Ludwig Philippson became the rabbi of the Magdeburg synagogue. He met members of the Wolffstein family soon after becoming rabbi, and in 1836 married Julianne Wolffstein. They would eventually have 3 daughters: Johanna, Bertha, and Rosalie. In 1843 he created a Jewish German-language newspaper: the Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums, with the goal of bringing issues of religion, spirituality, and politics together in one publication. Several years later he wrote a German translation and interpretation of the Old Testament, which was published in several parts and several different editions beginning in 1841

In September 1843 Ludwig Philippson lost his wife after many years of a wasting sickness. By the end of 1844 he had married Mathilde Hirsch, the sister of his brother's wife. Together they had six children: Martin, Meta, Joseph, Franz, Richard, and Alfred. During the 1840s Ludwig Philippson continued to write, producing in 1847 his work Die Entwicklung der religiösen Idee im Judenthume, Christenthume und Islam und die Religion der Gesellschaft; the next year another book on the relationship between religion and society was produced with Die Religion der Gesellschaft und die Entwickelung der Menschheit zu ihr, dargestellt in zehn Vorlesungen. He wrote several works on the rights of Jews in the Prussian state as well. The political events of 1848 also affected Philippson. In that year he was elected as a representative for his region of Saxony in the Frankfurt National Assembly. The next year he became a member of the Saxony trade council. In 1855 he helped found the Institut zur Förderung der isralitischen Literature in Leipzig. This institute published many works, including his novel Saron in 1858 as well as texts of his brother, Phöbus

By 1862 Ludwig Philippson left his position as rabbi and moved from Magdeburg to Bonn, recommended by his doctors and family members for its mild climate. It was hoped that this would help alleviate his worsening health and growing blindness. Although the family first rented space on the first floor of a gardener's house, by 1863 he had bought a residence on Grünen Weg (now Königstrasse). There Ludwig Philippson lived with his family for the remaining twenty-five years of his life. Three generations of Philippsons would go on to live in this house, until its loss under the National Socialists. He shared in the life of the Jewish community in his new home, and supported the building of the synagogue there as well as the establishment of the new Jewish cemetery, where he, his wife, and numerous children and grandchildren would be buried. While in Bonn Ludwig Philippson turned once more to his writing, and fought further for the equal rights of Jews. In 1866 he published Haben wirklich die Juden Jesus gekreuzigt? Many other works would come out of this time period, including religious essays, prayer books, poetry, and novels. Although most of his writings concerned religion, some continued to state his opinions in regards to the social status of Jews. In addition, in 1866 and 1867 two historical novels written by him were published. Ludwig Philippson died on December 29, 1889 in Bonn

The LBI Archives also contain the Alfred Philippson Collection (AR 3245), which holds papers belonging to Alfred Philippson. In addition, the LBI Library has a copy of Die Philippsons in Bonn: Deutsch-juedische Schicksalslinien, 1862-1980. Dokumentation einer Ausstellung in der Universitaetsbibliothek Bonn by Karl Gutzmer, a detailed history of the Philippson family. The LBI library also holds copies of many of Ludwig Philippson's published works, as well as published works by Phöbus, Alfred, and Paula Philippson. Several memoirs by Alfred Philippson have been removed from the collection (ME 803). They are included in this description and were microfilmed with the rest of the collection

Memoir microfilm reels # 127, 128

Alfred Philippson (AR 2847) see MF 461

See also Alfred Philippson Collection (AR 3245)

The following families are mentioned in this collection: Gottschalk family; Philippson family; Ephraim family; Frank family; Hirsch family; Simoni family; Wolffstein family

The following locations are mentioned in this collection: Goerlitz; Cloetze; Harzgerode; Osterburg

The following individuals are mentioned in this collection: Cohn, Tobias; Freudenthal, Max;

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