TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Organization and Arrangement

Restrictions

Related Material

Administrative Information

Series A: General Files. 1896-1961.

An Inventory to the 

Bella W. Rosenbaum Papers

 1896-1961

Manuscript Collection No. 179

Biographical Sketch

Bella attended public school in Winnipeg as well as an afternoon Hebrew school sponsored by a family friend, Moische Malamud. When Bella was 13, her two families (parents, step-parents, and all the children) emigrated to Seattle, Washington, hoping to find there the prosperity that eluded them in Winnipeg. Bella entered public high school in Seattle, and rather than continuing on to graduation, sat for the entrance exams for the University of Washington. At age sixteen, she began her freshman year at the University. During her senior undergraduate year, she also began studying law with the first class to enter University’s “new” law school. In May of 1900, Bella earned bachelors degrees in pedagogy as well as political and social sciences. A year later, she graduated from the Law School and was admitted to the Washington State Bar. She was the first Jewish woman lawyer in the state. During her university years, Bella also served as buyer and bookkeeper for her mother’s Seattle waterfront store.

A two sentence notice about Bella Weretnikow’s graduation from law school appeared in the American Israelite. It caught the eye of Lewis Newman (“L.N.”) Rosenbaum, a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant living in Nashville, who had just been admitted to the Bar in the State of Tennessee. L.N. wrote to Bella to congratulate her and to inquire about Seattle and the Puget Sound area. Soon he relocated to Seattle, and he and Bella were wed in 1905. Following her marriage, Bella gave up the practice of law but retained an interest in civic and community affairs. In 1914, the Rosenbaums moved to Brooklyn, but returned in 1927 to Seattle, only to move back to New York City in 1932. Over the years, L.N. had given up the practice of law. He became the head of a syndicate of wealthy eastern capitalists investing in real estate across the United States.

Bella and L.N. were active in the synagogues in the communities where they lived. They raised five children, three sons and two daughters. Bella did not regret giving up her law practice, but late in life she wrote, “All these years the only law that I have practiced has been to try to lay down the law to my husband and our family.” Bella Weretnikow Rosenbaum died December 17, 1960, while living in McLean, Virginia.

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Scope and Content Note

The Bella W. Rosenbaum Papers detail biographical information about Bella Weretnikow Rosenbaum and her family. Bella Rosenbaum's children donated a copy of Rosenbaum's autobiography, which was published in excerpt form in the American Jewish Archives Journal in April, 1967. The manuscript in its entirety is part of the papers. Bella Rosenbaum's manuscript focuses on her early years as an immigrant from Russia in both Winnipeg, Manitoba and Seattle, Washington. She also details life as a Brooklyn housewife in an Orthodox Jewish community. There are relatively few references to her experience as a lawyer. The papers also contain the biography Rosenbaum wrote about the family history of her husband Lewis Newman Rosenbaum.

Bella Rosenbaum, while living in Brooklyn, New York, wrote a series of fictional stories about Jewish family life. These manuscripts are handwritten. There are also a few nonfiction pieces.

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Organization and Arrangement

The Bella Rosenbaum Papers consist of the writings and correspondence of Bella W. Rosenbaum. The papers are arranged into a single alphabetical series. The span dates for the papers are 1896-1961.

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Restrictions

Access Information

The papers are open to all users and available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.

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Related Material

Rosenbaum, Bella W. Nearprint Biographies File.

Rosenbaum, Bella W. Picture Collection.

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Administrative Information

Citations

Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Bella W. Rosenbaum Papers and the American Jewish Archives.

Provenance

The Bella W. Rosenbaum Papers were donated to the American Jewish Archives by Ruth Lipston, Washington D.C. in November, 1961.

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Box and Folder Listing

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