Since its discovery, this archive has taken 34 years of dedicated work to reach the stage where it can be made accessible to the public. The family involved in this process have had many setbacks and discussions about what to do with the material, including whether it would be best to allow it to stay hidden in a library. However, after much careful deliberation and advice, it was agreed that there was so much valuable material in the archive, that it might be of benefit to academics, researchers and those involved in family histories. It was also considered that the wider public might be interested in the underlying story that emerges over the years.
The materials presented on this website are edited transcripts and translations of the orginal documents. The original documents, which are written in English, Russian, Yiddish and French, will eventually be housed in the Special Collections, Hartley Library, at the University of Southampton.
To protect the privacy of the descendents of those in the archive, it was agreed that surnames would be omitted from this website.
The diaries and letters written in Yiddish and French are presented in English translation. Those written in English preserve their original phrasing and spelling.