Kempf-Clarke Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MG Nwk Kempf (Main)

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is organized in two series:

Series I: Kempf-Douai Family Photographs, c. 1860-1910.
Series I contains twenty-seven 3" x 5" and sixteen 2"x 3" studio portraits of Kempf and Douai family members and friends taken at photography studios located mainly in Newark. Names and locations of studios are noted in the description.

Series II: Clarke-Baldwin Family Papers, c. 1894-1930.
Series II contains business and legal documents related to ownership of the Newark Brass Works company: a Certificate of Organization, bank checks, public notice of Bill of Complaint for a stockholder lawsuit, and affidavits in response to the Bill of Complaint. Documents related to the Clarke-Baldwin family history include an application for admission to the Daughters of the American Revolution, a Baldwin family tree and an obituary for William Martin Clarke.

Dates

c. 1860 – c. 1930
Majority of material found within c. 1870 – c. 1910

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

Biographical / Historical

The Kempf-Douai and Clarke-Baldwin families were Newark city residents when the items were created c. 1860 - 1930. The families came together with the marriage of Louis Adolf Kempf (1878-1962) and Julia E. Clarke (1880-1956) in 1905.

The Kempf-Douai family photographs are studio portrait photographs of Louis Adolf Kempf and his siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, and of Kempf family friends. Many of them were Newark educators and school administrators at the Webster Street School, the German-English Green Street School, and other Newark public schools, including Dr. Carl Daniel Adolf Douai (1819-1888), an early pioneer of the kindergarten movement in the United States, and Emilie M. Kempf (1859-1935), a teacher and principal in Newark schools. Louis Gottlieb Kempf (1854-1922) and Louis Adolf Kempf (1878-1962) were accountants and worked for Stoutenburgh & Co. clothiers in Newark.

The Clarke-Baldwin family papers include business and legal documents related to the Newark Brass Works, a company owned by Louis Adolf Kempf and his father-in-law William Martin Clarke (1838-1920), among other stockholders. The family history documents relate to the ancestry of the Baldwin family in Newark going back to Colonial America.

Biographies of the individuals in the collection are listed below. Kempf-Douai and Clarke-Baldwin family trees and research documents are available for access upon request.

Clarkes:

Mary Baldwin Clarke (1876-1956). Daughter of William Martin Clarke and Sarah D. Clarke (née Baldwin).

Sarah D. Clarke (née Baldwin, 1842-1924). Married to William Martin Clarke. Mother of Mary Baldwin Clarke. Mother-in-law of Louis Adolf Kempf.

William Martin Clarke (1838-1920). Businessman, investor and executive. Stockholder of the Newark Brass Works company.

Douais:

Agnes Douai (1819-1898). Married to Dr. Carl Daniel Adolf Douai. Mother to Ottilie N. Kempf (née Douai).

Dr. Carl Daniel Adolf Douai (1819-1888). Educator, editor, anti-slavery leader, labor reformer, socialist, and revolutionist. Principal of Green Street School. Principal of Hoboken Academy.

Kempfs:

Catherine Kempf (née Laur, 1820-1899). Mother of Louise E. Kempf, George E. Kempf, Sr., Emilie M. Kempf, Katie Kempf, and Louis Gottlieb Kempf.

Clara Baechlin (née Kempf, 1880-1967).

Emilie M. Kempf (1859-1935). Teacher and Principal in Newark public schools including Webster Street, Thirteenth Avenue, Summer Avenue and South Street Schools.

George E. Kempf, Sr. (1853-1937). Machine turner. Metal worker. Resident of Philadelphia, PA.

Katie Kempf (1861-1886). Teacher. Died aged 24 after a lingering illness.

Louis Adolf Kempf (1878-1962). Accountant at Stoutenburgh & Co. Stockholder of the Newark Brass Works company.

Louis Gottlieb Kempf (1854-1922). Accountant for Stoutenburgh & Co. Student at Green Street School.

Louise E. Kempf (1849-1921). Dressmaker and housekeeper.

Ottilie N. Kempf (née Douai, 1855-1933). Teacher at Green Street German School. Mother of Louis Adolf Kempf, Clara Baechlin (née Kempf), Normal William Kempf, and Paul Max Kempf

Norman William Kempf (b. 1885). Chemical engineer.

Paul Max Kempf (1883-19478). Editor for the Newark Daily Advertiser, the Newark Evening News, the New York Times, and Musical America Magazine. Owner and publisher of the educational periodical, The Musician.

Family Friends:

Sarah Abbie Fawcett (1846-1899). Teacher. Second Assistant and Vice Principal of Webster Street School. Supervisor of drawing instruction for all Newark public schools. Namesake of the Sarah A. Fawcett Drawing School. Founder of the Fawcett Drawing Academy, which eventually became the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art.

Joseph A. Halleck. Principal of Webster Street School.

Henry Schnellbacher (1852-1914). Accountant. Student at Green Street School. Superintendent of Krueger's brewery. Brother-in-law of Judge Gottleib Kreuger. Secretary-treasurer of the Eagle Brewing Company.

Tillie Spear (b. 1875). Teacher.

Bessie Wilson. No biographical information found.

Clara Zahn (1870-1953). Principal of Summer Place and Ridge Street Schools. Vice Principal of Hawkins Street and South Market Schools. Model and critic teacher at the Newark Normal School.

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet : 1 flat oversized box ; 18" x 15" x 2.5"

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection documents Kempf-Douai and Clarke-Baldwin family members and family friends living in Newark c. 1860 - c. 1930, their history as Newark schools' educators, business activities with the Newark Brass Works company, and their family history in photographs and papers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Kempf-Clarke Collection was donated to the Newark Public Library by Kathryn E. Kempf in April 2023.

Processing Information

The collection was donated in a binder. Photographs were in matted paper frames and placed in plastic sleeves. The papers were loose. Original enclosures were discarded. Photos were rehoused in mylar sleeves. All materials were rehoused in archival folders. The arrangement scheme for the collection was imposed during processing in the absence of a usable original order.