Fred S. Gichner correspondence

Fred S. Gichner (1870-1956) was born in Bielitz, Austria (now Bielsko-Biała, Poland) and was trained in ornamental ironwork in Vienna. He immigrated to the United States in the late 1880s, and established the Fred S. Gichner Iron Works in Washington, D.C. During the late 1930s and early 1940s he provided affidavits and financial assistance to help relatives in Europe immigrate to the United States. The Fred S. Gichner correspondence contains letters and telegrams documenting Gichner’s help in supporting the American immigration of the families of his European cousins, Maurice (Moritz) and David Bronner, largely facilitated by the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).