Schwarzbaum and Lesorgen families papers

Copyright Holder: Ms. Regina Corush Leon Lesorgen (1924-2009) was born Lewek Lesorgen on October 15, 1924 in Sosnowiec, Poland to Szmul Josek Lesorgen and Sara Lesorgen (née Mydlarz). He had one brother, Wolf Lesorgen (b. 1921). Leon was a survivor of Blechhammer subcamp of Auschwitz, Gross-Rosen, Buchenwald, and Langenstein-Zwieberge subcamp of Buchenwald. He immigrated to the United States in 1949 and settled in Chicago, IL. Leon married fellow survivor Fela Schwarzbaum, also from Sosnowiec, and they ran Leon’s Delicatessen. Leon and Fela had two daughters, Regina and Sheila, and a son, Seymour. Fela Lesorgen (1925-2009) was born Fela Schwarzbaum on August 7, 1925 in Wrocław, Poland to Jakob and Regina Schwarzbaum. She later lived in Sosnowiec. She was forced to move into the Sosnowiec ghetto, and in March 1944 was deported to the Gross-Rosen subcamps of Waldenburg and Grünberg. Fela immigrated to the United States in 1951 and settled in Chicago, IL. She met and married fellow survivor Leon Lesorgen, also from Sosnowiec, and they ran Leon’s Delicatessen. Leon and Fela had two daughters, Regina and Sheila, and a son, Seymour. The collection primarily documents the prewar and postwar experiences of the Schwarzbaum and Lesorgen families, originally of Sosnowiec, Poland, and consists of biographical and immigration documents, restitution paperwork, and photographs. The bulk of the material documents the postwar experiences of Fela Schwarzbaum (Fela Lesorgen) and Lewek Lesorgen (Leon Lesorgen) as displaced persons prior to immigration to the United States, where they later met and married. Documents include identification cards, vaccination cards, immigration documents, correspondence, and clippings. Photographs include prewar and postwar depictions of Fela, Leon, and their families.