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Norman Winestine Collection: Congregation Emanu-El And Fligelman's, 1883-1953

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Winestine, Norman, 1895-1986
Title
Norman Winestine Collection: Congregation Emanu-El And Fligelman's
Dates
1883-1953 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.5 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 144 (collection)
Summary
Norman Winestine (1895-1986) was a Helena, Montana, clothing store owner and member of the Jewish Congregation Emanu-El. Collection is divided into two main subgroups: records (1889-1947) of Congregation Emanu-El include correspondence, financial records, organizational materials, reports, Ladies Auxiliary records and cemetery association records; records (1883-1953) of Fligelman's Store include correspondence, financial records, and miscellany.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Norman Winestine was born February 15, 1895, in Wassaic, New York, and was raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and did post-graduate work in medieval history at Columbia University and at the newly established Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning in Philadelphia. At Dropsie, Winestine studied Semitic language and Judaism. On April 18, 1918, Winestine married Belle Fligelman, daughter of Herman Fligelman, president and one of the founders of Helena, Montana's New York Dry Goods Company. In 1920, while living in Paris, France, Winestine accepted the offer of the position of general manager of the New York Dry Goods Company, popularly known as the New York Store. The store had been founded in 1882, under the name of H. Loble & Co., by Herman Fligelman and Henry Loble, both Romanian immigrants, and Robert Heller, an Austrian. The store was formally incorporated as the New York Dry Goods Company in 1890. When Winestine arrived in Helena in 1920, only Herman Fligelman of the original owners remained, Henry Loble having died in 1913 and Robert Heller having retired in 1920. The New York Store was destroyed by fire in 1928, but under Winestine's direction was rebuilt and renamed Fligelman's. Four years later, in 1932, founder Herman Fligelman died. Fligelman's was sold in 1958 to the J.M. McDonald Company. After moving to Helena, Winestine joined Congregation Emanu-El, a Jewish reform congregation. It had been reformed in August 1889 and a temple building completed in 1890. In April 1890 the congregation hired its first rabbi, Dr. Samuel Shulman of New York. Starting in 1925, Norman Winestine conducted the services on High Holy Days. Due to a decline in membership, the congregation was no longer able to support the maintenance of a temple, and decided to sell the building to the Montana Relief Commission in 1935. Winestine continued to conduct services for the few remaining members of the congregation, until after World War II.

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Content Description

This collection contains two subgroups. The Congregation Emanu-El Subgroup contains general correspondence (1917-1935); financial records (1902-1929); organizational materials and minutes (1889-1937), including those of the Ladies Auxiliary Society; and other items. The Fligelman's Subgroup includes general correspondence (1929-1935); financial records (1899-1942); and miscellany including a scrapbook (1886-1935) containing bills, letters, and clippings reflecting the history of Fligelman's and its predecessors, H. Loble and Company and the New York Dry Goods Company.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arrangement by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Archives Map Case. See inventory below for more information.

Location of Collection

7:2-4

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Separated Materials

Photographs have been separated to the Photo Archives. See inventory below for more information.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

  • Congregation Emanu-El

  • Fligelman's

    • General Correspondence

      • Description: "Copies of letters in answer to the many telegrams and letter received on opening of our new store" (removed from scrapbook)
        Dates: 1929
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 5
        Location: Fligelman's / General Correspondence
      • Description: "Letters and telegrams regarding the fiftieth anniversary of Fligelman's" (removed from scrapbook)
        Dates: 1935
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 6
        Location: Fligelman's / General Correspondence
      • Description: "Copies of letters in answer to the many letters and telegrams received on fiftieth anniversary of our store" (removed from scrapbook)
        Dates: 1935
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 7
        Location: Fligelman's / General Correspondence
      • Description: "Some of the many letters received inquiring about the earthquakes" (removed from scrapbook)
        Dates: 1935
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 8-9
        Location: Fligelman's / General Correspondence

    • Financial Records

    • Photographs

      • Description: List of photographs transferred to the Photo Archives
        Dates:
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 12
        Location: Fligelman's / Photographs

    • Miscellany

      • Description: Helena Independent "Special Fligelman's Edition;" Montana Record-Herald special Fligelman's insert
        Dates: 1929 July
        Container: Volume 6
        Location: Fligelman's / Miscellany
      • Description: Scrapbook (includes samples of early bills, letters, clippings, etc. about 1928 fire, 1929 reopening, 1935 earthquake, and 50th anniversary celebration)
        Dates: 1886-1935
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 13
        Location: Fligelman's / Miscellany
      • Description: Letterhead; invoice; lists of attendance at Fligelman's annual picnics; lists of guests at 1935 50th anniversary
        Dates: 1940-1953
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 14
        Location: Fligelman's / Miscellany
      • Description: Stock certificates issued to New York Dry Goods Company
        Dates: 1908-1929
        Container: Box/Folder 2 / 15
        Location: Fligelman's / Miscellany

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Clothing trade--Montana--Helena
  • Dry-goods--Montana--Helena
  • Jews--Montana--Helena

Personal Names

  • Winestine, Norman, 1895-1986 (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Helena (Mont.)--Cemeteries
  • Helena (Mont.)--Church records
  • Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Helena (Mont.)--Religious life and customs

Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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