Glogau

This material is held atUniversity of Manchester Library

  • Reference
    • GB 133 SIM/4
  • Dates of Creation
    • March 1829 to March 1831
  • Physical Description
    • 296 pieces. Condition: many pieces are abraded on edges.

Scope and Content

The fourth volume of papers relating to Heinrich Simon's life covers the period from 3 March 1829 until 26 March 1831, commencing with his journey to Glogau, where he arrived at 7 March 1829. Heinrich Simon was temporarily attached to the fortress of Glogau as the result of the duel. Later, after the investigation and hearing of the case had continued, he was pardoned by King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia. After the pardon he transferred from the court in Brandenburg to the Oberlandesgericht (Supreme District Court) Glogau, to continue his preparation for the next law examination. In January 1831 he joined the Resourcen-Society in Glogau. A major family event during this period was the wedding of his sister Auguste Simon and Heinrich Gräff on 2 January 1830. A number of visiting cards inform about his social relations. The main part of the volume comprises correspondence.

Documents relating to his training at the court include: extracts from a book edited by the Royal Major von Rudloff from the Ministry of War concerning legal, military, police and judicial administration in Prussia, dated 1826 (8); lists of legal cases Heinrich Simon had to work on and to deliver (205), of work delivered to Hoffmann (206), and of work delivered to Jüngel (207). Material documenting the period after his attachment to the fortress comprises: drafts of Heinrich Simon's application for transfer to the Oberlandesgericht Glogau and his application to the court in Glogau to employ him as Referendar and to grant permission to attend the next examination, dated 15 Oct 1830 (256); copy of the answer stating that Heinrich Simon will be employed at the Oberlandesgericht Glogau, dated 20 Oct 1830 (258); a letter from the Königliches Preussisches Kammergericht (Royal Prussian Supreme Court) to Heinrich Simon concerning his transfer to the Oberlandesgericht Glogau and releasing him from his duties at the court in Brandenburg (267); preparations for the second examination (268-273), including a sketch showing a secretaire with a bookshelf (270a); a letter to Heinrich Simon concerning an affair connected with the court in Magdeburg (288); a copy of the application for the second law examination (290); a copy of the reply, including the date of the examination, 23 Mar 1831 (291); and a note belonging to the duty files of Heinrich Simon, dated Glogau 26 Mar 1831 (296).

Material concerning the duel in Brandenburg includes pieces such as "instructions regarding my behaviour at the fortress" (9); a draft with corrections (48); a handwritten paper on the defence of Heinrich Simon (244); an excerpt from the investigation files (245); court files (246, 247); a letter from Wickert to Heinrich Simon, advising him of the lifting of his attachment to the fortress in Glogau, dated Glogau 23 Sep 1830 (248); a letter from uncle Heinrich Simon to his nephew, expressing his happiness at the pardon, dated 20 Sep 1830 (249); a copy of King Friedrich Wilhelm's pardon containing the decision that the time he spent at the fortress counted as penalty served and therefore releasing him from the attachment, dated 17/19 Sep 1830 (250); a letter from Heinrich Simon to his family (251); a letter from the Minister of Justice to Herrmann Simon, informing him of the release, dated 19 Sep 1830 (252/254); an application for reprieve by Herrmann and Minna Simon, dated 4 Sep 1830 (253); and a letter from Merckel to Herrmann Simon, dated 27 Sep 1830 (255).

There are numerous notes, some of them in Latin and most of them obviously communicated between Heinrich Simon and other people (34-47, 49-66, 68-74, 76-84, 88, 156, 163, 204, 274); on the reverse of piece 39 is a drawing of a man in contemporary dress standing with his left foot on a crucifix, with the caption "Hic niger est! sagt jeder Christ; der Mensch ist ein Rationalist" ("...says each Christian; the human is a rationalist."). There are also notes on scrap paper in German, Latin and French (127, 129); and two calendars with entries, for 1829 (172, 172a-c) and for 1 Jan to 30 Mar 1831 (278, 279).

Miscellaneous items comprise: a poem sent to Heinrich Simon for assessment, dated 7 Jan 1830 (75); a draft of a letter (85); a draft (86); a love-poem (94); visiting, invitation and congratulation cards (173, 173a-k); the visiting card of Heinrich and Auguste Gräff (174); a picture entitled "Demoiselle Tibaldi as Tancred" (175); a poem written on the occasion of the wedding of the lawyer (Königlicher Ober-Landes-Gerichts Justizkommissarius) Heinrich Gräff and Auguste Simon (180); a letter confirming the membership of Heinrich Simon in the Resourcen-Society in Glogau (283); statutes of the society (283a); a letter from the society (285); and a page entitled "Proben Preussischen liberalen Geistes" (286).

Correspondence forms the major part of the volume, and largely comprises letters exchanged between Heinrich Simon and his family, but there are also letters from superiors, colleagues and friends. The first letter in this volume was written by Heinrich Simon to his family, dated Berlin 3 Mar 1829 (1). In it he expresses his pleasure at leaving Brandenburg behind him. The duel and its consequences still troubled him and these subjects were again discussed in several of the letters. The following letters were written during the journey from Berlin to Glogau from different places (3, 4, 5). The first letter Heinrich Simon wrote from Glogau is dated 7 Mar 1829 (6). Whereas in the previous volume only some of the letters were signed "Heinz", this is now a universal feature. Heinrich Simon usually addressed his letters to the whole family (his parents, brother and sisters), with only a few explicitly written to one person (12-14, 16, 21, 25, 30, 32, 89, 97, 98, 99-102, 109, 112, 120, 121, 126, 128, 133, 138, 139, 157, 162, 166, 168, 184, 188, 190, 192, 208, 210, 212, 217, 222, 223, 230, 232, 234, 235, 240, 251, 257, 259, 262, 272, 275, 277, 281, 282, 284, 289, 292, 294, 295). Piece 120 incorporates a sketch map of Glogau, Breslau and other places.

The letters sent to Heinrich Simon by members of his immediate family were, for the most part, written by two or more persons (7, 10, 15, 20, 31, 33, 91, 92, 96, 113, 116, 118, 122, 123, 131, 134, 135, 141- 145, 150, 152, 158, 167, 170, 178/179, 181, 198, 199, 216, 219, 224, 225, 242, 243, 264, 273, 293). Piece 178 includes a sketch of the seating arrangement at the wedding of Auguste Simon and Heinrich Gräff. Heinrich Simon received several letters from his siblings: from Auguste Simon (24, 107, 117, 149, 169, 227, 238, 261), pieces 227 and 229 being fragments only; from Heinrich Gräff and Auguste Simon (151, 186, 193, 214); from Julie Simon (26, 130, 147, 148, 155, 231); from Gustav Simon (18, 28, 137, 159, 183, 201, 215, 233, 265, 276, 287); and from Hermine Simon (160, 161, 263).

Another family member who features in the correspondence is uncle Heinrich Simon, who wrote to his nephew Heinrich (27, 200, 220, 237, 239, 241, 280), to his brother Herrmann Simon (209) and to a colleague in Glogau (2). Other relatives and family friends participating inlcude cousin Maria (22), Franziska and Clara Kuhlmeyer from Brandenburg (136), cousin Lüttke, who sent a congratulatory letter (146), and Kuhlmeyer (218). Other letters with contents relating to family affairs are (154, 165, 182). In addition, superiors, colleagues and friends corresponded with Heinrich Simon, e.g. Wickert, Harras, Rosenbaum, von Gärtner, Springer, Dümichen, Scholtze and Hoffmann (11, 17, 19, 23, 29, 67, 90, 93, 95, 103, 105, 106, 108, 110, 111, 114, 115, 119, 124, 125, 140, 164, 171, 176, 177, 185, 187, 189, 191, 194-197, 203, 211, 213, 221, 226, 228, 236, 266, 271). Piece 260 is letter to Heinrich Simon from the Bookshop Maurer.