The Simon Papers

Letters and documents connected with Heinrich Simon of Breslau and members of his family. Envelope A: 50 letters 1844-1860 written principally by August Heinrich Simon in Zurich to his nephew Heinrich (or Heinz), and a few other letters and some newspaper cuttings. The cuttings are mostly obituary notices of August Heinrich Simon, but one refers to the retirement of Gustav Simon.

Envelope B: About 300 letters, 1848-1860 written principally by Gustav Simon to Heinrich Simon, but some are from Gustav's wife. Also some letters to a Heinrich Gaertner from both Gustav and Heinrich Simon. Many of the letters concern financial matters.

Envelope C: About 110 letters, 1807-1848 from Herman Simon in Breslau to his brother August Heinrich Simon in Berlin (except for a short period at Plln-am-Rhein). Also various notes from Herman's children and from his wife.

Envelope D: Entitled "Nachlass" containing about 120 papers, 1860-1866 relating to the death of Dr Heinrich Simon and some earlier papers. There are various bills of Heinrich Simon, officially stamped documents recording certain facts and conversations, an inventory of the slate and copper mines and a list of their liabilities and assets. There is also a handwritten and typescript copy of Heinrich Simon's will.

Administrative/Biographical History

August Heinrich Simon (1805-1860) was a Prussian radical. He was born in the Prussian town of Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland). He trained as a lawyer and was a prominent advocate of constitutional and educational reform. He was a leading member of the revolutionary Frankfurt Parliament of 1848-49 but in 1849 he was charged with high treason and fled to Switzerland, taking with him the Parliament's seal.

Heinrich (or Heinz, later anglicized as Henry) Simon (1835-1899); nephew of August Heinrich Simon, emigrated to Manchester from Germany in 1860 and founded the engineering companies Henry Simon Ltd and Simon-Carves Ltd, still in existence as the Simon Engineering Group.

Herman Simon (fl. 1807-1848) of Breslau, brother of August Heinrich Simon.

Reference: The John Rylands University Library Special Collection Guide to the Simon Papers ( http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data2/spcoll/simon ). Accessed July 2002.

The collection retains its original deposit arrangement in envelopes.

Access Conditions

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was deposited in 1956.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the University Archivist, Special Collections. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Further deposits are not expected.