Inspect an 1870s Charity Ledger

Students learn about a German community that worked together through an 1870s charity ledger.

Students piece together an immigrant community’s struggles by delving into a charity ledger from 1873.  They are introduced to the Gumpertz family, who immigrated from Germany and struggled through the panic of 1873.  By reading the family article, “The Gumpertz Family Story,” students understand how Natalie Gumpertz worked together with her family and community to get by.

Important Information

What will students understand through this lesson?

• Im/migrants adapt to new living conditions and types of communities, often with creativity and resourcefulness. Communities help people meet their needs in a new place.
• Neighborhoods with many immigrants and their children develop because they provide work, support, access to culture, less racism and discrimination, and friendship. While adult immigrants often spend time with people who speak their home language, children often make friends across difference.

Primary Sources

Related Family Story