The Ann Diament Collection documents the history of the Mindlin-Lisvhis family, centering on Diament's research on her great-aunt Annie Mindlin Livshis (1864-1953). Born in Russia, Livshis was a Jewish feminist, anarchist, trade unionist, and homesteader who lived in the Lasker Colony, Kansas, and in Chicago. In the process of writing a book on Livshis that was never published, Diament accumulated photocopies of archival records about the Mindlin and Livshis families, photographs, and secondary sources about Jewish Americans in Kansas. Diament's collection also includes correspondence about her research.
The Ann Lewin Diament Family Papers focus mainly on her great aunt and uncle, Annie and Jake Livshis. Although the couple were very active in anarchist circles, the main focus of this collection is their genealogy and their Kansas homestead where they were part of a Jewish agricultural colony.
In the 1980s, Ann Lewin Diament (1926-2017) embarked on a research project to trace her roots. Her Great Aunt and Uncle, Annie Mindlin and Jake Livshis, were Russian-born immigrants active in the American anarchist movement in the early 20th century. During her research, Diament corresponded with Ed Weber, then Curator of the Labadie Collection, to gather information. The Livshises were good friends with Emma Goldman, Voltairine de Cleyre, and many other anarchists who were well represented in the Labadie Collection.
Annie and Jake Livshis were notable figures in the tapestry of radical political movements of the 20th century. The family moved west to Kansas to establish the Lasker Colony, a Jewish agricultural settlement near Fort Dodge. Their son Peter was born deaf, and to provide for his treatment and education, they relocated to Chicago.
Their home in Chicago often served as a sanctuary for discussions and debates, where ideas flowed freely among some of the most prominent figures in anarchist circles. Rudolf Rocker noted them in his book, *The London Years*, referring to their home as a "sort of headquarters of the Chicago Anarchists."
Diament's correspondence with Professor Paul Avrich, a foremost historian and scholar of anarchism, was especially significant. Avrich, known for his extensive documentation of anarchism's history in America and Russia, found in Lewin Diament not just an invaluable source but a dear friend. Their friendship was marked by mutual respect and intellectual collaboration.
Annie Livshis maintained the family archives, and she gave her niece Ann family photographs and other documents. In 1994, Ann wrote a brief biographical essay that is included in this collection. A few years before her death, after a long correspondence with Ed Weber, then with his successor Julie Herrada, Diament donated the genealogical records, correspondence, and research materials to the Labadie Collection.
