Casey Family Collection

Still image from F.2026-08-0015
Preservation Sponsor
Lorene Kellogg

Bulk Dates
circa 1950 – 1979
Abstract
A collection of home movies shot by Lehman K. Casey in the 1950s and 1960s, and by his son David Scott Casey in the 1970s. The films were shot in Chicago's Albany Park and Rogers Park neighborhoods, as well as in San Diego, Benton Harbor, MI, Saint Joseph, MI, Stevensville, MI, and elsewhere in Michigan.
Description

People depicted in the films in this collection include:

 

  • Lehman K. Casey, his wife Harriet Hurwitz Casey, and their children Lorene, Steven, and David.

     

  • Harriet's parents, Louis Hurwitz and Ethel Smith Hurwitz, who lived on Montrose Ave in Chicago.

     

  • Harriet's sister, Florence Hurwitz Karlin, and her husband Harold Karlin.

     

  • Harold Karlin's two brothers and their families: Eugene Karlin and Jean Karlin (with their children Ricky, David, Michael, Sissy, and Donna), and Bernie Karlin and Betty Karlin (with their children Cristine, Cathy, Larry, and Kimmie). Harold's mother may also be in some of the footage.

     

  • Lehman Casey's parents, William McKinley Casey and Judie Harmon Casey.

     

  • Lehman Casey's siblings and their spouses and children, including Walker and Edna Casey, Raymond and LaVern Hayes, Ed and Margie Bush, and John and Ellen Harder. Their children include: Darrel Karlin, Violet Hayes, Timmy Hayes, Denny Hayes, Gary Hayes, Denise Bush, Judy Bush, Dennis Bush, Leslie Bush, and Linda and Laveda Casey.
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Collection Items

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Benton Harbor Picnic July 25, 1976
Film
Benton Harbor Picnic July 25, 1976
1976
image of cute splicer's box
Equipment
Movie Film Splicer for Super 8mm & Regular 8mm & 16mm
Collection Identifier
C.2026-08
Extent of Collection
Sixteen reels of home movies (8 reels 8mm and 8 reels Super 8). One 8mm splicer.
Custodial History
This collection was stored in the garage at the home of Lorene (Casey) Kellogg for over thirty years. She donated the collection to Chicago Film Archives in 2026.
Creators
Casey, Lehman K. (was created by)

Lehman K. Casey was born in Powhatan, Arkansas in 1925 and died in 2012.

 

He served in the United States Navy during World War II. He met Harriet Hurwitz in San Diego. They married in Yuma, Arizona and moved to Chicago (where Harriet's family was from) after the war.

 

Lehman Casey worked as a Chicago police officer from 1957 to 1967. In 1967, he resigned after being charged with theft in connection with what the Chicago Tribune described as a “multi-million dollar stolen truck operation.” From circa 1968 to circa 1972 he served time in the Federal penitentiary system. Over the years, he owned a dump truck company, moving company, and taxi cab company. His daughter Lorene described his hobbies as "women, drinking, maybe criminal activities, and gambling."

 

Lehman and Harriet remained married until the 1980s, and had four children: Arlene Casey (b. circa 1948, d. circa 1951), Lorene Andrea Casey Kellogg, Steven Lee Casey (b. 1952, d. 1967), and David Scott Casey (b. 1961, d. 2017). In 1977, Lehman, Harriet, and David moved from Chicago to San Diego, California.

Casey, David Scott (was created by)
David Scott Casey was born in 1961, the youngest child of Lehman Casey and Harriet Hurwitz Casey. He grew up in Chicago and moved to San Diego, California with his parents in 1977, where he worked for San Diego County General Services. He later became homeless. David never married or had children.