Born in 1890 to Prussian immigrants, Max Carey’s name at birth was Maximillian George Carnarius. With his parents pushing him to become a minister, Carey graduated from a seminary in Indiana before attending Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in his quest to fulfill his parents’ wishes. While at Concordia, Carey played baseball, swam and ran on their track-and-field teams. In the summer of 1909 Carey went to a minor league baseball game that featured the South Bend Greens who had recently sold their shortstop. Carey then convinced the South Bend manager Aggie Grant to let him play the rest of the season. To protect his amateur at status at Concordia, Carnarius went by the name Max Carey. Â In the collection is a “Max Carnarius” signature on the back of an envelope used to mail a letter to his future wife. Though “Max Carey” signatures are readily available on the market, examples featuring his true last name are rarely found.