When Fredericke Katzenstein Goldmann died in 1924, she was survived by her two daughters, Clementine and Meta, and one granddaughter, Clementine’s first child. By 1933, when the Nazis took power in Germany, there were five granddaughters to survive Fredericke—Clementine’s three daughters and Meta’s two daughters. The story of their fate during the Nazi era is not an easy one to tell. This post will focus on Clementine’s family.
Clementine and her husband Alexander Joel stayed in Germany during the Nazi era until it was too late. Clementine died in Hamburg on April 22, 1942. She was 65 years old.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/clementine-goldmann-joel-death-record.jpg?w=584&h=732)
Clementine Goldmann Joel death record, Year Range and Volume: 1942 Band 01
Ancestry.com. Hamburg, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950. Original data:Best. 332-5 Standesämter, Personenstandsregister, Sterberegister, 1876-1950, Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Hamburg, Deutschland.
Her husband Alexander Joel was deported to the concentration camp at Terezin on July 17, 1942, and died there on December 21, 1942. He was 71 years old.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/alexander-joel-death-record.jpg?w=584&h=737)
Alexander Joel death record, Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 926; Signatur: 607
Year Range: 1956, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958.
When I look at those dates, I find it troubling that Clementine’s death coincided fairly closely with the timing of Alexander’s deportation. I find myself speculating about the cause of Clementine’s death. Did she know they were about to be deported? Did she know what was coming and decide to deny the Nazis a chance to kill her? Or was it just coincidence–illness or stress causing her death shortly before her husband’s deportation and death?
UPDATE: Thank you so much to Cathy Meder-Dempsey of Opening Doors in Brick Walls for pointing out to me that in fact the death record above does give Clementine’s cause of death—coronary embolism and coronary artery disease. Cathy also wondered whether Clementine’s death and the fact that Alexander had to report that he was unemployed and had a Jewish identity card precipitated his deportation shortly thereafter.
COMMENT: Elizabeth Foote pointed out in the comments that this record shows Alexander Joel’s wife as Selma Koopman. For reasons explained in my response to this comment (see below), I think this record (which is dated 1956, after the war and 14 years after Alexander’s death) erroneously listed Selma Koopman as his wife. Selma Koopman was married to a different Alexander Joel. In addition, I found naturalization records for Alexander Robert Joel, married to Selma, showing that they immigrated to the US in 1934 and that Alexander died in Cook County, Illinois, in 1955, so obviously the death record above was for the Alexander Joel married to my cousin Clementine.
Fortunately, all three of Alexander and Clementine’s daughters survived the Nazi era. Their oldest daughter Edda Joel and her husband Hermann Wolf ended up in Mexico, but I don’t know whether they were there during or only after the war. All I know is that they were both living there when they died in 1945 and 1955, respectively. According to Edda’s death record from Mexico, she was “francesa,” or French, which leads me to believe that she and her family lived in France for some period of time before immigrating to Mexico.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/esther-edda-joel-wolf-death-record.jpg?w=584&h=734)
Esther Edda Joel Wolf death record, Archivo de Registro Civil de Distrito Federal (Civil Registry Archives); Federal District, Mexico, Year: 1945, Ancestry.com. Federal District, Mexico, Civil Registration Deaths, 1861-1987
The death record also reports that Edda died from a massive pulmonary embolism and endocarditis and that she was buried in Israel (logar de inhumacion). She was only 44 years old when she died. Had the deaths of her parents and the stress of escaping with her family from Germany contributed to her early death? I don’t know.
Her husband Hermann died ten years later at the age of 57. From the death record, I learned that he had remarried and his widow was Carmen Hebert and that his son Fernando was originally from France, which is consistent with what I inferred from Edda’s death record.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/hermann-wolf-tannenberg-death-record.jpg?w=584&h=339)
Hermann Wolf Tannenberg death record, Archivo de Registro Civil de Distrito Federal (Civil Registry Archives); Federal District, Mexico, Ancestry.com. Federal District, Mexico, Civil Registration Deaths, 1861-1987
My deep gratitude to Steve Mordecai of Tracing the Tribe who spent a lot of time translating Hermann’s death record from Spanish to English, as quoted below:
In the City of Mexico, Federal District, at 12:00 noon, on the 14th of March 1955, before me, Dr. Fidel Guillen, Head of the office of Civil Registration, presents, Mr. Luis Vidales, of this area, a single man of 50 years, funeral employee, living in Ave Hidalgo 13, in this City; and presents for insertion a document related to the death of an adult, Hermann Wolf Tannenberg, the which was archived in accordance with the law and in part condercente (?) Says: “Mimeco (?) 178. In the City of Cuernavaca, at 18 eighteen hours of the day 13 thirteen of March 1955, nineteen hundred fifty-five, before me, citizen Filipe Rivera Crespo, judge of the Registration of the Civil State, appeared one Mr Fernando Wolf, age 32, thirty-two, a married, businessman or (Merchant), originally of France, and neighbor (or living outside) of Mexico, Federal District, traveling in this City and presented a certificate, archived, which says: “He that medically certifies, legally authorized to exercise his profession: “ an individual male, in the house number 7, of the street de Balsas –Cause of death: Principal illness Myocardial Infarction – Cuernavaca moz (?), 13 March 1955.-Signature of the Medic: Guillermo Vega Campos. – Residence: Degollado 28 – Complementary (?) Data – Day and hour of death 12:45 Sunday 13 March 1955, a male – Hermann Wolf Tannenberg -residence: Balsas #7. – Age 58 – place of birth, Hanover, Germany. Nationality Mexican, occupation – businessman (merchant) – civil status- married – name of father: Mauricio Wolf – mother Clare Tannenberg, (both) deceased. Name of spouse Carmen Hebert, living. – signature of the medic: Guillermo Vega Campos – at the request of the family(?)…. saw to the transfer of the cadaver to the City of Mexico, to be interred (?) Carried out this act in accordance with the family’s instructions (?) Signed: Felipe Rivera Crespo – F. Wolf – J Ferrrer. G (?) – Trio (?)” – Expedited bolete (?) to the Pantean Jardin de Villa Obergon, according to order 3061, of this date, (girade?) by the office of (Pante…?) Departament of the Federal District. Witnessed by Jose Martinez and Valente Lufran, ages 31 and 33. Of the same origen, occupation, civil status and residence of those appearing. Reading this act they ratify and confirm. Given (signed) Luis Vidal, J. Martinez and V. Lufran. [Emphasis added.]
Hermann and Edda were survived by their two sons, Fernando Werner Moshe Wolf, who died in Mexico in 1997, and Pierre Kurt Wolf, who immigrated to the United States and settled in Florida, where he died in 1979.1
Clementine’s second daughter Lizzie Joel Haas and her husband Siegfried and their two daughters also immigrated from Germany in time to escape the concentration camps. They arrived in the US on March 12, 1940, and were heading to a cousin, Hermann Youngheim of El Reno, Oklahoma.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/siegfried-and-lizzie-haas-ship-manifest-2.png?w=584&h=149)
Siegfried and Lizzie Haas, ship manifest, Ship or Roll Number: Westernland
Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
When I saw the name Youngheim and the Oklahoma address, it struck me that there might be a connection between Hermann Youngheim and my Katz relatives in Oklahoma who were the descendants of Meier Katz and Sprinzchen Jungheim of Jesberg, Germany. And sure enough, Herman Youngheim was the nephew of Sprinzchen Jungheim Katz. And in addition, Herman Youngheim was the son of Fanny Marx Jungheim, the sister of Fredericke Marx Haas, mother of Siegfried Haas.
So Herman was Siegfried’s first cousin and must have helped Siegfried, Lizzie and their daughters escape from Germany. Siegfried changed his name to Fred in the US, and by 1942 the family was living in Indianapolis, Indiana, as seen on Fred Haas’ draft registration for World War II.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/fred-haas-ww2-draft-reg.jpg?w=584&h=317)
Fred Haas, World War II draft registration, The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147
Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
Lizzie died at age 55 in Indianapolis on February 6, 1958.
![](https://brotmanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/lizzie-joel-haas-death-cert.jpg?w=584&h=526)
Lizzie Joel Haas death certificate, Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1958; Roll: 03, Roll Number: 03, Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011
Her husband Fred later moved to Florida, where he died on July 27, 1971, at the age of 75.2 They were survived by their daughters and grandchildren.
The youngest Joel sister, Ille, also survived the Holocaust. I don’t have any primary sources for Ille. According to My Heritage, Ille and her husband Walter Cunow lived in Switzerland where Walter died in 1987 and Ille in 1994 and were survived by their two children. Unfortunately I have no further details or sources.
Thus, although Clementine Goldmann and her husband Alexander Joel did not survive the Holocaust, their three daughters all somehow managed to survive, and there are living descendants today to carry on their legacy.
As for Clementine’s younger sister Meta and her husband Adolf Hammerschlag and daughters Lieselotte and Irmgard, their story has more tragic endings, as you will see in my next post.
- Pierre Kurt Wolf, Birth Date: 30 Sep 1924, Birth Place: Saarbrucken, Federal Republic of Germany, Death Date: Jun 1979, Father: Hermann W Tannenberg
Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩ - Fred Haas, Social Security Number: 314-12-6142, Birth Date: 6 Feb 1896
Issue Year: Before 1951, Issue State: Indiana, Last Residence: 33134, Miami, Miami-Dade, Florida, USA, Death Date: Jul 1971, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180016722/fred-haas ↩
Amy, Clementine’s death record does give a cause of death at the very bottom. Alexander Joel was without employment and used his Kennkarte (identity document) when he informed the officials of Clementine’s death. I wonder if this may have put him on the top of a list for deportation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, my—You’re right! I need to update the post. I completely missed the language at the very bottom. (I am not used to seeing cause of death on German records!) And that’s interesting about Alexander using his Kennkarte. Another post I need to update. THANK YOU!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome. I don’t know when they began to add the information at the bottom. It also includes their marriage date.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps Clementine Goldmann and her husband, knowing what was coming, had some friends in France who were able to take their children and hide them from the Nazis. It would be interesting to find out how the children were able to survive the holocaust.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anything is possible. I hope I can learn more, perhaps from a descendant. Thanks, Peter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m intrigued by Alexander’s death record, which states a completely different wife than Clementine. Also intrigued that both Clementine and her daughter died from coronary embolism. Be interesting to know if this is common throughout the family. I love all the thought and care you put into your research!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Elizabeth, for pointing that out. I had seen that and thought it was just an error, but your comment made me double-check, and there was a different Alexander Joel who was married to Selma Koopman. But he was not the son of Aron Joel and Rika Koch, the parents of the Alexander Joel on this death record. So either this is for the Alexander Joel who married Selma Koopman and the parents are wrong, OR it’s for the Alexander Joel who married Clementine and the wife’s name is wrong. Since the birth date matches the birth date on the marriage record of Clementine and Alexander Joel, I think this is the one who married Clementine but the death record (which wasn’t filed until 1956) has the wrong wife named. On the other hand, it has the right marriage date for the other Alexander Joel and Selma Koopman. The records at Yad Vashem and at the Terezin Memorial all show Alexander Joel, married to Clementine, born July 20, 1871, and died 1942 at Terezin. The other Alexander Joel (married to Selma) has no entry at either place, so I think that this death record just has the wrong wife and marriage date.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes sorting out things like that takes a lot of time and perseverance. In a few weeks, I’ll be getting into the differences between Isaak Rothschild and Isaac Rothschild in one of my posts. Took all my spare time for several weeks to figure out what was going on!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know the feeling. I once had a whole post about trying to sort out all the Abraham Brotmans living in NYC.
LikeLike
Those type of errors are so maddening and take time and research to figure out. I think you did a great job in figuring out the error with the records. I was so happy to read the three daughters made it out and found it really interesting that Esther and her husband and family ended up in Mexico with their family. A little worried about the next posting and the outcome 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s quite amazing how far flung the German Jewishr refugees went to escape the Nazis. Literally all over the world.
LikeLike
I found it fascinating the connection to the Oklahoma family. The reach went far to save relatives from the Shoah.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knew as soon as I saw Youngheim and Oklahoma that there had to be a connection. Oklahoma may be a big state, but still…and I was right!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for doing such thorough research Amy. It’s good to be reminded of how bad things can really get if we aren’t vigilant.
LikeLike
You’re right, Eilene. I hope we are being sufficiently vigilant now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Fredericke Katzenstein Goldmann’s Daughter Meta: A Family Destroyed | Brotmanblog: A Family Journey
Wow, the family connection you found is exciting. But what stressful lives they lived. So great that Cathy read that document!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know! Thanks for going back and picking up these earlier posts, Luanne.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My PLEASURE!
LikeLiked by 1 person