Tag Archives: Blumenfeld

Abraham Blumenfeld II’s Granddaughter Dina and Her Sons Ernst and Otto Blum

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Tackling the Blumenfeld branch of my family tree will be a long process, given that the limb I am starting on—the limb based on my four-times great-uncle Moses Blumenfeld and his children—is already such a long limb. As we saw, Moses had only three children—Abraham II, Isaak, and Gelle. But Abraham II had eight children, seven of whom lived to adulthood.

And his first child Meier had nine, seven of whom lived to adulthood, as seen on this chart.

As discussed in my prior post, Meier was born on December 11, 1840 in Momberg and married Sarah Strauss, his first cousin, on January 10, 1866, in Amoeneburg. The first child of their eight children was Dina, who was born on April 20, 1867, in Momberg.

Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 608, p. 6

She married Moritz Blum on November 2, 1896, in Marburg, Germany. Moritz was born in Battenfeld, Germany, on December 14, 1861, to David Blum and Roschen Herstein. He was a merchant.

Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 5609
Year Range: 1896, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930

Dina and Moritz had two children. Ernst Jacob Blum was born in Frankenburg, Germany, on November 10, 1897, and his brother Otto Blum was born on July 20, 1900, in Frankenburg.

Ernst Blum birth record, Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Signatur: 3586
Year Range: 1897, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Births, 1851-1901

Otto Blum birth record, Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Signatur: 3589
Year Range: 1900, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Births, 1851-1901

Moritz Blum died when he was 61 on February 17, 1923, in Frankenburg.1

Three years later Dina and Moritz’s younger son Otto left for the United States. He arrived in the US on November 1, 1926. According to the ship manifest, he was a clerk and was heading to Chicago where his uncle Hugo Blumenfeld, Dina’s younger brother, was then living.2 Indeed the 1930 US census finds him living with Hugo and his family in Chicago where Otto was working as a clerk in a mail order factory.

Otto Blum on 1930 US census with Hugo Blumenfeld, Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Page: 27B; Enumeration District: 0260; FHL microfilm: 2340159, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census

Meanwhile, back in Germany, Otto’s older brother Ernst Jacob had married Erna Bachrach on January 25, 1925, in Marburg.3 Erna was the daughter of Solomon Bachrach and Frederike Heilbrunn and was born in Frielendorf, Germany, on May 19, 1901.4 In 1926 their first child was born in Frankenburg, and a second child was born three years later.

Unfortunately Dina did not live to see the birth of this second grandchild. She died in Frankenburg on May 21, 1928, when she was 61.

Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Signatur: 3706
Year Range: 1928, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958

Dina also did not live to endure the Nazi persecution of the Jews that began a few years after her death. Fortunately, her son Otto was already in the United States, and in 1936, Ernst and his family also immigrated to escape the Nazis. Like his brother Otto, Ernst was headed for Chicago. He listed his uncle Ignaz Herzka as the person he was going to on the ship manifest. Ignaz Herzka was married to Rosa Blumenfeld, younger sister of Ernst’s (and Otto’s) mother Dina. Ernst reported that he was a merchant on the ship manifest.5

Ernst and his family settled in Chicago where in 1940 he was working as a salesman.6 His brother Otto is not listed in his household on the 1940 census, but by 1942 he was living at the same address as his brother Ernst, 5340 Cornell Avenue in Chicago. Otto was working for his uncle Ignaz Herzka who was a tailor. Ernst was working for a company called Hillman’s in Chicago. His 1942 petition for naturalization stated that he was working as a food clerk.

Ernst Blum, World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 151, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Otto Blum, World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 151, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Ernst Blum petition for naturalization, National Archives at Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; ARC Title: Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1991; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21,  Petitions, V· 1032-1034, No· 254210-254835, 1942, Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991

Otto served in the US Army during World War II from October 16, 1942, until June 23, 1943. He was a private in the 976th Field Artillery Battalion, fighting against his native country and against Hitler.7 It does not appear that Ernst served during the war.

After the war Otto married Mary Shields on February 11, 1949, in Chicago.8 She was born in Indiana on February 23, 1904. I do not know her father’s name, but her mother was Mary Jane (Medda) Shields. Mary had been previously married to Irving Bartlett with whom she’d had one child.9 Otto and Mary did not have children together.

Otto Blum died on October 9, 1967, in Chicago; he was 61.10 He was survived by his widow Mary, who died sixteen years later on April 6, 1983, at 79.11

Ernst Jacob Blum also survived his younger brother Otto. He died October 2, 1985 at the age of 87 in Chicago.12 His wife Erna had predeceased him; she was 70 when she died on October 11, 1971, in Chicago.13 They were survived by one of their daughters and their grandchildren.

Thus, Dina Blumenfeld Blum was fortunate that her sons left Germany in time to survive the Holocaust, and she has living descendants today because of that.

Next, Dina’s younger sisters Karoline, about whom I know very little, and Franziska and Johanna, who were not as fortunate as Dina’s family when it came to the Holocaust.

  1.  Moriz Blum, Gender: männlich (Male), Age: 61, Birth Date: abt 1862
    Death Date: 17 Feb 1923, Death Place: Stadtbezirk-Frankenberg, Hessen (Hesse), Deutschland (Germany), Civil Registration Office: Stadtbezirk-Frankenberg, Spouse: Dina, Certificate Number: 10, Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Signatur: 3701,
    Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 ↩
  2. Otto Blum, ship manifest, Year: 1926; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 8; Page Number: 42, Ship or Roll Number: Deutschland,
    Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 ↩
  3. Erna Blum, Declaration of Intention, National Archives at Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; ARC Title: Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1991; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21,
    Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 ↩
  4. Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 191, p. 54. ↩
  5.  Ernst Blum, Gender: Male, Ethnicity/ Nationality: German;Hebrew (German), Marital status: Married, Age: 38, Birth Date: abt 1898, Birth Place: Germany
    Other Birth Place: Frankenberg, Last Known Residence: Frankenberg, Germany
    Place of Origin: Germany,Departure Port: Hamburg, Germany, Arrival Date: 29 May 1936, Arrival Port: New York, New York, USA, Final Destination: Chicago, Illinois
    Years in US: Permanently, Citizenship Intention: Yes, Height: 5 Feet, 10 Inches
    Hair Color: Dark Blonde, Eye Color: Brown, Complexion: Fair, Money in Possession: $50, Person in Old Country: Salomon Bachrach, Person in Old Country Relationship: Son-In-Law, Person in Old Country Residence: Frielendorf, Person in US: Ignatz Hertzka, Person in US Relationship: Uncle, Ship Name: Hamburg, Year: 1936; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 9; Page Number: 64, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 ↩
  6. Ernst Blum and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00929; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 103-262, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Otto Blum, Rank: PVT, Birth Date: 20 Jul 1900, Service Number: 36617489
    Service Branch: Army, Unit: Hq Battery 976th Field Artillery Battalion, Enlistment Date: 16 Oct 1942, Discharge Date: 23 Jun 1943, Death Date: 9 Oct 1967, Cemetery: Oak Woods, Cemetery Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA, National Archives at St. Louis, MO; St. Louis, MO, USA; Applications for Headstones, 1/1/1925 – 6/30/1970; NAID: NAID 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 ↩
  8. Otto Blum Marriage Date 11 Feb 1949 Spouse Mary BartlettMarriage Location Cook County, IL Marriage license{4D14C476-31B6-41F4-AF45-4CAA7C27AE2D} File Number 2071238 Archive collection name Cook County Genealogy Records (Marriages) Archive repository location Chicago, IL Archive repository name Cook County Clerk, Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 ↩
  9. Mary E Fogarty, Spouse Name: Irving G Bartlett, Marriage Date: 3 Jun 1924
    Marriage County: Tippecanoe, Birth Date: 23 Feb 1903, Age: 21, Tippecanoe County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record Jan. 1, 1921 to Dec. 31,, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk’s O; Book: M-39; Page: 558, Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Marriage Index, 1800-1941. Mary E. Shields, [Mary E. Bartlett], Gender: Female
    Registration Year: 1929, Spouse: Irving Bartlett, Child: Mary Jane Bartlett, Certificate Number: 52941, Roll Number: 022, Agency: Indiana State Dept. of Health, Volume Range: 106 – 110, Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1940 ↩
  10. Otto Blum, Death Date: 9 Oct 1967, Death Location: Cook County, IL
    File Number: 672811, Archive collection name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Deaths), Archive repository location: Chicago, IL, Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk, Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988 ↩
  11. Obituary for Mary E. Blum, News-Press, Fort Myers, Florida
    08 Apr 1983, Fri • Page 30 ↩
  12. Ernst Blum, Death Date: 2 Oct 1985, Death Location: Cook County, IL
    File Number: 6019403, Archive collection name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Deaths), Archive repository location: Chicago, IL, Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk, Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988 ↩
  13. Erna Blum, Death Date: 11 Oct 1971, Death Location: Cook County, IL
    File Number: 628510, Archive collection name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Deaths), Archive repository location: Chicago, IL, Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk, Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988 ↩

Abraham Blumenfeld II and His Eight Children

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Abraham Blumenfeld II, born September 11, 1811, was the first child and older son of Moses Blumenfeld, brother of my 3x-great-grandmother Breine Blumenfeld Katzenstein, making Abraham my first cousin, four times removed, or, in other words, the first cousin of my great-great-grandfather Gerson Katzenstein. As noted in my earlier post, he was a cattle dealer and butcher and was married to Giedel Strauss on February 5, 1840. She was born on June 19, 1815, so was almost 25 when she married Abraham.

Abraham and Giedel had eight children for whom I could find birth records.  They were all born in Momberg.

Their first born was Meier, born December 11, 1840:

Meier Blumenfeld birth, Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 628, S. 11

Then came Baruch (January 29, 1843):

Baruch Blumenfeld birth, Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 628, p. 13

Salomon (March 29, 1845):

Salomon Blumenfeld birth, Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 628, p. 14

Dusschen (June 27, 1847):

Dusschen Blumenfeld birth, Arcinsys Archives Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 628, p. 16

Moses, named for his grandfather who died in 1846, was born on December 31, 1849. I will refer to him as Moses Blumenfeld IIA:

Moses Blumenfeld IIA birth, Arcinsys Archives Hessen,HHStAW Fonds 365 No 628, p. 17

Rebecca (March 14, 1852):

Rebecca Blumenfeld birth, Arcinsys Archives, Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 608, p. 3

Heinemann (October 8, 1854):

Heinemann Blumenfeld birth, Geburtsregister der Juden von Momberg (Neustadt) 1850-1874 (HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 608)AutorHessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Wiesbaden, p. 4

And finally, Gelle (July 16, 1857):

Gelle Blumenfeld birth, Arcinsys Hessen Archives, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 608, p. 5

Sadly, one of those children, Rebecca, died before her fourth birthday. She died in Momberg on March 3, 1854.

Rebecca Blumenfeld death, Arcinsys Archives Hessen,HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 609, S. 4

I already have discussed Heinemann Blumenfeld because he married Karoline Katzenstein, one of my Katzenstein from Jesberg cousins, so I need not repeat their stories.

That leaves me with six other children of Abraham II and Giedel who lived to adulthood. In this post I will report on their marriages and then in separate posts to come I will report on their children and other descendants.

Meier Blumenfeld married Sarah Strauss on January 10, 1866, in Amoeneburg, Germany, where Sarah was born on January 21, 1844.1 Sarah was the daughter of Hirsch Strauss, Meier’s uncle (his mother Giedel’s brother), and thus she and Meier were first cousins. Sarah’s mother was Betty Loewenstein.

Meier Blumenfeld and Sarah Strauss marriage, Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 50, S. 11

Meier and Sarah had eight children, one of whom, Martha, died in infancy on April 1, 1881.2

UPDATE: Thank you to Steve Bachenheimer who found a ninth child of Meier and Sarah. Bertha Blumenfeld was born on June 12, 1884, and died nine days later on June 21, 1884. See Bertha Blumenfeld, Gender: weiblich (Female), Birth Date: 12 Jun 1884
Birth Place: Marburg, Hessen (Hesse), Deutschland (Germany), Civil Registration  Office: Marburg, Father: Maier Blumenfeld, Mother: Sara Blumenfeld, Certificate Number: 265, Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 5563, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Births, 1851-1901; Bertha Blumenfeld, Age: 0, Birth Date: abt 1884, Death Date: 21 Jun 1884, Death Place: Marburg, Hessen (Hesse), Deutschland (Germany), Civil Registration Office: Marburg
Father: Maier Blumenfeld, Mother: Sara Blumenfeld, Certificate Number: 192, Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 5664, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958

Baruch Blumenfeld married Emma Docter, daughter of Josef Docter and Zerline Wallach, on February 20, 1872, in Neustadt, Germany. Emma was born on February 9, 1848 in Gilserberg, Kirchhain, Germany.3 Her father was a veterinarian.4  Baruch and Emma would have two children.

Baruch Blumenfeld and Emma Docter marriage, Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 629, p. 19

Salomon Blumenfeld married Emma Bendheim in Auerbach, Germany, on April 18, 1876. She was born in Auerbach on June 19, 1854, to Loeb Bendheim and Carolina Lichtenstein. Salomon and Emma had one child born in 1877, Moritz,5 and then in the 1880s they relocated to Huelva, Spain, where Salomon was known as Emanuel and then Manuel. More on that in a later post.

Salomon Blumenfeld and Emma Bendheim marriage, Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Signatur: 330, Year Range: 1876, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930

Abraham and Giedel’s oldest daughter Dusschen married Mayer Loewenstein in about 1865. I am still looking for more information about Mayer.

Moses Blumenfeld IIA married Fanny Bachrach, who was born in Rhina, Germany, on October 30, 1853, to Kallman Bachrach and Jette Klebe.6 They were married on May 20, 1875, in Marburg. Moses IIA and Fanny would have five children.

Moses Blumenfeld and Fanny Bachrach marriage, Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 585, S. 27

As noted above, Heinemann Blumenfeld’s marriage and family have already been covered in my earlier discussion of my Katzenstein family.

That brings me to the youngest child of Abraham Blumenfeld II and Giedel Strauss for whom I have records, their daughter Gelle Jettchen Blumenfeld, also known as Caroline. She married Simon Hoexter on November 25, 1882. He was born in Gemuenden, Germany, on August 26, 1852, to Anselm Hoexter and Betty Blumenthal.7 Gelle and Simon had four children.

Gelle Jettchen Blumenfeld and Simon Hoexter marriage, Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6492
Year Range: 1882, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930

Abraham Blumenfeld II and his wife Giedel Strauss lived to see all of their children marry and the births of all 28 of their grandchildren. Giedel died on August 12, 1890, in Momberg; she was 75.8 Abraham died ten years later on May 15, 1900; he was 88.9 They are both buried at the Jewish cemetery in Neustadt near Momberg.

The Hebrew side of Giedel’s stone is translated as:

Here lies 

a respected and respected woman,

her husband’s crown and ornament

of their children. Mrs. Gitel, wife of the

Abraham Blumenfeld. she died

on the 26th of Av, and was buried on the 28th of the same

Her soul is part of the bond of life.

The Hebrew side of Abraham’s stone is translated as:

Here lies

an honest and sincere man, he loved

the truth and was peace-loving:

Abraham, Son of Moses ha-Kohen.

He died on the 6th of Iyyar, and was buried

on the 8th of the same [5] 660

His soul is part of the bond of life,

Amen, Sela.

In the next series of posts, I will tell about the families of the seven children of Abraham II and Giedel who lived to adulthood, starting with their oldest child, Meier, and his descendants.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Blumenfeld, Sara, geborene Strauß (1912) – Marburg, Alter Jüdischer Friedhof“, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/17933&gt; (Stand: 1.8.2020) ↩
  2.  Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 5661,
    Year Range: 1881, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 ↩
  3. Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 359, p. 8. ↩
  4. Alfred Schneider, Die Juedischen Familien im ehemaligen Kreise Kirchain, p. 129 ↩
  5.  Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Signatur: 357, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930 ↩
  6. Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 687, 49. ↩
  7. Arcinsys Archives of Hessen, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 351, p. 17. ↩
  8. Blumenfeld, Giedel geborene Strauß (1890) – Neustadt (bei Marburg)“, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5333&gt; (Stand: 5.6.2012) ↩
  9. Blumenfeld, Abraham (I) (1900) – Neustadt (bei Marburg)“, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5332&gt; (Stand: 5.6.2012) ↩

Moses Blumenfeld, My Four-Times Great-Uncle

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Moses Blumenfeld was my four-times great-uncle, the older brother of my three-times great-grandmother Breine Blumenfeld Katzenstein. He was born in Momberg in 1778, the first-born child of Abraham and Geidel Katz Blumenfeld, my four-times great-grandparents.

Family register of Moses Blumenfeld, Lagis-Hessen Archives, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 631 p 18

He was a cattle dealer in Momberg and married to Gidel Katz Loeb, daughter of Isaak Katz and Gelle Katz (the name Loeb must have been adopted after her birth when surnames were required of Jews in Germany). Gidel was born in about 1782 in Neustadt, Germany, and she and Moses married sometime in or before 1811 when their first child Abraham (named for his grandfather) was born.

As you can already see, the repetition of the names creates a lot of confusion—especially for me while researching this family. Moses’ son had the same name as Moses’ father, so I will refer to the son as Abraham II. Moses’ wife Gidel has essentially the same name as Moses’ mother Geidel. I am using the alternative spelling to help keep them separate. And there will be more repeating names as I proceed.

Moses and Gidel had three children for whom there are records. Abraham Blumenfeld II was born on September 11, 1811.1 Isaak was born two years later on December 18, 1813.2 Gelle was born in about 1820.3 All three children were born in Momberg.

Abraham II, like his father Moses, became a cattle dealer and a butcher.4  Like his father and his grandfather, he married a woman named Giedel (also spelled Gidel, Geidel, Geitel, Gitel). His wife was Giedel Strauss, daughter of Hahne Strauss and Dusel Loewenstein. She was born on June 19, 1815, in Amoeneburg, Germany. Abraham II and Geidel were married on February 5, 1840.5 They would have seven children to be discussed in posts to come.

Marriage record of Abraham Blumenfed II and Geidel Strauss, Lagis-Hessen Archives. HHStAW Fonds 365 No 629, p. 6

Isaak was also a cattle dealer and butcher like his father and brother.6 He married twice. His first wife was Frommet Kugelmann, daughter of Ezekiel Kugelmann and Knentel Adorn.7 Frommet was born in Wohra, Germany, in about 1821, as her marriage record reports that she was twenty when she married Isaak on August 2, 1841.

Isaak Blumenfeld and Frommet Kugelmann marriage record, Lagis Hessen Archives, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 629, S. 6

Frommet gave birth to their first child, named Abraham Blumenfeld like his uncle and great-grandfather, on March 13, 1842 in Momberg. I will refer to him as Abraham Blumenfeld III.

Abraham Blumenfeld III birth record, Lagis Hessen Archive, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 628, S. 12

Then tragically Frommet died five days later on March 18, 1842. Her death record reports that she was only 19 when she died, which is contrary to the marriage record’s report that she was 20 when she married.

Frommet Kugelmann Blumenfeld death record, Lagis Hessen Archive, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 630, S. 8

Isaak, left with his infant son Abraham III, married a second time on January 10, 1843. His second wife was Gelle Strauss, the sister of his sister-in-law Giedel Strauss, his brother Abraham II’s wife. Gelle, also a daughter of Hahne Strauss and Dusel Loewenstein, was born November 6, 1819, in Amoeneburg.8 Isaak and Gelle had six children together, to be discussed in a later post.

Marriage record of Isaak Blumenfeld and Gelle Strauss, Lagis Hessen Archive, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 629, S. 6

Gelle Blumenfeld (not to be confused with her sister-in-law Gelle Strauss Blumenfeld) married Simon Rothschild on November 15, 1842, when she was reportedly 20. But her death record indicated that she was 67 when she died in 1887,9 which would mean she was born in 1820 and 22 when she married Simon. There is no birth record available to resolve that conflict.

Marriage record of Gelle Blumenfeld and Simon Rothschild, Lagis Hessen Archives, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 629, S. 6

Simon Rothschild was a 29 year old merchant when he married Gelle. He was born in Waltersbrueck on June 22, 1813, to Seligmann Rothschild and Terz Gutheim.10 Simon and Gelle had nine children together, to be discussed in a later post.

Thus, Moses Blumenfeld and Gidel Katz Loeb had two dozen grandchildren from their three children. Gidel died on December 1, 1843, in Momberg; she was 61.

Death record of Gidel Blumenfeld, Lagis Hessen Archives, HHStAW Abt. 365 Nr. 630, S. 9

Blumenfeld, Gietel nee Katz or Löb (1843) – Neustadt (near Marburg)”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5423&gt; (Status: 5.6.2012)

Her headstone inscription is translated as:

Here lies

the much vaunted woman,

Mrs. Gitel, wife of the Lord

Moses ha-Kohen from Mom (mountain).

She died on Holy Shabbat, and was buried on

Sunday the 10th of the month of Kislev

of the year [5] AD 602 ​​(= 11/22/1841).[^11] And her soul

be bound in the covenant of life until she is raised at the resurrection of the dead,

Amen.

Moses Blumenfeld died three years later on November 20, 1846. He was 68. They are both buried in Momberg. They were survived by their three children and twenty-four grandchildren.

Blumenfeld, Moses (1846) – Neustadt (near Marburg)”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5289&gt; (status: 5.6 .2012)

Moses’ headstone is translated as:

And he was the priest of the Most High God (Genesis 14:18).

This is the grave monument

the sincere man, the venerable

Lord Moses, son of Abraham

ha-Kohen. He died in good

Call on the 2nd Kislev of the year

[5] 607 ndkZ (= 11/21/1846). May his soul be bound in the covenant of life until he is raised at the resurrection of the dead,

Amen.

Two dozen grandchildren for just one of Breine’s siblings! And each of those grandchildren had children and grandchildren. Where do I begin? How do I organize my blog posts so that I don’t lose track of all those descendants?

In my next set of posts I will explore the family of Abraham Blumenfeld II, the oldest child of Moses and Gidel. He had seven children, as stated. Do I tell the story of each of those children separately? And then return to Abraham’s siblings? I guess so. Whew. This could take a while.

  1. Lagis-Hessen Archives, HHStAW Fonds 365 No 631 p 18. ↩
  2.  Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6559. Description, Year Range: 1892, Source Information
    Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 ↩
  3. Rothschild, Gelle geborene Blumenfeld (1887) – Haarhausen“, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/2291&gt; (Stand: 5.6.2012). Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 920; Laufende Nummer: 8464, Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 ↩
  4. Blumenfeld, Abraham (I) (1900) – Neustadt (near Marburg)”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5332&gt; ( Status: 5.6.2012) ↩
  5. Blumenfeld, Giedel nee Strauss (1890) – Neustadt (near Marburg)”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5333&gt; (status no : 5.6.2012) ↩
  6. Blumenfeld, Isaak (I) (1892) – Neustadt (bei Marburg)“, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5353&gt; (Stand: 5.6.2012) ↩
  7. Blumenfeld, Frommet geborene Kugelmann (1842) – Neustadt (bei Marburg)“, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5294&gt; (Stand: 5.6.2012) ↩
  8. Blumenfeld, Gelle nee Strauss (1886) – Neustadt (near Marburg)”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/4499&gt; (status no : 5.6.2012) ↩
  9.  Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 920; Laufende Nummer: 8464,
    Ancestry.com. Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 ↩
  10. Rothschild, Simon (II) (1895) – Haarhausen”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/2213&gt; (Status: 5.6. 2012) ↩

Introducing the Blumenfelds

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I am back! It was great to spend days with my family and then to start the research on my next project, and now I am ready to dive into that project.

It’s been wonderful to focus on my mother’s side of the family tree these last few months and to discover so many wonderful new Goldfarb and Hecht cousins. There are far fewer long limbs on my mother’s side of the tree because despite years of trying, I cannot get beyond the names of her great- grandparents on either her maternal or paternal side. The records just don’t exist, and those still living have no more information than what I’ve already found. So while I can get as far back as a sixth great-grandparent on some of my father’s lines, my mother’s tree ends with her great-grandparents, about whom I know nothing other than their names.

And so now I return to my father’s side of the tree once again, and I am climbing on one of those longer limbs—the Blumenfelds. Breine Blumenfeld was my three-times great-grandmother. She was born in Momberg in about 1783 and married Scholem Katzenstein of Jesberg in 1808. Their son Gerson was my great-great-grandfather, and he and his wife Eva Goldschmidt immigrated to the US in 1856 and settled in Pennsylvania where my great-grandmother Hilda Katzenstein was born. Hilda married Isidor Schoenthal, and their daughter Eva was my paternal grandmother. I’ve already written extensively about Breine Blumenfeld’s descendants and relatives by writing about Scholem Katzenstein’s family and Eva Goldschmidt’s family and Isidor Schoenthal’s family, and so now it is time to return to Breine’s family of origin—her parents and her siblings.

Unfortunately, I have no primary sources for Breine’s parents. Instead I’ve had to rely on secondary sources—primarily the work of Alfred Schneider, “Die Juedischen Familien im ehemaligen Kreise Kirchain.” In addition, I’ve relied on pages written by Rev. Wilhelm Bach sometime in the 19th century and shared with me by Barbara Greve. There is also information on the Lagis-Hessen site for Jewish gravestones. I also looked at numerous trees on Ancestry, but they also do not have sources for my early Blumenfeld ancestors, and thus I have no idea how reliable they are.

With those disclaimers up front, let me share what these sources reveal about Breine Blumenfeld’s family. Her father was Abraham Katz, born in about 1750 and only 57 when he died in Neustadt bei Marburg, Germany, on December 21, 1807. Breine’s mother was Geidel (or Judith according to Rev. Bach), daughter of Gerson Moses and Fradchen Haas, according to some trees on Ancestry. 1 Geidel2 was about eighty years old when she died in Momberg on July 19, 1834, so born in about 1754. Abraham and Geidel were my four-times great-grandparents, and Geidel’s parents Gerson Moses and Fradchen Haas were my five-times great-grandparents.

I was able to locate Geidel’s gravestone online and learned from that site that it was not until after Abraham died in 1807 that she and her children adopted the surname Blumenfeld as required by the government. (Jews generally did not have surnames before the early 1800s—they used patronymics. Then European countries began requiring Jews to take surnames so they could identify them for tax and other purposes.)

Blumenfeld, Giedel nee Gerson Moses (1834) – Neustadt (near Marburg)”, in: Jüdische Grabstätten <https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/subjects/idrec/sn/juf/id/5281&gt; ( Status: 5.6.2012)

The inscription is translated as “Here rests Geidel, wife of venerable Abraham ha-Kohen. she died on Sunday the 13th of Tamus, and was buried on Monday of the year [5] 594 AD (= July 20, 1834). Her soul is part of the bond of life.”

My four-times great-grandparents Abraham and Geidel Blumenfeld had six children, all born in Momberg, Germany: Moses (c. 1778), Sprinz (c. 1783), Hanna (c. 1788),  Breine (c. 1784), Maier (c. 1795), and Jakob (c. 1800).2 Given the gaps between many of these births, I wonder whether there were other children born who did not survive and for whom there are no records; alternatively, perhaps Geidel suffered multiple miscarriages. These six children are the only ones for whom I can find any sources, primary or otherwise.

UPDATE: Thank you so much to Jason Hallgarten of the JEKKES group on Facebook for finding Hanna Blumenfeld, a child I had missed in my search.

As noted, Breine’s story has already been told, and thus the posts to follow will focus on her four siblings and their descendants, starting with Moses Blumenfeld, my four-times great-uncle.

  1. There is no actual record of Abraham’s birth, marriage, or death. This information comes from Schneider, p. 129, and from the entry on the Lagis-Hessen gravestone site for Abraham’s wife Geidel. It also appears in numerous Ancestry trees as does the information about Geidel’s parents. The Strauss Family Tree at https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/113124712/person/240106312930/facts seems to be the tree upon which all the other trees relied to come up with these names and dates. ↩
  2. Citations and images to follow for birth dates. ↩ ↩

The Children of Karoline Katzenstein: Together in Life, Together in Death

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Although Mina and Wolf’s oldest daughter Rosa had left me with many unanswered questions (that were soon answered with the help of Aaron Knappstein), I had greater success with their second oldest child, Karoline.

Karoline was born on March 30, 1861, in Frankenau.

Karoline Katzenstein birth record from Arcinsys for Hessen
HHStAW Fonds 365 No 174, p. 8

She married Heineman Blumenfeld on October 10, 1884, in Frankenau. He was born in Momberg on October 8, 1854, to Abraham Blumenfeld and Giedel Straus. (There is another intrafamily relationship between the Blumenfelds and the Katzensteins, as Barbara Greve explained to me yesterday, but for now, I won’t confuse the narrative. I need to be sure I understand it first!) (UPDATE: So it turns out that Heinemann Blumenfeld was my second cousin, three times removed. More on that at some later point.)

Marriage record of Karoline Katzenstein and Heineman Blumenfeld
Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Standesamt Frankenau Heiratsnebenregister 1884 (Hstamr Best. 922 Nr. 3219); Collection: Personenstandsregister Heiratsregister; Signatur: 922

Karoline and Heineman had three children. Their oldest, Toni, was born on September 21, 1885, in Momberg:

Toni Blumenfeld birth record
Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Collection: Personenstandsregister Geburtsregister; Signatur: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6468

She married Moritz Schuster on October 5, 1912, in Momberg; he was born on June 20, 1883, in Sterbfritz, Germany, the son of David Schuster and Bertha Schuster:

Marriage record of Toni Blumenfeld and Moritz Schuster Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Collection: Personenstandsregister Heiratsregister;Signatur: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6197

Toni and Moritz had two children born in Sterbfritz: Kathryn/Kaete (1913) and Alfred (1915).

The second child of Karoline and Heineman Blumenfeld was their son Moritz (also Moses and later Morris). He was born on October 7, 1887, in Momberg.

Moritz Blumenfeld birth record
Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Collection: Personenstandsregister Geburtsregister; Signatur: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6470

He married Sophie Spier on December 23, 1924, in Momberg. Sophie was born in Momberg on June 28, 1894.

Marriage record of Moritz Blumenfeld and Sophie Spier
HStAMR Best. 915 Nr. 6209 Standesamt Momberg Heiratsnebenregister 1924, S. 9

Moritz and Sophie Blumenfeld had three children: Ursula, Ruth, and Werner.

The youngest child of Karoline and Heineman Blumenfeld was their daughter Bella. She was born May 23, 1890:

Bella Blumenfeld birth record
Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Collection: Personenstandsregister Geburtsregister; Signatur: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6473

She married Hermann Stein on January 23, 1922. Hermann was born in Burgsinn, Germany, on September 22, 1884, the son of Julius Stein and Regina Heil. Bella and Hermann did not have any children.

Bella Blumenfeld and Hermann Stein marriage record
Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Collection: Personenstandsregister Heiratsregister; Signatur: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6207

Fortunately, the Blumenfeld family decided quite early in Hitler’s reign to start emigrating from Germany. On October 5, 1934, the two children of Toni Blumenfeld and Moritz Schuster arrived in the US; Alfred Schuster was 18, his sister Kathryn was 21. They had been living in Sterbfritz and were going to a cousin named Hermann Livingston in Bloomington, Illinois, although the manifest notes that they were instead discharged to an uncle, Sid Livingston of Chicago.

Alfred and Kaete Schuster passenger manifest
Year: 1934; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 5559; Line: 1; Page Number: 139

Year: 1934; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 5559; Line: 1; Page Number: 139
Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Karoline and Heinemann Blumenfeld did not live long after their grandchildren departed for the US. Karoline died on January 25, 1935, in Momberg.  She was 73 years old.  Her husband Heinemann died the following year on August 31, 1936; he was 81.

Karoline Katzenstein Blumenfeld death record
Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Personenstandsregister Sterberegister; Bestand: 915; Laufende Nummer: 6245

It was not long after their parents’ deaths that the three children of Karoline and Heinemann escaped from Nazi Germany to the United States. Bella left with her husband Hermann Stein on August 24, 1937. The manifest indicates that they had been living in Burgsinn before emigrating. Hermann was a merchant.  The manifest also reports that they were going to a cousin named Sigmund Livingston in Chicago, presumably the same individual who had picked up Alfred and Kathryn.[i]

Bella and Hermann Stein passenger manifest
Year: 1937; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 6030; Line: 1; Page Number: 85
Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Bella’s sister Toni and her husband Moritz Schuster arrived a little over two years later on December 21, 1939. According to Toni Schuster’s obituary, her husband Moritz had spent some time in a concentration camp before escaping with Toni to the US. The manifest listed their son Alfred in Bloomington as the person they were going to, but that entry was crossed out and replaced with the name of a nephew, Milan (?) Schuster, in the Bronx.

Year: 1939; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 6428; Line: 1; Page Number: 170

It also appears that Moritz and Toni were detained for one day until December 22, 1939, because they were seen as LPC—likely to become public charges. I wonder whether that is why the person they were released to was someone in the New York City area instead of their son in Bloomington, Illinois.

Record of Aliens Held for Special Inquiry 12 21 1939
Supplemental Manifests of Alien Passengers and Crew Members Who Arrived on Vessels at New York, New York, Who Were Inspected for Admission, and Related Index, compiled 1887-1952. Microfilm Publication A3461, 21 rolls. NAI: 3887372. RG 85, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Finally, the remaining members of the Blumenfeld family arrived on March 18, 1940—Moritz Blumenfeld and his wife Sophie and their three young children. They also reported that they were going to their cousin, Sid Livingston of Chicago.

Moritz Blumenfeld and family ship manifest
Year: 1940; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 6451; Line: 1; Page Number: 37

All the Blumenfeld siblings and their spouses and children were living together in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1940, according to the census. Alfred Schuster, who was only 24, was listed as the head of the household. He was working as a salesman at a department store. His sister Kathryn was a clerk at a department store. Their father Moritz Schuster did not have any employment listed nor did their mother Toni. Bella’s husband, Hermann Stein, was working as a tailor, and Moritz Blumenfeld, who is listed here as Morris Bloomfield, a surname change that was adopted by his wife and children as well, was working as a janitor in a tailor shop, presumably with his brother-in-law Hermann.

Blumenfeld siblings and families 1940 census
Year: 1940; Census Place: Bloomington, McLean, Illinois; Roll: T627_841; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 57-26

In 1942, according to his draft registration Morris Bloomfield was working for Advance Cleaners in Bloomington. His brother-in-law Hermann Stein reported on his draft registration that he was working for a different cleaning company, Broleen’s Cleaners. Toni Blumenfeld’s husband did not identify any employment when he registered for the draft in 1942, but according to his obituary, he had owned a furniture store in Bloomington until 1944. “Morris M, Schuster,” The Pantagraph  (13 Aug 1964, p. 22)

After settling in Bloomington, all the Blumenfeld siblings and their spouses stayed in the Bloomington/Peoria region for the rest of their lives. Toni Blumenfeld died on October 2, 1964, just two months after her husband Moritz Schuster died on August 10, 1964; they had been living in Peoria at the time of their deaths and are buried in the Peoria Hebrew Cemetery. “Morris M, Schuster,” The Pantagraph  (13 Aug 1964, p. 22);  “Mrs. Schuster, Nazi Germany Escapee, Dies,”  The Pantagraph (7 Oct 1964, p 5).

Toni’s brother Morris Bloomfield died on May 14, 1966, three years after his wife Sophie.  They also are buried in the Peoria Hebrew Cemetery. Finally, Bella Blumenfeld Stein lost her husband Hermann in 1954; she died in 1984 in Chicago, but was buried with her husband and siblings in the Peoria Hebrew Cemetery.

When Karoline Katzenstein and Heinemann Blumenfeld died in 1935 and 1936, respectively, they must have been deeply concerned about the future of their family under Nazi rule; after all, two of their grandchildren had already left Germany. I imagine that Karoline and Heinemann would be greatly pleased to know that all three of their children escaped from Germany and spent the remainder of their lives living close to one another and are even buried near each other in Peoria, Illinois.

JewishGen, comp. JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

JewishGen, comp. JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

JewishGen, comp. JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

 

____________

[i] Since Sigmund Livingston was identified as family on all the manifests for the Blumenfeld family, I assumed that he was somehow related to the Blumenfelds, and indeed, research uncovered that his mother’s name was Dora Blumenfeld. She was the sister of Heinemann Blumenfeld, so Sigmund was in fact the first cousin of Toni, Moritz, and Bella Blumenfeld. Dora and her husband Meyer Loewenstein had immigrated to the US by 1871, and their son Sigmund was born in the US in 1872. Sigmund and his siblings changed the surname from Loewenstein to Livingston.