Alice Samson collection

Identifier
irn44159
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2011.331.1
Dates
1 Jan 1926 - 31 Dec 2010
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Alice Samson (1926-2010) was born in Edesheim, Germany, the daughter of Karl Samson (1875-1940) and Anna (nee Beissinger) Samson (1890-1942?), and had two stepsisters (Gertrud, and Else, 1910-1942?) and one brother (Kurt, 1925-1941?). In 1939, after Alice and her family had been taken from their home by the Gestapo and sent to a collection point in Karlsruhe, Alice was smuggled to France, where she lived in the care of the Quakers at the La Guette children's home in France. Her parents and stepsisters were sent first to Drancy and then to Gurs, where her father died in December 1940. Alice was able to visit her mother and stepsister in March 1941. In 1941, Alice emigrated to the United States as part of a transport of children sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. Her mother and stepsister Else, however, were deported to Auschwitz in August 1942, where they were subsequently killed. Her brother, Kurt, was deported to Minsk, where he was presumed to have been killed.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Leah Hammer

Leah Hammer donated the Alice Samson collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in August 2011. Alice Samson came to live with her family after arriving in the United States.

Scope and Content

Consists of original and digital documents and photographs related to the life of Suse Lore Alice Samson (later known as Alice Samson), originally of Edesheim, Germany. Includes Alice's written testimony, copies of documents and photographs, and correspondence regarding her attempts to find out the fates of her family and restitution for lost property. Includes correspondence with the International Tracing Service, the Red Cross, and various attorneys, the latter including both personal compensation claims and the class-action suit against the French national railway, the SNCF.

People

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.