Heinrich Stern collection

Identifier
irn500372
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1995.A.0363
Dates
1 Jan 1909 - 31 Dec 1986, 1 Jan 1909 - 31 Dec 1944
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
  • German
  • Spanish
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folders

oversize folder

25

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Heinrich Stern (1882-1949) was born and lived in Nordhausen, Germany. He would eventually marry Charlotte Herzog, and they had one child, Eva. Heinrich became a notary and lawyer, and practiced in Nordhausen. In 1935, after Hitler’s rise to power, Heinrich was not allowed to practice law, and being forced to close his business, he later turned to work in a factory as a bookkeeper. During the Kristallnacht, Heinrich along with 50 other Jews from Nordhausen were arrested and taken to Buchenwald. Soon after, Eva was sent to England on a domestic permit. Charlotte was able to obtain visas to Peru from a travel bureau, and Heinrich was released from the concentration camp. Those visas, however, turned out to be fakes, but the travel bureau that those visas were purchased from was able to obtain visas for Bolivia. They left in 1939, and resided in Bolivia until 1944, when the couple was able to immigrate to the United States.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

The Heinrich Stern collection was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Heinrich’s daughter, Eva Slonitz, in 1993.

Scope and Content

The Heinrich Stern collection contains primarily immigration documents related to Heinrich and Charlotte Stern. Heinrich was a lawyer who was arrested on Kristallnacht and sent to Buchenwald. He was released after his wife obtained travel permits, and the couple immigrated to Bolivia, where they lived until they moved to the United States in 1944. Documents include visa applications, identity cards, police documents, letters of recommendation, and other documents needed to immigrate. Other various items include the certificate Heinrich obtained to be a notary and practice law, his disbarment, and handwritten manuscript. The Heinrich Stern collection contains primarily documents Heinrich and his wife used to immigrate to Bolivia and ultimately the United States. These include affidavits of support, visa applications, medical clearances, police documents, testimonies, and employee documents allowing Heinrich to begin a business. The various documents not related to immigration include the handwritten manuscript by Heinrich, his certificate to become a notary and to practice law, papers issued by the government after the Nazi takeover, prohibiting him from practicing law, news clippings, and correspondence regarding book publishing.

System of Arrangement

The Heinrich Stern collection is arranged as two series: •Series 1: Immigration, 1938-1944 •Series 2: Various, 1909-1986

People

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.