Schillinger and Baumann family papers

Identifier
irn610261
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2015.556.1
Dates
1 Jan 1913 - 31 Dec 1986
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • Czech
  • English
  • Hungarian
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

boxes

oversize folders

3

3

150 negatives,

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Samuel Schillinger (b. 1903) was born in Užhorod, Czechoslovakia (now Ukraine) to Regina (Guttman) and Geza Schillinger. He had one brother, Hugo (1900-1970). His father Geza (1869-1907) died when Samuel and his brother were young, and his mother, Regina (b. 1878) worked as an innkeeper and later married Herman Weisshaut (b. 1880). Samuel studied to be a dentist, but also became a well-known soccer player. He married Marie Baumann in 1934, and they had two children, Jan (b. 1936) and Jiri (b. 1938). After the Schillingers immigrated to the United States, they changed their last name to Shilling, and Jan and Jiri changed their names to John and George. Marie (Manya) Baumann (b. 1906) was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia to Berta (d. 1968) and factory-owner Otakar Baumann (d. 1951). She had one brother, Karel (b. 1905), and one sister, Anna (b. 1910). Her parents left Prague in 1939 for Zurich, Switzerland, and from there were able to immigrate to the United States by early 1941. The Schillingers made plans to emigrate from Prague shortly after the German annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. They planned to go to Quito, Ecuador to stay with Samuel’s brother Hugo and his wife Rosl. They were able to book passage on the MS St. Louis which left Europe for Havana, Cuba on May 13, 1939. After the ship was turned around, they were sent to the Heijplaat refugee camp near Rotterdam, The Netherlands in June 1939. With the help of Samuel’s brother Hugo, they were able to obtain permits to go to Ecuador. They left The Netherlands on January 10, 1940 on the MS Costa Rica. They lived in Quito, where Samuel played on a successful soccer team. With help from Marie’s uncle, Carl Baumann, they were able to secure visas to the United States, and immigrated there in January 1942. After obtaining his DDS degree from St. Louis University, Samuel and his family settled in New York. It is likely that Samuel’s mother Regina, her husband Herman, and Marie’s brother Karel all perished in the Holocaust.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of John and Wynne Shilling In loving memory of Dr. Samuel Shilling and Manya Bauman Shilling

Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015 by John and Wynne Shilling.

Scope and Content

The Schillinger and Baumann family papers document Marie and Samuel Schillinger and their children Jan and Jiri’s efforts to emigrate from Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) to the United States after its annexation by Germany in 1938. The papers document their trip on the MS St. Louis from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba; their relocation to the Heijplaat refugee camp in the Netherlands; their move to Quito, Ecuador; and their immigration to the United States in 1942. The collection consists of biographical materials of the Schillinger and Baumann families from Užhorod, Prague, and Kosova Hora, Czechoslovakia; Samuel Schillinger’s soccer and dental careers; emigration and immigration papers; correspondence; memoirs; restitution claims against the Czech Republic and Germany; and photographs. The correspondence primarily consists of letters written to Samuel and Marie after they left Prague and were trying to get to Quito. Included are letters from Hugo and Rosl Schillinger discussing their farm and life in Quito, and their efforts to assist the Schillingers in moving there. There is also a letter from Marie Schillinger’s sister Anne discussing the news of friends and family in 1940. Other correspondence includes post-war letters written to Samuel and Marie from friends and family in Prague as well as employment correspondence of Samuel regarding attempts to find a dental position in the United States. The memoirs consist of handwritten and typed manuscripts by Marie Schillinger and a notebook of Samuel Schillinger detailing their wartime experiences. Included are descriptions of their trip on the MS St. Louis, the Heijplaat refugee camp in the Netherlands, and the difficulties in getting to Quito. The restitution claims include correspondence, claim forms and banking and financial documents related to claims against the Czech Republic and Germany. The photographs primarily consist of pre-war photographs of the Schillinger family, relatives, and friends. Included are photographs of a trip to Italy, which may have been part of Marie and Samuel Schillinger’s honeymoon; a ski trip and other travel; photographs from the MS St. Louis; Heijplaat refugee camp; Quito; and the United States. There are related photographs of these events in the loose photograph album pages, some of which are annotated. There are also 76 negatives of related photographs of the Schillinger family and some of their travels.

System of Arrangement

The Schillinger and Baumann family papers are arranged as six series: Series 1: Biographical materials, 1845-circa 1990s (bulk 1913-1946); Series 2: Emigration and Immigration, 1939-1948; Series 3: Correspondence, 1927-1995 (bulk 1939-1954); Series 4: Memoirs, circa 1948-1997; Series 5: Restitution claims, 1939-1995; Series 6: Photographs, 1881-1979.

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.