Wolfes and Herzfeld family papers
Extent and Medium
folders
oversize folder
2
1
Creator(s)
- Wolfes family
- Herzfeld family
Biographical History
The Wolfes family has been traced back to the area near Warburg, Germany around 1650. During the 18th century, the family lived in Mehle. During the 19th century, Hermann Wolfes (1832-1886) and his wife Sofie Lilienfeld (1841-1916) raised their family in Hessisch Oldendorf before moving to Hannover. Their daughter Martha (1871-1942) married Alex Herzfeld (1862-1918) and raised their children Hermann, Hans, and Gertrud in Hannover.
Martha Herzfeld (1871-1942) was born Martha Wolfes in Hessisch Oldendorf to Hermann Wolfes (1832-1886) and Sofie Lilienfeld (1841-1916). She had one sister and eleven brothers. Martha and her husband Alex Herzfeld (1862-1918) raised their children Hermann (b. 1892), Hans (b. 1896), and Gertrud (b. 1895) in Hannover. During Nazi rule in Germany, the families of Martha’s brothers Richard and Hans relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her son Hermann’s family relocated to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and her son Hans’ family relocated to Bangkok. In 1942, Martha was sent to a concentration camp near Aachen. On June 11, 1942 she sent a letter to her sister in law announcing her intention to end her life using poison obtained from a relative who had been the chief surgeon at the Jewish hospital in Cologne.
Acquisition
Wolfgang Herzfeld donated the Wolfes and Herzfeld family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 and 1989. Wolfgang Herzfeld is the grandson of Martha Herzfeld and the great-nephew of Hans Wolfes.
Scope and Content
The Wolfes and Herzfeld family papers include a family history and family tree for the Wolfes family, and a suicide letter written by Martha Wolfes Herzfeld in a concentration camp near Aachen in June 1942. The family history consists of a genealogical booklet and table for the Wolfes family from Mehle and Hannover Germany. The book was prepared and researched by Dr. Willi Schragenheim, and it charts nine generations of the family from circa 1650 to 1936. It is accompanied by introductory letter from Hans Wolfe. Martha Herzfeld, sister of Hans Wolfe, wrote the suicide letter in a concentration camp she described as being “near Aachen” on June 11, 1942. She addressed the letter to her sister-in-law, Grace, in Paris. In the letter, she describes the poor conditions of the camp, asks Grace to tell her children that she died from pneumonia, and requests that others be informed of her death. She writes that her children would prefer to mourn her death than to worry about an uncertain future.
System of Arrangement
The Wolfes and Herzfeld family papers are arranged chronologically
Subjects
- Jews--Germany--Genealogy.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany--Aachen.
- Aachen (Germany)
- Jews--Suicidal behavior--Germany--Aachen.
Genre
- Document
- Letters.
- Genealogical tables.