Thursday, September 18, 2014

Rabbi Abraham Steuer and Family



I received all my information on Rabbi Abraham Steuer and his family from his granddaughter, Eva Steuer Halas over the phone. Just the other day I found Hungarian birth records for some of Abraham and Sarlota’s children and the Hungarian marriage record for Abraham and Sarlota. Eva also told me that she knew that the famous Max D Steuer was a cousin, she just didn’t say who he was a first cousin to.

My first important information I uncovered was from Abraham and Sarlota Hungarian marriage record. I found out the names of their fathers! Sarlota’s father was Farkas Mandelbaum and Abraham’s father was Nathan Steuer. The Hungarian marriage record also gave Abraham and Sarlota’s ages at the time of marriage. They were married in Szatmar. Abraham was a Talmud student at that time and according to the Hungarian marriage record he was born in 1853, Nagyvarad. This leaves me with the question as to who are Nathan’s parents and siblings, as well as how is he related to Aaron Steuer, Max D’s father?

I found eight birth records for Abraham and Sarlota’s children. According to these Hungarian birth records, they not only had one daughter, but two. Eva probably didn’t know about Malvina since she died when she was less than a month old. There’s a birth record for Dezso Steuer. I believe this is the same person as Desser (the name that Eva told me, although she didn’t know how it was spelled). Hermina Steuer must have been the one Eva mentioned that perished in the shoah.  They also had a son Samuel / Soma, whom Eva didn’t mention, nor did she mention Nathan Steuer, who was Abraham’s father’s namesake, born in April 1884.


Eva mentioned an uncle Yenner. I believe this is probably the same person as Jeno (Israel / Eugen) since a “J” in Hungarian is pronounced as a “Y” in English. Her uncle Zoltan was the only one if her uncles and aunt she remembered as not perishing.

I am still trying to find her grandmother Sarlota Mandelbaum Steuer’s family that emigrated to Israel. Eva told me that Sarlota had family in Jerusalem. I did find a Benymin Zeev Farkas Mandelbaum, born 1815 on My Heritage which could very likely be her father since I also found a burial record for whom I believe to be her and it lists Benyamin Zeev as her father and husband as Abraham Steuer. I also found a tombstone for Benymin Zeev Farkas Mandelbaum on The Orthodox Cemetery Registry site which also lists Benyamin Zeev Farkas Mandelbaum as the father of Hana Zsuzsana Mandelbaum.

 

NOW, all I need is for someone to read this who has more information and can confirm my assumptions and to be able to find more documentation for Nathan Steuer and Farkas Mandelbaum.