Ilona Frankel Family Breakthrough

 

When I first learned about Ilona, I only knew that she was a cousin of Eva Steuer Halas and her mother was Eva’s aunt Borishka. I of course jump right in to search Eva’s Steuer uncles and their families.

I did find a Borbala Steuer, daughter of Nathan Steuer and Bella Jozefovits. So for while I thought I found Ilona Frankel’s mother, and kept on searching to find out Ilona’s maiden name and hopefully, who her father was.

Just two days ago I hit the jackpot! I found the actual marriage record for Ilona and Artur Frenkel. Sometime between Ilona and Artur’s arrival to the USA, there was a name change. Artur became Arthur and changed the spelling of his last name to Frankel. The marriage record has Ilona’s maiden name, Fröhlinger.

 

Now that I found her maiden name I was able to find Ilona’s birth record. Her birth record of course gave both of her parents’ names. Now I know her father was Móric Fröhlinger. Ilona and her one brother I found, Lajos Fröhlinger, both were born in Satoraljaujhely, Satoraljaujhely Jaras, Zemplen Megye, Hungary. I also found out Lajos married Róza Gebei on 15 Oct 1939 in Budapest and that Lajos perished in the Holocaust.

 

I also have uncovered Ilona’s paternal aunts and uncles, as well as her paternal grandmother’s maiden name. Ilona’s paternal grandparents were Ignácz (Chajen Izsak) Frölhinger and Pepi/Peppi Kronovicz. Ignácz and Pepi’s children are Moses Wolf, Eszti, Hani and Móric. Moses Wolf was illegitimate and the youngest son of Ignácz is Bernat Berl and his mother is listed as Betti Kronovicz.

 

Arthur and Ilona emigrated on 10 Feb 1940. Their final destination was to go to Sam Gerik, 606 Muller, St. Clairton, Pennsylvania. Ilona and Arthur left Pittsburgh between 1942 and 1945 and settled in Cleveland. They had two daughters in Cleveland. Ilona and Arthur retired in Hollywood, Boward County, Florida, where Arthur died on 15 Dec 1986. Ilona died 14 Mar 1999 in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida.

 

Another Son of Samuel Steuer Unearthed!

Since I had found sever of Samuel’s descendants in the Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945, I decided motzei Rosh HaShanah to do more searches in the Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945 records. I found another son of Samuel Steuer and Eva Fraenkel: Moritz Steuer. He was born in 1837 and died 12 Feb 1882, Hindenburg Alt-Zabrze, Prussia.

Moritz (Moses) was a baker when he married Minna (Mandel) Gruenberg, daughter of Jacob Gruenberg & Marie Simon. Later in 1860 Moritz was an Innkeeper. Moritz and Minna had eight children: Wilhelm, Eva, Siegfried, Julius, Albert, Hugo, Margaretha, and Rosa.

There are many Eva’s who were all named after Eva Fraenkel Steuer, she died in April 1861. Friederike Steuer Wachsner’s Eva was born 12 Aug 1863 and named after Friederike’s mother. Moritz Steuer’s (and Minna Gruenberg) first born daughter was named after his mother Eva, born 5 Dec 1863. Bernhard (Shmuel) Steuer and Jettel "Henriette" Eisner also named their first born after his mother Eva, born 29 Oct 1866.

Wilhelm Steuer was Moritz & Minna’s eldest. He married Johanna Herzfeld in 1891. I haven’t yet uncovered any offspring for him, but it’s still early on. Wilhelm died on 12 Oct 1924 and is buried at the Nordfriedhof Cemetery, Section: Neu Juedischer Friedhof, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Nordfriedhof Dusseldorf Cemetery

Marriage of Eva Steuer & Wilhelm Zerkowski

Eva Steuer, daughter of Moritz & Minna, married Wilhelm Zerkowski on 25 Feb 1890 in Hindenburg, Prussia. Eva & Wilhelm had a son:
Wilhelm "Willy" Zerkowski, born 04 Mar 1891. Willy died 15 Oct 1915, Breslau, Prussia of natural causes and is buried at the Friedhof Cosel, Section: World War I Field of Honor, Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland; Plot: Grabstelle 11.

Tombstone of Wilhelm "Willy" Zerkowski

 

Marriage of Margaetha Steuer & Julius Michaelis

Margaretha Steuer married Julius Michaelis, son of Adolf Michaelis & Malchen Baron also Hindenburg, Prussia on 16 Oct 1871.

Siegfried Steuer was born 14 Oct 1865, Krassow (Pszczyna, Prussia).

Julius Steuer was born 11 Mar 1867 in Bytom, Prussia and died just 24 days later on 4 Apr 1867.

 

 

Albert Steuer was born 20 Feb 1868, Zabrze, Hindenburg, Silesia. He married Julia Wyngardt. They had three daughters: Margot, born 19 March 1901, Cologne, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; Ilse Sara, born 15 Sep 1904, Cologne, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, Alice, born 02 Feb 1912, Cologne, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and Ruth. Albert was deported in 1942 to Auschwitz and died on 25 Sep 1942 at Treblinka.

 

List of Theresienstadt camp inmates

 

Margot's Declaration of Intention

Margot Steuer married Leopold Dreifuss. They had three children: Walter (born 6 Jul 1922), Helga (born 30 Aug 1924) and another daughter. Both Walter and Helga were born in Germany and emigrated with their parents and arrived in New York on 4 Mar 1940. In 1940 the family lived in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Before our Dreifuss family came to the USA, they lived in London, England. Leopold was a tailor. Both Margot and Leopold are buried at the Cedar Park Cemetery, Paramus, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA.

 

Walter was a doctor and lived in East Rockaway, Long Island, New York. I know of him having two children: Janet and David. Helga became a nurse and married Irving A Epstein and they lived in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. They had two daughters: Judith and Jacquelyn and a son.

 

Ilse Steuer married Ernst Phillip Waldheim in 1930, Hemer, Iserlohn, Markischer Kreis, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Ilse and Ernst had two sons: Hans “Harry” and Manfred “Manny” Israel. Ilse, Hans and Manfred all emigrated together. They left Lisbon, Portugal on the 15^th of March, 1941.

 

1941 Passenger List for Ilse Waldheim & sons

Alice Steuer married Isidore Frankel. I know they had at least one son who is currently living in Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

Hugo Steuer was born on 4 Apr 1870, Bytom, Prussia. He perished on 20 December 1942 at Theresienstadt.

 

 

Theresienstadt Memorial

Rosa Steuer was born 7 Oct 1874, Hindenburg Alt-Zabrze, Prussia. She married Paul Honigbaum, son of Salomon Honigbaum & Emilie Rosentein on 25 May 1902 in Hindenburg, Prussia. Rosa lived in Breslau and was deported from Grüssau to Auschwitz and perished on 17 May 1944.

Marriage of Rosa Steuer & Paul Honigbaum

Lotte Jane Wallach, 1955

I just made contact with the grandson of Ruth Steuer Wallach. I’m looking forward to exchanging information with him and finding more out about his grandparents. His grandmother Ruth Steuer married Kurt Wallach, son of Carl Wallach & Lutka Rauch in 1935, Gevelsberg, Germany. They had a daughter, Lotte Jane.

Looking forward to connecting with new cousins.