United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Ann Strauss-Salfield (1922-1996) was born Anneliese Babette Schloss on 2 March 1922 in Stuttgart, Germany to Lini (1896-1929) and Joseph (1888-1937) Schloss. Joseph owned a business selling sausage casings to butchers. After Lini’s death in 1929 Ann’s father Joseph got remarried to Bella Strassburger (1895-1942), whom also had a daughter, Margrit (1932-1942). Ann immigrated to England in 1939, and lived in London while trying to obtain a visa to immigrate to the United States. She was in a long-distance relationship with Milton Strauss, whom she was distantly related. They began dating before the war, and corresponded extensively before she received a visa and immigrated to the United States in early 1944. She settled in New York, and Ann and Milton married on 29 April 1944. They had two sons: Monty (b. 1945) and Larry (1947-1978). After Milton’s death in 1954, Ann got remarried to Alfred Salfield (1914-1989) in 1955. They had one daughter, Susie (b. 1957). Ann’s stepmother and stepsister both perished in the Riga ghetto in 1942. Milton Strauss (1907-1954) was born on 1 December 1907 in Oberdorf, Germany to Moritz Strauss (1870-1934) and Rosa Falk (1880-1940). He had three siblings: Berta, Alfred, and Stefan. He emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1936. His mother left Germany shortly before the start of the war and arrived in New York on 7 September 1939. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1943. His siblings Berta and Alfred both survived the Holocaust, but his brother Stefan was deported to the Riga ghetto where he perished.
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The collection is arranged as two series. Series 1. Biographical material, 1938-circa 1991 Series 2. Correspondence, 1938-1944 Folders are arranged alphabetically and documents are arranged chronologically.
The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of Ann Strauss-Salfield (née Schloss), originally of Stuttgart, Germany. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between Ann, who fled to England in 1939, and her future husband Milton Strauss living in the United States. The correspondence focuses on their daily lives, but there are frequent discussions of her attempts to get a visa and immigrate to the United States. Other correspondence includes letters to Ann from her grandmother, Uncle Moritz, and her stepsister Margrit; and letters to Milton from his brother Alfred and friend Uli. Biographical material includes Ann’s German birth certificate, a letter from the International Red Cross regarding Ann’s attempts to locate her stepmother Bella and stepsister Margrit, her 1938 report card, a poem, marriage announcement for Ann and Milton, and a transcript of an oral history conducted with Ann in 1990.
Ann Strauss-Salfield collection