Lindheim family papers

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

Fred Lindheim was born on July 3, 1932 to Berthold Lindheim (1895-1973) and Hertha (née Frankel, 1897-1992) Lindheim in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Berthold Lindheim earned a doctorate in chemistry and worked as a manufacturer's representative for various chemical companies. With the implementation of anti-Semitic measures in Germany, Fred was denied schooling. Neighbors helped the family enroll Fred in a Catholic school so that he could continue his education. After Kristallnacht, Berthold was arrested and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. The family was also forced to leave their apartment in Frankfurt. Fred was sent on a Kindertransport to Belgium where he lived with his aunt and uncle, Mathilde and Hugo Lindheim in Malines (now Mechelen, Belgium). Berthold Lindheim was released from Buchenwald concentration camp. In the spring of 1939, Berthold and Hertha Lindheim immigrated to Great Britain. Fred joined his parents and they lived in London for a year before immigrating to the United States in 1940. They initially lived in New York City but moved to Syracuse, New York after Berthold secured a job as a pharmaceutical chemist. They returned to New York City in 1943. Fred Lindheim graduated high school in 1949. Hugo Lindheim (1892-1943) was born on July 8, 1892 to Siegfried and Ida Lindheim in Rennertehausen, Frankenberg, Germany. His wife, Mathilde Lindheim (née Bachenheimer, 1892-1943) was born to David and Auguste Bachenheimer on February 14, 1892 in Roeddenau, Frankenberg, Germany. Their daughter Lore Lindheim (1921-1943) was born on November 19, 1921 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Hugo worked as a furniture factory owner and during the war, they lived in Belgium. On January 15, 1943, the Lindheims were deported from the Mechelen transit camp to the Auschwitz concentration camp on transport XVIII. They all perished at Auschwitz. 

Lindheim family papers 

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The Lindheim family papers relate to the emigration experiences of the Lindheim family of Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 1939 and their efforts to assist other family members to leave Nazi occupied Belgium. The papers include identification documents, affidavits of support, correspondence, memoirs, restitution paperwork, and family photographs. The Lindheim family correspondence consists of letters of recommendation and support for Berthold Lindheim as well as letters relating to travel arrangements. Restitution documents and related correspondence are also housed within this series. The biographical material series consists of identification documents, visa application documents, and affidavits of support relating to Berthold, Hertha, and Fred Lindheim. A birth certificate, school registration certificate, vaccination certificate, and certificate of United States citizenship for Fred Lindheim are also included as well as photocopies of identification documents for Hugo, Mathilde, and Lore Lindheim dated 1938. The manuscripts include a doctoral dissertation submitted by Berthold Lindheim to the University of Würzburg in 1923 and two memoirs written by Fred Lindheim, undated. The photographs include Fred Lindheim, Betty Frankel (Hertha Lindheim’s mother), Hertha Lindheim, and Fred Lindheim in a group photograph in Malines, Belgium. 

The Lindheim family papers are arranged in four series. Series 1: Biographical materials, 1932-1949 Series 2: Correspondence, 1925-2012 Series 3: Manuscripts, 1923, undated Series 4: Photographs, undated