Family history and family trees

Family History Stern

Herz Stern was born around 1791 and was apparently orphaned at an early age. His mother's childless sister Scheile, married to Aaron Seligmann in Roth, took him in when he was about four years old and raised him. After the death of her husband in 1796, Herz gradually took over her business and eventually ran it for her. On February 1, 1815, he concluded a marriage contract with his cousin Miriam Bonfang from Lohra, daughter of another of Scheile's sisters, in which it was stipulated that Scheile would give her nephew her house and yard, her business, all household goods and 600 fl of Frankfurt currency immediately after the marriage, with the exception of the lower room reserved for herself. Stern now applied for admission as a subject of the Electorate of Hesse. Although he was able to cite his long residence in Roth, his aunt's considerable inheritance - which would be taken out of the country if he was refused -, 1,100 fl from his parents' inheritance, his marriage contract, his release from the Grand Duchy's subject association and also the unanimous vote of the general assembly of the Roth community, this was initially rejected several times before finally being approved in 1818. In the meantime, Herz Stern had married Miriam Bonfang and had already fathered a daughter, who was named after his mother Hennel.
Miriam gave birth to an impressive nine children - two sons and seven daughters, two of whom died in infancy.

In the second generation, both of Herz Stern's sons, Haune and Bonfang, started families in Roth with the sisters Adelheid and Malchen Wetzstein from Treis/Lumda. They married in 1855 and 1857 respectively and had six children, one of whom died in infancy. Adelheid and Haune thus had only one surviving son, Herz, who grew up with four sisters. He went down in history as Herz II. Malchen and Bonfang had four children; one of their sons also died in infancy. The sons Herz and Mannes founded families in Roth, with Herz being listed in the records as the older - as Herz I.

In the third generation, Herz Stern I married Hilda Bachenheimer from Fronhausen in 1885 and had a son Berthold and a daughter Bertha with her. His brother Mannes Stern married Bertha Rosenbusch from Borken in 1891; their children were Toni, Hugo and Louis. After 1895, Herz Stern II married Emma Rothschild from Angenrod, with whom he had a daughter Selma and a son Hermann.

The fourth generation and their children were the ones who were driven into emigration by the Nazi regime or deported to the ghettos and extermination camps.

Family Tree Herz Stern

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch

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© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Layout Jelena Schmidt 2008
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Tafel Stern, Berthold

 

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Layout Jelena Schmidt 2008
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Tafel Stern, Herz

 

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Layout Jelena Schmidt 2008
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Tafel Stern, Mannes

Family History Nathan

Abraham Nathan (*1859), who moved here at the end of the 19th century, had five children with Berta Stern (*1857) from Romrod: Hermann (1887-1932), Marcus (*1900), Blanka (*1891), Mathilde (*1894) and Gertrude (1897-1943).

The next generation and their children were the ones who were driven into emigration by the Nazi regime or deported to the ghettos and extermination camps.

Family Tree Abraham Nathan

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch

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Family History Bergenstein

Seligmann Bergenstein (*1788) came from Leihgestern in the Langgöns district and, like Herz Stern, was a subject of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt. He had initially worked as a farmhand in Roth and fathered an illegitimate child with Reitz (*1783). In 1807, during the Westphalian period, they took advantage of their new freedom to marry. He had applied to the Cantonal Maire Wegner in Marburg to be released from his subject status. By 1817, he had already had five children with Reitz. Now, like Herz Stern, he had to apply for formal admission to the Electoral Hessian subject association, which was initially rejected in 1818, but then approved. Seligmann and Reitz had a total of eight children.

In the second generation, two of Seligmann Bergenstein's sons, Josef and Abraham, founded families in Roth. Josef married Ziborah Stern from Oberweimar and had ten children. Abraham married Silpa Grienenbaum from Hermanstein and had five children with her. Their only son Kaufmann emigrated to the USA in 1866, after which this branch of the Bergensteins in Roth died out.

In the third generation, the Bergenstein family branched out again in Roth. Levi Bergenstein married Goldine Spier from Merzhausen and had the children Emma and Josef with her. Seligmann Bergenstein married Jettchen Buchheim from ... and had a son Julius with her.

The fourth generation and their children were the ones who were driven into emigration by the Nazi regime or deported to the ghettos and extermination camps.

Family Tree Seligmann Bergenstein

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch

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© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Layout Jelena Schmidt 2008
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Tafel Bergenstein, Josef

 

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Layout Jelena Schmidt 2008
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Tafel Bergenstein, Rosa

 

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Layout Jelena Schmidt 2008
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Tafel Bergenstein, Seligmann

Family History Hoechster

Isaac Höchster (*around 1778) and the husband of his sister Reitz, Seligmann Bergenstein, benefited from civil equality during the Kingdom of Westphalia when they settled here. It is said of Isaac that his father Meyer was only granted a certificate of toleration and that he, “the son[,] was reciprocated during the Westphalian constitution”. His wife Gend Jonas (*around 1783) came from Rabenau or Kesselbach. He already had four children with her in 1817, the eldest eight years old, so his marriage probably took place in 1808 or 1809. They had a total of seven children, although the three youngest died in infancy. 

In the second generation, two sons remained in the village. Meyer Höchster married Blümchen Stern in 1842, Herz Höchster married her sister Giedel in 1843, both daughters of Herz Stern. This meant that four of Herz's children remained in the village. In this way, the “newcomer” Herz Stern forged family ties with the families already related to each other through the female lines and, as we shall see, he chose the richest family for his daughters. Giedel and Herz Höchster had a son, Herz, and three daughters in a marriage that lasted just nine years; Meier and Blümchen had six children. Only one son of each generation inherited the estate, i.e. the family did not branch out any further in Roth.
The widow Giedel Höchster married a second time, in 1855 to Baruch Nathan from Lohra. She had three children with him, two sons and a daughter. Thus she founded another Jewish family in Roth. The younger son Abraham married and settled in Roth.

In the third generation, Herz was first married to Thekla Bär from Griedel, with whom he had the children Eduard and Mathilde, and later to Clothilde Meyer from Langgöns, with whom he had the daughter Selma. Isaac Höchster married Settchen Stern from Hungen; they had three children, Herz Hermann, Jenny and Bertha.

It was above all the fourth generation and their children who were driven into emigration by the Nazi regime or deported to the ghettos and extermination camps.

Family Tree Isaac Hoechster

© Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch

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