Overviews and Documents

Rather than create a genealogical site based primarily on my own genealogical research, I have chosen to build this first by compiling existing work that I have been able to find on the family. My approach has included much search of the Web as well as interaction with those interested in the site. Over the period since February 2004 when this site was established this has lead to much improvement in accuracy, broadening in scope, and addition of wonderful materials. As these accumulate I am adding them to the site. They are listed here. To read any resource click on the relevant link.

OVERVIEW

This is the first place to look. It provides an overview of themes and histories of the people in this site.

Introduction
A tale of two men - Cassirer and Cohen 1530-1800
Cassirer
Cohen
Falk

KEY PLACES

Breslau and Central Europe

This identifies the key places in Central Europe which were central in the modern origins of the Cassirer, Falk and Cohen families referred to here. It includes a brief history of the city of Breslau which has been so central in the Cassirer story. It also includes maps of the relevant portion of Central Europe with key sites identified, showing these both as part of the German Empire in 1917, and also divided between East and West Europe after the Second World War.

FAMILY VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST

Family Victims of the Holocaust

A list of members of the families in this site who are known to have perished as victims of the Holocaust.

CASSIRER DOCUMENTS

Berlin Reunion 2002.

In 2002 a reunion was held in Berlin for relatives of the Cassirers. It was by all accounts a great success. Pictures from the reunion are show here.

Early Cassirer Documents (1796 -1935)

Stamm Nummer (residence permit) of Loebel Moses Cassirer (age 58) and his wife Zerchen (probably a nickname for Zerchen), 1796

The Stamm Nummer was a form of residence permit with fewer rights than a 'General Privileg' but more rights than the next step down 'toleriert'. Its existence was limited to Prussia between 1796 and 1812.  Details of Loebel Moses Cassirer, his wife Zerchen Ruben age 53, and their children Moses, Hirch, Gerson and Jacob, with their ages (28, 25, 24, 22 respectively) are listed.

Documents confirming Lobel Moses Cassirer's announcement of the marriage of his son Moses to Pessel, daughter of Salamon Abraham Friedländer, 1797

Salomon Abraham Friedländer is identified as a Jew who has a General-Privileg in Berlin, and is to inherit the number after him.  Lobel Mose Cassirer's signature is inscribed on the second page below the name of the Secretary of the Breslau Jewish Community at the time. [With thanks to Irene Newhouse for providing this and the preceding document.

Marcus und Jeanette, Siegfried und Henriette Cassirer'sche Familien-Stiftung established 28 Oktober 1890

Four family trust documents (1914-17, 1925, 1930, 1931) of the Marcus and Jeanette, Siegfried and Henriette Cassirer trust established on 28 October 1890. The documents contain chronicles (including war service over 1914-17) and family trees for each of the key descendants mentioned.

"Deutsche Kriegszeitung" 17 March 1918 - Original in German ; Translation into English

A mock 'war newspaper' produced by the Cassirer family on 17 March 1918 as an amusing account of family news and the war.

Cassirer Anecdote Booklet 18 October 1937 - Original in German ; Translation into English

This booklet, in German, edited by Toni Cassirer, was produced for the occasion of Max Cassirer's 80th birthday. It contains many amusing anecdotes and is the most detailed original account of the lives of the Cassirers in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Cassirer page: Berlin Jewish Address Book 1931

This is a page of the Berlin Jewish Address Book in 1931 showing the addresses of a number of members of the Cassirer family at that time in Berlin.

Cassirer Group Photographs

Various group photographs taken at weddings and other Cassirer occasions between 1900 and 1937, some of whom are identified and some of whom remain to be identified. Your assistance in identifications would be appreciated.

Miscellaneous information on the Cassirer and Falk families

Album of miscellaneous additional information on the Cassirer and Falk families

There is quite a bit of information which is progressively uncovered about the Cassirer and Falk families. There is more diverse detail on everything from paintings owned by Paul Cassirer, to the Cassirer Cable Factory. Some of it is information provided by researchers such as Adalbert Saurma who have provided translation and research for this site. This album is the place where this information is progressively collected. Over time some of it may be further linked into the Overview and Genealogical Database sections of the site.

Descendants of Eduard Cassirer

Bano Family Album of Cassirer Documents 1885-1939

Photographs, messages, references, menus, obituaries and celebratory poems associated with Eduard and Jenny Cassirer, Martin and Lise Cassirer, Julie Cassirer, Suzanne Cassirer, Lucie Lasker, Lisbet Lasker and Paul Cassirer. These documents were handed down to and presented to the site by Ben Bano.

Peter Cassirer: Reflections by a grandson

A much quoted paper by Peter Cassirer on his grandfather Ernst Cassirer.

Descendants of Isidor Cassirer

Isidor and Lydia Cassirer, and their son Rudolph Cassirer documents.

A set of documents provided by Ernest Cassirer relating to Isidor and Lydia Cassirer. They include a telegram from von Hindenburg to Lydia Cassirer thanking her for help in the first world war, a certificate for the Honour Cross presented to her also for this help, the marriage certificate of Isidor and Lydia Cassirer, and finally, and most ironically, a certificate to Rudolph Cassirer sent in the name of Adoph Hitler, for the Honour Cross for his participation in active military service. These were sent on the request of Hindenburg to Hitler to all who had served, irrespective of their status. It did not inhibit him from later condemning Jewish recipients of this honour to death.

Ernest Cassirer Album

The Mourning Book for Isidor and Lydia Cassirer, and the war records of their son Rudolph Walter Cassirer.

Miriam Cassirer Laparne Album of Cassirer Photographs and Anecdotes ~1890-2005

Miriam Cassirer's mother Johanna Baron married Rudolph Cassirer. In later life, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, she annotated the family photographs. Miriam has presented these photographs and their identifications to the site. They cover her grandmother Adele Baron and her grandfather, her mother Johanna and husband Rudolph Cassirer, Johanna's sister Gertrude, her brother Ernest Cassirer, and other connected relatives. Included is a couple who are unidentified. All that is known at this stage is that they sent their children to England and knew they were going to Auschwitz. It is possible that they are related to Johanna's first cousin Ella.

Descendants of Julius Cassirer

Bruno Cassirer Album

This collection by Regina Pfennig contains details of houses and establishments owned by Bruno Cassirer prior to the war as well as photos of the graves of Afred and Paul Cassirer, and Tilla Durieux.

Descendants of Martin Cassirer

Susanne Bano (ne Suzanne Julie Cassirer)

A moving account of the life of Susanne Bano, and her grandmother Lucy Lasker, who lost her life in Auschwitz: by Susanne's son, Ben Bano.

Descendants of Salomon Cassirer

Marriage Certificate of Käthe Cassirer and Dr. Paul Herrmann.

Descendants of Louis Cassirer

Reinhold Cassirer: English translation of interview on Suedwest-Funk Radio, 1986.

A remarkably fluent and clear recollection of Reinhold Cassirer's childhood and family life, his formative years in Charlottenburg (ending in 1926), his study with Weber in Heidelberg where he gained his Doctorate in December 1932, the advent of the Nazis, his interview by the Gestapo, and the tightening of pressure on him and other Jews, his role in the family Cable Manufacturing Company, his move to South Africa and time in the South African and British Army (1940-1946), the recommencement of his business life in South Africa and in 1968, his taking up the opportunity to open a branch of Sotheby's in South Africa, and finally his marriage to and life with Nardine Gordimer and the family they have nurtured. Includes also interesting references to Albert Cassirer, Paul Cassirer and Tilla Durieux, and Ernst and Heinz Cassirer.

Contemporary accounts of the Cassirers

Die Familie Cassirer: eine bedeutende Berliner Familie

The Cassirer Family: an important Berlin Family. A 17 page account of the history in German of the Breslau generation of the Cassirer Family. Author not yet identified. Copy provided by Olle Kellerman.

Cassirer Family Tree by Kerstin Köhnstopp 1989.

This rendition of the Cassirer genealogy by Kerstin Köhnstopp is reproduced from the book Harry Nutt, Bruno Cassirer, Stapp Verlag, Berlin, 1989. It contains some new information (and, it appears, some significant errors).

Simplified Cassirer Descendant Chart by Olle Kellerman

This is a simplified chart developed by Olle Kellerman in 1997. It is not complete.

Origins of the name Cassirer

A note on the origins of the Cassirer name.

Die Cassirers

Article in German on the contribution of the Cassirers to Berlin from the Berlin Morgenpost 29 June 2003.

Cassirers who may be related

References to Cassirers who may be related

References to Cassirers in the historical record who may or may not be connected to this family tree. Any help you can give in establishing such connections would be appreciated.

Holocaust Victims whose family name was Cassirer

A list of victims of the Holocaust, whose family or maiden name was Cassirer and who were transported to the death camps from Berlin is provided together with the details from the Yad Vashem database. For most of these victims it remains to be established whether or not they were connected to the Cassirer family that is the subject of this website.

 

COHEN DOCUMENTS

Henry Cohen (1790-1867)

Researched and compiled by Philip Cohen this represents a huge amount of meticulous research into Henry Cohen and his descendents and relatives. It includes detailed documentary material, including a transcript of Henry Cohen's trial.

Colonial Office correspondence about Henry Cohen

These are copies of correspondence, obtained by Philip Cohen, relating to the arrival of Henry Cohen, his assignment to private service, an (unsuccessful) attempt to assign him to his son in law, Simmons, and his eventual pardon in 1842.

History of the Cohen Name: From Ha-Kohen (1650-1723) to Abraham Cohen (1812-1874)

This manuscript has been handed down to me, and probably comes from the two addresses by David Spector of Hove, Sussex, and published by the Jewish Historical Society of England in their publications Transactions, Vol 22 (1968/9) "The Jews of Brighton" and Vol 30 (1987/8) "Brighton Jewry reconsidered". Inter alia it traces the arrival in Australia of Abraham Cohen back to Don Menachen ben Chajim Ha-Kohen (1650-1723) and the Konstamm family.

Notes of Henry Robert Cohen (1915-2002)

These notes were prepared by Henry Robert Cohen on his Microbee computer in the 1970s and follow on from those above to trace the Cohen family from Brighton England, through to Australia. They contain a very detailed family tree, some details of which remain to be inserted in this site. The notes were annotated and then scanned by Philip Cohen sometime in the late 1980s. I reproduce them here still as images, now embedded in web pages.

No Other Home: An Anglo-Jewish Story 1833-1987 by Barbara Falk

This book in scanned form is reproduced here with the kind permission of the author, Barbara Falk, and the publisher, Penguin Books Australia Ltd. The book is the most complete history published to date of the Cohen family and related people referred to on this site. It was first published in 1988.

Album of miscellaneous information about the Cohen Family and their relatives

There is quite a bit of information which is progressively uncovered about the Cohen family and their relatives. Some of it is information provided by researchers such as Tel Johns who have provided research for this site. This album is the place where this information is progressively collected. Over time some of it may be further linked into the Overview and Genealogical Database sections of the site.

FALK DOCUMENTS

Carolina Vignettes: David Falk, Philosopher

Chapter by Jeanette Falk from book "They Fled Hitler's Germany and Found Refuge in North Carolina". Reproduced with her permission.

Album of miscellaneous additional information on the Cassirer and Falk families

In this album there is now an extensive section on Werner Falk's thesis, including original documents from Heidelberg University relating to the examination process, translations into English, and other related material. It includes notes provided by researchers who have provided translation and research for this site.

JOSHUA FAMILY HISTORY

Notes on the history of the Joshua family history

Notes provided by Sue Woolf which give sources for information incorporated into the family tree section of this web site.

SICHEL FAMILY HISTORY

Notes on the history of the Sichel family history

Notes provided by Kirsten Beach (Netherlands) which give additional information about this family including sources for information incorporated into the family tree section of this web site.

LINKS TO ASSOCIATED WEBSITES

Some relevant family websites

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Acknowledgements

Work on this site is an ever-more collaborative process. I list here the contributions of those who have helped. If I have forgotten someone, I apologise.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography

This is a list of some of the key sources, primarily where they appear in book form. More detailed references can be found in the notes associated with the entries in the Family Tree.

CHARTS

Descendant Charts for some Key Ancestors

These are descendant charts for the major lines of family descent in this family tree. They are large (typically half a megabyte) and may be difficult to see on some computers. They may also contain some minor discrepancies since they will not be updated every time the family tree is amended. They are current to 20 March 2004.