Family of Michael Adler

About this blog

I plan to use this blog to share what I've learned about the Hess and Adler families of Florstadt. If you are -- or may be -- a descendant of one of these ancestors, I hope you'll get in touch with me. 

I will be sharing information only about deceased family members. If you contact me, I will not use your name in the blog. This initiative is to share information about our ancestors only.

I will be delighted, however, to correspond with you privately, so please do get in touch. My email address is in my profile.

This post describes the family of Michael Adler as I've been able to learn it. Before you dive into it, I recommend that you read the first post in this blog to get the context of the family.

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Family of Michael Adler

Michael Adler was the son of Salomon Adler and Salomon's first wife, Hilde Liebmann. Michael Adler was born in 1827 in Nieder-Florstadt, Hessen, Germany. His brother, Liebmann Adler, was born in 1825. (chart - Salomon Adler's wives and children)

Michael was married twice, first to Jeanette Garde, who died in 1863, and then shortly thereafter to Karolina Guthmann. 

Michael lived with his daughter's family (Bertha Adler Hess) at Musikantenweg 39 in Frankfurt for several years before he died in 1904.  He is buried in the Alter Jüdischer Friedhof in Frankfurt.  I don’t know when Karolina died.  She had about a dozen siblings, and I have many relatives in the Guthmann line.

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Michael had one child with Jeanette Garde. (chart - Michael's family)

Albert Adler (chart -- Albert's family)

Born in 1862 in Nieder-Florstadt.  He married Bertha Silberberg in 1888 in Felsberg, and their four children were born in Felsberg.

• Jeanette Adler, born in 1889 in Felsberg; died at age 52 in the Holocaust.
  
  
• Ludwig Adler, born in 1891 in Felsberg; married Lotte Adler in London and emigrated to America. They had a daughter, with whom I am in contact. Ludwig and Lotte died in Chicago, Illinois.  
  
  
• Siegmund Adler, born in 1893 in Felsberg; married Elisabete Westheimer. Both died in the Holocaust. They had two daughters, both of whom emigrated to Palestine and have large families in Israel.
  
  
• Frieda Adler, born in 1898 in Felsberg; died at age 13 in Nieder-Florstadt.

Bertha died in 1920 in Nieder-Florstadt. Albert died in 1939 in Nieder-Florstadt. Since Frieda also died in Nieder-Florstadt, the family must have moved there from Felsberg in the early 1900s.

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Michael married Karolina Guthmann very soon after Jeanette died in about 1863. They had four children together -- Bertha, Louis Charles, and Minna. (chart - Michael's family)

Bertha Adler (chart - Bertha's family)

Born in 1865 in Nieder-Florstadt. Bertha married Markus Hess in 1886. They moved to Frankfurt am Main in 1886, where they raised 13 children in the house they built at Musikantenweg 39. After Markus died in 1921, Bertha emigrated to Baltimore with her three youngest sons.  She died in 1941 in Trenton, New Jersey.

Bertha visited her married children Hilde and Alex in Frankfurt in 1933, and upon hearing Hitler's speeches she encouraged her children to emigrate to America. As I was told the story, they declined saying, "this will blow over; we’re good Germans; it’ll be okay.” Tragically, they chose to stay.

• Ida Hess (Elsie), born in 1887 in Frankfurt. She came to America as a young woman to visit her uncle, Louis Charles Adler, in Philadelphia. She met and married Herman Sternfield. They had two children.
  
  
• Mildred Caroline Sternfield, born in 1918 in New York City. Married Samuel Julius Josephson and had two children. She died in 2005 in Trenton, New Jersey. Mildred was a dear friend of my mother, and I was close to her as well.
  
  
• Maxwell Sternfield, born in 1923 in Baltimore, Maryland. Married Tobia Lee Unger and had two children. He died in 1978 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
  
  
• Hilde Hess, born in 1889 in Frankfurt. Married Paul Henry Dick and lived in Frankfurt until they perished in the Holocaust.
  
  
• Ludwig Hess, born in 1890 in Frankfurt. Died in 1916 at Fort Douaumont, France fighting for Germany in WWI in a huge explosion.
  
  
• Alex Hess, born in 1891 in Frankfurt. Married Sara (Lotte) Heÿmann and lived in Frankfurt until they perished in the Holocaust. They had a daughter, whom they sent to live with family in America in 1938. 
  
  
• Lucia Hess, born in 1919 in Frankfurt. Married Herbert Mark and had two children. Lucia died in 1988 in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
  
  
• Siegmund Hess, born in 1892 in Frankfurt. Died in 1914 at Bois Blanc, France fighting for Germany in WWI early in the war.
  
  
• Leo Charles Hess, born in 1894 in Frankfurt. Emigrated to America in 1923 with his mother. Lived in Baltimore, Maryland. A professional photographer, he never married. Died in 1960 in Baltimore.
  
  
• Edward Cecil Hess, born in 1896 in Frankfurt. Emigrated to America on his own, married Cecelia Flanigan, and lived in Chicago, Illinois. There's a newspaper article about Edward's court appearance there for attempted bigamy. He lived in Pennsylvania in the 1940s, apparently not with his wife. He took his own life in Rush Township, Pennsylvania in 1952. Edward and Cecilia had a son.
  
  
• Edward Cecil Hess, Jr, born abt. 1917 in Pennsylvania. I have not been able to find evidence of Edward Jr after the 1930 census.
  
  
• Siegfried Hess, born in 1898 in Frankfurt. Died in 1918 at Le Gadeau, France fighting for Germany in WWI at the very end of the war.
  
  
• Wilhelm Hess, born in 1899 in Frankfurt. Emigrated to America on his own. Had a girlfriend in Frankfurt named Anna Lortz. I don't know the details, but I was told that he sent money to Anna, wanted to return to Frankfurt to be with her, couldn't borrow the fare from his family, but was eventually deported. He married Anna, and they lived in the family house at Musikantenweg 39. He was a Metzger, a butcher. Anna's brothers were Nazis and kept them safe, but at last he was deported and perished at Buchenwald. I was told that they had a son.

• Erwin Hess, born in 1943 in Frankfurt. He married and had three sons. He died in 2010 in Neu Isenburg.
  
  
• Rina Hess, born in 1901 in Frankfurt. Died at the age of 8 months.
  
  
• Fred Hess (Friedrich), born in 1902 in Frankfurt. Emigrated to America in 1923 with his mother. Lived in Baltimore, Maryland. Married Bernice Goldstick and had one son. Fred was an accountant. He died in 1961.
  
  
• Milton Siegmund Hess (that's me!), born in 1941 in Baltimore, Maryland.
  
  
• Melitta Hess, born in 1904 in Frankfurt. Died at the age of 13 months.
  
  
• Martin Hess, born in 1905 in Frankfurt. Emigrated to America in 1923 with his mother. Lived in Baltimore, Maryland. Married Eleanor Betty Morris and had two sons. Martin was a milliner; his company made and sold women's hats. He died in 1981 while on a sales trip in Newport News, Virginia.

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Louis Charles Adler (chart - Louis's family)

Louis Charles Adler was born in 1866 in Nieder-Florstadt.  He emigrated to America in the early 1880s and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he became a clothier.  In 1889 he married Bertha Katz, who was born in 1870 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  She was known throughout her life as Bertie.  Her parents were Emanuel and Catharine Katz, and she had two brothers and a sister – Solomon, Harry, and Jeanette.  Louis died in 1938, followed quickly by Bertie in 1939.

Louis and Bertie had five children. I have numerous contacts among their descendants.

• Sylvan David Adler, born in 1890 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married Rosabel Spaeth in 1913 and Myrtie Margarita Peterson in 1923. Rosabel lived until 1971, so the marriage must have ended in divorce. They did not have children. Myrtie had two children from her prior marriage to Henri Endress Alden, who died in 1920. In addition, Sylvan and Myrtie had three children. Sylvan died in 1948.
  
  
• Betty Jane Alden, born in 1918 in Falconer, New York. Married John Frederick Gilmartin, Jr. and had one child.
  
  
• John Emerson Alden, born in 1919 in Falconer, New York. Married Betty Margaret Wessels; no children.
  
  
• Sylvan David Adler, Jr, born in 1924 in New York. Married Barbara Dene Grant and had three children.
  
  
• Gloria Ann Adler, born in 1925 in Falconer, New York. Married Menzo Herriman Mattocks in 1943, then married Alpheus Taylor Gable in 1946 and had two children. After Alpheus died in 1973, Gloria married Marshall Florian Dunn.
  
  
• Louis Charles Adler, born in 1929 in Falconer, New York. Married and had one child.

• Hortense Theresa Adler, born in 1892 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married Jacob Gottlob and had two children.
  
  
• Mildred Adler, born in 1894 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mildred married Frank Charles Shisler and had two children.
  
  
• Robert Adler Shisler, born in 1917 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married Rosalie Levin and had two children.
  
  
• Betty Wunder Shisler, born in 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married Charles Arthur Asam and had three children.
  
  
• Erma Adler, born in 1899 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married David Alfred Sternberg and had a son.
  
  
• Ruth Katz Adler, born in 1901 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married Russell Simon Eichengreen and had a son.
  
  
• Russell Henry Eichengreen, born in 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Russell married Lydia Rose Ginsburg and had four children. Russell died in 2010, Lydia in 2008.

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Minna Adler (chart - Minna's family)

Minna Adler was born in 1873 in Nieder-Florstadt.  She married Bernhard Goldschmidt in 1895 and had four sons.  The family lived in Wiesbaden. Bernhard died in 1918. In 1936 Minna and Eduard came to America.  Leo had already settled here.   Minna died in 1941.

• Eduard Goldschmidt, born in 1897 in Wiesbaden.   He married Martha in 1927 in Wiesbaden; I've found no record of children. They emigrated to America in October 1936. Eduard died in 1994; the place of death is recorded as US Consulate in Frankfurt.
  
  
• Siegfried Goldschmidt, born in 1898 in Wiesbaden. He died at the age of 3 months.
  
  
• Leo Goldschmidt, born in 1900 in Wiesbaden. He emigrated to America in 1926 and married Paula May in 1931.  There’s no evidence of children.  There’s a record of them returning together from a trip abroad in 1952.   Leo died in 1962 in New York.

• Lothar Goldschmidt, born in 1904 in Wiesbaden. He married Eleanor Herbold  in Germany and had a daughter, Ingrid, in 1936 in Frankfurt. He emigrated to America in November 1936, followed by Eleanor and Ingrid in 1937. The family is recorded in the 1940 US census. Lothar subsequently changed his name to Lothar Gates. Eleanor remarried, to William K. Bargen.
  
  
• Ingrid Margit Goldschmidt, born in 1936 in Frankfurt. She married Frederick Carl Jurgens and had three chidren.