BENSCH - ZINGEL - Escape from Jauer in 1930?

[allieeritter]

Was there a reason Germans fled Zlotoryja and surrounding areas around 1930? My great grandfather, Paul Bensch was born in 1890 in Kosendau, just east of Zlotoryja. In 1929, he was living with his wife and family in Jauer. He traveled for a few years and when he returned in 1933, his entire family was gone. Vanished. He never found them again. I would love to know where they went.

Paul Bensch went to the U.S. in 1933 and remarried. My grandfather would like to find his father's children from the first marriage in Jauer. Paul Bensch's parents were Wilhelm Bensch and Ernestine Zingel.

[Ostpreussin]

Hi Allieeritter,

unfortunately the evangelical church books for Jauer for the early 1930s, as well as the civil registers, were destroyed in WWII

Do you have any idea regarding the name of his first wife and/ or his children? Otherwise there is actually no chance to find them...

According to the adress book of Jauer of 1936, there lived a "Bensch, Gustav, Gendarmerie-Hauptwachtmeister a.D." (i.e. ex police detective) in "Vorwerkstr. 35" (street) in Jauer. Maybe a relative?

http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/w/index.php?title=Datei:Adressbuch_Jauer_1936.djvu&page=26&page=26

Regards, Tina

[Andi1912]

Dear Alleeritter,

To my knowledle there was no reason to flee from Goldberg (nowadays: Złotoryja) and surrounding areas around 1930. This region belonged to Prussia / Silesia before 1945 and the inhabitants were Germans. The only reason could have been Jewish relion.

However, to my opinion personal reasons are causal for his wife and family to leave Jauer. Maybe she felt alone when he traveled for a few years and someone else cared for her and her children - so she went off and away...

For Kosendau the Civil Registry Office in Röchlitz (nowadays: Rokitnica) was in charge. So you would be able to receive a copy of his civil birth record from the following archive: Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu Oddział w Legnicy. Correspondence in English is sufficient. Possibly additional notes (concerning his marriage, divorce or emigration) have been added later.

Kind regards, Andreas

[allieeritter]

Thank you for your help. I actually have a copy of his birth certificate. It is the only piece of information I have for him. The researcher who retrieved it from the archive said there were no other birth records for children by the same parents, even though my family believes there were more children. The researcher suspected other children were no born in Kosendau.

Unfortunately, I do not know Paul's wife's name. I only know he was married because I found his passenger record for his arrival in the U.S. in 1929 and it listed him as married and most recently living in Jauer. When he returned in 1933, he said he could find no family. We understood that to mean no one - wife, children, parents, cousins, etc.

Thank you again for your help!

[allieeritter]

Tina, it's possible the Gustav Bensch you found could be a relative, but he would likely be a cousin, rather than a brother...because my great grandfather was actually born Gustav Paul Bensch, but on every and all records except his birth record, he was listed as Paul Bensch. Thank you, Tina!

[Ostpreussin]

Allieeritter, you´re welcome. What does Paul´s birth certificate say about his parents? Where were they from? And what was Paul´s profession, when he was in the U.S.? Do you know what he worked when he was in Silesia? You said, he remarried in the US, what were the names of his children? Maybe he chose names similar to or alike the names his first wife or children had. And, very important, do you have the death certificates of his parents?
Regards, Tina

[Kasstor]

Hi,

It would have been helpful to look on the second part of the PL. Name of wife Rosa B., Altjauer Str. 27, in 1929.
Ernestine Bensch did live at Siedlung 16, Goldberg in 1933.

Regards,

Thomas

[allieeritter]

This forum has been so helpful! Tina, Thomas, Andreas - I'm so thankful for you all!
What is a "PL"?

I'll try to attach Paul's birth record - sent to me from a researcher in Legnica. I don't read German, so I just took his word that it was my great grandpa's birth record! I can read Gustav Paul Bensch and the birthdate and Kosendau - that's it! He told me the parents names. I wish I had the death certificates.

Paul was listed as an electrician or electrical engineer when he arrived in the U.S. in 1929. When he came back in 1933, he was listed as a cook. He worked at a fancy restaurant in New York City for the rest of his life. Not sure if this is true or not, but my grandpa says when his dad was very young, he worked on a ship that trapped jungle animals for European zoos. I have not found any information supporting that story.

Paul and his second wife had two boys - my grandfather, Paul George and David Michael.

[allieeritter]

I also received a private message on this website with this information:
In WWI he was Landwehr Infanterie Regiment 51, 2. Bataillon, 12. Kompanie
He was wounded and was a prisoner-of-war.

My grandpa never knew his dad was a prisoner of war. Very interesting information.

[allieeritter]

I see the site would not allow me to attach the image. Here's a link to Paul's birth record: https://goo.gl/photos/uBNysRcjr537jgVr7

[Kasstor]

Hi Allison,

PL = passenger list

Regards,

Thomas

[Rieke]

Hello Allison,


Standesamt Kosendau 28. Mai 1890, # 19
Civil Registration Office

The parents of Gustav Paul Bensch were

Wilhelm Bensch, his job is described as "Grossknecht" which is a foreman on a farm, like the head of the farm labourers

Ernestine Bensch, nee Zingel.

They both lived in Kosendau.

Oh, forgot the date of birth; 27th May 1890.

Liebe Gruesse
Rieke

[allieeritter]

Thank you! It feels great to finally have some answers. It's such a shame that christening and marriage records were destroyed. That would have been the easiest way to find children from the first marriage. My grandpa has Alzheimers now, but it would still be amazing to find half siblings, if they exist.

I can't believe his first wife's name and mother's name was on his passenger records all this time. I wish I had seen that years ago!

[Ostpreussin]

Allison, you should ask the "Kirchlicher Suchdienst" for information. but you have to hurry, because this institution shuts down by September 30th. Here is the link:

https://anfrage.kirchlicher-suchdienst.de/frameset.php?URL=de/10psucha.php?gruppe=121

This clerical institution collected immense amounts of information about people who had to leave the former easter German provinces after WWII. There is a good chance they have some information about Rosa Bensch. It will take some time until you will receive an answer, several weeks, but it´s definitely worth a try.

Good luck!
Tina

[allieeritter]

Thank you, Tina! I submitted my request for information. I hope they find something.

I found a death record on Ancestry.com for a Dorothea Erna (short for Ernestine?) Bensch born in 1915 in Breslau to a Gustav Paul Bensch and Elisabeth Apolina Rosa Bensch. I thought it might be a possible child of Paul & Rosa's...but it says Paul died in Breslau. Maybe they said he died, if he abandoned them?

Here's a link to the image, what do you think? Any way to verify Breslau births? Ancestry doesn't have a listing. https://goo.gl/photos/PRYBqHwDiQLU3qw1A