The Levy Family from Roehrenfurth and Melsungen
(Excerpt, the ancestors of Alice Scherwin)
First Generation :
1. Itzig / Isaak Levi, born 16.12.1766 in Roehrenfurth, son of Jehuda ha Levi, He was a merchant and served in the Jewish community as prayer (Vorbeter) and Schofarblaeser (windplayer ?). He married Elle Speyer, born 07.01.1762 in Roehrenfurth, daugther of Nathaniel. Itzig and Elle Speyer had three sons:
+ 2. Leib Levi, born 23.04.1797 in Roehrenfurth
3. Liebmann Levi, born 11.01.1801 in Roehrenfurth
4. Sandel Levi, born 22.05.1804 in Roehrenfurth
Itzig Levi died on 20.03.1842 in Roehrenfurth. He is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Binsfoerth, grave no. 167. Elle Levi died on 03.05.1844 in Roehrenfurth. She is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Binsfoerth, grave no.145.
Second Generation :
2. Leib Levi / Levy, born 23.04.1797 in Roehrenfurth. He married on 25.08.1830 Hanna / Hannchen Kaufmann, born 20.02.1811, daughter of Joseph Mendel Kaufmann and his wife Thels / Thelze, née Apt from Melsungen. Leib and Hanna Levi lived in Roehrenfurth house no. 14. They had twelve children:
5. Tels Levy, born 12.06.1831 in Roehrenfurth
+ 6. Sandel Levy, born 07.02.1833 in Roehrenfurth
7. Dina Levy, born 06.09.1834 in Roehrenfurth
8. Eddel Levy, stillborn 13.07.1839 in Roehrenfurth
9. Eddel /Ettel Levy, born 13.07.1839 in Roehrenfurth
10. Breine Levy, born 27.01.1841 in Roehrenfurth
11. Jachet Levy, born 11.11.1842 in Roehrenfurth
+ 12. Isaak Levy, born 18.08.1844 in Roehrenfurth
13. Ella Levy, born 24.04.1846 in Roehrenfurth, she died on 26.10.1850 in Roehrenfurth.
+ 14. Mendel Levy, born 05.08.1847 in Roehrenfurth
15. Liebmann Levy, born 02.08.1850 in Roehrenfurth
16. stillborn, female, 21.03.1852 in Roehrenfurth.
Hanna Levy died on 28.03.1876 at the age of 64 years in Roehrenfurth, she is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen. Leib Levy died on 16.06.1899 in Roehrenfurth, he is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen.
Third Generation :
6. Sandel Levy, born 07.02.1833 in Melsungen. He married on 29.10.1862 in Roehrenfurth Adelheid Levy, born 01.03.1842, daughter of Liebmann Levy and his wife Breine, née Plaut-Koenig. Sandel Levy died on 01.05.1895 at the age of 62 years in Roehrenfurth, he in buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen.
12. Isaak Levy, born 18.08.1844 in Roehrenfurth. He married Marianne Bachrach, born 21.02.1852 in Mansbach. He announced the death of his mother in the registry office. Isaak Levy died on 06.02.1923 in Roehrenfurth, he is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen. Marianne Levy died on 23.01.1929 in Roehrenfurth. She is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen.
14. Mendel Levy, born 05.08.1847 in Roehrenfurth. He married on 05.12.1876 in Fulda Lina Mehrgut, from Rhina, born 30.01.1854, daughter of Wolf Mehrgut and his wife Minna, née Hahn from Ronshausen. Mendel and Lina Levy lived in Roehrenfurth house no. 14. They had two children:
+ 17. Leopold Levy, born 07.10.1877 in Roehrenfurth
+ 18. Johanna Levy, born 26.03.1885 in Roehrenfurth.
Lina Levy died on 14.05.1917 in Roehrenfurth, she is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen. Mendel Levy died on 13.06.1919 at the age of 71 years in Roehrenfurth, he is buried on the Jewish cemetery of Melsungen.
Fourth Generation :
17. Leopold Levy, born 07.10.1877 in Roehrenfurth. He married on 19.02.1909 in Korbach Paula Mosheim, born 18.01.1885 in Korbach, daughter of Samuel / Sally Mosheim and his wife Johanna, née Stern. Leopold and Paula Levy lived in Melsungen, Spangerweg 23 (today: Carl-Braun-Straße 23). Leopold Levy was a merchant, he dealed with oil and grease. He had the nick-name „Fett Levy“ Leopold and Paula Levy had three children:
+ 19. Henny Levy, born 18.05.1910 in Melsungen
+ 20. Wilhelm Levy, born 07.09.1914 in Melsungen
+ 21. Werner Levy, born 25.12.1916 in Melsungen.
Leopold Levy took part in WW I and was wounded. Paula Levy tried to escape in January 1938. She had a passport, valid till May 1939. But the document was taken away from her in Konstanz when she tried to cross the border to Switzerland. Leopold and Paula Levy were deported on 07.09.1942 from Kassel to Theresienstadt. Leopold was murdered there on 30.12.1942. Paula Levy was deported from there on 12.10.1944 to Auschwitz. In May 2010 Stolpersteine were put for Leopold and Paula Levy in front of the house in Meslungen, Carl-Braun-Strasse 23.
18. Johanna Levy, born 26.03.1885 in Roehrenfurth, she was married to Hermann Levy, born 22.08.1872 in Melsungen, son of Leib Levi and his wife Esther, née Speier. Johnna and Hermann Levy lived in Kassel Kronprinzenstrasse 10 ½ since 01.11.1911 and since 12.10.1932 in Kirchweg 32. In November 1938 Hermann Levy was arrested in Buchenwald. On 31.01.1941 Johanna and Hermann Levy had to leave their home and moved into Moltkestrasse 1 and on 25.09.1941 into Entengasse 22. They were deported on 07.09.1942 from Kassel to Theresienstadt with the transport no. XV/1 and from there on 28.10.1944 with the transport no. EV to Auschwitz where they were murdered. After war the three children of Leopold and Paula demanded compensation for their uncle and aunt. In 1014 Stolpersteine were put for Johanna and Hermann Levy in Kassel Kirchweg 82.
Fifth Generation :
19. Henny Levy, born 18.05.1910 in Melsungen. She emigrated on 05.06.1933 to Torino/Italy. Later in the 30th and during the war she lived in London, where she met her husband Emile Changeat, from France. „He was much more older than Henny. She married him as he promised her that he had connections and could free her parents which turned out not to be true.“
(Alice Scherwin, e-mail from 07.03.2019).
After war about 1947/48 they emigrated into the USA. Henny Changeat died on 14.03.1988 in New York.
20. Wilhelm / William Levy, born 07.09.1914 in Melsungen. He emigrated in 1936 into the USA. He married Gertrude Ranis from Darmstadt. William and Getrude Levy had two daughter:
+ 22. Marion Levy
+ 23. Alice Paula Levy.
William Levy died during a visit in Germany in Hinterzarten on 18.06.1969 at the age opf 55 years. (registry offce Hinterzarten, death record no. 5/1969)
21. Werner Levy, born 25.12.1916 in Melsungen. He emigrated am 23.02.1934 into the USA and lived in New York. He died on 12.01.1985 in Hollywood, Florida.
Sixth Generation :
22. Marion Levy, married Wassinger, Marion Wassinger had a son.
23. Alice Paula Levy, born 22.01.1952, she is married on 29.10.1972 to Mark Scherwin. Alice Paula and Mark Scherwin have two children.
Sources:
– www.lagis-hessen.de – Jewish gravesites
– Hessian Vital Records
– www.bundesarchiv.de/gedenkbuch/directory.html.de – Suche im Namesverzeichnis
– www.gedenkportal-korbach.de – Familienchronik der juedischen Gemeinde,
Mosheim, no. 98-103, Levy no. 58.
– Karl Wilke: Die Geschichte der juedischen Gemeinde Korbach. Korbach 1993. p.204.
Researched and compiled by
Hans-Peter K l e i n Melsungen, February 2019