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Auschwitz

One of my girls is doing a research paper for her English class and her thesis  - I forget the exact wording - concerns Auschwitz, the conditions there specifically and Hitler's prejudice against Jews. While she was surfing to find some additional credible sources, she came across the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The site offers a database of those imprisioned at Auschwitz. While the Museum states it is unlikely to ever actually conatin ALL the names of those who entered the camp, it is compiled from the original SS paperwork. However, the SS ordered many of the records destroyed.

The database pulls its information from several resources:
  • Death Books
  • Digital Repository—Prisoners of and Deportees to Auschwitz
  • Gypsy Family Camp Record Books
  • Memorial Resources
The site does a great job explaining the references and terms as well, in addition to some of the more common translations.

I search for Hruszczak, Kurenda and Skrabalek but found no one. When I searched Matys though I discovered 19 entries. Some appear to be the same person, like Aleksander Matys below.
         
  • From the data contained in the so called Death Books of Auschwitz Concentration Camp Matys, Aleksander
    Wolka Abramowska
    b.1919-02-17 (Wolka Abramowska), denomination:katholisch, remarks:zgin.1942-03-05 w Auschwitz
  • From the data contained in the Digital Repository Matys, Aleksanderb.1919-02-17
  • Z danych zawartych w dokumentacji transporĂłw do KL Auschwitz z Lublina Matys, Aleksanderb.1919-02-17 (WĂłlka Abramowska), camp serial number:19476, profession:kowal, remarks:+ 4.3.1942 w Auschwitz
  • From the data contained in the Digital Repository Matys, Alexanderb.1919-02-17, camp serial number:19476, remarks:W archiwum i zintegrowanych danych cyfrowych znajduje się więcej niĆŒ jeden dokument dla tej osoby/In the Archives and integrated digital collection are more than one document for this person

  • Now I have to admit that I have no clue if any of the people listed are in fact related. However it is unusal for me to find family names. My great grandmother - Bessie Matys - was born 5 June 1895 in Fraga, Rohatya, Galicia. She immigrated by herself in 1913 meeting up with her brother - Frank - who had come over earlier with his wife and child. Frank was living in Coatesville, Chester County, PA and Bessie lived with them. It was there she met Panko Hruszczak whom she would marry in 1915.

    Church records identified her parents as Joseph Matys and Olena Vaspleship. They never immigrated and of them I know nothing.


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