Family Story Finder

The sweep of family history across the generations

Arson! The Paechter family store is targeted
  • 1898 -

In 1898, Paechter’s Kaufhaus in Tiegenhof came under repeated anti-Semitic arson attacks.  

Margot Dränger's survival story
  • June 1939 - January 1945

Helga's second cousin suffered unimaginable traumas in and around Krakow from 1939 to 1945. She survived and gave testimony later in life

Sidney Kessler and American Spirits
  • -

Walter Ruby's boss in the liquor business became an influential figure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

The Clerc jewelry aryanization files
  • 1940 - January 1701

The Clerc jewelry assets were seized and resold to an Aryan buyer. The Nazis kept perfect records of the transactions.

Wild goose chase—an accident in Jersey City
  • -

A newspaper clipping placed Walter Ruby on the scene of an automobile wreck in Hudson County, N.J. Not every lead pans out.