Trompetter family papers

Identifier
irn167715
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1993.4.13
  • 1993.4.1-1993.4.9
  • 2005.71
Dates
1 Jan 1934 - 31 Dec 1949
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
  • Dutch
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folders

7

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Morris Trompetter worked as a diamond cutter in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He married Femma Worms, and had two children; Marianne in 1935 and Sylvia in 1940. The family lived in a Jewish neighborhood but were not observant. In 1940, the Netherlands were invaded by the Nazis, and for the next three years, the Trompetters were allowed to continue to live in their own apartment. During this time Femma assisted the Dutch resistance and was given the false identity, Else Jansen. In 1943, Morris was arrested by the Dutch police and sent to the s'Hertogenbosch transit camp. Eleven months later, Morris was deported to Auschwitz, where he was sent to work in the IG Farben plant in the Monowitz subcamp. Due to his fluency in English, Morris also served as a translator for prisoners of war who were held there. Towards the end of the war, Morris was sent on a death march to Ebensee, but was liberated by U.S. forces. Meanwhile, shortly after Morris’ arrest in Amsterdam, Femma, Marianne, and Sylvia were arrested and placed in a theatre named the Hollandsche Schouwburg, which was being used as a holding facility for Jews. During their stay, Marianne contracted scarlet fever and was sent to the hospital. Sylvia and Femma were allowed to remain in the theatre. One day, the Dutch police raided the hospital, but Marianne evaded them and escaped from the building. She traveled to her grandmother’s house, who put her under the care of Joop Woortman, whose NV (Naamlose Vennootschap) network, helped find families to care for and hide Jewish children. He also helped Femma and Sylvia to find homes as well. Marianne, Sylvia, and Femma all stayed in separate homes until the war ended. They eventually all reunited, along with Morris. Most of Morris’ and Femma’s family perished in the Holocaust. The family immigrated to the United States in 1949, and Morris resumed his work as a diamond cutter.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Marianne Trompetter Dazzo

The Trompetter family papers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Marianne Trompetter Dazzo, in 1993 and 2003. These two donations were given separate accession numbers: 1993.4 and 2005.71. These papers were unified using the first baseline number: 1993.4. To reflect its relation to the collection, all of the Trompetter family papers can be accessed through the accession number 1993.4.13.

Scope and Content

The Trompetter family papers document the family’s experiences in the Netherlands during the German occupation, and include records pertaining to their efforts to locate other family members during and after the war, including correspondence with the Red Cross. Other items include identification documents for Femma and Morris Trompetter, their extended family tree, and photographs of their children, Marianne and Sylvia, as well as other relatives. The Trompetter family papers contain primarily records relating to their efforts in locating family members after the war. Many of the responses are from the Red Cross, which attempted to track down relatives, and often delivered the news that they had perished. The papers pertaining to Morris include identification papers, a certificate for diamond cutting, and a medical clearance certificate. Femma’s papers include an identification card, both of her real name and her alias Else Jansen, which she used as part of the Dutch resistance. They also include authorization notes for Femma to take back her children after the war, and a military pass. Other items in the collection are a family tree, photographs of the Trompetter children and relatives, and a propaganda newspaper dropped by Allied forces entitled, De Vliegende Hollander, following Germany’s surrender in May, 1945.

System of Arrangement

The Trompetter family papers are arranged as a single series.

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.