Hockenheimer, Loewenthal, Fraenkel, and Brock families papers
Extent and Medium
box
oversize folders
1
2
1 cassette,
1 DVD,
Creator(s)
- Fraenkel family
- Hockenheimer family
Biographical History
Ralph Hockley was born Rudolf (Rudi or Rudy) Hockenheimer on October 17, 1925, in Karlsruhe, Germany to Julius (Jules, b. October 22, 1886 in Hockenheim, Germany) and Lilli Hockenheimer (Lilly, née Loewenthal, b. March 10, 1900 in Munich, Germany) and had one sister, Marianne (later Pennekamp, b. May 14, 1924). Julius was the son of Maier and Johanna (Suess) Hockenheimer and had nine siblings: Albert, Karl, Louis, Bella, Siegmund, Josephine, Leopold, Amalie, and Fritz. Julius and Lilli married on March 15, 1923. In 1935, they moved with their children to Marseilles, France, after obtaining proper paperwork. When Rudi’s parents tried to extend their temporary residency permit in 1937 or 1938, they were arrested for residing in France illegally. Lilli was released to care for Rudi and Marianne, and Julius was tried, acquitted, and then released. Julius was re-arrested following the German invasion of France and interned at Les Milles as an enemy alien. In the second half of June 1940, just before the Franco-German armistice, Rudi and his mother and sister were evacuated from Marseilles and happened to find themselves at the same train station in Lourdes where his father’s train was stopped in route to the Saint Nicolas concentration camp. The family was able to visit until Rudi and his mother and sister were returned to their train and back to Marseilles. Julius was transferred to Gurs shortly after. Many of the family’s relatives were also sent to Gurs and were eventually deported to Auschwitz and killed. After Rudi was no longer permitted to attend school in September 1940, his mother offered his volunteer services as a translator for the American Friends Service Committee, the Quaker relief organization, and Rudi became a messenger for the AFSC’s operations in southern France, acting as a courier and liaison with the American Consulate in Marseilles. His connections undoubtedly helped his family get their visas, and in May 1941, the family boarded the Vichy French ship SS Winnipeg for the United States. The ship traveled to Africa and then from Dakar crossed the equator to the West Indies. It was heading for Martinique when it was captured by the British and taken to Trinidad. From there the family took the SS Uruguay to New York and then moved to Cincinnati to join relatives. Rudi joined the Army in 1943 and was transferred to Camp Ritchie, MD. He became naturalized American citizen in May 1944 in Fayetteville, NC., changed his name to Ralph Hockley, and was sent to France in March 1945 to work for the Counter-Intelligence Corps. He served in the Korean War, was eventually promoted to Second Lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Reserve, and spent 25 years in Germany as an Intelligence Officer for the US government. In 1956, he married fellow survivor Eva Fraenkel (b. March 18, 1936 in Berlin), who had escaped Germany to the United States via Portugal. After Eva passed away in 1983, Ralph married Carolyn Harris in 1988.
Eva Hockley (1936-1983) was born Eva Adele Fraenkel on March 18, 1936 in Berlin to Adolf (Aron) Fraenkel (1885-1952) and Hertha Fraenkel (nee Brock, 1897-1972) and had one brother, Gerd (1921-1939). Gerd died in Grimsby, England from a bacterial infection just before World War II. Eva immigrated to New York from Berlin in September 1941 via Portugal aboard the SS Serpa Pinto. Her parents immigrated to New York from Cardiff, England aboard the SS Curacao in 1943. Adolf’s parents were Chaim and Adele Fraenkel from Drohobycz (now Drohobych, Ukraine). Adolf’s brother Moritz (Moses, Maurice) survived the Holocaust, but most of the rest of the Fraenkel family perished. Hertha’s parents were Wilhelm and Meta Marie Brock. They immigrated to New York from Liverpool, England in 1940. Most of the Brock family survived the Holocaust.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ralph M. Hockley
Ralph Hockley donated Hockenheimer, Loewenthal, Fraenkel, and Brock families papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016.
Scope and Content
The Hockenheimer, Loewenthal, Fraenkel, and Brock families papers include photographs, family trees, biographical materials, identification papers, certificates, school records, immigration and naturalization records, correspondence, and research materials relating to Ralph Martin Hockley (formerly Rudolf Martin Hockenheimer), Eva Fraenkel Hockley, and their families from Germany. The papers document the Hockenheimer family’s experiences seeking refuge in France, working with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and immigrating to the United States via Trinidad; and the Fraenkel family’s experiences seeking refuge in England, immigration to the United States, and relatives in Drohobycz (now Drohobych, Ukraine). Records also document the Brock and Loewenthal families who were related to the Hockenheimer and Fraenkel families by marriage. The papers also include information about Dr. Howard E. Kershner and his service as director of AFSC wartime relief operations in southern France. Hockenheimer family materials include photographs, family trees, biographical materials, school and military records, and immigration and naturalization records. Photographs include two class photographs from Rudi Hockenheimer’s childhood, a photograph of Rudi in southern France, and a photograph of the American Friends Service Committee staff in southern France including Mary Elmes and Alice Resch Synnestvedt. Family trees describe the Hockenheimer and Loewenthal families. Documents related to Julius and Lilli Hockenheimer and their Hockenheimer relatives include family information, correspondence, photographs of tombs, citizenship records, and birth and marriage certificates. These records also include a deportation certificate and envelopes documenting Clara Hockenheimer’s deportation to Gurs. Rudi Hockenheimer’s school and military records include report cards from Germany and France, a diploma from France, and US military instructions. Immigration and naturalization records include correspondence, travel documents, and naturalization certificates. Fraenkel family materials include family trees, identification papers, certificates, correspondence, and research materials documenting Ralph Hockley’s first wife, Eva Fraenkel, and her family. Family trees document the Fraenkel and Brock families. Eva Fraenkel Hockley and Fraenkel family materials include identification papers; birth, marriage, residency, vaccination, and naturalization certificates; drivers’ licenses; and correspondence. Research material documents Ralph Hockley’s efforts to understand the fate of Kurt Fraenkel. Additional documentation includes correspondence and memorial records documenting Dr. Howard E. Kershner, his work as director of the American Friends Service Committee programs in France during the Holocaust including feeding programs and children's colonies, and his legacy. Dr. Kershner materials also include and audiotape recording of his memorial service. This series also includes a report on the fate of Jews from Hockenheim and a DVD containing a photomontage created for Ralph Hockley’s 90th birthday.
System of Arrangement
The Hockenheimer, Loewenthal, Fraenkel, and Brock families papers are arranged in three series: Series 1: Hockenheimer family materials, 1886-2016 Series 2: Fraenkel family materials, 1894-2013 Series 3: Additional documentation, 1981-2015
People
- Fraenkel family
- Hockenheimer family
- Hockley, Eva, 1936-1983.
- Kershner, Howard Eldred, 1891-1990.
- Hockley, Ralph, 1925-
Corporate Bodies
- American Friends Service Committee
Subjects
- Quakers--France.
- World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--France.
- Serpa Pinto (Steamship)
- Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Karlsruhe (Germany)
- Hamburg (Germany)
- Jews--France--History--20th century.
- Marseilles (France)
- Jewish refugees--Travel--United States.
Genre
- Photographs.
- Document