Ernest Steen papers
Extent and Medium
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1
Creator(s)
- Ernest Steen
Biographical History
Ernest Steen (1911-1987) was born Ernst Levistein on 15 July 1911 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany to Henrietta (1881-1942, née Langenbach) and Adolf Levistein (1881-1935). He had one sister Erna (b. 1907, later Erna Oppenheim). Prior to the war, Ernest worked for R. & W. Nathan, a women’s and children’s shoe manufacturer in Frankfurt. Ernest’s employment was terminated in 1938, and he left Germany for London. He immigrated to the United States aboard the S.S. Scythia in May 1940. He moved to Chicago where he knew the family of Carl Nathan. He was drafted into the United States Army in December 1942. Ernest received military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie (Camp Albert C. Ritchie) in Maryland in 1943. He was attached to the 80th Infantry Division (APO 80), 317th Infantry Regiment. In Europe he interrogated German prisoners-of-war and interpreted captured documents. Ernest was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. He was discharged from the army in December 1945, and returned to Chicago. Ernest worked as a shoe salesman, and married Ruth Liss on 24 December 1950. They had two daughters, Helene (b. 1952), and Jacqui (b. 1954, later Jacqu Barrientos). Ernest’s sister immigrated to the United States prior to World War II, and lived with her family in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother Henrietta was unable to secure a visa to emigrate from Germany. She was deported from Frankfurt on 19 October 1941 to Łódź ghetto, where she perished on 8 February 1942 in the ghetto hospital.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum collection, gift of Jacqui Barrientos
Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2020 by Jacqui Barrientos, daughter of Ernest Steen.
Scope and Content
The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of Ernest Steen (born Ernst Levistein), originally of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, including his employment in Frankfurt, immigration to the United States in 1940, and service during World War II in the United States Army. Included are a small number of personal and biographical papers, clippings, newsletters, songs and poems, and military papers. Correspondence includes letters Ernest received from his mother Henrietta Steen (née Langenbach) in Frankfurt July 1940-August 1941, prior to her deportation to Łódź ghetto in October 1941. Photographs include depictions of Ernest’s childhood and life in Frankfurt as well as photographs taken of Europe while he was in the army.
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged as three series. Series 1. Personal papers, 1897-1967 Series 2. Correspondence, circa 1925-1960 Series 3. Photographs, circa 1913-circa 1945
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Copyright Holder: Ms. Jacqui Barrientos
People
- Oppenheim, Erna.
- Steen, Ernest, 1911-1987.
- Levistein, Adolf, 1881-1935.
- Levistein, Henrietta, 1881-1942.
- Ernest Steen
Corporate Bodies
- Camp Albert C. Ritchie (Md.)
- United States. Army. Infantry Division, 80th
Subjects
- Fort Ritchie (Md.)
- World War, 1939-1945--Veterans--United States.
- Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
- United States--Emigration and immigration.
- Jews--Germany--Frankfurt am Main.
Genre
- Photographs.
- Letters.
- Document