Arthur and Meta Grünebaum Schmitt papers
Extent and Medium
folders
3
Creator(s)
- Meta Schmitt
- Arthur Schmitt
Biographical History
Arthur Schmitt (1909-1991) was born November 24, 1909 in Hirschaid, Germany to Moritz Schmitt and Paula Dingfelder Schmitt. He immigrated to the United States via Antwerp aboard the SS Westernland, arriving in New York in August 1938. He married Meta Grünebaum in 1942 and served in the U.S. Army for three years. His parents are believed to have been deported to a killing center in Poland in 1941 and murdered.
Meta Schmitt (1917-2002) was born Meta Grünebaum on December 18, 1917 to Simon Grunebaum (b. June 15, 1881) and Helena Samuel Grünebaum (b. May 13, 1881) in Wenkheim (now Werbach), Germany. She immigrated to the United States via Paris aboard the SS Paris in August 1937 with her uncle Louis Grünebaum. She married Arthur Schmitt in January 1942. Her parents were deported to France in October 1940, interned at Gurs, deported via Drancy to Auschwitz on August 14, 1942, and murdered.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Helen Schmitt
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Helen Schmitt
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, gift of Helen Schmitt
Helen Schmitt donated the Arthur and Meta Grünebaum Schmitt papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017, 2019, and 2022. Helen Schmitt is the daughter of Arthur and Meta Grunebaum Schmitt.
Scope and Content
The Arthur and Meta Grünebaum Schmitt papers consist of biographical materials, military records, and photographs documenting Arthur Schmitt and Meta Grünebaum Schmitt. Biographical materials include identification papers, birth certificates, a ketubah, and restitution papers documenting Arthur and Meta Schmitt. Military records include a V-mail letter from Lt. Felder to Arthur Schmitt, separation records, and a 1992 memorial certificate from President George Bush. Photographs depict the Schmitt and Gruenebaum families in prewar Germany.
System of Arrangement
The Arthur and Meta Grünebaum Schmitt papers are arranged in three files: Biographical materials, Military records, and Photographs.
People
- Arthur Schmitt
- Meta Schmitt
Subjects
- United States--Emigration and immigration--20th century.
- Germany
- German American soldiers--United States.
- Jewish refugees--United States.
- Jewish soldiers--United States.
Genre
- Document