Overview
- Description
- Consists of papers and photographs related to family of Julius, Netty, and John (Hans) Butzke, originally of Vienna, Austria. Includes papers from Julius's pre-war work as an accountant, Netty's pre-war work as a nurse (including service during World War I) and the official papers they collected to support their attempts to immigrate. Includes passports and other travel documents, and documents establishing their lives in the United States.
This collection is an excellent example of a small family collection related to immigration from Vienna to the United States. Pre-war documents establish the family’s life in Vienna, while also demonstrating Julius Butzke’s detailed attempts to collect genealogical records to assist with their eventual emigration from Vienna. The collection also details the family’s life in the United States. A large collection of family photographs inserted into a photograph album shows pre-war life in Vienna. - Date
-
inclusive:
1899-2000
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Richard Butzke, Eva Butzke Wien, and the Butzke family
- Collection Creator
- Butzke family
- Biography
-
Julius Butzke was born on April 14, 1899 in Vienna, Austria. He trained as an accountant. On June 15, 1923, he married Netty Freiberger, who had been born on November 14, 1899, and had worked as a nurse during World War I. On March 28, 1929, she gave birth to the couple's only child, a son named Hans. In the 1930s, Julius collected family birth certificates, baptismal records, and other identity papers to support his family's attempts to emigrate. Netty worked for the Jewish Community of Vienna's hospital until 1939. In 1940, the family was able to emigrate, first to Panama and then to the United States. Hans changed his name to John and attended the City University of New York and later served in the United States Marine Corps, fighting in Korea. Julius Butzke passed away in 1942, and Netty in 1985. John Butzke passed away in 2010.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs. Photograph albums.
- Extent
-
1 box
1 oversize box
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Richard Butzke and Eva Butzke Wien donated this papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-24 13:35:56
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn34202
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-
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Also in John Butzke family collection
The collection consists of a teddy bear, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Hans (later John) Butzke and his parents Julius and Netty before and during the war in Vienna, Austria, and in Panama and the United States following their 1940 immigration.
Date: 1899-2000
Steiff teddy bear used to smuggle valuables out of Vienna
Object
Golden brown Steiff bear owned by Hans Butzke and used by his parents, Julius and Netty, to smuggle family valuables out of Vienna, Austria, when they left for Panama in early 1940. Jews were not permitted to take valuables from Germany, so Netty sewed the items, including a ring and possibly pearls, inside the bear. She told Hans not to let anyone take it from him, but did not tell him about the jewels hidden inside. The bear wears Hans’ baby clothes. On March 13, 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. In early 1940, the family left by train for Amsterdam. German soldiers on the train took the bear away from Hans, 10. He screamed and the men threw the bear back at him while calling him names. The family sailed to Panama. A few months later, they reached the United States and settled in Brooklyn.
