Slezinger

[GeePee]

My wife's family come from Croatia and we have found a little information about her ancestory, but and there is a big BUT, we have come to a full stop. Trouble is, she was the only survivor from the Holocaust and all (or nearly all) her family records have been lost.
Recently, we have found that her father's brother emigrated to N America from Kosica, Croatia and his father's name was Adolf, when he was about 18 years old and that would have been somewhere in the early 1900's - est. 1915-18....his surname was Slezinger and he had a daughter, who did ballet. So not a lot to go on there 
We do know that he emigrated to Detroit, Michigan.
So, question. Does this forum get  read in the USA? Or, is there a better (Forum) line of research that we might try?

[Redroger]

Remember the surname Slezinger could have been spelt in a variety of ways. What the immigration officer heard or thought he heard.

[aghadowey]

Have split your post and moved it to Beginners board so it doesn't get lost on the long thread you started it on.

We have lots of members in U.S., and around the world, that do a fantastic job of finding information. Just remember not to post details of living, or possibly, living people.

There will probably be lots of variations to the surname- Slazinger and Schlesinger are two.

[GeePee]

Thanks both. Yes, Slesinger, Slezinger, Schlesinger etc etc.. It is a bit of a long shot, but if my success in my maternal, scottish line results is anything to go by, long shots are a speciality on this forum.

[JustinL]

Are you sure about Kosica in Croatia? Was that the town given on the ship's manifest?

Have you looked for your wife's murdered family members in the Shoah Victims Database at the Yad Vashem website? Can you reveal any of their names?

There were a great many Schlesingers from Zagreb.

Justin

[GeePee]

Good question. When my wife's dad met her mother, he and his family were living in Kosice - BUT, there were also reported links to Nova Gradiska.
Kosice, (I miss-spelt it in my other post) is between Zagreb and Slavonski Brod.
Yes, we have looked up the Shoah Victims website and we have been to Ozwiecim (Auschwitz) where the family perished to see if we could get any more info there. A very helpful gentleman Simon (Shimon),  did searches for us and found only my wife's uncle's prison number, but nothing for the rest - we assume they went into Auschwitz II along the road.
And, yes it is a very common name, so not high hopes if any progress.
Graham

[JustinL]

Graham,

I still cannot find Kosice.

Can you see it listed here http://www.fallingrain.com/world/HR/a/K?

What were the names of your wife's parents?

Justin

[GeePee]

Graham,

I still cannot find Kosice.

Can you see it listed here http://www.fallingrain.com/world/HR/a/K?
What were the names of your wife's parents?
Justin

See this Via Michelin Map
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Cartes?layers=0001&strLocid=31NTExaHF5MTBjTkRVdU5qZ3dOUT09Y01UY3VOelEwTlRJPQ==
No, I cannot find it listed on that list. Wifes parents were Elvira (kohn) and Marko Slezinger.
Edit: This is the family...My wife's Grandparents were Adolf Slezinger & Gisela Gluck
Their children were:- Marko, (wife's father)b 20/4/1897 Kozice, Karl, Jelka, Thea, Elso & Olga who married Josip Spicer.
Wife's mother was Elvira KOHN b 7/6/1895 Novi Gradiska and she had 17 siblings, Rudolf Kolar whos prison number was found in Auschwitz, + Elza, Sidonija, Mila, Oskar Albert and ten more.
Graham

 

[JustinL]

Graham,

Thanks, I've finally found it.

Kozice in the province of Viroviticko-Podravska.

I have had an interesting time looking into the Croatian Jewry and can make the following recommendations.

Firstly, read this article by Ed Zwieback: http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/croatia.htm

Ed refers to Register Offices (Matični Ured) and Regional Acrhives (Državni Arhiv). After a bit of digging I have come up with the following addesses:

For the Slezinger family of Kozice, I would guess that Slatina would be the appropriate municipality.

GRAD SLATINA (= Town Slatina)
Trg Svetog Josipa 10
33520 Slatina
Croatia

AND

DRŽAVNI ARHIV OSIJEK (= Osijek Regional Archives)
Kamila Firingera 1   
31000 Osijek
Croatia

For the Kohn family:

MATIČNI URED NOVA GRADIŠKA
Trg Kralja Tomislava 1
35400 Nova Gradiška
Croatia

AND

DRŽAVNI ARHIV SLAVONSKI BROD
A. Cesarca 1   
35000 Slavonski Brod
Croatia

Have at lool at these links: http://www.feefhs.org/links/croatia.html

I would also contact Ed who seems to be the nearest thing to an expert on Croatian Jewry. He has a new email address which I wil send to you by PM.

Justin