Julius and Bertha Meyerowitz papers

Julius Meyerowitz (1866-1946) was born to Hirsch and Lina Meyerowitz in Kovno (now Kaunas, Lithuania), before moving to Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1879. There he attended school at the Altstädtischen Gymnasium before studying at Albertus-Universität Königsberg (University of Königsberg) where he received a degree in pharmacy. He married Bertha Mottek (1878-1959) in 1900 and the couple had five children. Julius owned a pharmacy, called the Engel Drogerie, in Königsberg. Following Hitler's rise to power in 1933, it became obvious that Julius and Bertha would need to flee the country, which all five of their children had already done. Julius and Bertha applied for visas to the United States, and moved to Frankfurt, Germany while they waited for a response. When their paperwork was finally in order, the couple traveled to Portugal and Spain, before boarding the SS Marques de Camillas in Vigo, Spain. They arrived in New Orleans in December, 1942 and lived with their daughter and son-in-law, George and Charlotte Tuch. The Julius and Bertha Meyerowitz papers consists primarily of identification and immigration documents related to Julius and Bertha Meyerowitz, a Jewish couple that immigrated to the United States in 1942 to escape persecution in Germany. Included in the papers are birth and wedding certificates, documents related to Julius’ education and employment as a pharmacist, and passports. Also included are various documents the Meyerowitz’ family collected during the immigration process, such as boarding passes for their ship from Spain, alien registration cards, and certificates of health. The Julius and Bertha Meyerowitz papers contain documents related to the Meyerowitz’ immigration to the United States during World War II. Documents from their time in Königsberg include birth and wedding certificates, diplomas and report cards from Julius’ education as a pharmacist, a death notification for Julius’ mother, Lina, and a bill of sale for property appropriated by the Nazi regime. Another item is Julius’ military identification booklet from 1892, and his naturalization papers from when his family moved to Königsberg from Kovno. The immigration papers include various documents the Meyerowitz’ acquired while immigrating to the United States, such as alien registration cards, declaration of intention, naturalization papers, passports, and character witnesses. The papers acquired while in the United States include various correspondence concerning finances, identification cards such as a voting registration and social security card, and a photograph of Julius’ gravesite.