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Johanna Maass * 1886

Oberstraße 95 (Eimsbüttel, Harvestehude)

HIER WOHNTE
JOHANNA MAASS
JG. 1886
DEPORTIERT 1941
ERMORDET IN
MINSK

Johanna Maass, born 21.7.1886 in Hamburg, deported 18.11.1941 to Minsk

Oberstraße 95

Johanna Maass belonged to a Jewish family that played an important role in Hamburg's economic life. Under her grandfathers the Norddeutsche Affinerie, today the copper group "Aurubis", was founded. Her paternal grandfather, Louis Maass, was a director of the Norddeutsche Bank, which on April 28, 1866, turned precursor companies that can be traced back to 1783 into the copper producer. The other grandfather, Marco Salomon, "unfit for military service because of too small a size," rose from chemist in the "gold and silver refinery of L.R. Beit" to director of the Norddeutsche Affinerie. Their sons took other professional paths as merchants.

Until its relocation to Veddel in 1913, Norddeutsche Affinerie had its headquarters at 1 Elbstraße 31 (today: Neanderstraße), which was also the Salomon family's home address. Marco Salomon's wife Nannette, called Nanny, a née Salomon, also came from a merchant family. On Dec. 9, 1858, their son Julius was born, and on July 20, 1860, their daughter Mathilde.

Johanna's grandfather Louis Maass was married to the merchant's daughter Friederica, née Windmüller. They first lived at Bleichenbrücke 2, where their son Ernst was born on Oct. 7, 1851. He remained their only child. Their move to the bank's headquarters at Alterwall 16 was connected with Louis Maass' work as director of the Norddeutsche Bank.

Ernst Maass was not yet of age when he set up his own linen business in Fischertwiete in Hamburg's old town. Together with his co-owner F.H.E. Martens, he opened a second store at Hamburger Straße 13 in Uhlenhorst. When his father died on September 2, 1871, his mother took over the guardianship and shared the inheritance with him. On November 25, 1881, he acquired Hamburg citizenship.

In addition to his laundry business, on Jan. 1, 1882, Ernst Maass took over the publishing house Leopold Voss, which had emerged from the publishing house Voß & Leo, founded in Leipzig in 1791. The publishing house published scientific works. Ernst Maass also became treasurer of the scientific association (Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein) and historical association for the history of Hamburg (Verein für Hamburgische Geschichte) and chairman of the literary expert commission.

On December 17, 1882, he married Mathilde Salomon. She was nine years younger than him and still lived on 1 Elbstraße, where she had been born. Her father Marco represented her family at the marriage; Ernst Maass' family was represented by his uncle, Hermann Henry Windmüller, M.D., Friederica Maass' brother.

Ernst Maass at times had two or more business addresses and also several private addresses, in 1885 Bornstraße 1 was added, where Mathilde Maass gave birth to the two older daughters, Luise (12.6.1885) and a year later Johanna (21.7.1886). In April 1889, Ernst Maass applied for the first and only passport of his life, valid for England and France for one year. It shows that he was of medium height, had black hair and brown-gray eyes, an oval face, but no special distinguishing marks.

In 1889 he acquired a telephone line, and henceforth it was part of the life of every member of the family, including that of the unmarried daughters. In 1891, Ernst Maass handed over his share in the linen trading company to his co-owner F.H.E. Martens, who continued the business with a new partner under the traditional name, but kept Hamburger Straße 13 as his home address. Ernst Maass registered his publishing house at Rothenbaumchaussee 62 under his home address, the address of his uncle Hermann Windmüller. Margarete, the youngest, was born there on March 11, 1892. This was followed by 15 years in which the houses at Rothenbaumchaussee 67 and 71 became the family's center of life.

From 1894, the grandmother Friederica Maass lived in the household of her son Ernst. She moved in with him on April 20, 1894, and died just three months later on July 29, 1894, at the age of 67. From April 1897, the Salomon grandparents lived with their daughter Mathilde Maass and her family at Rothenbaumchaussee 67, where Marco Salomon died on January 24, 1900, at the age of nearly 83. He was buried in a double grave at the Jewish cemetery in Hamburg-Ohlsdorf. His widow Nanette left in October 1901 and moved to Rothenbaumchaussee 71. Their son Julius lived in the house next door until he moved to the Schlump in 1904. Nannette Nanny Salomon died at the age of 71 on September 14, 1907 and was buried next to her husband in the cemetery in Ohlsdorf. The civil announcements for both were made by their son Julius. He had married Agnes Lipmann (born July 8, 1870 in Breslau) on March 3, 1891. Soon after Nannette Salomon's death they moved (on 9.11.1909) to Wiesbaden. Their marriage remained childless.

On March 9, 1907, Ernst Maass and his family had moved their residence to Hartungstraße 12. The daughters Luise, Johanna and Margarete apparently enjoyed a school education and upbringing in private secondary schools befitting their status. It is known of Margarete that she attended the Elisabeth Goethe-Textor-Schule, Dr. Johannes Moltmann's Höhere Töchterschule at Hansastraße 3, and followed a language study trip to England. Since she was not yet of age, her father signed the application for her passport, valid for the year 1909/1910 for England. After her return, she worked as a student in the children's department of the Hamburg orphanage, a preparation for training as an infant nurse. Presumably Johanna received training as a clerk.

In the late afternoon of April 20, 1911, Ernst Maass ended his life in a hotel in Kiel. His farewell message indicated that he was in business difficulties and would not be returning to Hamburg. His body was transferred to Hamburg and buried in the Jewish cemetery in Hamburg-Ohlsdorf. (The funeral service was attended by numerous representatives of the associations and business friends, and the daily newspapers carried numerous tributes).

After Ernst Maass' death, his widow Mathilde moved with her daughter Johanna to Eppendorfer Baum 4. Margarete completed her training as a baby nurse in 1912 and lived at her respective workplace. At an unknown date, Luise became a housekeeper for the physician Siegmund Meyer at Welckerstraße 5. She was the only one of the three sisters to marry. On June 14, 1917, she entered into marriage with Max Moritz Stavenhagen, a successful wool importer. He had been married in his first marriage to Erna Simon (see same) and brought their daughter Rita into the marriage. On May 10, 1918 Luise's only child was born, the son Ernst Max, named after his grandfather and father.

Mathilde Maass paid a regular contribution to the Jewish community in Hamburg from April 25, 1918 until 1923. The source of her income is not known. She apparently had health problems. On presentation of a medical certificate, she applied for a passport in the summer of 1919, valid for Denmark for one year, at the same time as her daughter Margarete instead of Johanna, with whom she lived in the same household.

In 1920 Johanna Maass was also registered as a tax-paying member of the Jewish community in Hamburg. During the inflationary period, she was employed as an "auxiliary worker at the Hygiene Institute" from 1920 to 1923. What kind of activity this was and why it was only an auxiliary activity is not known. Meanwhile, her sister Margarete worked at the infant home in Hochallee and became a permanent head nurse at the "Committee for Children's Institutions," renamed the "Association of Municipal Children's and Youth Homes in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg" in 1933.

From 1925 Johanna Maass lived on the support of her siblings, especially her brother-in-law Max Stavenhagen. She first received a passport valid for Switzerland on May 7, 1925, which was extended twice until 1929. When applying, she gave "private secretary" as her occupation. What she used the passport for is not known. She was described in it as being of medium build with an oval face, brown eyes and dark hair, just like Margarete, but her sister Luise was blond and blue-eyed. Her mother, according to passport information, was "below medium height" and had blue-gray eyes; neither of them had any special distinguishing marks.

The transfer of power to Hitler on January 30, 1933, directly affected the Maass and Stavenhagen families that same year, but they were first affected by the death of Mathilde Maass on February 3, 1933. She was buried next to her husband Ernst in the Jewish cemetery in Ohlsdorf. The announcement at the registry office was made by her son-in-law Max Stavenhagen. Her last passport for Germany and abroad was still valid until April 1, 1933.

Margarete Maass, as a Jewish municipal employee, was dismissed on June 30, 1933, without any provision, due to the "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service". She then opened her own Jewish children's home, from which, however, she could not live.

Luise and Max Stavenhagen suffered a heavy loss in 1934, the death of their 16-year-old son Ernst. He died on August 15, 1934 in the Bethanien Hospital in Eppendorf as a result of polio. His aunt Margarete Maass reported his death to the registry office. Ernst was buried in the grave of the Stavenhagen family in the Jewish cemetery in Ohlsdorf. In the same year, his half-sister Rita Stavenhagen left Germany to find a position as a baby nurse in Switzerland or Italy. Eventually she reached Palestine.

The fact that Max Stavenhagen played a major role in the family-in-law also becomes clear from the fact that he helped his sister-in-law Margarete Maass to emigrate. When she emigrated to Palestine in 1936, he gave her 1250 RM to build up a new existence. He himself moved to Switzerland with his wife Luise in 1938. There is no evidence of emigration plans by Johanna Maass.

After the death of her mother, Johanna Maass gave up the apartment at Eppendorfer Baum 4, where they had lived together for over 20 years, and moved to Loogestraße 26. She left Eppendorf in 1936 and moved to Harvestehude, first to Oberstraße 95, from there to Hallerstraße 72, and from January 1939 lived as a subtenant with Ehrlich at Klosterallee 51.

In 1938, Johanna Maass once again obtained employment, namely in the Jewish community as a clerk in the secretariat of the "Department for Language and Trade Courses for Jewish Emigrants". Her income was taxable, and she also paid contributions to the community again. When declarations of assets were required from Jews in 1939, she declared 1000 RM as active assets, and her monthly expenses amounted to 282 RM. This amount was below the assessment limit for the imposition of a "security order" by the Chief Finance President.

When the transports to the alleged reconstruction in the East took place in October 1941, relatives of Johanna Maass were affected from the beginning. Lilly and Denny Windmüller were sent to the Lodz ghetto on October 25, 1941; Julie Egele Windmüller evaded this call by committing suicide. Emmy Ehrlich, with whom Johanna Maass had lived (see www.stolpersteine-hamburg.de), also belonged to this transport.

Johanna Maass herself received the summons to deportation at Klosterallee 51 for November 18, 1941.

What happened to her household effects is not known.

Johanna Maass' transport led to the ghetto of Minsk. There her trace of life is lost.

Translation by Beate Meyer
Stand: January 2022
© Hildegard Thevs

Quellen: 1; 2 F 1591 (Margarete Maass), R 1940/819 (Johanna Maass); 4; 5; 9; Hamburger Adressbücher; JFHH B10 – 316/17 (Maass), C10 - 18/19 (Salomon), M2 – 31 (Stavenhagen); StaH, 232-1 Vormundschaft, Serie II Nr. 3828; 332-5 Standesämter, 2638-1379/1882; 7886-1207/1894 StA 3; 7932-193/1817 StA 3; 7988-406/1907 StA3; 8119-10/1933; 8716-135/1917 StA 3; 8998-2457/1885; 9012-3248/1886; 9074-418/1892; 9872-527/1934 StA 3a; 332-7, Staatsangehörigkeitsaufsicht, B I a, 1849 Nr. 403, 1856 Nr. 704, 1860 Nr. 25; 332-8 Melderegister, K 6548, K 6849; A 24 Reisepassprotokolle, Bde 59/502/1889, 105/2950/1909, 108/2837/1910, 139/9450/1916, 142/12248/1916, 191/8649 u. 8650/1919, 250/18598/1921, 294/28166/1923, 296/31910/1923, 322/5687/1925, 329/18616/1925; 351-11 AfW, 7861; 13886; 352-5, 1934 StA 3a, Nr. 527; 552-1 Jüdische Gemeinden, 992 e 2 Band 1, 3; 731-8 (Zeitungsausschnittsammlung), A 762; StaBreslau II, Krs. Breslau, 3.3.1891, Nr. 251 (Ancestry); Stadtarchiv Kiel, StA I Kiel, 435/1911; www.stolpersteine-hamburg.de, Erna Simon; http://www.zeno.org/Schmidt-1902/A/Vo%C3%9F,+Familie, Zugriff 5.1.2017; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharina_Elisabeth_Goethe; https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=showPreviousRecord¤tResultId=%22johannes%22+and+%22moltmann%22%26any¤tPosition=15, Zugriff 16.1.17; Aurubis AG (Hrsg.): Cu 150.0 Tradition · Kompetenz · Innovation. 1866–2016. Die Geschichte des Kupferkonzerns. München, 2016.
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