Freud family papers

The Freud family papers consist of biographical material, correspondence, diaries, calendars, and subject files relating to Martin, Ernestine, Sophie, and Walter Freud’s pre-war experiences in Austria and fleeing to France and England. The collection also includes material relating to Ernestine and Sophie’s immigration to the United States and Ernestine’s career. Biographical material includes a birth certificate, engagement certificate for Esti and Martin, appointment of Esti to the University of Vienna, and the last will and testament for Esti as well as a letter from the Ministry of Justice in Paris stating that her application for naturalization in France is being considered and a letter from the Dean of Philosophy Department at the University of Vienna stating that according to the law of April 22, 1938, she was no longer permitted to teach. The series also includes a birth certificate, copy of a birth certificate, and verification of birth for Sophie Freud. Correspondence includes pre-war and wartime letters and photocopies between Martin, Esti, Walter, and Sophie while living in Vienna, France, London, and the Unites States as well as correspondence from Esti’s parents prior to being deported and letters from Martha Freud, Martin’s mother, before and during the war. The series also includes correspondence from Esti to Walter, his wife Annette, and their children in London as well as letters and photocopies from Herald and Edith Hauser to Sophie. Also included is a letter from Martin to Princess Bonaparte thanking her for helping to save his family, a letter from Marin to the bank regarding sending money to Esti and Sophie in France, and letters from other members of the Freud family, including a letter from Sigmund to his son, Martin. Sophie Freud kept three diaries from 1938-1942. The first diary, entitled “Ein Winter von Sophie Freud” is written in French and German and dates from 1938-1941. The second diary, entitled “Kriegswinter” is written in German and dates from 1940-1941. The third diary is written in German and dates from 1941-1942. Sophie began her diaries after fleeing from Vienna to France where she lived with her mother and attended school. The third diary begins when Sophie is still living in France and the entries continue to include leaving for Casablanca, waiting for visas to the United States, and waiting in Lisbon to leave for America. The diary also includes a photograph of Sophie and Henry. This series also includes calendars kept my Martin Freud in 1941 and 1947 and include daily notes. Subject files includes a manuscript written by Esti Freud, report cards for Sophie from the Academy for Young Ladies in Nice, France, and a brochure for the Sport and Physical Education Society. Martin Freud (1889-1967) was born in Vienna, Austria to Dr. Sigmund Freud, the psychiatrist, and Martha Bernays (1861–1951). In 1908 Martin entered a university to study law. He was an enthusiastic sportsman and, being politically engaged, joined a Zionist movement, "The Kadimah" (Forward). In 1910 he joined the Imperial horse artillery, and when World War I broke out, he volunteered for military service. In January 1915 he was stationed in the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. After being slightly wounded in August 1915, he was promoted to lieutenant, but was taken prisoner of war. He was released in 1919. Martin met Ernestine “Esti” Drucker (1896-1980) at a party during the war and they corresponded regularly during his imprisonment as a prisoner of war. Esti came from an affluent assimilated Jewish Viennese family and served as a volunteer Red Cross nurse from September 1914 to January 1915. She then took up speech instruction. On December 7, 1919 they were married in Vienna and had two children, Walter (1921-2004) and Sophie (b. 1924). Martin was employed as a clerk in a newly created bank in Vienna, but with his background in law, he became increasingly involved in his father's investments and helped manage the publication of his books. Esti began teaching speech techniques for people with speech impairments and voice disorders and became a speech, voice, and hearing therapist. In 1932, she became a lecturer and teacher at the Vienna University for voice and speech techniques. After the German invasion of Austria in 1938, Esti received a letter from the Department of Education revoking her teaching contract at the university, and the family made plans to emigrate from Austria. In May 1938, they received their passports and on May 14, 1938, Sophie and her mother took the night train from Vienna to Paris. Martin, who had become estranged from his wife, left for London on the next day with Walter. In the meantime, the persecution of Dr. Sigmund Freud by the Nazis in Vienna had made headlines throughout the world, and in June 1938, Sigmund and the rest of the Freud family also left for London. In Paris, Esti organized a speech and voice rehabilitation clinic and enrolled Sophie in the high school Lycée Jean-de-La-Fontaine. In May 1940, Sophie heard that the population from northern France was leaving in a panic because the Germans had broken through the Maginot Line, which was the defense line on the French - Belgian border. On June 8, 1940, Esti and Sophi left Pairs on bicycles and headed south toward Nice. Esti found work as a speech therapist, and Sophie continued her schooling at the Lycee de Nice. The situation in Nice deteriorated quickly after racial laws were enacted, and food shortages became acute. Esti and Sophie sought refuge elsewhere. Esti's sisters, Lily and Marianne (Janne) and their families had previously left Vienna and immigrated to New York. After Lily succeeded in obtaining U.S. visas for Sophie and Esti in December 1941, they left Nice, France for Casablanca, Morocco to await their American visas. Esti organized a school for deaf children and Sophie enrolled in a school that was organized by the Jewish community. In September 1942, Sophie and Esti left Casablanca for Lisbon, Portugal, and on October 23, 1942, they boarded the SS Carvalho Arjuo for the United States. The ship docked in Baltimore, MD on November 2, 1942. Nine days before they left, Esti's mother, Ida Drucker, was deported from Vienna to Theresienstadt concentration camp. From there she was deported to Auschwitz where she perished. Esti continued her work as a speech therapist in New York, and in 1952, at the age of 56, she received her Ph.D. in speech therapy. Martin and Walter continued to live in London. Martin and Esti never divorced, but never saw each other again. In 1942, Sophie enrolled in Radcliffe College, where she majored in psychology. Three years later, she married a German immigrant, Paul Lowenstein, who had escaped from a Nazi transit camp in France and they had three children. Sophie earned her master's degree in social work at Simmons College in Boston, MA, and her Ph.D. in social welfare at Brandeis University. She was a practicing social worker in the field of child welfare and child-parent guidance. In 1970 Sophie Freud obtained her Ph.D. from the Florence Heller School for Social Welfare at Brandeis and went on to become a professor at the School of Social Work at Simmons College. In 1988, Sophie wrote ''My Three Mothers and Other Passions'' and in 2007 she wrote "Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family" based on her mother's letters and autobiography.