My oldest confirmed ELS ancestor is George ELS, my great-grandfather. He was born in Germany on 29 May 1878 and married Elsbeth SCHMIDT in July 1906. Elsbeth was born in Germany on 27 August 1884. They were probably born in the town of Niederschöneweide, which is less than 10 miles south of Berlin and near Treptow. George's SS-5 (Social Security application) form lists his full name as Eugen Edmund Georg ELS. It also lists his parent's names as Rudolph ELS and Auguste LIEPE.
George and Elsbeth had three children:
George, Elsbeth, and Heinz emigrated from Germany in 1926. Their German passport was issued in February 1926 but the exact date of departure from Germany (Bremerhaven) and arrival in Philadelphia have not been determined. Gerhardt and Werner came to the US a couple of years earlier, probably with the HOFFMAN family - Elsbeth's sister, Bertha, married Paul HOFFMAN.
Notes
As with any history endeavor, there are bound to be errors, omissions, and discrepancies in this document. Please inform me if you have any corrections or additions to this data. If we share any of the same ancestors, I would love to hear from you.
Here is my ELS line, starting with my grandparents:
Henry Els
Josephine Schuler
George Els
Elsbeth Schimdt
Rudolph Els
Auguste Liepe
To post a query about the ELS family, visit this site.
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Last update: 11 Oct 1999