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Jakob Frank

Jakob Frank was a cousin of Otto Frank.

Person

  • Jakob Frank
  • Karlsruhe, Duitsland Aug. 13, 1882
  • Luxemburg, Luxemburg Dec. 29, 1947

Jakob Frank was a cousin of Otto Frank.[1] He was the son of Emil, a brother of Michael Frank, Otto Frank's father.[2]  Just like three of his brothers, Emil left his native town of Landau. He bought a brewery in Mühlburg, near Karlsruhe, and married Auguste Haber.[3] From that marriage, three sons were born, including Jakob.[4] He left Karlsruhe at a young age and moved to Luxemburg,[5] where he would rename himself Eugène Jacques Franck.

Grandson Olivier Frank said in an interview that his grandfather initiallly worked as a manager at the glove factory of Albert Reinhard, who was married to Caroline Frank, an aunt of both Jakob and Otto Frank.[5] But eventually he chose the world of finance and became a banker.[6] On 5 June 1914, 'Eugen genannt Jakob Frank', in the French version 'Eugène dit Jacques Franck', was granted Luxembourg nationality.[7] In 1922 he was involved in the Banque Commerciale, with partners Anton Albert Dreher[8] and Erwin Lindenlaub.[9] In the 1930s, he was a membre suppleant of Groupe 4. — Banques of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.[10] According to his grandson he also owned a private family bank.[5]

On 25 July 1945 Julius Holländer wrote to Otto Frank that his (OF's) uncle J. Frank was on his way to Luxembourg.[11] The above business connections justify the conclusion that Anne is referring to this Jakob in her note of 8 May 1944.[1] With his wife he gave Erich and Leni Elias a Geldgeschenk (money gift) on the occasion of their engagement.[12]

Jakob had married Elisabeth Bloch (1888-1960) on 29 August 1913.[13] From that marriage two children were born: Emile Werner (1914-1979) and Georgette (* 1916). Emile Werner (Serge) Frank was already active as a composer in Luxembourg before he began his education at the Staatsakademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna.[14] Here he studied from 1936/37 to 1937/38 at the Kapellmeisterschule with Felix Weingartner[15] and music theory with Joseph Marx.[14] In June 1938 he completed his studies with distinction by passing the final examination in music theory.[16] He returned to Luxembourg, where he performed as a composer and conductor.[17] In early 1940, he fled to the United States via Switzerland (Lausanne) and Italy (Genoa). Here he arrived in New York on the S.S. Excalibur on 23 March 1940. The following year, his parents and sister Georgette also managed to flee to the U.S. In America he studied musical composition with Arnold Schönberg.[5] In 1946 Emile Frank acquired American citizenship,[14] but following the death of his father in December 1947, he returned to Luxembourg to take charge of the private family bank.[5] He is no longer listed as a conductor or composer in postwar Luxembourg newspapers. An obituary listed him as directeur de banque.[6]

In 1948, he married Nelly Koemptgen, a Catholic. In 1952 he was naturalized as a Luxembourger.[18] His son Olivier, born in 1956, has been director of the Institut Pierre Werner in Luxembourg in the years 2011-2025.[19]

Jakob's daughter Georgette was married to Austrian-American pianist and composer Jacques de Menasce (1905-1960).[20]

Source personal data.[7]

Footnotes

  1. a, b Anne refers to him as Jacob [...] in Luxemburg. Anne Frank, Diary Version A, 8 May 1944, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty,  London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.
  2. ^ For a brief, clear account of the Frank family tree, see: Maarten van Buuren, Een ruimte voor de ziel: opkomst en ondergang van Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941), Amsterdam: Lemniscaat, 2013, p. 305-313.
  3. ^ Op 9 February 1878 the following notice was published in the Karlsruher Tageblatt: ‘Ich mache hiermit die höfliche Anzeige, daß die frühere Stuhlmüller'sche Brauerei auf mich übergegangen ist und ich dieselbe nach durchgeführter Renovation nun unter dem Schilde „Haltestelle zur Pferdebahn" betreiben werde. Ich werde bemüht sein, dem geehrten Publikum stets mit vorzüglichem Stoffe anfzuwarten. Hochachtungsvoll, Emil Frank, Bierbrauer’. Zur Nachricht, Karlsruher Tageblatt, 9 February 1878. That business did not go well, is evidenced by the forced sale of his company premises and private house in 1884. Versteigerungs-Ankündigung, Karlsruher Zeitung, 19 July 1884; Zweite Versteigerungs-Ankündigung, Karlsruher Zeitung, 7 August 1884 (via Deutsches Zeitungsportal).
  4. ^ Find a Grave, database en afbeeldingen, gedenkplekpagina voor Emil Frank (21 Jan 1847–31 Mei 1906), Find a Grave-gedenkplek-ID 128399751. The son called Eugen is Jakob.
  5. a, b, c, d, e Anne Frank Stichting, Getuigen Verhalen II, reg code AFS.01418: Interview with Olivier Frank by Menno Metselaar, 20 June 2012.
  6. a, b Avis mortuaire, Escher Tageblatt, 13 December 1947; Avis mortuaire, Escher Tageblatt, 13 January 1948 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  7. a, b Journal officiel du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, Loi du 5 juin 1914 accordant la naturalisation à M. Eugène dit Jacques Franck, employé de fabrique à Luxembourg, Memorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, No. 39, 15 June 1914, p. 731.
  8. ^ Dreher and his wife were old acquaintances of Otto Frank from Frankfurt am Main. See lemma Albert Dreher.
  9. ^ Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, 17 March 1922, p.127 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  10. ^ Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, 12 June 1933, p. 484; Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, 15 May 1937, p. 347 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  11. ^ Anne Frank Stichting, Anne Frank Collectie, Otto Frank Archief, reg. code OFA_073: Julius Holländer aan Otto Frank, 25 juli 1945.
  12. ^ Familiearchief Anne Frank-Fonds, Bazel, Leni Frank, AFF_LeF_pdoc_02: Gastenboek.
  13. ^ Mariages, L'indépendance luxembourgeoise, 5 september 1913 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  14. a, b, c Erwin Strouhal, Emile Serge Frank, in: Gedenkbuch für die im Nationalsozialismus verfolgten Angehörigen der mdw – Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien.
  15. ^ Succès d’examen, Luxembourq, 30 September 1936 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  16. ^ He also wrote obituaries about composers such as Frederick Delius and Maurice Ravel. Serge Frank, Frederick Delius (1863-1934), Luxemburger Zeitung, 13 August 1934, Serge Frank, Maurice Ravel, Luxemburger Zeitung, 8 January 1938 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  17. ^ Zie bijv.: Station Thermale de Mondorf-Etat: Programme des concerts quotidiens, Obermosel Zeitung, 17 August 1939; Konzerte: Sinfoniekonzert der Mondorfer Kurkapelle, Luxemburger Zeitung, 30 August 1939 (via eLuxemburgensia)
  18. ^ Naturalisationen, Luxemburger Wort, 7 July 1952 (via eLuxemburgensia).
  19. ^ Paperjam Bible, Olivier Frank; Wikipedia: Olivier Frank.
  20. ^ Wikipedia: Jacques de Menasce.

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