Esther Spier from Haarlem, a daughter of Aaron Spier and Roosje de Vries, married 21 July 1921 in Zaandam Lewis Prins, a son of Liepman Jacob Prins and Elisabeth Schaap,.
For Lewis Prins, this marriage to Esther Spier, was his 2nd marriage; he was married before, 23 May 1907 in Charlottenburg (Germany) at age 28 to the 21-year old Ernstine Loewenthal from Freystadt (Bavaria), a daughter of Samuel Loewenthal and Rahel Loewenstein. After their wedding Lewis and Ernstine lived at Amsterdam, where their two daughters were born, namely Elsa in 1909 and Greta in 1914.
Lewis en Ernestine lived at Nieuwe Heerengracht 113 and in 1911 at Den Texstraat 19 in Amsterdam. Their wedding however would end in a divorce, pronounced by verdict of the District Court of Amsterdam 8 April 1921; as this marriage was a so-called foreign wedding, the divorce had to be registered 4 May 1921 in the Civil Registry of Den Haag.
Lewis and Ernestine separated earlier; 5 September 1919 Elsa and her sister Greta were unsubscribed from their parental address at Den Texstraat 19 in Amsterdam. Elsa was 10 and Greta 5 years old. Elsa, Greta and their mother moved to Wagenaarstraat 44 3rd floor in Amsterdam, where they lived in for some months with the A.A. Landzaat family. 20 March 1920, Ernestine and her daughters Elsa and Greta - after “control of compulsory education” - were officially unsubscribed from Amsterdam to Krummestrasse 47 in Charlottenburg (Germany). Of Greta and Ernstine Loewenthal nothing is further known.
After his wife and daughters had left him, Lewis Prins moved 17 September 1919 to O.Z. Achterburgwal 85 in Amsterdam and 21 July 1921, after the divorce was officially pronounced, Lewis remarried in Zaandam Esther Spier from Haarlem, a daughter of Aaron Spier and Roosje de Vries. Up from 24 July 1921 they went living in Amsterdam; per 1 July 1922 at Rijnstraat 43 1st stock, where 30 January 1924 their son Aaron Henri was born. Since May 1924 the family moved to Zwanenburgwal 92 II, still the residence of Lewis Prins when he passed away 20 January 1928 in the hospital “Binnen Gasthuis” in Amsterdam.
After the passing of her husband was Aäron Henri only 4 years old. Presumably in those days he was sent to the Nederlands Israëlitisch Jongensweeshuis at Amstel 21 in Amsterdam (Dutch Israëlitic Boys Orphanage). He stayed there till his 18th birthday and had to leave the institution then. He came living with his mother then at Snoekjesgracht in Amsterdam.
Esther Spier, now widowed in 1928, still resided at Zwanenburgwal till 1932 but in June she moved to Retiefstraat 118 downfloor. But eventually she ended up 3 February 1942 at Snoekjesgracht 5 2nd floor in Amsterdam. From there, she was deported 12 November 1942 to Camp Westerbork and four days later, 16 November put on transport to Auschwitz. On arrival there 19 November 1943, she was immediately killed.
Sources: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Lewis Prins, archive card of Esther Spier and several residence cards, Peoples Registry of Amsterdam, copied volumes 1892-1920; website zoekakten.nl, certificate of death nr. 494 of 23 January 1928 mad out in Amsterdm for Lewis Prins; Municipal Archive of Den Haag, register marriages/divorces Lewis Prins/Ernstine Loewenthal; website www.wiewaswie.nl; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Esther Prins-Spier and an addition of a visitor of the website.