Was Eva Beem the Oldest in the Family
Have you e'er heard of Abraham and Eva Beem?
It Started with the Impact of a Snapshot
Over the weekend, I was doing a little research into my family proper name. My Aunt Dorothy collected a fair corporeality of Beem family genealogy and shared it with me. I know that my ain make of the family tree has been in America for quite a while.
The story goes that one of my ancestors (George Beem) was an aide to General Washington in the Revolutionary War. I'm skeptical. Just imagine how many people merits to have ancestors connecting with Washington. Withal, it does seem to menstruation down a scrap:
Although I oasis't really established the connectedness yet, I believe that George Beem at the top of the list is a descendent of Michael Beem who immigrated from Germany.
Information technology'due south easy to sympathize how some of these old records can disappear over time, only I'm more impressed past how often yous tin can find a historical record that's been kept for centuries.
What does this take to do with photography? I constitute something that possibly takes my family history in a dissimilar direction. Information technology'southward the story of ii children who died in the Holocaust at Auschwitz.
The Story of Abraham and Eva Beem
Abraham and Eva Beem lived in The Netherlands, children of parents who were active in the Jewish community.
Their parents, Hartog & Rosetta Beem went into hiding and sent their children to Christian friends to live under assumed names. It worked for a couple of years until they were betrayed.
The Germans paid rewards to people who turned in Jews. I night, police came to abort the children and their foster parents. They claimed they weren't Jewish, so the police forced young Abraham Beem to undress and his penis gave him abroad.
The Death of Abraham and Eva Beem
Abraham and Eva Beem were murdered in Auschwitz on 6 March, 1944.
Their story, similar and then many others during the war, is tragic and heartbreaking. I've always had an interest in history and have read numerous reports simply like this 1. The difference is that I've e'er read them before equally an outsider, looking in at someone else'southward story.
For the offset time, I've come across a Holocaust story that very likely has a connectedness to my own family. Had it simply been a story with the name "Beem", I would've been intrigued. The function that drives this home is the photograph.
The Photo Says What Words Tin Never Tell You
I look at these two children and I instantly see family features. The book my Aunt Dorothy sent is full of family photos and it's not hard to pick out the folks with a Beem family cistron compared to their other loved ones in the images.
Information technology's no dissimilar than looking in the mirror and seeing parts of my father in the reflection. We're an unmistakable lot.
I wouldn't have this connexion had it not been for the photographs. Yes, our common family name tells me that there's probable a connection, but actually seeing someone with those family features drives the story home for me.
Our family photographs, even snapshots, may take touch on on someone else in the future. I'g in a very different line of the family, but the images make me feel close to people who were long by before I was ever built-in.
It also raises some questions for my ain history. For one thing, I've never heard any mention of our family beingness Jewish. It makes me wonder if there was a split before office of the family moved to America, or if the departure came from other problems.
I may not be able to prove the link in our families. Equally I mentioned, I'thousand having a difficult time establishing the link to Michael Beem, which would seem necessary to establish a line down to the Dutch Beem family.
On the other hand, I don't feel that I have to testify it in writing at present. The photograph tells me everything I need to know that the connection is real.
The Touch on of a Snapshot
Many photographers, myself included, tend to dismiss snapshots. Nosotros're always talking most photography as an art and I really do think that's important. With a snapshot, y'all're just documenting someone.
A portrait reveals character, interest and art. I still believe that's true and it's what I strive to accomplish with my photography.
However, a instance similar this reminds me that it'south non so terrible if a photo is just a document.
If someone hadn't taken these snapshots, I'd have zilch simply names on paper to connect Abraham and Eva Beem to my ain family. Like so many things with text, it lacks expression and tone.
Y'all cannot ignore the photograph, though. Perhaps people who don't know my family unit members aren't familiar with it, only there's a Beem family face that'due south unmistakable and these children have it.
Without the snapshot, that vital data would be lost forever.
So take your snapshots. Salve and share your memories. People down the line may appreciate information technology in ways yous can't anticipate now.
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Source: https://williambeem.com/abraham-and-eva-beem/
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