HELFENSTEIN Antoine Gérard

Biography
Antoine Gérard HELFENSTEIN’s father Henry HELFENSTEIN (b. 1847 in Germany) had emigrated to the United States, probably in the 1870s. He became a baker in Brooklyn, New York. In 1880 he married in New York Sophie SCHAEFER, also of German origin.
Antoine (Anthony)was born in New York in 1897. His mother died soon after.
In April 1917 Antoine enlisted in the US Army and was discharged in October 1918 after WWI.
He became resident in Grevenmacher and worked there as Angestellter. In 1923 he married Julie BENGEL, coiffeuse in Grevenmacher; her father was Schreiber in Grevenmacher.
The 1923 Marriage Register mentions that HELFENSTEIN:
– had been married previously, and that a US Court had declared the marriage “ungültig“.
– had agreed to adopt Julie’s illegitimate daughter, born 1916 in Grevenmacher.
In 1930 HELFENSTEIN’s name appears as founder member of the company “Socinlux” (Société industrielle luxembourgeoise):
“Anthony Helfenstein, directeur, demeurant à Brooklyn, New-Jersey, 1441 East thirteenth street.”
He became one of the directors of the newly created company in Luxembourg, but apparently resided in the USA at the time. The main object of the company was:
…l’achat, la transformation, le traitement et la vente de tous produits métallurgiques …
According to a hand-written note on the Grevenmacher Marriage Register of 1923 the HELFENSTEIN-BENGEL marriage was declared “aufgelöst” in 1937.
A corresponding notification appeared in the local press.
Antoine HELFENSTEIN’s occupation was given as “publiciste” and his residence as Luxembourg-city.
He subsequently married Josefa CARRAZANA CASTRO, born in Madrid, and settled in France.
Antoine (Anthony Gerard) HELFENSTEIN died in Paris in 1954.

FamilySearch database (GH1Y-BZB)