Samuel van Gelder was a son of Daniel van Gelder and Judikje Troostwijk. He was born in Groningen on 14 February 1913 and earned his living as a hawker. He lived with his parents at Groningerstraat 24 in Assen. On 20 July 1942 he married Clara Haring from Amsterdam, a daughter of David Haring and Jetje Kool. She was born on 18 November 1907.
Clara’s parents were married in 1896 and they had nine children, of whom two children have passed away in childhood already before 1910. The other seven children as well their parants were killed during the Shoah. From the end of April 1936 Samuel’s spouse Clara lived with her parents at Blasiusstraat 51 parterre in Amsterdam where she also remained registered after her wedding in 1942.
Clara’s husband, Samuel van Gelder. Still lived at Groningerstraat 24 in Assen in April 1942 but according to his registration card of the Jewish Council, he lived at Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 18 2nd floor in May 1942. There his cousin 2nd degree Esther Troostwijk lived (a cousin 1st degree of his mother Judikje Troostwijk), who was married to Barend van Thijn.
On 8 June 1942, Samuel van Gelder has been arrested by the Amsterdam municipal police, on charges of theft with burglary at Tilanusstraat 83 3rd stock, as stated in the police reports. He remained “in custody” but from further police reports it is not clear whether he was released again or whether he remained “in custody”.
From both their registration cards of the Jewish Council, it can also be deduced that Samuel van Gelder and his wife Clara Haring about 1 ½ month later, on 27 July 1942 were deported together to Auschwitz and that on arrival there ±31 July 1942 they have been deployed as forced labourers. How they had to work, where they ended up and when and under what conditions they died there, all this is unknown.
It is therefore that the Dutch Authorities – also based on testimonies of survivors, research and other informations – after the war have established that Samuel van Gelder and Clara Haring no longer could be alive after 30 September 1942. Then the Ministry of Justice commissioned the Municipality of Assen to draw up a death certificate of Samuel van Gelder, in which is established that he has died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
The same request was made to the Municipality of Amsterdam, to draw up a death certificate for Clara Haring, which also states that she died on 30 September 1942 in Auschwitz.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of David Haring, archive cards of David Haring, Clara Haring, Samuel van Gelder, Esther Troostwijk and Barend van Thijn; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Samuel van Gelder and Clara van Gelder-Haring; Amsterdam police reports 8 June 1942/Samuel van Gelder; Amsterdam residence cards of Blasiusstraat 51 ground floor and Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 18 2nd floor; Certificate of death nr. 223 dated 8 September 1950, made out in Assen for Samuel van Gelder and death certificate nr. 123 dated 8 September 1950 from the A-register 49-folio 22, made out in Amsterdam for Clara van Gelder-Haring.