Alice Albesheim née Byk

Biography of Dr Louis Albesheim and Alice Albesheim née Byk

Louis Albesheim was born on 29th March 1871 probably in Westphalia. His parents were Leopold (1830-1885) and Henriette Lette (née Ephraim) Albesheim (1838-1896). Louis was well educated, studied medicine and graduated from Leipzig University as an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

He became a well respected specialist in Berlin where he lived and also in Dresden where he established another practise.

He married Alice Byk (1880-1953), daughter of Dr Heinrich Byk (1845-1923) who had founded Dr. Heinrich Byk Chemical Factory producing industrial and commercial chemicals in Oranienburg in 1873. There are streets named after him in Oranienburg and Konstanz.

Louis and Alice had one daughter, Lili Henrietta (1903-2000) who married Dr Julius Michalski (1890-1958) a lawyer. They had 2 children, Werner (1924-2002)  and Renate (1928-2018).

On November 9th 1938 when in Nazi Germany the attacks on Jews became worst, Louis was taken to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and roughly handed which caused his foot to be injured. Although he suspected gangrene would set in, he kept quiet as he knew he would be shot if he complained. The leg did have to be amputated. He was liberated after 2 weeks and forced to leave the country. As his son-in-law had been born in South Africa, the whole family could emigrate there, where they led a happy life. 

Louis died  11th August, 1949 in Johannesburg, South Africa.