People

The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 5: Virtually Invisible Female Relations

N.B. This is Part 5 of a 5-part series on Ely Goldsmith. Links to earlier articles are at the bottom of this post. Introduction We’ve learned a lot about Ely Goldsmith over the last four blog posts. He left a very large footprint in the court records and press. But what of his family? His […]

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Cuban street scene

The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 4 – The Cuban Connection

NB. This is Part 4 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Links to other articles are at the bottom of this post. Introduction As the 1930s dawned, we find Ely in and out of prison. Released from the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, he was immediately taken into custody for financial fraud. He did

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The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 3: Unrepentant Convicted Felon

N.B. This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Previous blog post links are at the bottom of this post. Introduction In the previous installment of this series, we witnessed Ely slide from a legitimate, presumably successful accountant to a sketchy, unqualified immigration consultant. Ely also put the American justice system

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The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 2 – From Respected Accountant to Shady Immigration Consultant

N.B. This is Part 2 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Part 1 can be viewed here. Links to the other parts are at the bottom of this post. Introduction Ely Goldsmith seemingly had it made, carving out a new life for himself in the USA. He was a naturalized citizen. He was

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an accounting ledger with handwritten numbers

The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 1: From Berlin to New York

How does a Certified Public Accountant end up in jail, not once, but twice, for smuggling aliens into the USA? How does a tax accountant end up dabbling in passports and visas? When I first came across H. Ely Goldsmith’s name in the Swiss Archives files, I had no idea he would lead me down

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Draper, Nurse, Midwife, Spy: The Fantastical Life of Margaret Spencer

While searching for nuns and spies the other week, Google presented a few results that piqued my curiosity. All of the hits revolved around a lady named Margaret Spencer from Eastbourne. She had passed away in June 2014 and, after her death, her family revealed that Margaret had been a wartime spy. Now, this is

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western saddle on a horse

Back in the Blogging Saddle

I’ve been absent from this blog for almost a year but I am now back in the blogging saddle! I hope. It is amazing how times flies! Life can get hectic and sometimes choices have to be made. I am slowly learning that I cannot do “everything”. For the past year, other life projects took

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Josef Emil Roos – Fraudulent Financier and Passport Smuggler – Found in the Swiss Archives

I interrupt this series on Yvonne Sommerfeld for just a moment… Digging through the Swiss Archives online…. I have been a bit like a child in a candy shop. Stunned and gobsmacked… staring around me with wide-eyed wonder and glee. I’ll have this one… and this one… oh, and this one too! Oh heck… I’ll

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Yvonne Sommerfeld – The Mysterious French Jewess involved with German Spy Josef Jakobs

Josef Jakobs was many things – son, brother, father, grandfather, dentist, bootlegger, philanderer, black marketer, criminal and spy. Can we add “liar” to that list? Josef told his British interrogators many stories during his incarceration at Camp 020, MI5’s secret wartime interrogation centre. Fantastic stories of German cabaret singers, Finnish bootleggers, black market passports, gold

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Does the Jakobs Family Album contain Photos of German Jew Werner Adolf Goldmann?

This blog is Part 4 of a 4-Part Series on German Jew Werner GoldsteinPart 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here. Werner Adolf Goldstein, chemist and gold counterfeiter was a mysterious man. While I have uncovered the barest outline of his life, there are still many frustrating unknowns. The core mystery

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