I've been researching my Anspacher family. I know 4 of my cousins survived
the Holocaust and returned to their own towns. Their names:
Ida Paschen geb. Anspacher (DOB: 2/17/1897) - Returned to Hamburg
Frieda Kracht (or Krass) geb. Anspacher (B~1894) - Returned to Bremen
Gretchen Bergmann geb. Anspacher (B ~1890) - Returned to Bremen
Heinrich (or Heinz) Bergmann (B~1917) - Returned to Bremen
How can I trace them and/or their descendents? I don't know the first names
of their husbands. Any help or ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Lilian, I'll throw this out as a starter -- others may be able to add further suggestions. Unfortunately the particulars you have (or have provided) are rather vague. Moreover the four in question all lived in big cities, which, for purposes of identification, means the pool from which those names must be searched will be sizable. Not sure where you are getting your information, but can any additional details/specifics be uncovered from your end via letters or old documents, or perhaps extended family?
Have you tried the German phonebook for any of the names? Particularly the Paschen or Kracht/Krass ones, since Bergmann will be much more numerous and probably harder to narrow down. Sometimes sending a cover letter out "en masse" using a shotgun approach succeeds when specifics are lacking (in German would be ideal; use English only as necessary). There is also a chance Heinrich/Heinz Bergmann might still be alive since he was born in 1917, but I have no idea how many folks named as such might be residing in the greater Bremen area presently (a hired German P.I. would have a much better idea). As for the others, it'd be a matter of whether their descendents might still be in those locales. No easy avenues to meander without better specifics to begin with.
If they were Jewish, are you certain none of them made their way to Israel - or elsewhere - after the war? I have no idea the extent of resources that might be available to peruse when it comes to wartime refugees from that period, but obviously that would be an avenue you may want to look into, from both the German and Jewish (or Jewish American) end. All kinds of claims were made after the war; it would not be unusual to find that some of these people will be part of the existing documentation. You could also use Google and punch in "holocaust survivor documentation" and go from there. You will find an incredible amount of related resources to explore.