A Forgotten List from the War Now Accessible at the Felix Archives

Sometimes in genealogy, you come across documents that stop you in your tracks. Not just because of their historical importance, but because those documents suddenly connect to real lives, real families. Recently, such a document was added to the Felix Archives in Antwerp: a list of residents who disappeared from the city during World War II. Most of the names are from Jewish families, but it also includes political prisoners and people who were forced to leave their homes.

Why This Matters for Family History

Anyone who has ever done family research knows the frustration of missing pieces. You search for a last address, a clue in the population registers, a trace of where someone went—and sometimes the trail just ends. That’s where lists like this can be so powerful. Street by street, it shows who was still in Antwerp and who wasn’t. It’s heartbreaking to read, but at the same time, it gives descendants and researchers something solid to hold on to.

The 6th District: A Snapshot of a Community

This particular list comes from Antwerp’s 6th District, an area running from Central Station to the city park and Plantin-Moretuslei. Back then, it was the heart of the city’s Jewish community. Many of the names were people arrested in August and September 1942. For most, their journey ended in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Very few ever returned.

For those tracing their roots, finding a family name here can be painful, but also illuminating. It might reveal an address you didn’t know, a date you hadn’t found elsewhere, or a detail that suddenly ties your family story together.

Preserving the Memory

The original document is now safe at the Felix Archives, where it’s being preserved so future generations can access it. A replica will also be kept at the police heritage centre (erfgoedcentrum van Politie Antwerpen), making sure that this painful chapter of the city’s history remains visible.

How It Can Help Your Research

If you’re working on your family tree or trying to piece together the fate of relatives, a document like this can be a key resource. It might help you:

• Find addresses that show exactly where families lived.
• Link dates of disappearance with known transport or deportation lists.
• Compare with other archives—like Kazerne Dossin, Yad Vashem, the Belgian State Archives (Rijksarchief) or local municipal records, to build a fuller picture.

For me, sources like this remind us that genealogy isn’t only about charts and names. It’s about people, their lives, and their stories—stories that were often cut short but deserve to be remembered and told.

References:

https://www.politieantwerpen.be/over-ons/erfgoedcentrum

https://felixarchief.antwerpen.be

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/08/26/antwerpen-stadsarchief-deportatielijst-wo-ii