Person Page 41

Paul Bauer

Facts and Notes

• Birth: 20 December 1904; Forchheim, Bavaria, GermanyBGO¹
• Occupation: Before 1926; Policeman^2,3,4,5,6
• Anecdote: 31 July 1926; Forchheim, Bavaria, GermanyBGO^{7,5,2,6,3,4,8}
• Death: 2 August 1926; Forchheim, Bavaria, GermanyBGO; He succumbed to his self-inflicted gunshot wounds at 2 PM.^1,6,8
• Burial: 4 August 1926; Friedhof Forchheim an der Birkenfelderstr (Old Cemetery), Forchheim, Bavaria, GermanyBGO; The funeral was held at 4PM on Wednesday, 4 August, and a memorial service was held at 7AM the following morning.^1,9

• Note: Paul Bauer served as an Unterwachtmeister (assistant sergeant) in the Nürnberg-Lichtenhof branch of the Bavarian State Police. In late July 1926, while living in the police barracks on Fürther Strasse in Nürnberg, Paul fell into a deep depression following the rejection of a romantic relationship—possibly compounded by concern for his mother’s worsening illness. On the night of July 31, he returned to Forchheim and went to the garden behind St. Johannes Evangelical-Lutheran Church. There, in the quiet of the evening, he used his police revolver to take his own life. Workers from the nearby M. Ellern Paper Mill found him and brought him to the municipal hospital, where Dr. Heitz, the Chief Medical Officer, treated him. Despite medical care, Paul died from his injuries on August 2, 1926, at the age of 23. His death deeply affected his family and the local community. He was buried on August 4 in Forchheim’s cemetery on Birkenfelderstrasse, with a memorial service held the next morning. In their obituary, his family described him as a “kind-hearted” and “unforgettable” son and brother.
  
  Note: Paul’s obituary mentioned several locations-Forchheim, Bischberg, Heroldsberg, Nuremberg, and America-which likely indicates family or close connections in each place. Such mentions were common ways of honoring distant relatives or connections, particularly those abroad, by ensuring they were included in the bereavement. The family may have sent the obituary to these locations, either in local publications or as personal messages, allowing relatives and friends afar to share in the mourning, even if they couldn’t attend the funeral.
  

• Related Pages: Forchheim Town Cemetery List of People

Citations

1. [S533] Grave Marker, Alter Friedhof an der Birkenfelderstr (Forchheim, Germany), Bauer-Huberth Family Gravestone.
2. [S36] Newspapers and Periodicals, Forchheimer Tagblatt (Forchheim, Germany), 59th Year, No. 174, 2 Aug 1926. "Forchheim und Amgebung." Paul Bauer.
3. [S36] Newspapers and Periodicals, Forchheimer Tagblatt (Forchheim, Germany), 59th year, No. 178, Friday, August 6, 1926. "Danksagung" (Expression of Thanks). Paul Bauer.
4. [S36] Newspapers and Periodicals, Forchheimer Tagblatt (Forchheim, Germany), 59th year, No. 179, Saturday, August 7, 1926.
5. [S36] Newspapers and Periodicals, Forchheimer Zeitung (Forchheim, Germany), 37th year, No. 174, Monday, August 2, 1926. The newspaper notice is untitled, but describes Paul Bauer's death.
6. [S36] Newspapers and Periodicals, Forchheimer Zeitung (Forchheim, Germany), 37th year, No. 175, Tuesday, August 3, 1926. The newspaper notice is untitled, but describes Paul Bauer's death.
7. [S762] Personal Recollection, Marianne Bauer Reyes provided this information to Robert Reyes in the late 1990s.
8. [S771] Official Records, Standesamt Forchheim (Forchheim Registry Office), Written Notification of Death, Sterberegister (Death Registry) 2 Aug 1926, No. 92. Record for Paul Bauer., This information resulted from research completed by Edgar Hubrich, a professional genealogist based in Forchheim, Germany, for Robert Reyes in Nov 2024.
9. [S36] Newspapers and Periodicals, Forchheimer Tagblatt (Forchheim, Germany), 59th Year, No. 175, 3 Aug 1926. "Trauer--Anzeige (Obituary)." Paul Bauer.