The Berghausen family originally came from Hanover. Hertz Berghausen, a tailor, and his wife Betti (née Hammerschlag) had two children: Henny (born in 1867) and Max (born in 1870). Max Berghausen was a bookkeeper working at various banks in Hanover. He emigrated to London at the turn of the 20th century where he settled down. He got married to Betty Elsässer from Frankfurt am Main in 1904 with whom he had one son, Derrick, born in 1912. Max and Betty Berghausen changed their name by deed poll to Bentley in 1939.
Max Berghausen's sister Henny got married to David Herzberg, a widowed livestock trader, in Hanover in 1911. It is unknown when David Herzberg passed away but Henny Herzberg was widowed when she was forced to emigrate to her brother in London in April 1939, at the age of 72.
Joseph Elsässer was Betti's brother. He married Helene Lampe, an "Aryan" woman from Frankfurt am Main. He transferred his property to her before they both emigrated to London, in the hope that they would not lose their property.
From the guide to the Berghausen family: papers, 1887-1948, (Wiener Library)
