Frank Family Isn't Only One Miep Gies, Husband Helped

Miep Gies was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1909. Her given name was Hermine Santrouschitz. In 1920, suffering from undernourishment and poor health, Miep joined an initiative of Dutch families that were taking in Austrian children to help them recover from World War I. Miep originally came to the Netherlands for a three-month period as the foster daughter of a couple who already had five children. After five years, Miep’s family and her foster parents agreed that it was best for Miep to remain in Amsterdam. Miep married her boyfriend Jan Gies in 1941 and became a Dutch citizen.