Helene Demuth

Helene "Lenchen" Demuth (born December 31, 1820, in Sankt Wendel, Saarland - November 4, 1890, in London) was the lady housekeeper of Jenny and Karl Marx.

Helene Demuth came 1837 as a housemaid into the house of the government advisor Johann Ludwig von Westphalen to Trier. In 1843 Karl Marx married Jenny von Westphalen, the daughter of the house, and Helene came with the pair. She stayed with them lifelong as housekeeper, friend and political Mitstreiterin on the side. In June 23, 1851 Helene Demuth gave birth to a boy, but never revealed the name of the father. The small Frederick Lewis Demuth (1851−1929) was given to a London family. Later Friedrich Engels acknowledged the paternity to keep Karl Marx from the embarrassment; however, it did not end the rumors and speculations over Marx's paternity. After Marx's death in the year 1883 Helene Demuth moved to Engels's home, where she led the household. Together with her, he arranged Marx's historical deduction. In October 1890 she got sick with cancer and died on November 4. In accordance with Jenny Marx's wishes, she was buried in the Marx family grave.

• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees by SmartCopy: Jun 10 2015, 19:30:30 UTC