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snapshots of our past

~ piecing together our past…one photo, letter, and document at a time

snapshots of our past

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Gerd and Hans Jürgen. Hamburg, Germany. Late 1920s.

09 Monday Apr 2012

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Amazingly beautiful photograph. So innocent.

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Herta Heinrich and her Sisters. Germany. Approximately 1905.

09 Monday Apr 2012

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Love the props.

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Great Grandparents’ Wedding Photo. Breslau, Germany. 1930.

09 Monday Apr 2012

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This is my grandmother’s parents’ wedding photo (Gerd’s wife, Gerda). Gerda’s mother, Herta Heinrich married Herbert Freudenberg.

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Gerd and his Classmates and Teacher. Amsterdam, Approx 1932.

22 Thursday Mar 2012

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My Grandfather is second from the right. Teacher’s expression is captivating.

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Gerd and Hans Jürgen at the Beach. Germany, 1925.

22 Thursday Mar 2012

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Love this photo. I really wish I could find the names of their friends. Would be interesting to know who was Jewish/who survived the war.

My grandfather is third from the right (the little boy in front). His brother is to his right.

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Drawing of Oscar. Germany, Early 1910s.

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

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We have numerous copies of this drawing. Love the bow-tie.

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Oscar and his Brigade. WWI, Germany 1915

09 Friday Mar 2012

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Wanted to include the full photo from the cover photo.

From a helpful redditor, brazijl:

“mein Unteroff[izier]” – “my corporal”

“Feldwebe[l]” – “sergeant”

“ich” – “me”

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In Honor of International Women’s Day: Marjorie Shuler Charles at the Signing of the 19th Amendment

08 Thursday Mar 2012

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The photo comes from Marjorie Shuler Charles, my great-great Aunt. She is pictured to the left of the man’s shoulder in the right of the photo. Signing the amendment is Speaker of the House Frederick H Gillett.

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Four Generations in one photo. Germany, 1921.

08 Thursday Mar 2012

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I love this photo because it spans so many generations. Seated is Henriette’s grandmother with Hans Jürgen. I am in the process for filing for German citizenship. There is a constitutional law that allows the children and grandchildren of German Holocaust survivors become re-naturalized. When I look at this photo, it reminds me just how “German” my family is. The von Halle name goes back to the 17th century, and Henriette’s family also has a generations-long connection to Germany.

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Siegmund von Halle with his daughter. Rostock, late 1880s.

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

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Oscar’s father, with either Alice or Gertrude.

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Loan Documentation. Amsterdam, 1942

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

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The following is the documentation of a loan given to Oscar from his brother inlaw Annon Wittenboon. The document states the loan was for “emigration and means of sustenance”. By 1942, Oscar was forbidden from working as an architect, and money was extremely tight. Annon, who married Oscar’s sister Alice, was a Dutchman (and Christian? I think).

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Oscar in Uniform. Germany, WWI

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

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It is certainly clear that Oscar was proud to serve in the military. I need to do more research on Jews in the German military. I like the leather gloves.

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Henriette at Work. Germany, late 1910s

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

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There is no date attached to this photo. Henriette, all the way to the left (half cut off), worked as a nurse before she had kids. I imagine this was taken sometime in the late teens, possibly earlier. This photo seems exceptionally “real”. The expression of the center nurse is so clear.

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Oscar at work. Germany, 1911.

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

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I love the candidness of this photo. You can see everything in such detail: the prints, the desks, the lights. Oscar is furthest to the right.

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Saying Goodbye to Manfred von Halle. Amsterdam 1937

05 Monday Mar 2012

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A lot of these photos are solving mysteries I thought I would never find an answer to. I never knew exactly what happened to Manfred, Oscar’s brother. On the back of this photo, it explains that this is the family waiving goodbye to Manfred von Halle as he leaves to Columbia. Remarkable. My grandfather is above the elderly man’s (with the cane) left shoulder. Hans stands behind him with their cousin, Leisel.

I am still actively searching for distant family members. A few years back, David Halle found my grandfather after researching the von Halle family. David is an amateur genealogist and was one of the first relatives to reach out to our family (before the ease of a google search). David, whose family came to America before the civil war, dropped the von. David’s family is related to the founders of Halle Brothers, a popular department store in the midwest.

After I published my thesis, I was contacted by other von Halles from around the world. I have been able to place most of them on my family tree. They come from as far away as Switzerland, Australia, and South America (mostly displaced by one of the two World Wars). I am still searching for Manfred’s family in South America.

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Henriette During the War. September 1942

05 Monday Mar 2012

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This would have been taken shortly after the death of her son, Hans Jürgen. Henriette looks to have aged quite a bit. Please compare this photo with the vacation post and the solo shot.

 

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Oscar and Henriette on Vacation. Early 1930s

05 Monday Mar 2012

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From what my grandfather told me, his parents were extremely keen on Switzerland. They often travelled to St. Moritz to ski. They are with another friend.

Henriette was also known to be quite fashionable. I like the scarf/glove combo.

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Marjorie Shuler Charles on the way to Switzerland

05 Monday Mar 2012

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Marjorie is seated to the right of the driver. This was a parade for the representatives to the International Geneva Alliance for Women’s suffrage.

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Henriette, 1930

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

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no words

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A Selection of Postcard Fronts 1920s-30s

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

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This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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Marjorie and Eleanor

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by snapshotsofourpast in Uncategorized

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Not from the box, but found this online.

Left to right: Marjorie Shuler Charles (my grandfather’s aunt by marriage), Emma Bugbee and Helen Worden. Seated: Eleanor Roosevelt

source: http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-lady-at-typewriter.html

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A second box….

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

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Today my Uncle took a picture of a second box of materials he found while cleaning out my grandparent’s house. This is from Marjorie Shuler Charles side of the family. Can’t wait to see this in person….

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Update

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by snapshotsofourpast in Uncategorized

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Thanks to all who have visited. I am really excited about digging deeper into this project.  My next step is play around with different story types/lengths for the pictures.

I will also add a biography section and family tree to help with the connection between all the different family members.

Suggestions are much appreciated!

Jeremy

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The Brothers, Amsterdam Approximately 1934

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by snapshotsofourpast in Family Photos before the war, Uncategorized

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Hans Jürgen was born on May 7th, 1921. My grandfather on December 2nd, 1922.

Gerd always described his brother as his protector and hero. I think this pictures captures that feeling more than anything I have seen. While only a year and a half apart, the difference in size is unnoticeable. I had yet to see a “tweenage” photo of just the two brothers.

My grandfather credits his brother for saving his life. While being held by the Nazis in 1941, his brother told him to tell the Nazis he suffered from Tuberculosis. This incredibly brazen suggestion eventually saved Gerd from deportation to Mauthausen, where, ultimately, Hans Jürgen (along with the other 225 boys rounded up in Amsterdam) was murdered on September 27th, 1941.

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