Gerd and Hans Jürgen. Hamburg, Germany. Late 1920s.
09 Monday Apr 2012
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inI 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.
07 Wednesday Mar 2012
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in07 Wednesday Mar 2012
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inThe 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).
07 Wednesday Mar 2012
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in05 Monday Mar 2012
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inA 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.
05 Monday Mar 2012
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inThis 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.
05 Monday Mar 2012
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in29 Wednesday Feb 2012
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in28 Tuesday Feb 2012
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in28 Tuesday Feb 2012
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inThanks 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
27 Monday Feb 2012
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.