The family of David Blumenthal

Translation by Lesley Loy

The Jewish merchant David Blumental, son of the merchant Philipp Blumenthal and Jette Bessinger, was born on 09.12.1854 in Mainbernheim.  He married Ida Frank, born on 12.06.1849 in Demmelsdorf.  She was the daughter of Hermann Frank, a Jewish teacher in Gunzenhausen, and his wife Marianne Brand.  The family lived in the house at Hensoltstrasse 27.  David Blumenthal and his wife Ida had four children together:

Jenny Blumenthal   *04.11.1877 in Gladenbach.  In 1901 Jenny married the merchant Albert Neuburger from Treuchtlingen.

Selma Blumenthal  *30.08.1880 in Ellwangen.  Selma married the merchant Joseph Gundelfinder. In 1905 their son Theodor was born in Schlüchtern. The family moved to Munich in 1920, to Koblenz in 1929.

Anna Blumenthal    *07.10.1882 in Ellwangen.  On 11.10.1909 Anna married the business man Leopold Paul Schottländer from Munich.  He was the owner of the wellknown department store “Schottländer” on Rotkreuzplatz.  On 18.07.1940 the couple emigrated to Shanghai on the Trans-Siberian railway, and moved on from there to New York.

Sophia Blumenthal  *24.06.1887 in Gunzenhausen.  On 23.12.1913 Sophia married the merchant Heinrich Neumann from Gunzenhausen.  He was the owner of the wholesale cheese business located at Ansbacher Strasse 4.  He was deported to the Dachau concentration camp on 01.12.1938.  Heinrich and Sophia both perished in Riga.  They had no children.  

David Blumenthal was awarded official citizenship of Gunzenhausen on 29.12.1897.  In December 1895 he was elected chairman of the Jewish community, previously he had been vice-chairman.  David Blumenthal died on 20.05.1905 in Gunzenhausen.  His wife Ida Frank died in Munich on 26.11.1912 but was buried in Gunzenhausen.  Unfortunately we have not been able to trace any family members.

Source: Documentation of Gunzenhausen’s Jewish residents, compiled by the municipal archivist Werner Mühlhäußer.