New Year’s Eve 1919-1920 in Frankfurt, Germany

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Two weeks ago I said I was taking a break, trying to figure out where to go next with my research and clearing my head. Well, my head is still not clear, and I still am on the fence about what to do next.

But while I was taking that breather, I heard from multiple new cousins as well as new communications from cousins I’d already found. New photos, new stories, new people. These include new DNA matches on my Brotman line, new photos for my Schoenthal line, new photos for my Seligmann line, a new connection from a Seligmann cousin who also appears to be a Goldschmidt cousin, a new Katzenstein cousin, a set of documents sent by a man living in Oberlistingen about the Goldschmidts, and numerous other questions, comments, or requests coming from my blog, Facebook, or email.  I will blog about many of these once I get my arms wrapped around the details.

All of this has given me a shot in the arm (and yes, I now am fully vaccinated against COVID as well) that I sorely needed. It’s so hard to transition from one research project to another, especially after three years. So these smaller, more focused projects are what I need right now. Especially since I also want to spend some time promoting my new book, Santa Fe Love Song.

Today I want to share an amazing photograph that my cousin Greg Rapp sent me. He cannot identify anyone in the photograph, but Greg is a Goldschmidt cousin (a descendant of Jacob Meier Goldschmidt), and the photo was labeled “New Year’s Eve 1919-1920.” Whether or not we can ever identify anyone in the photograph, it is nevertheless worth sharing. It captures German society during the Weimar Republic. The young women smoking cigarettes evoke that era as does the energy, the expressions, and the postures of all the young people in the picture.

If anyone can identify anyone in this photograph, please let me know.

25 thoughts on “New Year’s Eve 1919-1920 in Frankfurt, Germany”

  1. Hi Amy, you’ve made yourself too popular to take a gap from your blog…. all these new found cousin’s and friends want to stay in touch especially during the pandemic. 😃 I like the photo of the youngster’s smoking. They look excited and clearly relieved after the armistice of the Great War.

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  2. This is photo is a historic document of the era of the Weimar republic. People were fun seekers in mids of a world in chaos. It is too bad that there was nothing written on the back of the photo to identify any of the people. We are still waiting for our vaccination. But the Arrow Lakes region is a safe bubble to live in. Best wishes for your future project, Amy!

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  3. Love the photo!
    I used to work on one project for months on end and could easily switch to a new one without any problems. That was before I began blogging. Now my work, like yours, is out there for everyone to read. I want it to be interesting for my readers but also worthwhile for me. It’s hard to pick a new project when so much still needs to be done. You’ll figure it out, Amy.
    P.S. Halfway through Santa Fe Love Song and really enjoying the read.

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  6. Hi Amy I too enjoy your postings. From the names in your message I match (Ancestry) with 6 Brotmans, 11 goldschmodts, and 3 Katzensteins.  One of the Brotmans is actually a Brotmangoldschlager. I don’t know any of these distant relatives and have never met any of them but it would be interesting to find out more about them.

    Neal MeyersonMillsboro, Delaware

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    • I will take a look at my Ancestry account. My username there is Brotmangoldschlager. But My Katzensteins and Goldschmidts come from Germany and are paternal lines whereas my Brotman family came from Galicia (Poland today) and are maternal.

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    • I took a quick look. We share very little DNA, and I see no common matches with any of my Goldschmidt, Katzenstein, or Brotman relatives. I think this is just endogamy and an overlap of very common Jewish names. Sorry!

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  8. An amazing photo! I love everything about it. There truly is a story in that group. I noticed one of the men (in front) is wearing what looks like a tux while all the others are in suits. I wonder if that has any significance? (a wedding perhaps) I love the girls – Ordered my copy of the new book and anxious for its arrival 🙂 2nd shot this week for us

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    • Thanks a great observation, Sharon! It might have been a wedding. I searched on FamilyTreeMaker to see if there was a couple who married on December 31, 1919, but had no luck. Of course, the bride and groom might have been friends, not relatives, of my relatives. But it was a brilliant observation!

      And thanks for ordering the book. Good luck with your second shot!

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