As I mentioned in my prior post, I received some additional documents and photographs from my cousin Meir, grandson of Berthold Rothschild and Selma/Sarah Adler. Last time I shared a postcard from 1918 that Berthold wrote to Selma from his post in World War I just a month before the war ended.

Here is a second postcard, as translated by MyHeritage:

Postcard from Berthold Rothschild to Selma Adler, 1918
Courtesy of the family

It translates as:

My dear Selma! Received your dear letter of the 4th inst. Since we are in the final period, etc. I have only the hope, expectation and request, [sending] my heartfelt greetings and kisses Your Berthold

It is dated October 8, 1918, and like the other postcard, was sent from Berdowka in what is now Belarus. Obviously Berthold could see that the end of the war was nearing.

Berthold and Selma married on December 30, 1919, and had two daughters, Adelheid (Adi) in 1920 and Helene (Hana) in 1922. Then they divorced in 1927. Meir had their divorce papers, which show that Selma sued for divorce based on adultery.

Divorce papers of Berthold and Selma (Adler) Rothschild
Courtesy of the family

This time I used Transkribus, a platform Cathy Meder-Dempsey recommended, and Claude as backup to produce a translation. Since this was typed or printed text, not handwriting, I assume it is reliable and accurate. I have deleted some of the language and names for clarity and brevity:

In the matter of the housewife [and] Mrs. Rothschild  [Address] Frankfurt am Main, Tongesgasse, Pronounced on: July 11, 1927, Plaintiff, against her husband, the merchant Rothschild, Frankfurt am Main, Tongesgasse 14, Defendant, regarding divorce.

The 6th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main, based on the oral hearing held on July 1, 1927 with the participation of Regional Court Director Cramer, Regional Judge, Dr. Hess, and Court Assessor Dr. Wildberger, has ruled as follows:

The marriage between the parties, concluded on December 30, 1919, in Frankfurt am Main, is hereby dissolved by divorce. The Defendant is declared to be the guilty party and is ordered to bear the costs of the legal proceedings.

The parties, who hold Prussian citizenship, entered into marriage with one another on December 30, 1919, before the Registrar in Frankfurt am Main. Two children were born of this marriage. The Plaintiff now alleges that the Defendant has committed adultery with a certain Miss Teller and moves:

1.) for the dissolution of the marriage entered into by the parties on December 30, 1919, before the Registrar in Frankfurt am Main;

2.) for a declaration that the Defendant bears the fault for the divorce;

3.) for the costs of the legal proceedings to be imposed upon the Defendant.

The Defendant, who is not represented by legal counsel, has admitted the allegations set forth in the complaint.

The taking of evidence regarding the Plaintiff’s allegations—ordered by a resolution dated July 10, 1927, to be conducted through the examination of Miss Teller as a witness—could not take place, as the witness could not be served with a summons.

Reference is made to the contents of the case file as presented.

Grounds for the Decision:

The action, based on § 1565 of the Civil Code (BGB), is well-founded and substantiated. Even though the defendant has admitted to adultery with the witness Teller, the court would not have pronounced the divorce on that basis alone. However, since the plaintiff has credibly asserted that she herself once found the defendant with a lady in the marital home, and the defendant could not deny this fact when confronted with it, the court has also taken into account his admission that he committed adultery with the witness Teller. Accordingly, the marriage was to be dissolved on the sole fault of the defendant on account of adultery with the witness Teller.

Selma died just ten years later. I don’t know when or why Selma was admitted to the sanatorium, but I know that she died there in 1937. Her younger daughter Helene emigrated from Germany to Palestine that same year. The older daughter Adelheid also left Germany and ended up in Amsterdam and eventually at Bergen Belsen. More on her experiences in my next post.

Berthold also survived the Holocaust and ended up in South Africa, where he died in 1964. But I had been left with many questions about his experiences: For example, when did he leave Germany? Was he in the concentration camps or did he escape from Germany in time? When did he get to South Africa, and why did he go there, not Palestine like his daughter Helene?

Well, in the second batch of documents that Meir sent were two documents that are South Africa residency registrations for Berthold, one for 1939-1942, the other for 1949-1952.

Berthold Rothschild South Africa residency document 1939
Courtesy of the family

Berthold Rothschild South Africa residency document 1949

If you look closely, you can see that they both indicate that Berthold last entered South Africa (and perhaps first entered South Africa) on October 28, 1936. In 1936, his daughter Helene was still in Germany and only fourteen. As we will see, Adelheid also was still in Germany in 1936 and would have been just sixteen. Who was caring for them? Meir believes that their aunts Gertrud and Anna, Berthold’s younger sisters, were taking care of them.

The first South Africa residency registration card reports that Berthold was married, and the later one says he was a widower. But in 1939 when he presumably filled out the earlier form, Selma had already died, and they had been divorced in 1927. That made me wonder whether Berthold had remarried sometime after 1927 and before 1939.

I couldn’t find a second marriage record for Berthold in Germany, but when I decided to try looking for one in South Africa, I found this:

Marriage record of Berthold Rothschild and Johanna Glock, Murraysburg, Murraysburg, Cape Province, South Africa records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS27-N3D2-3?view=explore : May 13, 2026), image 50 of 978; . Image Group Number: 008163773

Berthold married Johanna Glock in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on January 19, 1937. She was 30 years old, born in Germany, and a “spinster.” Berthold’s age is listed as 47, but he would have been only 41, so perhaps the person filling out the form either misunderstood or wrote a “one” that looks like a seven. His occupation is given as a shop assistant, and he is listed as a bachelor, even though he’d been married before. Despite those inconsistencies, I am quite comfortable assuming that this is the same Berthold Rothschild although I cannot say so with absolutely certainty. How many Berthold Rothschilds could have been living in Port Elizabeth, the same location where Berthold was living at the time he died in 1964?

Berthold Rothschild death certificate, “South Africa, Civil Death Registration, 1953-1967”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6Z3Z-F3SN : Wed Jan 15 15:31:44 UTC 2025), Entry for Berthold Rothschild, 17 May 1964.

Sadly, Johanna died just three years after marrying Berthold. She was only 33 and died from a pituitary adenoma.

Johanna Glock Rothschild, death record, “South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Records, 1840-1972”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QM-4WD8 : Sat Mar 09 04:43:23 UTC 2024), Entry for Johanna Rothschild, 23 Sep 1940.

That explains why Berthold was listed as married in 1939, but a widower in 1942. I am still trying to learn more about Johanna and also about the rest of Berthold’s life, but for now I have at least answers to some of my questions. I know when he was born, where he served in World War I, when he married Selma Adler and why she divorced him, when he left for South Africa, when he married Johanna Glock, and when and where he died. Most of the holes have been filled, thanks in large part to his grandson Meir.

My next post will answer some questions about Berthold’s daughter Adelheid, questions for which neither Meir nor I had originally had answers.