contributed by Victoria Hirschland Hess, March 29, 2012

Family lore is that these men are the five sons of Herz Salomon Hirschland, one of the three original Hirschland brothers.

Just in: Standing, from left: Simon, Salomon. Seated, from left: Moses, Abraham, Levi.

I recently found this picture hanging on my brother’s wall. It has been there for years, though it was not something I paid attention to before. My brother, Georg, says that it is the five sons of Herz Salomon Hirschland, who was one of the three original brothers who took the Hirschland name. From the age of these men, I would think the photo was taken in the mid-19th century. It had to have been taken by Levi’s death in 1863. The original is heavily silvered with age. I am delighted to have been able to preserve it by scanning.

We don’t know who is who. Are you able to identify your ancestor? The five brothers are:

• Salomon Hirschland (1799-1869) — Veterinarian
• Abraham Hirschland (1801-1866) — Merchant and Lottery Agent
• Levi Hirschland (1804-1863) — Weaver, Butcher & Banker
• Simon Hirschland (1807-1885) –Banker & Trader
• Moses Hirschland (1810-1888) — Doctor of Medicine

The History and Fate of the Jews of Essen: A Memorial book to fellow Jewish citizens of the city of Essen, by Dr. Hermann Schröter p. 2-3.

The only photo of any of these men that I have to compare is one of Simon Hirschland.

Simon Hirschland

My guess is that he is the man front and center. Are you able to identify anyone else in this photo? Do you have any other photos of this generation that you can share? Please post your comments below on identification, and email me with any photos you can share.

If you are a family member, and would like a copy of this photo, I would be glad to send a high quality 8×10 to you for my expenses. Please email me for details (click on my photo to the right for my email address).