Marion and Max Wahl Collection

Ephraim Rothschild was born in 1808 and married twice but left no children. The Wahl family were extended relatives, some geneological information can be gleaned from his memoirs, see ME 539 (link below). Ernst and Bertha Wahl had three sons, Karl-Hermann (Charles), Max-Otto, and John. Karl was in Paris from 1933-1939, there he apparently married Helene and they eventually emigrated to the United States. Max-Otto's route was more arduous, taking him to Madrid from 1934-1940, then Tangier, Morocco from 1940-1943. By the end of 1943 he had arrived in New York City together with his wife, Marion. They eventually settled in California. It is not clear when John emigrated to the United States but he possibly accompanied Karl and at some point in time during the war, he enlisted in or was drafted for the armed forces. His first letters date from 1945 when he was stationed in Germany. John remained in Germany working for the War Crimes Investigating Team for several years after the war, married a woman named Gitta and adopted her daughter. They also eventually relocated to California. Ernst and Bertha were deported to Theresienstadt where they perished. Else Falk, about whom there is information in Folder 13, was the aunt of Karl, Max, and John, and an important personality in pre-war Cologne. Her husband, Bernard, was a city representative. Please see the Wahl Family Collection, AR 3373, for additional information on the history of the Wahl family.