Thal

Descendants of Moshe and Sara Thal

Moshe Jankel Thal was born ca. 1803 and was a merchant of the third guild in Courland, Russia. He and his wife, Sara, possibly daughter of Levin, lived in Sassmacken, Courland, now Valdemarpils, Latvia. Moshe died in Sassmacken in 1892. Sara, born ca. 1812, died in Sassmacken in 1888.

People

Thal Posts

  • Remembering the Holocaust
    The photo above is Shlomo Thal, born in 1904 in Valdemarpils, Latvia. This photo is particularly powerful for me as it looks so much like my own grandfather, born the same year. Shlomo and my grandfather were second cousins. Shlomo was killed in Riga, Latvia, in 1941. He was 37. On this Yom HaShoah, I’dContinue reading “Remembering the Holocaust”
  • Leaving Courland
    Among my collection of interviews is this story, told by Paula Thal Aminoff in 1974, of her brother Jacob and his efforts to leave Courland (now Latvia) before being drafted into the Russian Army. Ted: You know about Abraham Blumberg.. well, I’ll tell you. His father, Abraham’s father [Jacob Blumberg] was fairly well‑to‑do, he wasContinue reading “Leaving Courland”
  • The Thals of Sassmacken
    From a 1981 interview between Rabbi Lennard Thal and my great-grandfather’s sister, Paula Thal Aminoff, I have this quote: “Sassmacken. There was full of Jews. And there were a bunch of Thals there – not related, another family, very fine people, but not related to us. Ours was a big family and they were aContinue reading “The Thals of Sassmacken”

Places

Latvia

Ohio

Photographs

I can’t possibly share all of my family photographs here. Instead, I’ve chosen a select few favorites, mainly group photos. More pictures, particularly of individuals, can be found through my Thal-Gephart Family Tree accessible through my Ancestry profile. I am always looking for more pictures. If you have any to share, please contact me.

Pesach and Lena Blumberg Thal and children, Toledo, Ohio, 1903. Photographer, Van Loo, 329 Superior St.

Standing (L to R): Fred and Paula Thal, Sam Aminoff, Milly and Jacob Thal, Edward and Roy Thal.

Seated (L to R): Louis and Esther Thal, Pesach, Max, and Sarah Thal (on floor), Lena Blumberg Thal, Henrietta Gettleson Thal, Clara Gettleson Thal.

Lena Blumberg and Pesach Thal, Toledo, Ohio, ca. 1904.

The Martin Thal Family, ca. 1935:

Standing: Morton Thal, left, and Martin Thal, center.

Seated: Bernice is seated, center, holding Barbara and Betty Thal, twins. Eugene Thal is seated on the arm of the chair.

The collage of family photos at right was compiled by Leona Thal Mills. A few have been identified. The baseball photo on the right is Morris G. Thal, and Leona herself is the middle girl in the photo of three girls at the bottom. If you can identify anyone else, please contact me.

Schatz Family, Vienna, ca. 1910:

Left to Right: Max Schatz, Adelia and Nikolai Schatz, Rika Schatz and Misha Schoen.

Rosa Thal Schatz with family, ca. 1931, near Riga:

Back row (L to R): Rosa Thal Schatz, Rosa Feinberg Schatz, holding Yakov Schatz, and Abram Schatz

Front row (L to R): Lena Feinberg (Rosa’s sister), Rika and Ester Schatz, daughters of Abram.

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