His birth in Militsch is deduced from the fact that his father appears to have lived there until at least his early 60s, and is confirmed by his death certificate.

Herrmann's son Ernst's marriage certificate states that Ernst was born in Militsch and that Herrmann had died in Beuthen before Ernst's marriage (05.04.1892).

Herrmann's death certificate gives his age as 52 years 1 month, indicating a birth date in February 1828. However, his September 1860 marriage record gives his age as 33 years which puts his birth between September 1825 and September 1826. Fred Halbers, Herrmann's grandson, gives his date of birth as 22.01.1826.

Advertisements in local newspapers reveal that Herrmann was involved in selling clothing and fabrics, first as a partner with his relative Adolph Lustig in the firm of Ludwig Schlesinger and, from 1866, in his own right.



The identity of his business partner "Ad. Lustig" is uncertain. The German term Schwager usually denotes an "in-law". So far as I know, none of Herrmann's sisters married a Lustig, and nor did any of his wife's brothers. The only related Adolf Lustig is this one who was Herrmann's sister-in-law's husband.

In May 1869 Herrmann announced he was giving up his clothing business in Gleiwitz and in August that year his stock was liquidated in a 2-day auction. Less than two months later he announced the opening of an establishment in Beuthen catering for beer, wine, food and billiards.



Herrmann was related, through his wife, to Hermann Mueller, whose beer he stocked and distributed. The Halberstaedter family eventually owned a 10% share in Mueller's brewery in Rybnik. By the end of 1869 Herrmann was advertising wholesale stocks of Culmbacher and Rybniker lager and Hungarian wines to proprietors of restaurants and public houses.



Herrmann is listed in the 1880 Beuthen address book as a restaurateur and house owner living at Gleiwitzerstrasse 40 (now demolished to make way for the Agora Bytom shopping mall). After Herrmann's death in March 1880 the restaurant passed out of the family, but an advertisement from 1881 refers to it as "formerly Halberstaedter".



His grave stone stands in the Jewish cemetery on Piekarska, Beuthen. Although the side bearing the German inscription is badly weathered, Herrmann's name can be made out and the cemetery's register confirms that it is that of Herrmann. The Hebrew inscription on the other side names him Zvi Halberstadter and his father Eliezer.



My 2 x great grandfather.