A contemporary marriage-banns notice names Siegfried with Else Reichenbach; her later married surname makes it very likely that the marriage followed.
The Hallesche Zeitung of 17 January 1909 printed marriage banns naming the merchant Siegfried Sernau of Halle and Else Reichenbach of Halberstadt. The complete newspaper page has been visually verified against the accessioned primary source.
Anna Jacob’s 1931 death notice names Else Sernau, née Reichenbach, among the Reichenbach mourners. Read together, the 1909 pairing and Else’s later married surname make it very likely that Siegfried and Else married.
The banns are a notice of intent, not the civil marriage record. They do not give Siegfried’s age, parents or address, and no later record has yet established his occupation beyond ‘merchant’ or traced his fate.
Family and household
People connected to this life
- Else Sernau née Reichenbach · intended bride in 1909; marriage made likely by her 1931 surname
Sources
Records and testimony
- Hallesche Zeitung, 17 January 1909, PDF p. 11 (RB-DOC-0221)
- Berliner Tageblatt, morning edition, 16 June 1931, p. 10 (RB-DOC-0214)
What remains uncertain
The banns and Else’s married surname make the marriage very likely, but the civil record has not been found. Siegfried’s birth, parents and later life remain unknown.