Hermann Heinrich (H.) Salinger passed away in 1936. His death certificate reveals that he was a German Jew, originally a local storekeeper who later became a hotelier. He was born in 1855, and his Hebrew name was Zvi, son of Haim. At the time of his death, he was a widower residing in Lichtenburg. His first wife, Mina (also spelled Miena, nee Schiller), was a German Jewess. From the death certificate of their son, Nathan, who died in 1892, we learn that the family arrived in South Africa in 1889. At the time of Nathan's death on July 28, 1892, he was listed as a storekeeper at Doornkop, near Roodepoort.

 

Doornport was the scene of a key battle in the Second Boer War.

 

Herman later married Julie Doris Jacobson. They were married in Berlin, Germany. She passed away in 1929 and was also buried in Bloemhof. Her death certificate shows that she died on 27 December 1929. It also notes that Herman was a hotelier at the time. Her children are listed as Emilda Leah Cohen, Joseph Charles Salinger, Albert Ludwig Salinger, Augustine Baruch (married to Adolf; they lived in Bloemhof for a period), and Vera Hermina Lee (married to Charles Sydney Lee). The two sons, Joseph Charles (1884-1943) and Albert Ludwig (1887-1952), lived and died in Bloemhof. Both are listed as hoteliers (Joseph also as a barman) on their death certificates. They were also buried in Bloemhof. Joseph Charles never married.

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It is not clear when the family reached Bloemhof, but they seem to have wandered around the Cape and Transvaal (Potchefstroom and Zeerust) based on births and weddings. Based on Government Gazette announcements, Hermann left Zeerust in 1919, trading as H. Salinger and Company. The earliest reference to his ownership of the Bloemhof Hotel was in 1924. The Hotel was located on Prins Street, Erf number 90.