Brothers Ludwig (Vryburg) and Herman (Kuruman) were the progeny of German Jews and an admixture of some of the first German Jewish families to settle in Calvinia and Vryburg, namely Abt and Rosenblatt. Ludwig, who died in 1928, was a bachelor is buried in the Vryburg cemetery. He was working in the Savoy (International) Hotel as a clerk. Herman was a prominent lawyer in Kuruman. Herman was born in Vryburg on 15 July 1892. Ludwig was born in Smithfield in the Orange Free State in 1877. Herman married Victoria Friedlander of the famous De Aar Friedlander family. Victoria was the daughter of Joseph Isaac Friedlander (from Courland) and Alida Taurog (daughter of Joseph and Lea from Riga). 

 Ludwig and Herman were the sons of Solomon (Sigmund) Hammerschlag and his wife Jenny. Jenny was an Abt and the sister of the Abt brothers, Daniel and Hermann who established the first Hotel in Vryburg, the Criterion. That Hotel later became the Grand Hotel.

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We do not know what the Hammerschlag family did in Vryburg in the 1890's, but it was probably linked to the activities of the Abts. At the time of his naturalization in 1899, Solomon was living at Geluk, in the Vryburg District. We know that the Abt's were working on an irrigation scheme in the area. Solomon is listed as a shopkeeper. Later, Elias Helfer would run that very same store.   

 

Solomon (Sigmund) and Jenny had five children in total. In addition to Hermann and Ludwig, they parented Bertha (Bach, Wolmeranstad), Adele (Kahn, Cape Town) and Max (who lived in Lichtenberg). These places of residence were reflected at the time of Ludwig's death. Max was born in Vryburg in 1893 and died in Heidelberg.

 

Sigmund was later a merchant in Calvinia and he retired to Cape Town, where he died in 1925. Jenny passed away a few years later, in 1946. Both are buried in Maitland Cemetery in Cape Town. Sigmund was the son of Moses Hammerschlag and Jeanette. Max (1954), Herman (1958) and Victoria (1957) are all buried in the Springs Jewish cemetery. Max married Kathleen Louisa Williamson in 1928. In 1929 they baptized their daughter Dawn Jenny. Despite marrying out, he chose to be buried a Jew. 

 

Sigmund was born in Solomon Hessen-Kassel in Germany to Moses (Eliyahu) and Jeanette. The Wallach family were also from these parts of Germany. It seems the couple had a second son. His name was Joseph and he lived in Calvinia. He was married to Josephine Rosenblatt, the daughter of Louis (Lipman) Rosenblatt and Henrietta Bernberg. Jeannette was the sister of Hermann and Julius. Hermann (HAR) was a popular mayor of Vryburg and Julius owned Solomon's stores.  Both Josephine and Joseph are buried in Maitland cemetery, Cape Town.