Meet dentist Paul Weber from Bernburg, Germany!
I bought this photo album on German ebay and have enjoyed it immensely. Paul Weber was quite the character! I have a feeling that dentist Weber was a man of excellent humour, always in a good mood, taking care that everyone was having a ball, and at the same time he was a serious expert in the dental profession.
Although the photo album is not completely intact and some photos have been removed, I still found quite a few clues for researching this photo album. The album is pretty well labelled and some of the photos that I could detach from the album pages revealed further clues on the back.
In the address book of the town Bernburg in 1929/30, Paul Weber is listed as a dental technician/dentist, living at 17, Karlsplatz in Bernburg, Germany. That is the same address used on the postcard sent to him in 1935. That same postcard confirmed the entry in the address book that Paul Weber worked as a dentist.
Paul Weber was married but if they had any children I am not 100% sure. There is this following photo in the photo album labelled “Confirmation Papenroth March 24th, 1929”. Papenroth is not a town, so I assumed it is a name, perhaps a surname. I first thought it was perhaps dentist Weber’s daughter’s confirmation gathering in 1929, as he is sitting next to the young lady like a father would. But then again, he always sought to be in the centre of attention, so he sitting next to the lady whose party this probably was could also just be that they had a good relationship, perhaps as an uncle or a godfather. It is actually a tradition that with the protestant confirmation, the godparents are relieved of their duties, so it is very likely that dentist Weber was the young miss’ godfather. His wife is also standing behind him, supporting him as he toasts to the camera. There is a Paul Papenroth living in Bernburg in 1929, so I am now pretty much convinced that this is what the description on the back of the photo refers to.
I also don’t know how long dentist Weber had been living in Bernburg prior to 1929. As only this one address book of Bernburg is available for online research, I cannot compare his timeline. As also no birth, marriage or death certificates are available online from that area in Germany, I also cannot identify his family members. Here he is with his wife.
I was somewhat intrigued to read a “strictly confidential” message sent to dentist Weber in 1935. The text says:
“Dear Mr. Weber!
What is the status regarding the electricity plug for the x-ray machine? When you know more, please do write. I could have it delivered between April 1st and 15th. It would be set up by a specialist, I will take care of that immediately. We would do the business on the terms known to you and in strict confidentiality!”
Maybe they didn’t want to warn his competitors that he was getting one of those modern x-ray machines for his practice.
The Webers loved to travel. There are several fun photo series from their travels in the photo album. Here he is with his wife in Switzerland with the summit Jungfrau in the background. He is smoking and she is carrying a purse, so outdoorsy.
Here they are in Luzern, Switzerland with Mount Stransenhorn in the background in 1930. Do you see the pipe dentist Weber is smoking? He really was a hopeless chain-smoker!
Dr. Dentist and his friends took a trip to Hahnenklee health resort in the Harz mountains, Germany. Here they are exercising before the next cigarette break. Got to keep those lungs strong for cigarettes.
The nature in Hahnenklee is idyllic for trekking or bicycle tours. The Stave church is still the landmark of Hahnenklee today.
Mrs Weber was a guest at the Oberschlema health resort on several occasions. Oberschlema is known for its radon therapy even today.
Dentist Weber was quite the goofball, always keeping spirits high and a smile on his face and of his friends.
Why am I not surprised that the only one not standing is dentist Weber!
Let’s get to know some of dentist Weber’s friends! There’s fellow-dentist August Hurttig and his wife and dog. The photo of August alone is labelled “August, the connoisseur”
Then there’s Albert Jenssen and his wife and son. In 1929 they lived in Bernburg too. Albert was a master plumber.
The text on the back of the donkey photo is hilarious. I found it difficult to read, so I’m very grateful for all the help I get in the Facebook groups! It says:
“My wife cannot attend the next coffee klatsch cause she won’t be home by then on this ride. This beast only moves sideways. Albert Jenssen and wife”
They must have been pretty good friends to write like this, hilarious! I hope Mrs Jenssen also agrees with me.
Dr. Weber is having one of his many cigarette breaks. Here with his colleague- friend Mr. Schöne.
Dentist Weber served in WWI alongside his comrades whose photos he kept as keepsake.
Dentist Weber probably had a brother Arthur who was born in 1884 and passed away in 1926. Arthur had been a teacher. The location of the cemetery is not known to me which makes it difficult to do any research on the right Arthur.
Here are some more photos which were glued on the album pages, but don’t hold enough clues to identify them.
I hope you have had as much fun going through this blog post like I did discovering the life of dentist Paul Weber. As always, please let me know if you recognise anyone in the photos. Thank you!
