Hermann De Stern

Asser

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Hermann De Stern, birth 1815 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, died 20 Oct 1887 LONDON, ENGLAND, son of Jacob Stern and Theresa Wohl
1st Baron de Stern - Porugese Barony
Married 10 May 1845 to:
Julia Goldsmid, birth 1823, died 2 Jan 1899, daughter of Aaron Asher Goldsmid and Sophia Salomons

1) Emily Teresa Stern, birth 21 Apr 1847, died 13 Aug 1905
Married 5 Jul 1894 to:
Edward Lenox Dutton, birth 23 Apr 1831, died 19 Jul 1919
4th Baron Sherborne

2) Herbert Herman Stern Michelham, birth 28 Sep 1851 Cavendish Square, London, died 7 Jan 1919 Prince Gate, buried 10 Jan 1919 Ball Pond Cemetery
HERBERT STERN MICHELHAM, 1ST Baron (1851-1919), British financier, was born Sept. 28 1851, the son of Hermann de Stern, Portuguese baron and banker, and Julia Goldsmid. He entered his father's banking house, Stern Bros., of London, Paris and Belgi um, and inherited from his father the Portuguese barony and a fortune of X2,000,000, which was much increased by his own financial ability. In July 1905 he was created a baronet and in Dec. was raised to the peerage of the United Kingdom as Baro n Michelham. He presented to the nation the quadriga surmounting the arch on Constitution Hill, and subscribed liberally for the purchase of pictures for the National Gallery, besides forming a valuable private collection. He was also well know n as an owner of race-horses. During the World War he bought the Hotel Astoria in Paris for use as a British hospital, and established and maintained a convalescent home for officers at Cimiez. He died in Paris Jan. 7 1919 and was succeeded by hi s son Herman Alfred Stern, 2nd Baron (b. 1900)
Married 28 Jul 1899 to:
Aimee Geraldine Bradshaw, birth 20 Mar 1882 Hesketh Crescent, Torquay, Devon, UK, died 1 Jan 1927 Paris, France

3) Laura Julia De Stern, birth 1855, died 1935
Daughter of one of the wealthiest men of Victorian Britain, Laura married David Lionel in 1882, becoming Lady Laura Salomons. They lived at the Broomhill estate in Kent and at 49 Grosvenor Street in London .

Laura was involved with the running of the Salomons households, hosting many gatherings of scientists, photographers and transport enthusiasts at Broomhill and Grosvenor Street . She was a devoted mother to her five children.

Although nothing has been found in the records, it is known that David Lionel was in favour of allowing women some freedoms û including driving motor cars. So perhaps Laura was one of the first women drivers?

She outlived her husband and two of her children, dying in the same year as her daughter, Maud. She is buried in the family burial ground at Lower Green, Tunbridge Wells.
Married 20 Jul 1882 to:
David Lionel Salomons, birth 28 Jun 1851 Brighton, Sussex, England, died 19 Apr 1925, son of Philip Salomons and Emma Abigail Montefiore
Educated privately, and then at University College , London , and Gonville and Caius College , Cambridge .

David Lionel and his sisters were orphaned in their teens and moved to Broomhill to be cared for by their uncle, David Salomons . Sir David died just before David Lionel completed his studies at Cambridge , and he inherited the title and the estat e.

From an early age David Lionel Salomons was interested in science and mechanics and would pass his spare time in the workshops and factories of London . At the age of fourteen he befriended a watchmaker and learned how to repair and make his ow n clocks and watches. After he had finished his Natural Sciences degree at Cambridge he started a series of popular scientific lectures for the general public in Tunbridge Wells. These included demonstrations of electrical experiments, his chie f enthusiasm.

His second great love was transport û in all its forms. He invented a railway signalling system, built a magnificent stable block for his horses, acquired the second car in Britain and went on to be a pioneer of æhorseless vehicles', and in late r years wrote a small book about aeroplane flight.

David Lionel greatly extended the Broomhill estate, adding garages and a æScience Theatre' at the back of the house. The house was one of the first to be lit with electricity, and it contained considerable collections of art and books.

Sir David spent much of his time in London , either commuting daily from Tunbridge Wells or staying at 49 Grosvenor Street , his London home. He was a magistrate in Kent (though he did not often sit) and was called to the Bar in 1874. Also that ye ar he was a Deputy Lieutenant for Kent and stood (unsuccessfully) as the Liberal candidate for Mid-Kent in the general election. In 1880 he was High Sheriff of Kent and in 1899 he was elected as a County Councillor . He became a magistrate for Lon don , Middlesex and Westminster , a Life-Governor of University College , London , Master of the Coopers Company for the year 1893, and Honorary Colonel for the Kent Fortress Engineers. By popular demand, he was asked to be Mayor of Tunbridge Well s in 1894 û despite not being a borough councillor û and during his term of office arranged what was probably the world's first motor show.

A list of the societies he belonged to shows the range of subjects he was interested in: astronomy, chemistry, civil engineering, geology, geography, meteorology, commerce, physics, military, inventions, archaeology, law, statistics, zoology, bota ny, agriculture, electrical engineering, photography, microscopy, and æself-propelled traffic'. He also belonged to a number of sporting and coaching clubs.

He patented several inventions (mostly electrical apparatus, but also one for buoyant soap!) and wrote several books. One on the Management of Accumulators became a standard text and ran to several editions. He was also in the habit of publishin g a little book of reflections and sayings each year, which he sent to his family and friends as a New Year greeting.

Although he was not as involved in Jewish affairs as his uncle, he retained his Jewish faith and, unlike many scientists of the day who were atheists or agnostics, viewed science as a way of marvelling at God's creation.

Sir David Lionel's only son, David Reginald Salomons, died in the First World War, so the baronetcy was not passed on. Sir David Lionel died in 1925. He is buried in the family burial ground at Lower Green, Tunbridge Wells.

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