"Daughters, I Need Daughters"

Well that's not exactly what Mayer said. "Sons, I need sons." is what he really said.

Gutele asks at the beginning of the play, "What if they are daughters?" and later Prince William says, "And Rothschild...next time you come to court...do bring some daughters."

Just idle dialogue from the authors? Not likely.

So did Mayer have any daughters? Absolutely, remember the will? Mayer and Gutele had 10 children; 5 sons and 5 daughters-Schonge Jeannette, Isabella, Babette, Julie, and Henrietta.

Back to the will; Mayer stipulated that none of the daughters or their future husbands could inherit the family business. So you can imagine where that leaves the women and their daughters. Solomon's son Amselm married Nathan's daughter Charlotte, Kalman's son Mayer married Nathan's daughter Louise (poor Louise and Kalman- they had 7 children- all girls), Nathan's son Nathaniel married Jacob's daughter Charlotte. Nieces married uncles, cousins married cousins and it was kept all in the family. Actually not that unusual during this time period.