The Jewish family, the Meyerhofs were based in Hesse, Germany: Wolfhagen, with a branch in Hoof. After the annexation of Kurhessen to Prussia the brothers Herz and Wolf Meyerhof, already well established and respected businessmen, moved with their families to Kassel. David, 'the elder', son of Herz, founded in 1900 the firm Meyerhof & Cie, exporter of medical and pharmaceutical merchandise. David, 'the younger', son of Wolf, along with Julius Griesbach founded a wholesale business in 1886 but in the absence of any willing heirs, decided to terminate the business and relocate to Meyerhof & Cie in 1909.

David Meyerhof, 'the elder', and his wife Friederieke née Wertheim, had three children: Gustav (b 1870), Siegfried aka Fritz (b 1873), Nathalie (b 1876). Gustav remained unmarried and died in 1919. Fritz took over the running of the family business and with his wife, Anna Neugoss, had two sons: Hartwig (b 1903) and Wilhelm (b 1906). Hartwig became 'Prokurist' of the family firm and lived with wife, Ilse- née Lieberg- and daughter, Anita, in Annastrasse 13. The family later emigrated to UK in 1934. Wilhelm moved to Italy in 1926. Nathalie Meyerhof married her great uncle, David Meyerhof, 'the younger'. They had a daughter, Frieda, who married the businessman, Ernst Rosengarten. they emigrated to Milan with Frieda's mother, Nathalie. It is thought that all those that moved to Italy eventually ended up in Great Britain except Nathalie, who went to New York in 1941.