The family of Levi and Henrietta Goldsmith had suffered a heartbreaking number of deaths between 1886 and 1907: Levi and Henrietta themselves, three of their children, all of whom died before their fiftieth birthdays (Felix, Estella, and Isadore), and a staggering number of the grandchildren: Eva’s first two sons, Estella’s sons Stanley and Leonard, three of Blanche’s children (Ethel, Leah, and Levis), and Sylvester’s daughter Henrietta. Most of those children died as babies or as children under five, and the oldest was thirteen when he died. How did the family cope in the next decade?

Well, they pushed ahead. Estella’s oldest son Jerome married in 1909.¹ His wife, Carrie Kohn, was born Claudia Kohn to Arnold and Leah Kohn on June 15, 1884.² Her father, a German immigrant, was a clothing merchant.³ In 1910, Jerome and Carrie were living in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, with Jerome’s father Solomon and brother Herbert. Jerome, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, was a lawyer, his father was retired, and Herbert, who was only sixteen, was not employed. There was also a servant in the home. Jerome and Carrie would have one child, a daughter they named Estelle for Jerome’s mother; she was born on June 19, 1913.⁴

Jerome Rothschild and family 1910 census, Census Place: Jenkintown Boro Ward 1, Montgomery, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1377; Page: 25B; Enumeration District: 0084; FHL microfilm: 1375390
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Eva Goldsmith Anathan, now truly a widow, was living in Philadelphia in 1910 with her two daughters, Helen (30) and Bessie (27), as well as three boarders and a servant. One of those boarders was Harry Napoleon Goldsmith, about whom I wrote in detail here. Helen was working as a probation officer in juvenile court, and Bessie was a public school teacher.

Eva Goldsmith Anathan 1910 US census
Year: 1910; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 32, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1403; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0759; FHL microfilm: 1375416
Description
Enumeration District: 0759
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

In 1912, Bessie Anathan married Sim J. Simon,⁵ who was born in Grunstadt, Germany, on August 12, 1877, to Jean Simon and Fannie Brunhild.⁶ When he later registered for the World War I draft, Sim’s occupation was listed as a salesman for the Brunhild-Simon Company; from newspaper ads, I learned that the company was a wholesale liquor distributor.⁷ Bessie and Sim would have three children, John, born January 18, 1913⁸, Robert, born June 16, 1915⁹, and a daughter Evelyn born May 13, 1922.¹⁰

In 1910 George Goldsmith was a lodger in the household of another family in Philadelphia and still working as a druggist. The following year George married Leah Abeles; he was fifty years old, and she was 49.¹¹ Leah was the daughter of Seligman Abeles and Fanny Kohn, both of whom were born in Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic); ¹² her father was in the millinery business. In 1910 she’d been living with her brother Simon, who was also a milliner. Leah had not been employed. Leah was a neighbor of George’s sister Blanche, and perhaps that was how they met.

Leah Abeles and Blanche Goldsmith Greenbaum on the 1910 US census,
Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 32, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1403; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0751; FHL microfilm: 1375416
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Bertha Umstadter Goldsmith, Felix Goldsmith’s widow, was living in Norfolk, Virginia, with their four children in 1910. She was “living on income,” and her oldest daughter Fanny (21) was a school teacher. The other three children, Lee (17), Hortense (12), and Minna (10) were in school. A cousin and a servant were also living with them.

Bertha Goldsmith and family 1910 US census, Census Place: Norfolk Ward 6, Norfolk (Independent City), Virginia; Roll: T624_1638; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0055; FHL microfilm: 1375651
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Harry and Helen (Goldsmith) Loeb had moved from Dubois, Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia by 1910, and Harry was now working as a brewer. Their three children, Armand (16), Henriete (14), and Leonard (9) were all in school, and there were two servants in the household as well.

Harry Loeb and family 1910 census, Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 32, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1403; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0751; FHL microfilm: 1375416
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Blanche (Goldsmith) and Max Greenbaum were living in Philadelphia in 1910 with their one surviving child, Helen, who was three, and two servants. Max continued to practice dentistry. (See image above.)

Finally, Sylvester Goldsmith and his family were living in Dubois, Pennsylvania, where Sylvester was in the clothing business. In 1910, they had four children still living, Louis (11), Harold (9), Blanchard (6), and Estelle (4).  For some reason, the census, however, lists Henrietta, who had died in 1903, in the line that should have been for Louis.

Sylvester Goldsmith and family, 1910 US census, Census Place: Du Bois Ward 1, Clearfield, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1331; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0074; FHL microfilm: 1375344
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Sylvester and Ida would have one more child, a daughter named Sarah at birth, but later called Frances, born on May 4, 1912, in Dubois.¹³ But Sylvester would not live to see her third birthday; he would not live to see any of his children reach adulthood.  He died from angina pectoris on October 8, 1914, in Dubois. He was only 44 years old; like his siblings Estella, Felix, and Isadore, he did not make it to his fiftieth birthday.

Sylvester Goldsmith death certificate, Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1966; Certificate Number Range: 094081-097370
Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966

The Dubois Daily Express ran this obituary on October 9, 1914:

Sudden Death of Well Known Citizen of DuBois

Sylvester Goldsmith, a well known business man of this place, died quite suddenly last evening at his home on Park avenue of neuralgia of the heart. He had been ailing for several days, but had been up and around the house. On Tuesday he was down town attending to business and last evening he was on his front porch when the band passed out Brady street on the way to the tabernacle. A little later he entered the house and at 8:45 o’clock suddenly expired while sitting on a rocking chair.

The deceased was born in Philadelphia and had he lived until November 4th next, he would have been 45 years of age. He was the son of Levi and Henrietta Goldsmith, both now deceased. For many years he was in business in Indianapolis, Ind., but thirteen years ago he came to DuBois and has resided here ever since. He was at one time engaged in the clothing business with Warren Baxter, near the B., R. & P. station.

Later he was associated with the Meads in the pool room business and about two years ago he engaged in business for himself, opening a pool room, opposite the Martin Brothers store on North Brady street.

Socially Mr. Goldsmith was a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Loyal Order of the Moose. He leaves to survive him his wife, whose maiden name was Miss Ida Simms, and who was from Lima, Ohio, and five children as follows: Louis, Harold, Blanchard, Estelle and Francis. He also leaves three sisters and one brother, namely, Mrs. Harry Loeb, Mrs. D.[sic] Greenbaum, Mrs. Athens [sic] and George Goldsmith, all of Philadelphia.

Yet another set of young children in the Goldsmith family was left without a parent. There were only four of the nine children of Levi and Henrietta Goldsmith left in 1915: Eva, George, Helen, and Blanche.

Four of the remaining grandchildren were men of draft age when the US entered World War I in 1917. Estella’s son Herbert Rothschild served in the US Navy in France from July 5, 1918 until November 11, 1918.¹⁴

Felix’s son Lee Goldsmith registered for the draft and stated that he had served for two years as a private in the medical service in Virginia; at the time of his registration, he was employed as the secretary of the Norfolk, Virginia Ports Cotton Exchange (at least that’s what I think it says). I could not find any record for service during World War I itself.

When Helen Goldsmith Loeb’s son Armand registered for the draft, he was working for his father Harry as a salesman. He also served during the war, though not overseas. He served from May 1918 until December 1918. ¹⁵

Sylvester Goldsmith had three sons, but only Louis was of draft age during World War I. He served in the medical detachment of the 111^th Infantry of the US Army from August 1917 until May 1919; he served in France in that capacity for some of that time.¹⁶

Miraculously, given the family’s bad luck, no one was killed while serving in World War I.  In fact, the family suffered no more deaths after Sylvester’s death in 1914 until after 1920. Thus, the years between 1908 and 1920 proved to be better years for the extended family of Levi and Henrietta Goldsmith. Although the family lost Sylvester, the youngest child of Levi and Henrietta, he was the only sibling to die during that time, and no more young children died in those years. In fact, three children were born and three family members were married during those years. So overall these were relatively good years for the family.

What would the Roaring Twenties bring?