Category Archives: Ohio

Amalie Schoenthal Wolfe and Etta Wolfe Wise: Photo Analysis Part III

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In this third and final post devoted to photographs of Amalie Schoenthal Wolfe and her daughter Etta, I will look at two more photographs that my cousin Alan sent me and try and identify the others in the photo.

In this photograph, I’ve assumed Amalie is on the left and possibly Etta on the right. Then who are the three young women?

I don’t know. But Amalie had four granddaughters: Flora’s daughters Helen and Marjorie, Lee’s daughter Ruth, and Etta’s daughter Florence. My guess is that this is three of those four.

Here are some photos of Florence. This one is of Etta and her six children; Florence, her only daughter, is seated on our right.

Etta and her children. Courtesy of the family.

Here are another two of the children of Etta and Max Wise:

Do you see Florence in the photo above? Is she the tall girl standing between Amalie and Etta? I don’t think so, but am not sure. And as for the other two girls in the forefront? I have no idea. So maybe they are Helen, Marjorie, and/or Ruth. Or maybe not!

Finally, there is this photograph, which I will refer to as the living room photo:

The Wise Family Courtesy of the family

Seated in the middle rear are Etta, Amalie, and Max. The girl sitting right in front of Etta is her daughter Florence, and the four little boys on the floor and the little boy sitting on the lap of the man next to Max are the five sons of Etta and Max: Irving (Bud), Richard, Max, Jr., Robert, and Warren. From the ages of the children, I would guess that this photograph was taken in the early 1920s since Warren was born in 1920, Robert in 1919. You can compare the children to those in the photo of Etta surrounded by her children, probably taken a year before, and see the similarities.

So who are the other people in the living room photograph? Are they other relatives of Amalie and Etta? Or are they relatives of Max Wise? This photograph of Etta and Max with Max’s brothers and their wives shows what two of his brothers looked like. Alan agreed with me that the Wise brothers are not in the living room photograph with Etta’s children.

I think therefore that these are Etta’s relatives in the living room photo. Maybe the three older men are three of Etta’s four brothers: Maurice, Lee, Ira, and Herbert.  Maurice was living in Middletown, Ohio in 1920, as were Etta and Max, so it’s likely he is in the photograph.In 1920 Lee was in Pittsburgh, and Herbert in Detroit. Ira was living in Illinois in 1920 and died in 1924.

As for the two women sitting to Etta’s right, perhaps one is a sister-in-law, maybe both are. Perhaps one is Flora’s daughter Helen or her daughter Marjorie. And maybe the younger man perched on a table on our far left is Flora’s son Leroy. Or maybe her son Donald.

At this point it’s far too much speculation, but perhaps a cousin will find me who knows the answers. I am open to suggestions!

And please, everyone, label your photographs and spare some future family member from doing all this impossible guesswork.

A Schoenthal Update: More Photos from My Cousin Sally

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Back on July 30, 2019, I posted some wonderful photographs that I’d received from my cousin Sally of her grandmother Etta Wolfe Wise and her family. Etta was my grandmother Eva Schoenthal Cohen’s first cousin. Sally recently located three additional photographs of Etta, her husband Max Wise, and their six children. She has graciously shared those photographs with me.

First is a photograph of Etta and Max and all of their children taken in 1934. Etta stands in the foreground with her youngest child, Warren (14) to her left and her second youngest child, Bob (15), to her right.  From left to right in the rear are Max, Jr. (17), Max, Sr., Richard (19), Florence (23), and Irving (22).

Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

The second photograph must have been taken some years later. In the foreground are Florence Wise and her mother Etta Wolfe Wise (in polka dots). The other women are not known.

Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Finally, the third photograph includes the four sons of Max and Etta Wise as well as several unidentified men and a child. Irving Wise is to the far left; Richard Wise is at the far right. Max, Jr, stands in the center with his thumb hooked into his belt. In the center of the back row behind Max Jr.’s left shoulder is his brother Bob. The others Sally could not identify.1

I wonder whether this photo and the one above of all women were taken at the same event. Perhaps it was the wedding of one of the Wise children or a cousin?

Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Thank you once again to my cousin Sally for sharing these family photographs.

  1. Sally at first thought that the man next to Max, Jr. was his father Max, Sr., but since Max, Sr. died in 1934 and since this photograph was clearly taken a number of years after the one dated 1934 above based on the ages of the sons, that could not be Max, Sr. In addition, comparing this man to the other photo of Max, he appears much smaller with a different shaped head. ↩

Another Cousin Discovered: The Granddaughter of Etta Wolfe Wise, My Third Cousin Sally

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For me, genetic genealogy has been disappointing as a tool for finding new ancestors and breaking down brickwalls, but it has occasionally been useful for confirming what I already knew through traditional research. For example, in March I contacted a DNA match named Sally who came up as a fourth cousin on Ancestry, and after contacting her and checking my tree and hers, we realized that we were both the great-great-granddaughters of Levi Schoenthal and Henrietta Hamberg.  That is, Sally is in fact my third cousin, even closer than the DNA estimate on Ancestry.

Sally is descended from Levi and Henrietta’s daughter Amalie Schoenthal, and I am descended through their son Isidore Schoenthal. Sally and I exchanged family stories and information and photographs, and she generously agreed to let me share those stories and photographs on the blog. As you will see, there are some apparent family resemblances traceable to our shared Schoenthal ancestry.

As I’ve already written about on the blog, Sally’s great-grandmother (and my great-great-aunt) Amalie Schoenthal married Elias Wolfe. Their daughter Etta Wolfe was Sally’s grandmother. Etta was my grandmother Eva Schoenthal Cohen’s first cousin.

Sally has no photographs of her great-grandparents, but shared with me photographs of her grandmother Etta, all taken when she was a grandmother.  I will start with this one as it is the clearest photograph of her and shows much of her personality, as described to me by Sally. Sally knew Etta well because she died when Sally was eight years old. She remembers her grandmother lovingly and described her as easy-going and soft spoken and as someone who always enjoyed family trips and outings. Sally remembers that when she was just four or five, her grandmother would share shrimp cocktails with her. Can’t you see that sweetness in her face in this photo?

Etta Wolfe Wise, Courtesy of her Granddaughter Sally

Etta Wolfe married Maximilian Wise in 1910 in Pittsburgh, as noted here on the blog. Etta and Max had six children, a daughter Florence and then five boys, Irving, Richard, Max Jr., Robert, and Warren. Sally’s father Robert was their fifth child and fourth son. Here are two pictures of Max and Etta’s children.

Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Irving, Richard, Max, Jr. Robert, and Warren Wise.  Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Sally told me that Etta and Max converted from Judaism to Christian Science because they believed that their daughter Florence’s clubfoot was cured by Christian Science. Unfortunately, according to Sally, several other members of the family were not so fortunate with their faith in Christian Science and died fairly young after refusing traditional medical care.

Sally’s father Robert Wise enlisted in the Army on April 19, 1943, and served until February 20, 1946.1 Sally told me that her father was an Army Staff Sergeant Engineer, Aviation Battalion, and was stationed most of his time in the service during World War II in the South Pacific, building an airport and serving in combat.  After the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in August 1945, Bob drove two generals in his Jeep to see the devastation there and photographed what he saw. He also was at the airport when the Japanese planes landed for the signing of the peace treaty; he climbed over a wall and took pictures of the two planes. Unfortunately, Sally does not have access to those historically important photographs.

Bob Wise’s army experience was part of an exhibit about local veterans who served in World War II that was curated by the Middletown (Ohio) Historical Society and shown at the Fine Arts Center in Middletown in 2015.  These photographs of Robert were part of that exhibit, as was the one above of the six children of Max and Etta:

Robert Wise as a young boy in Middetown. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Sally also shared these additional photographs of her father taken during his service in World War II:

Robert Wise. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Robert Wise. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

After the war, Robert married Mildred Myers on January 10, 1948, in Ohio. Sally sent me this photograph from their wedding:

Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

The next few photographs made me sit back with amazement at some of the family resemblances. Here are photographs of my father, his mother Eva Schoenthal Cohen, and his grandfather Isidore Schoenthal and then some of the photographs of Bob Wise and Sally.

Isidore Schoenthal

Eva Schoenthal and John Cohen, Sr. 1923

John Cohen, Jr.

Bob Wise and Sally. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

The family of Bob Wise. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Mildred and Bob WIse, 1982. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers

Look at the eyes. Do you see the resemblances that Sally and I see? Or are we just seeing what we want to see?

Finally, two photographs of Etta Wolfe and Max Wise’s descendants—their children and their grandchildren. What a legacy!

The grandchildren and children of Etta Wolfe Wise. Front Row includes Florence Wise Keuthan. The second row, lefet to right, is Bob Wise, Mary Stephenson Wise (Max, Jr’s wife), and Millie Lunford Wise (Richard’s wife). Last row, left to right, is Mildren Myers Wise (Bob’s wife) , Max Wise Jr.,e Fred Keuthan (husband of Florence Wise, Richard Wise and Irving Wise. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers (The grandchildren are not named for privacy reasons).

Etta Wolfe Wise and all of her grandchildren. Courtesy of Sally Wise Myers.

Thank you, Sally, for sharing the stories and photographs with me. I am so glad we found each other.

 

  1. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946; SSN: 277015114, Branch 1: AAC, Enlistment Date 1: 26 Apr 1943, Release Date 1: 20 Feb 1946, Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 ↩

Lena Goldsmith Basch, Final Chapter: Joseph Basch’s Twins

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In 1930, Joseph Basch and his wife Ida Steinhauser were living in Columbus, Ohio, with their twin children, Elene, a Smith College graduate, and Joseph, Jr., a graduate of Ohio State University. Joseph, Sr., continued to work in the tobacco business with his brother Joel.

Elene Basch married Robert Weiler on October 14, 1931, in Columbus. Robert, the son of Adolph Weiler and Blanche Kahn, was born on December 31, 1902, in Hartford, Indiana.1 His father was born in Germany, and his mother was born in Indiana. By 1910, the family had moved to Columbus, where Adolph Weiler was a clothing merchant.2 Robert graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and in 1930 was living in Marion, Ohio, working in real estate sales.3

Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Elene and Robert settled in Bexley, Ohio, and had two children during the 1930s. In 1940, they were still living in Bexley, and Robert was working as an insurance broker.4 Elene’s parents Joseph and Ida were living in Columbus, and Joseph continued to own Levy Mendel, the tobacco business.5

Elene’s twin, Joseph, Jr., had moved to Highland Park, Michigan, by 1930, where he was working as a taxi driver and lodging with a family.6 (He was enumerated twice in 1930, once with his parents in Columbus and once in Highland Park.7) By 1935 he was living in Detroit and was still there in 1940, working as a parking lot attendant.8

I was able to get more insight about Joseph, Jr., and his mother Ida from these excerpts from the oral history interview conducted by the Columbus Jewish Historical Society with Alan Weiler on April 8, 2008.

Weiler: … My uncle Joseph moved to Detroit, Michigan where he lived an unusual life. He worked for General Motors on the assembly line, married a woman, but never had nerve enough to tell his mom that he was married. When she went up to visit him he introduced her as his maid. … He lived on Second Avenue in downtown Detroit where it was unlikely to have a maid. My grandmother thought that her son had a maid rather than a wife.

Interviewer: Why was he afraid to tell her? If he were married, he thought she wouldn’t approve?

Weiler: Exactly. My Uncle Joseph was a stutterer. His mother, my grandmother Ida Basch, was a very domineering woman. After he finished Ohio State he just wanted to get out of town and he ended up living in Detroit, I think became an alcoholic, really lived a very unusual life. The lady he married, Winola, was a lovely lady. ….

I found Joseph Basch, Jr. traveling with a woman named Lola Basch in 1958; I assume this was the woman Alan Weiler remembered as Winola.

The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Arriving at Miami, Florida.; NAI Number: 2771998; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 – 2004; Record Group Number: 85,  Ancestry.com. Florida, Passenger Lists, 1898-1963

She was born Lola Brown, daughter of James Brown and Lisa Sparks, on October 31, 1916, in Ivyton, Kentucky.9 In 1940, she was working as a servant in a household in Johnson County, Kentucky. So maybe in some sense Joseph did not lie to his mother—Lola had been at one time a maid, although in someone else’s home.10

Joseph Basch, Sr., died June 17, 1953,11 and his wife Ida died two years later on March 3, 1955.12 They were survived by their two children and two grandchildren. Their daughter Elene died in Columbus on November 25, 1973,13 followed just two months later by her husband Robert Weiler on January 28, 1974.14  For more about Elene and Robert and their lives, I highly recommend the oral interview done with their son Alan in 2008, which you can find here.

Joseph Basch, Jr., died on December 31, 1988, at the age of 82.15 I found this intriguing death notice in the January 2, 1989 Detroit News (p. 26):

“Basch,” Detroit News, January 2, 1989, p. 26.

Who are these stepchildren? Is “Lois” really Lola? The only seemingly relevant link I could locate was to Charles Fryman. I found a Charles W. Fryman born in Perry, Kentucky, on November 27, 1943, on the Kentucky Birth Index listed with a mother named Lola Ball.16  The Social Security Applications and Claims Index lists Charles Willie Fryman born November 27, 1941, with parents Charlie I Fryman and Lola Brown.17 I could not find any marriage record for Lola Brown and/or Charlie Fryman, however, so perhaps Charles W. Fryman was born outside of wedlock. He is listed on the Social Security Death Index with a birth date of November 27, 1942, and a date of death of July 15, 2000.18 He certainly appears to have been Lola Brown’s son. I could not find any connections to Lee Compton or Lucy Jacobs, however.

At any rate, although Joseph Basch, Jr., may never have had children with Lola, he certainly seemed to have a large family of stepchildren and step-grandchildren in his life.

With this post, I close another chapter in the family of my four-times great-uncle Simon Goldsmith and his children with his first wife Eveline Katzenstein and specifically the story of their daughter Lena. Lena Goldsmith Basch seems to have been a strong and smart woman, a woman who not only raised her children and cared for her husband Gustavus, but who ran a business and helped to support her family financially. She and her children left their mark on their long-time home of Columbus, Ohio.

Now I will turn back to and complete the stories of Simon’s children with his second wife, my three-times great-aunt Fradchen Schoenthal—my double cousins Henry and Hannah Goldsmith.

  1.  National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Roll #: 2481; Volume #: Roll 2481 – Certificates: 397850-398349, 21 Apr 1924-22 Apr 1924,
    Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 ↩
  2. Adolph Weiler and family, 1910 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 4, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1181; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0074; FHL microfilm: 1375194, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  3. Columbus (OH) Dispatch, October 26, 1930, p. 39; Robert Weiler, 1930 US census, Census Place: Marion, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0191; FHL microfilm: 2341527, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  4. Robert Weiler and family, 1940 US census, Census Place: Bexley, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03068; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 25-4, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census  ↩
  5. Joseph and Ida Basch, 1940 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03242; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 93-55, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  6. Joseph Basch, Jr., 1930 US census, Census Place: Highland Park, Wayne, Michigan; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0994; FHL microfilm: 2340809,
    Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Basch family, 1930 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 0029; FHL microfilm: 2341529, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  8. Joseph Basch, Jr., 1940 US census, Census Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01844; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 84-158, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  9. SSN: 400363565, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  10. Lola Brown, 1940 US census, Census Place: Johnson, Kentucky; Roll: m-t0627-01322; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 58-13, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  11. SSN 297323868, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  12. “Mrs. Ida Basch,” Columbus (OH) Dispatch, March 4, 1955, p. 48. Ancestry.com. Web: Columbus, Ohio, Green Lawn Cemetery Index, 1780-2010 ↩
  13.  Certificate: 085726; Volume: 21489, Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007 ↩
  14.  Certificate: 002636; Volume: 21563, Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007 ↩
  15. SSN: 365167257, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  16. Volume Number: 058, Certificate Number: 28711, Volume Year: 1945, Ancestry.com. Kentucky, Birth Index, 1911-1999 ↩
  17. SSN: 405567939, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  18.  Number: 405-56-7939; Issue State: Kentucky; Issue Date: 1959, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩

Final Chapter for Joel Basch and His Family: Tragedy and Generosity

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In 1930, Joel Basch was still in the tobacco business and living with his wife Jeanette and sons Sidney and Gustavus in Columbus, Ohio. Sidney was working as a clerk in a finance company and Gustavus as a salesman in a furniture store.

Joel Basch, 1930 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0042; FHL microfilm: 2341530
Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census

In the 1930s, Gustavus moved to Miami. In 1940, he was still living in Miami, where he was the manager of a tourist camp.1 I wondered what that meant and searched for Gustavus in the newspaper databases and found this advertisement from the December 6, 1936, Miami Herald (p. 72):

Apparently a “tourist camp” was a place for tourists to stay while vacationing in Miami—a place to park a trailer or rent a cottage. As indicated in the advertisement as well as on Gustavus’ World War II draft registration, this was his own business.

His parents, Joel and Jeanette, were listed right above him on the 1940 census, but they were enumerated twice in 1940—once in Columbus living with their older son Sidney, once in Miami with their younger son Gustavus. The Columbus enumeration was done on April 11, 1940, and the Miami enumeration was done on April 30, 1940. The Columbus enumeration reported that Joel, now 73, was retired, and that Sidney, 43, was a clerk at an insurance company.

Joel and Jeanette Basch, 1940 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03243; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 93-77
Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census

Joel and Jeanette Basch and Gustavus Basch, 1940 US census, Census Place: Dade, Florida; Roll: m-t0627-00580; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 13-22
Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census

Gustavus enlisted into the US Army on August 11, 1942,2 when he was 38 years old. He was serving as the “chief of the radio nets for his fighter squadron in 1943.” According to Wikipedia, a radio net is “essentially a moderated conference call conducted over two-way radio…. A net manager is the person who supervises the creation and operation of a net over multiple sessions. This person will specify the format, date, time, participants, and the net control script.”

“Visits Parents,” Columbus (OH) Dispatch, October 8, 1943, p. 14

The family suffered a terrible loss on January 10, 1945, when Sidney Basch had a cerebral hemorrhage and died in the family’s garage in Columbus.  According to his death certificate, his body was not discovered until ten hours later. The newspaper reported that a neighbor found Sidney’s body, lying between the garage door and the rear bumper of his car; the paper also reported that Sidney had a history of heart attacks. He was 48 years old when he died.3

Sidney Basch, death certificate, Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DH64-VL8?cc=1307272&wc=MD96-DTP%3A287601701%2C287601302 : 21 May 2014), 1945 > 00001-03300 > image 1423 of 3510.

His brother Gustavus was serving in Europe at the time of Sidney’s death, but must have been discharged not long afterwards. He spent several months with his parents in Columbus after his discharge before returning to Florida in October of 1945.4

Two years later Jeanette Mendel Basch died on December 26, 1947. According to her obituary, she had been ill for a year. Jeanette had outlived two of her sons—Robert, who’d died as a young child, and Sidney. She was survived by her husband Joel and son Gustavus.5

But Joel only outlived Jeanette by three years. He died on December 8, 1950, from a heart attack and arteriosclerosis. He was 87.

Joel Basch, death certificate, Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6Q67-VC2?cc=1307272&wc=MD9N-9P8%3A287599801%2C294723701 : 21 May 2014), 1950 > 74601-76700 > image 303 of 2329.

Gustavus, who according to Joel’s obituary 6 was the secretary-treasurer of Tourist City Corporation in Miami when his father died in 1950, continued to live in Florida for the rest of his life. He died on November 13, 1989, in Miami, at age 85. Gustavus had not married or had children.7

An article that ran in numerous Florida newspapers revealed that Gustavus had died a wealthy man. In his early years he had invested in real estate in Miami that he sold after World War II; he had successfully invested his profits in the stock market and died with an estate worth five million dollars. He left two million dollars to the Miami Metrozoo and smaller amounts to his alma mater, Ohio State University, the United Negro College Fund, and South Miami Hospital. I found it ironic that Gustavus had done so well “gambling” on the stock market, given that his father Joel had lost his business as a young man due to gambling debts.8

As neither of Joel and Jeanette’s sons had children, there are no living descendants of Joel and Jeanette (Mendel) Basch. But their stories are not forgotten.

  1. Gustavus Basch, 1940 US census, Census Place: Dade, Florida; Roll: m-t0627-00580; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 13-22, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946. ↩
  3. “Solicitor’s Body Found in Garage,” Columbus (OH) Dispatch, January 10, 1945, p. 1. ↩
  4. “To Miami,” Columbus (OH) Dispatch, October 2, 1945, p. 12. ↩
  5. “Mrs. Jeannette Basch,” Columbus (OH) Dispatch, December 27, 1947, p. 3. ↩
  6. “Joel Basch,” Columbus (OH) Dispatch, December 9, 1950, p. 11. ↩
  7. SSN: 265019585, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  8. “Frugal Man Leaves $2 Million to Zoo,” The Tampa Tribune, 25 Nov 1990, p. 29. ↩

Lena Goldsmith Basch, Final Chapters: Frank and Hinda

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In 1930, four of Lena Goldsmith’s six children were still living—Frank, Hinda, Joel, and Joseph. They ranged in age from Joseph at 63 to Frank at 73. Their children, Lena’s grandchildren, were all adults by 1930. In fact, by 1930 Frank had five grandchildren himself, and one more would arrive in the 1930s. Joel and Joseph would also have grandchildren born in the 1930s. And there were also more marriages among the grandchildren in the years that followed.

The next three posts will conclude the saga of the Basch family of Columbus, Ohio. This post will complete the stories of Frank and Hinda; Joel and Joseph will be discussed in subsequent posts.

Frank Basch’s family

Lewis Basch, Frank and Freda (Rosenthal) Basch’s son, married Maryleone Freund on June 30, 1931. Maryleone was the daughter of a rabbi, Charles J. Freund, and Elizabeth “Bertie” Oberdorfer. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 29, 1910, but also lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1930 she was living with her parents in Toledo, Ohio.1

Lewis Basch, marriage record, “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-FZFC?cc=1614804&wc=Q6SP-NLG%3A121350601%2C123701101 : 15 July 2014), Franklin > Marriage index and records 1935-1937 vol 108 > image 208 of 330; county courthouses, Ohio.

After marrying Lewis, Maryleone completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio State University. Lewis and Maryleone would have two children in the 1930s.

U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012″; Yearbook Title: The Makio; Year: 1932
Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990

Just three months after her brother Lewis’ wedding, Coryne Basch, Frank and Freda’s daughter, died at age 33 from appendicitis on September 27, 1931.  According to her death certificate, Coryne was the owner of a kindergarten. Coryne was survived by her parents, her sisters Rae and Ruth, and her brother Lewis. She had never married or had children.

Coryne Basch, death certificate, Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6HL-K9C : 8 March 2018), Coryne Basch, 27 Sep 1931; citing Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, reference fn 53945; FHL microfilm 1,992,473.

Frank Basch died on January 5, 1934, in Columbus, from coronary disease and hypertension. He was 76 years old. With his death, only three of his siblings remained.

Frank Basch, death certificate, Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6QM9-HSN?cc=2128172&wc=7DZ2-PQB%3A1296032501%2C1296824302 : 2 October 2014), Franklin > Death certificates, 1926-1927 > image 1504 of 3280; county courthouses, Ohio.

In 1940, Frank’s three surviving children were all living in different places. Lewis and his family were living in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb less than four miles east of Columbus. Lewis was a dentist in private practice.2 His sister Rae was living with her family in Chillicothe, Ohio, fifty miles south of Columbus; her husband Sidney Katz continued to be a clothing merchant.3  Ruth and her husband Sigmund Front and their children were living in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1940, where Sigmund was managing an electrical supply store.4 Sigmund’s 1942 World War II draft registration revealed that he was no longer working in his father’s Front Company business, but for Westinghouse. I could not locate Freda Rosenthal Basch, Frank’s widow, on the 1940 census.

Sigmund Front, World War II draft registration, The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of West Virginia; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M1937, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

Rae Basch Katz lost her husband Sidney six years later. He was 57 years old when he died on July 6, 1946.5 She outlived him by 23 years; she died on October 25, 1969, at the age of 73.6 Rae and Sidney were survived by their three daughters.

Freda Rosenthal Basch died on September 16, 1954, twenty years after her husband Frank. She was 85 years old.7

Ruth Basch Front’s husband Sigmund died in Wheeling, West Virginia, on November 2, 1960. He was 66.8 Ruth later moved to Florida, where she died at age 83 on June 1, 1988. Ruth and Sigmund were survived by their two sons.9

Tragically, Lewis Basch lost his son Richard, who, like his father, was a dentist, on July 3, 1970, when Richard was killed in a car accident after his car crossed the median on the Kentucky Turnpike and struck another vehicle. Richard was only 33 and was survived by his wife and two children.10

Lewis Basch and his wife Maryleone remained in the Columbus area, and Lewis died there on July 5, 1986, when he was 86 years old.11 He was survived by his wife Maryleone, who died at 90 on February 14, 2001, in Columbus.12 Their daughter survived them as well as their grandchildren.

Hinda Basch

In 1940 Hinda Basch was living alone in Columbus without an occupation.13 She died four years later on June 23, 1944, from hypostatic pneumonia and myocardial degeneration. She was 83. She was survived by her brothers Joel and Joseph and a number of nieces and nephews. She had no direct descendants.

Hinda Basch, death certificate, Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PKP-W466?cc=1307272&wc=MD9X-TP8%3A287599501%2C294550101 : 21 May 2014), 1944 > 36501-39300 > image 1707 of 3268.

  1. State File Number: 2830A, Ancestry.com. Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1911. Charles Freund and family, 1910 US census, Census Place: Salt Lake City Ward 5, Salt Lake, Utah; Roll: T624_1607; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0142; FHL microfilm: 1375620, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census  Freund family, 1930 US census, Census Place: Toledo, Lucas, Ohio; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0080; FHL microfilm: 2341570, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Lewis Basch and family, 1940 US census, Census Place: Bexley, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03068; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 25-1, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  3. Sidney Katz and family, 1940 US census, Census Place: Chillicothe, Ross, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03138; Page: 18A; Enumeration District: 71-22, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  4. Sigmund Front and family, 1940 US census, Census Place: Wheeling, Ohio, West Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04436; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 35-37, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  5. Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007 ↩
  6.  Certificate: 202624; Volume: 90023, Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007 ↩
  7. Ancestry.com. Web: Columbus, Ohio, Green Lawn Cemetery Index, 1780-2010; Original data: Green Lawn Cemetery Burials. Columbus, Ohio. Joe and Dick Fleshman. http://greenlawn.delaohio.com/greenlawn/Greenlawn/index.htm: accessed 09 February 2012. ↩
  8. FHL Film Number: 857652, Ancestry.com. West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973 ↩
  9. Ancestry.com. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998 ↩
  10. “Son-in-Law of Dr. King Dies, The Newark (OH) Advocate, 09 Jul 1970, p. 22; “Dental Surgeon, Farmer Die in Separate Accidents,” The (Louisville, KY) Courier-Journal, 04 Jul 1970, p. 15. ↩
  11.  Certificate: 052193; Volume: 26521, Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007 ↩
  12.  Certificate: 010106; Volume: 32734, Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007 ↩
  13. Hinda Basch, 1940 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03244; Page: 81A; Enumeration District: 93-119B, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩

Lena Goldsmith Basch’s Grandchildren Reach Adulthood

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As seen in my last post about the Basch family, the children of Lena Goldsmith Basch suffered two losses in 1915. Their brother Jacob died on April 5, 1915, and Ella’s husband Isidor Shatz died seven months later. But not all the events of the 1910s were sad ones.

On February 5, 1917, Lena and Gustavus Basch’s oldest granddaughter, Frank’s daughter Rae, married Sidney Katz in Columbus.  She was twenty years old, and he was 28.

Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Sidney was born in Ohio on January 13, 1889,1 and grew up in Cincinnati, where in 1900 he was living with his widowed mother, Dina Bing Katz, and siblings.2 Sidney’s father Henry Katz had died when Sidney was just ten on December 24, 1899.3 Both of Sidney’s parents were German immigrants. In 1910, Sidney was living with his mother and sister in Cincinnati, working as a traveling millinery salesman.4

Rae and Sidney settled in Chillicothe, Ohio, about fifty miles from Columbus, where their first child, Dorothy Basch Katz, was born on March 19, 1919.5 In 1920 they were still living in Chillicothe, and Sidney was working as a dry goods merchant.6 Rae and Sidney had a second child, Jean, born on June 19, 1920,7 and then a year later a third daughter Frances was born on November 5, 1921.8

Rae’s younger brother Lewis served in World War I. He enlisted on October 18, 1918, when he was just eighteen. He was discharged two months later after the war ended.9 In 1920 he was back in Columbus, living with his parents Frank and Fred and his sisters and attending Ohio State University. According to the 1920 census, no one in the household was employed.

Frank Basch, 1910 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 3, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1180; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0057; FHL microfilm: 1375193
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Joel’s son Sidney Basch also served in World War I. He served from November 1917 until April 25, 1919.10 In 1920, he also was safely back home and living with his parents Joel and Jeanette and brother Gustavus. Joel was still in the tobacco business, and Sidney was a clerk in the industrial slate business.11

In 1920, Joseph Basch and his wife Ida were living with their twins, Elene and Joseph, Jr. Their father Joseph, Sr., was working with his brother Joel in the tobacco business.12

The two sisters, Hinda and Ella, were living together in 1920. Neither had children, and neither was working. The bequests left by their brother Jacob (and perhaps by Isidor Shatz also) must have left them sufficiently comfortable that they did not need other income.13

Thus, as of 1920, the surviving five children of Lena Goldsmith and Gustavus Basch were all living in Columbus, Ohio.

The 1920s brought another marriage and more children to the extended family. On March 9, 1925, Frank and Freda (Rosenthal) Basch’s youngest child Ruth married Sigmund S. Front in Columbus.

Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Sigmund was born on November 4, 1893, in Krakow, Poland, to Henry Elias Front and Rose Thieberger.14 He immigrated with his mother and siblings in August, 1899, joining his father who was already here.15 By 1901 the family was settled in Wheeling, West Virginia, where his father was working as a laborer in a brewery in 1910.16 In 1920 Sigmund was living with his family and working, along with his brothers, as a salesman for the gas and electric supplies business now owned by his father in Wheeling and known as The Front Company.17

Their wedding received a lovely detailed write-up in the Columbus newspaper, which also reported that they would be living in Wheeling after their honeymoon:

Columbia (OH) Dispatch, March 10, 1925, p. 16

Wheeling is about 130 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, and I have no idea how Ruth and Sigmund met. After marrying and settling in Wheeling, they had two sons born in the 1920s. In 1930, Ruth and Sigmund and their children were living in Wheeling, and Sigmund was now the secretary of the Front Company, according to the census, although the 1930 Wheeling directory lists him as its president.18

Meanwhile, Ruth’s father Frank Basch and his wife Freda and their two unmarried children, Coryne and Lewis, were still living in Columbus in the 1920s. Lewis studied dentistry at Ohio State University graduating in 1925,  and then he served in the dental reserves.19 In 1930, Lewis was living with his sister Coryne and his parents in Columbus where he was practicing dentistry. He was the only family member with an occupation listed.20

Frank and Freda’s oldest child Rae, who had married Sidney Katz in 1917 and moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, was still living with Sidney and their three daughters in 1930. Sidney was a clothing merchant.21

As for the other Basch siblings, the 1920s were relatively quiet. Joel Basch and his family continued to live in Columbus. In 1926, Joel purchased for investment a building in Columbus, perhaps with his inheritance from his brother Jacob.22 In 1930, Joel was still in the tobacco business and living with his wife Jeanette and sons Sidney and Gustavus in Columbus. Sidney was working as a clerk in a finance company and Gustavus as a salesman in a furniture store.

Joel Basch, 1930 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0042; FHL microfilm: 2341530
Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census

The youngest brother Joseph and his wife Ida were also still in Columbus during the 1920s. Their daughter Elene was studying at Smith College in the 1920s,23 and her twin brother Joseph was a student at Ohio State University.24  In 1930 both Joseph and Elene were living at home in Columbus, where their father continued to work in the tobacco business with his brother Joel. Neither Elene nor Joseph, Jr. was employed.25

There also do not appear to have been any noteworthy events in the lives of the two sisters, Hinda Basch and Ella Basch Shatz, during the 1920s. Ella, however, was not destined to enjoy the next decade. She died on January 29, 1930, from heart failure; she was sixty-four. According to her obituary, she had been a social worker, although I never saw any indication of that on any of the census records.26 She had been a widow for almost fifteen years and had no children who survived her. Under the terms of her brother Jacob’s will, the property that she had inherited from him now passed to her sister Hinda. Hinda continued to live in Columbus in 1930.27

“Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D4LQ-GG4?cc=1307272&wc=MD96-DN5%3A287601401%2C287598802 : 21 May 2014), 1930 > 00001-02900 > image 2674 of 3183.

There were now four remaining siblings left in the Basch family: Frank, Hinda, Joel, and Joseph, all living in Columbus, Ohio. By 1940, there would only be three left.

  1. Sidney Katz, World War I draft registration, Registration State: Ohio; Registration County: Ross; Roll: 1851088, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ↩
  2. Sidney Katz, 1900 US census, Census Place: Cincinnati Ward 2, Hamilton, Ohio; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0017; FHL microfilm: 1241274, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census ↩
  3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156611817 ↩
  4. Sidney Katz, 1910 US census, Census Place: Cincinnati Ward 2, Hamilton, Ohio; Roll: T624_1188; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0023; FHL microfilm: 1375201, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  5. SSN: 300184495, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  6. Sidney and Rae Katz, 1920 US census, Census Place: Chillicothe Ward 1, Ross, Ohio; Roll: T625_1431; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 132, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 ↩
  8. Ancestry.com. Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 ↩
  9. SSN: 273365982, Branch 1: ARMY, Enlistment Date 1: 18 Oct 1918, Release Date 1: 11 Dec 1918, Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 ↩
  10. Ancestry.com. Ohio Soldiers in WWI, 1917-1918. ↩
  11. Joel Basch and family, 1920 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 5, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T625_1381; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 96, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Joseph Basch and family, 1920 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 4, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T625_1381; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 86, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  13. Hinda Basch and Ella Basch Shatz, 1920 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 7, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T625_1381; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 138, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  14. SSN: 233053103, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  15.  The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Records of the US Customs Service, RG36; NAI Number: 2655153; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85, Ancestry.com. Baltimore, Passenger Lists, 1820-1964 ↩
  16. Wheeling, West Virginia, City Directory, 1901, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Sigmund Front, 1910 US census, Census Place: Wheeling Ward 7, Ohio, West Virginia; Roll: T624_1692; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 0108; FHL microfilm: 1375705, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  17. Sigmund Front, 1920 US census, Census Place: Wheeling Ward 7, Ohio, West Virginia; Roll: T625_1966; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 102, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  18. Sigmund Front and family, 1930 US census, Census Place: Wheeling, Ohio, West Virginia; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0036; FHL microfilm: 2342284, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  19. “Play Will Open Graduation Days at University,” Columbus Dispatch, Friday, Jun 12, 1925, Page: 6. “More Reserve Officers,” Columbus Dispatch, Wednesday, Jul 15, 1925 Columbus, OH Page: 5. ↩
  20. Frank Basch and family, 1930 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0044; FHL microfilm: 2341530, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  21. Sidney and Rae Katz and family, 1930 US census, Census Place: Chillicothe, Ross, Ohio; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0021; FHL microfilm: 2341599, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  22. “Store Building Sold,” Columbus Dispatch, June 13, 1926, p. 27. ↩
  23. Columbia Dispatch, December 28, 1924, p. 30 ↩
  24. School: Ohio State University, School Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Yearbook Title: Makio Yearbook, “U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012”; Yearbook Title: Makio Yearbook; Year: 1926 ↩
  25. Joseph Basch, 1930 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 0029; FHL microfilm: 2341529, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [Elene is listed a number of lines below her parents and brother on the page.] ↩
  26. “Mrs. Ella Schatz, Social Worker, Passes Away,” Columbus Dispatch, January 30, 1930, p. 2 ↩
  27. Hinda Basch, 1930 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0056; FHL microfilm: 2341528, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census  ↩

A Brother’s Will: A Caring Sibling

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By 1910, Lena Goldsmith and her husband Gustavus had passed away, but they were survived by their six children and by nine grandchildren—Frank’s four children, Joel’s three children, and Joseph’s two children. All their children and grandchildren were living in Columbus, Ohio, except for their daughter Ella, who was living with her husband Isidor Shatz in Findlay, Ohio.

Two members of the family died in 1915. First, Jacob Basch died at age 56 from a cerebral hemorrhage on April 5, 1915. He had been suffering from chronic nephritis and myocarditis. His brother Joel was the informant on the death certificate.

Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-62VC-K3N?cc=2128172&wc=7DZ2-PQ7%3A1296032501%2C1296751602 : 2 October 2014), Franklin > Death certificates, 1915, no 1-1803 > image 995 of 1856; county courthouses, Ohio.

Jacob had never married and had no descendants, but he left a very long and very detailed will, and it is clear from reading it just how close-knit these siblings were. Jacob provided for all five of his siblings and named all three of his brothers to be the executors of his will. It is obvious that he gave a lot of thought to how he wanted his assets divided.

 

I, Jacob Basch, of the city of Columbus, county of Franklin and state of Ohio, do make this my last will and testament, hereby revoking any and all former wills by me heretofore made:

ITEM I. I direct that all my just debts and funeral expenses be paid out of my estate as soon as practicable after the time of my decease.

ITEM II. I give and bequeath to the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives in Denver, Colorado, the sum of one thousand dollars ($1000.00).

ITEM III. I give and bequeath to the United Jewish Charities of Columbus, Ohio, the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00).

ITEM IV. I give and bequeath to my brother Joseph Basch, in trust, the sum of five thousand dollars (5000.00) upon the following trust and purpose, to-wit: to construct and erect, at a cost not to exceed the sum of five thousand dollars ($5000.00) an income producing structure upon the plot of ground described and delineated as lot seventy-six (76), Sullivan’s Addition to the city of Columbus, Ohio, being the piece of ground hereinafter devised to my brother Joseph Basch for and during his natural life, and upon his death, to his children, share and share alike absolutely and in fee simple. I direct that the trust fund provided for in this Item of my will be raised by the sale of such amount of my said securities as shall be necessary. In the event that said structure shall not cost the sum of five thousand dollars ($5000.00), the balance of said trust found shall be distributed among my brothers and sisters, share and share alike.

ITEM V. I give and bequeath to my brother Frank Basch an equal one-fifth (1/5) part of my personal property remaining after the payment of my just debts and funeral expenses and the legacies mentioned in Items II and III of this my last will and testament and the setting aside of the trust fund provided for in Item IV of this my last will and testament.

ITEM VI. I give and bequeath to my brother Joel Basch an equal one-fifth (1/5) part of my personal property remaining after the payment of my just debts and funeral expenses and the legacies mentioned in Items II and III of this my last will and testament and the setting aside of the trust fund provided for in Item IV of this my last will and testament.

ITEM VII. I give and bequeath to my brother Joseph Basch an equal one-fifth (1/5) part of my personal property remaining after the payment of my just debts and funeral expenses and the legacies mentioned in Items II and III of this my last will and testament and the setting aside of the trust fund provided for in Item IV of this my last will and testament.

ITEM VIII. I give and bequeath to my brother Joseph Basch in trust the remaining two-fifths (2/5) part of my personal property remaining after the payment of my just debts and funeral expenses and the legacies mentioned in Items II and III of this my last will and testament and the setting aside of the trust fund provided for in Item IV of this my last will and testament, to be held and used by him during the lives of my sisters Hinda Basch and Ella Schatz and during the life of the survivor of them, upon the following trust, to-wit: To invest and re-invest the proceeds of said personal property in United States, state or municipal bonds or in first mortgages upon improved city real estate, and to pay each of my said sisters Hinda Basch and Ella Schatz during their lives an equal one-half (1/2) of the net income of said investments, and after the death of one of my sisters to pay all the income of said investments to the survivor of them.

After the death of my said sisters Hinda Basch and Ella Schatz and the survivor of them, I give and bequeath said principal sum herein provided to Joseph Basch in trust of my said sisters, to my brothers Frank Basch, Joel Basch and Joseph Basch, share and share alike. In the event of the death of either or any of my said brothers before the death of the survivor of my said sisters Hinda Basch and Ella Schatz, then the share of said principal which would have been received by said deceased brother, if living, shall be distributed among his children, then living, share and share alike.

ITEM IX. In the division of my personal property bequeathed in Items V, VI, VII and VIII of this my last will and testament, I direct that the then value of my personal property be first ascertained and that a sufficient amount in cash to pay the legacy bequeathed to my brother Joseph Basch in trust for my sisters Hinda Basch and Ella Schatz and the survivor of them, be raised by the sale of such amount of my securities as shall be necessary.

I further direct that my said legatees Frank Basch Joel Basch and Joseph Basch may retain by way of investment any securities belonging to my estate at the time of my death, dividing said securities amongst themselves in such manner as to carry out the provisions of Items V, VI, and VII of this my last will and testament. In the event that my said legatees Frank Basch, Joel Basch and Joseph Basch can not agree as to the manner of division of such securities, then I direct that my executors shall sell all of said securities and apportion the proceeds in the manner directed in Items V, VI, and VII of this my last will and testament.

In the event of the death of my said trustee, Joseph Basch, I then appoint my brothers Frank Basch and Joel Basch and the survivor of them to act as such trustees and trustee, with full power to carry out the provisions of said trust.  I further direct that said trustees and trustee shall be bound by the limitations imposed upon my said trustee, Joseph Basch, as to the manner of investing said trust fund.  It is also my will that all future trustees who may be appointed to carry out the provisions of the within trust be likewise bound by said limitation as to the manner of investing said trust fund.

ITEM X. I give and devise to my sister Hinda Basch for and during her natural life my residence property known as 438 East Rich Street, Columbus, Ohio. From and after the death of said Hinda Basch I give and devise said property herein devised to her for and during her natural life to my brother Joseph Basch for and during his natural life. From and after the death of my said brother Joseph Basch, I give and devise said property herein devised to him for his natural life to his children, share and share alike absolutely, in fee simple.

I give and bequeath to my sister Hinda Basch absolutely all furniture, books, pictures and household effects which at the time of my decease shall be in, about or belonging to my aforesaid residence.

ITEM XI. I give and bequeath to my sister Hinda Basch an annuity of twelve hundred dollars ($1200.00) per year, for and during her natural life, payable on the first day of each and every month, and the payment of the same is hereby made a charge upon the realty hereinafter devised to my sister Ella Schatz, for and during her natural life. It is my will and I direct that said annuity of twelve hundred dollars ($1200.00) per year shall be a first and best lien on said real estate hereinafter devised to my said sister, Ella Schatz, for and during her natural life, and in the event said premises shall be destroyed by fire or rendered unfit for habitation so that the income derived from said real estate shall not be sufficient to pay said annuity, then in that event said annuity shall be paid out of the fund or funds realized from the fire insurance on said real estate. It being my will that in any and all events my said sister, Hinda Basch, shall receive an annuity of twelve hundred dollars ($1200.00) per year payable out of the real estate, either income or principal, hereinafter devised to my said sister, Ella Schatz, for and during her natural life.

In the event of the death of my said sister, Hinda Basch, before the death of my said sister, Ella Schatz, it is my will and I so direct, that my said sister Ella Schatz shall enjoy all of the net income of my said real estate hereinafter devised to her for and during her natural life.

ITEM XII. I give and bequeath to my sister Ella Schatz, for and during her natural life, subject to the annuity hereinbefore bequeathed to my sister Hinda Basch, all my real property, except my residence property hereinbefore devised to my sister, Hinda Basch.

My said devisee Ella Schatz shall keep the buildings upon said real estate in good repair and insured against loss by fire, and shall pay for such repairs, premiums of insurance, taxes and charges of every kind which may be lawfully claimed against said real estate. In case of loss by fire or other damage to such buildings and houses, I direct that my said devisee, Ella Schatz, shall rebuild and repair such property and pay for such rebuilding and repairing from the funds received for insurance.

In the event of the death of my said sister, Ella Schatz, before the death of my sister Hinda Basch, then in that event I give, devise and bequeath all of said real estate herein devised to my sister Ella Schatz, for and during her natural life, to my sister Hinda Basch, for and during her natural life.

Last will and testament of Jacob Basch, Will Records, 1805-1918 ; Index, 1805-1905; Probate Place: Franklin, Ohio,  Will Records, Vol Mm-Oo, 1915-1917,
Ancestry.com. Ohio, Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998

ITEM XIII. After the death of my sisters, Hinda Basch and Ella Schatz, and survivor of them, I direct that my real property be divided as follows: [Each brother is then devised a specific property for their use and benefit during their lives and then to their children.]

ITEM XIV. I make, nominate and appoint my brothers, Frank Basch, Joel Basch and Joseph Basch, to be the executors of this my last will and testament, and I request that no bond be required of them as such executors. I also request that no bond be required of any of the trustees expressly mentioned in this will. In the event of the inability of death of my said executors, or any of them, the duties of said executorship shall be performed by the survivors or survivor of them.

Dated at Columbus, Ohio, this 29 day of March A.D. 1913

                                                            Jacob Basch

Signed by Jacob Basch and by him acknowledged to be his last will and testament in our presence, sight and hearing, who at his request have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses in his presence and in the presence of each other, at Columbus, Ohio, this day of A.D. 1913

[names of witnesses]

 

A few observations about this will:

Jacob was apparently quite a well-to-do man, having not only what appears to be a fair amount invested in securities but also substantial real estate holdings. He also had a very sophisticated and specific plan for how he wanted his assets distributed. He appears to have had a slight bias in favor of his youngest sibling Joseph—giving him a special bequest of $5000 to build an income-producing building in addition to the bequest of his one fifth of the residual estate and naming him as the trustee of the trusts for his sisters Hinda and Ella and as their successor in interest after both had died. But overall he provided in his will for all five of his siblings and for his nieces and nephews.

Just seven months after Jacob’s death, his sister Ella lost her husband Isidor Shatz. Isidor was 67 and died on November 18, 1915 from paralytic ileus (an intestinal obstruction) and the suppression of urine followed by uremia. Joseph Basch was the informant on his death certificate. And although Isidor and Ella had been living outside of Columbus for all their married years, Isidor was, like Jacob and his parents, buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.

“Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPFX-SYCQ?cc=1307272&wc=MD9F-XTL%3A287601901%2C294657901 : 21 May 2014), 1915 > 57771-60750 > image 2547 of 3300.

Ella then returned to Columbus and was living with her sister Hinda at 438 East Rich Street, the long-time family residence that Jacob had bequeathed to Hinda. From there  Ella was also in a better position to maintain the real estate that Jacob had left to her.

The Family of Lena Goldsmith Basch 1900-1910: A Tight Circle in Columbus

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As of 1900, Lena Goldsmith Basch was living with her husband Gustavus and two of her adult children, Jacob and Hinda, in Columbus, Ohio.  Two of her other children—Frank and Joseph—were also still living in Columbus with their families. And the final two of her six children—Joel and Ella—were living with their families in Findlay, Ohio. Gustavus and Lena had five grandchildren in 1900—Frank’s three children and Joel’s two sons.

On June 27, 1901, Gustavus Basch died in Columbus at the age of 76. According to the Franklin County Record of Deaths, his cause of death was gastroenteritis from which he’d been suffering for six weeks.1

A year and a half later on January 24, 1903, the family suffered a tragic loss when four-year-old Robert Basch, the son of Joel and Jeanette Basch, died.2 According to the February 5, 1903 issue of the local Findlay newspaper, The Weekly Jeffersonian (p.7),  little Robert died from Bright’s disease or what we would now call nephritis—kidney disease. Both Gustavus and Robert were buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.

Joel and Jeanette then had another child. Gustavus Mendel Basch was born on April 3, 1904, in Findlay, Ohio.3 He was obviously named for his recently-deceased grandfather. He was not the only grandchild born in this decade. Frank and his wife Freda had a fourth child, Ruth, born May 14, 1905.4 And Joseph and his wife Ida had twins born on April 5, 1906: Elene Rosalie Basch5 and Gustavus Joseph Basch,6 who like his cousin Gustavus Mendel Basch, was clearly named for his grandfather. (Joseph’s son later dropped the first name Gustavus and was known as Joseph, Jr.)

And who was Elene Rosalie named for? Sadly, her grandmother Lena Goldsmith Basch died just two weeks before Elene and Gustavus were born, and Elene must have been named for Lena. Lena was 80 years old and died from cerebral sclerosis from which she’d been suffering for five years, according to her death certificate. She was also buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.

Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6VT-TY1 : 10 March 2018), Lena Basch, 26 Mar 1906; citing Death, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, United States, source ID 1906 v 2 fn 176, County courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 2,032,443.

The March 27, 1906 issue of the Findlay (OH) Weekly Courier gave more insight into Lena’s demise:

“Died Friday in Columbus,” The (Findlay, OH) Weekly Courier, March 27, 1906, p. 2

Lena and Gustavus were survived by all six of their children and their grandchildren.

Aside from these births and deaths, the years between 1900 and 1910 were relatively quiet ones for the Basch family.  The directories for 1900-1902 show that Frank and Jacob continued to do business as Basch Brothers and Joseph and the mysterious Louis Basch continued to work at Levy Mendel & Co. In 1903, Frank was now associated with Rosenthal Bros. and Basch, his brother Jacob’s listing merely says “junk,” and Joseph and “Louis” were still at Levy Mendel. The 1904 and 1905 directories are the same, except Louis is missing from the Basch group. In fact, Louis never appears again. Given that Lena was ill for some time before she died in 1906, this seems to support my hypothesis that “Louis” was in fact Lena.7

Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1903
Source Information
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Not long after his mother’s death in March, 1906, Joel moved back to Columbus. He sold his business in Findlay “at a great sacrifice” in order to return to Columbus, as reported in the Findlay Courier-Union on April 13, 1906 (p. 8); his father-in-law Levy Mendel had died just a month before Lena—on February 10, 1906,8 and apparently with the demise of both his mother and his father-in-law, he was needed back in Columbus to help run Levy Mendel & Company.

“National Buys Basch Stock,” The (Findlay, OH) Courier-Union, April 13, 1906, p. 8

Here is an advertisement that reveals the size and extent of Joel’s business in Findlay. He clearly had recovered from his earlier business failure caused by gambling:

Hancock County (OH) Herald, April 20, 1906, p. 10

Joel is listed in the 1906 Columbus directory, working for Levy Mendel & Co.; his brother Joseph was also still working there as he had been for a number of years.9

The 1906 Columbus directory raised another question for me. Frank is no longer listed with Rosenthal Bros. and Basch and in fact has no occupation listed at all. In 1907 he and Jacob now both have “junk” listed as their occupation, but in 1908 Frank again has no occupation listed though Jacob still lists junk as his occupation. The same is true for 1909 and for 1910.10

In fact, on the 1910 census, Frank reported that he had not worked for the entire year. Was he ill? Or had he just retired? He was only 53 years old in 1910. But since he lived another 24 years and listed that he was retired in 1920, I am inclined to think that Frank had just taken an early retirement. His four children were still quite young in 1910—ranging from five to fourteen years old.  How fortunate he was to be able to retire and spend more time with them.

Frank Basch, 1910 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 3, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1180; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0057; FHL microfilm: 1375193
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

His brother and long-time business partner Jacob, however, continued to work in the “iron and rags” business, as reported on the 1910 census. Jacob and his sister Hinda were still living in their family home at 438 East Rich Street in Columbus. Neither ever married.11

Joel Basch continued to work at Levy Mendel & Co., the cigar company. In fact, on the 1910 census, he is reported as an employer so he must have had some ownership or management interest in the business.12

Interestingly, Levy Mendel had named Joseph Basch, not his sons or son-in-law, to be his executor of his estate.13 Joseph had worked at the company for many years and was not an heir, so presumably Levy thought he would be a fair and capable executor. On the 1910 census, Joseph is also listed as an employer at Levy Mendel & Co, so perhaps he also was a part-owner of the business.14

I was very fortunate to find an oral history interview that was done by the Columbus Jewish Historical Society with Alan Weiler, grandson of Joseph Basch, on April 8, 2008. There are other interesting parts of this interview that I may refer to in later posts, but for now, I just wanted to quote this small portion that sheds light on the business in which Joseph, Joel, and their parents Gustavus and Lena had been involved and gives a snapshot of Joseph Basch himself.

My grandfather, Joe Basch owned a tobacco and candy company near the old Union Station on North High Street called the Levi Mendel Tobacco Company. He sold candy bars, which was of course was why I went up to see him. He sold cigars, cigarettes, pipes and there was a wonderful smell about his store. …He lived to be 93. He was called “the general.” He was a very handsome man. At least in my family he was called “the general.”

Finally, the remaining sibling, Ella Basch Shatz, was living in 1910 with her husband Isadore in Findlay, Ohio, where Isadore was a clothing merchant.15 With Joel’s return to Columbus in 1906, five of the six Basch siblings were now living in the same community. Only Ella was living outside of Columbus; she and her husband Isadore Shatz were still in Findlay even after her brother Joel and his family left that city.I wonder what it was like for Ella being the only family member not living in Columbus.  And I wonder whether she spent time visiting her siblings and nieces and nephews who were living about ninety miles away.

She would, however, be moving back to Columbus in the next decade.

 

 

  1. “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99ZB-P99X-5?cc=2128172&wc=7DZ2-P3M%3A1296032501%2C1296613814 : 30 September 2014), Franklin > Death records, 1899-1903, vol 3 > image 173 of 402; county courthouses, Ohio. ↩
  2. Ancestry.com. Web: Columbus, Ohio, Green Lawn Cemetery Index, 1780-2010. ↩
  3. FHL Film Number: 961484, Ancestry.com. Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973. ↩
  4. FHL Film Number: 285137, Ancestry.com. Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 ↩
  5.  Number: 277-34-4589; Issue State: Ohio; Issue Date: 1955, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  6. SSN: 365167257, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Gustavus J. Basch, 1900 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 3, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1180; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0059; FHL microfilm: 1375193, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census. ↩
  7. Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1901-1905, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 ↩
  8. Ancestry.com. Web: Columbus, Ohio, Green Lawn Cemetery Index, 1780-2010 ↩
  9. Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1906, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 ↩
  10. Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1906-1910, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 ↩
  11. Jacob Basch and Hinda Basch, 1910 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 6, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1181; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0098; FHL microfilm: 1375194, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Joel Basch, 1910 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 3, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1180; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0060; FHL microfilm: 1375193, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  13.  Case Number: 19766, Item Description: Will Records, Vol Z, 1904-1905, Will Records, 1805-1918 ; Index, 1805-1905; Probate Place: Franklin, Ohio, Ancestry.com. Ohio, Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 ↩
  14. Joseph Basch, 1910 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 3, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: T624_1180; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0060; FHL microfilm: 1375193,
    Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  15. Ella and Isadore Shatz, 1910 US census, Census Place: Findlay Ward 4, Hancock, Ohio; Roll: T624_1187; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0075; FHL microfilm: 1375200, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩

Gustavus and Lena Goldsmith Basch 1890-1900: Who Was Louis Basch?

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In 1890, Lena Goldsmith Basch and her husband Gustavus Basch and four of their six children were living in Columbus, Ohio, where she and Gustavus were involved in a cigar business called Levy Mendel & Company. Their son Joseph was also working there in 1890. Their older sons Frank and Jacob were in the junk business together,  doing business as Basch Brothers. Daughter Hinda was also living with her parents and brothers at 407 East Rich in Columbus.

Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1890
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Two of Gustavus and Lena’s children had left Columbus by 1890. Their younger daughter Ella had married Isadore Shatz in 1888 and moved to Cincinnati. Their third oldest son Joel was living first in Lima, Ohio, and then in Findlay, Ohio, but in 1890, his business in Findlay had failed after he had incurred some substantial gambling debts.

But Joel was not back in Columbus in 1891. The Columbus directory for that year lists Gustavus in the cigar business, presumably Levy Mendel & Co, where “Lina” and their son Joseph were also working. Jacob and Frank were still doing business as the Basch Brothers.1

The 1892 directory is essentially the same, except for an entry that completely confused me:

Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1892
Source Information
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Look at that last entry for Basch—Louis Basch, living at the same address—407 E. Rich—as the other family members and working for Levy Mendel & Co. Louis Basch also appears in the 1893 Columbus directory.2 Who was he? My search for a Louis Basch led me nowhere. There were a few men named Louis Basch, but they were all born much too late to be this Louis Basch or were living too far away.

So then who was Louis Basch? There was never a Louis Basch living in the same household as Gustavus and Lena on any census record. I did notice that Lena was not listed in most of the directories for the later 1890s, but Louis Basch was. Had she taken on the pseudonym of Louis Basch? After all, as reported in the prior post, the family’s junk business had once been known as L. Basch & Sons, where the L was apparently for Lena. Perhaps to disguise the fact that the business was run by a woman the family had created a male pseudonym? What do you think?

On January 25, 1893, Joel became the second of Gustavus and Lena’s children to marry. He married Jeanette Mendel, and guess whose daughter she was? Yes, Levy Mendel, the owner of the cigar company where Joel’s parents Gustavus and Lena and his brother Joseph and the mysterious “Louis” were then associated. 3 I would think that Levy Mendel must have been familiar with Joel’s past gambling issues and would not have permitted his daughter to marry Joel if he believed those problems persisted. So perhaps Joel had cleaned up his act and had been working for his future father-in-law’s business in the years before his wedding to Jeanette. As far as I can tell, Joel had no further gambling issues in his life.

Lima (OH) News, January 10, 1893, p. 8.

By 1894 Joel was was living with his wife and family in Findlay, Ohio, ninety miles away from Columbus. He and Jeanette had two sons born in the 1890s, Sidney Louis Basch on December 7, 1894,4 and Robert Basch on June 26, 1898.5  Both boys were born in Findlay, Ohio. In 1900, he and Jeanette and their two young sons were living in Findlay, and Joel listed his occupation as a merchant.

Joel Basch and family, 1900 US census, Census Place: Findlay Ward 4, Hancock, Ohio; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0061; FHL microfilm: 1241283
Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census

By 1900, two more of Gustavus and Lena’s children were married. Their oldest child Frank married Freda Rosenthal in 1895. Freda was born in Germany in 1869 and immigrated to the US in 1887, according to the 1900 census.6 Unfortunately, I do not have any earlier records for Freda. Some Ancestry trees show her born in Cumberland, Maryland, but those trees provide no sources for that assertion, so for now I will rely on what is reported on the 1900 census. That census reported that Frank was a dealer in old iron and brass. Frank and Freda had two daughters born in the 1890s: Rachel (known as Rae), born September 3, 1896, in Ohio (presumably Columbus),7 and Coryne, born January 25, 1898, in Columbus.8  A third child, a son Lewis, was born on May 4, 1900.9

Frank Basch and family, 1900 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 6, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0065; FHL microfilm: 1241268, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census

Joseph Basch, the youngest of Gustavus and Lena’s six children, also married before the 1900 census. He married Ida S. Steinhauser on April 11, 1899, in Columbus. Ida was the daughter of Arnold Steinhauser and either Louisa Weichler or  Sarah Wechsler; sources conflict, and I don’t know which name was correct. Ida was born on September 2, 1872, in Franklin County, Ohio.10 In 1900, Joseph and Ida were living in Columbus, where Joseph was a tobacco merchant. More specifically, he was working for Levy Mendel & Company, as seen on the 1901 directory.11

Joseph and Ida Basch, Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

In 1900, Ella Basch and her husband Isadore Shatz were living in Findlay, Ohio, as was her brother Joel. Isadore was a merchant.  They did not have any children after twelve years of marriage.12

In 1900, Gustavus and Lena were living with Jacob and Hinda and a servant; Gustavus reported that he was a landlord on the 1900 census, and Jacob was an iron merchant.13  Gustavus and Lena had five grandchildren by 1900—Frank’s three children and Joel’s two sons. More would arrive in the next decade.

But that first decade of the 20th century would also bring some painful losses.

 

 

  1. Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1891, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 ↩
  2. Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1893, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 ↩
  3. Mendel family, 1880 US census, Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: 1016; Page: 147D; Enumeration District: 026, Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census ↩
  4. Sidney Louis Basch, World War I draft registration,Registration State: Ohio; Registration County: Franklin; Roll: 1832018; Draft Board: 1, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ↩
  5. Robert Basch, FHL Film Number: 961484, Ancestry.com. Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 ↩
  6. Frank Basch and family, 1900 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 6, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0065; FHL microfilm: 1241268, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Rachel Basch, FHL Film Number: 285136, Ancestry.com. Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 ↩
  8.  Ancestry.com. Web: Columbus, Ohio, Green Lawn Cemetery Index, 1780-2010, Original data: Green Lawn Cemetery Burials. Columbus, Ohio. Joe and Dick Fleshman. http://greenlawn.delaohio.com/greenlawn/Greenlawn/index.htm: accessed 09 February 2012. ↩
  9. Lewis Basch, Number: 273-36-5982; Issue State: Ohio; Issue Date: 1956-1958, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  10. Ida Steinhauser, FHL Film Number: 285135, Ancestry.com. Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973. ↩
  11. Joseph and Ida Basch, 1900 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 7, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0070; FHL microfilm: 1241268, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census. Columbus, Ohio, City Directory, 1901, Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 ↩
  12. Ella and Isadore Shatz, 1900 US census, Census Place: Findlay Ward 4, Hancock, Ohio; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0061; FHL microfilm: 1241283, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census ↩
  13. Gustavus Basch and family, 1900 US census, Census Place: Columbus Ward 6, Franklin, Ohio; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0068; FHL microfilm: 1241268, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census ↩