Tag Archives: Blumenfeld

Two Sisters Married to Two Brothers: The Younger Daughters of Albert Rothschild

Posted on by
10

This post will tell about the lives of the three youngest children of Albert and Rose (Katz) Rothschild, their daughters Theresa, Lillian and Dorothy, from 1940 and after.

The third  and fourth daughters, Theresa Rothschild Blumenfeld and her younger sister Lillian Rothschild Blumenfeld, were living together in 1940 in the Bronx, along with their husbands, Arnold and Max, respectively, and Theresa and Arnold’s two children, Albert (13) and their eleven year old daughter Doris. Remember that Arnold and Max were brothers so there were two sisters married to two brothers all in the same household.

Max Blumenfeld and family 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02492; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 3-1276, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census

Perhaps the decision to move in together was not just due to the family connection, but also a sign that the Depression had had some impact on these couples. Arnold, Theresa’s husband, was working as a taxi driver; his brother Max, Lillian’s husband, was a salesman in the pleating industry. His World War II draft registration revealed the name of that company—Ideal Pleating. His wife Lillian was a clerk at Twentieth Century Fox.

Max Blumenfeld World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Whatever the reasons behind the decision to all live together, the two couples were no longer living in one household by 1950. Theresa and Arnold were living with their daughter, who had married in 1947 and who may still be living, her husband and their young son in Queens, New York. Theresa and Arnold’s son-in-law was a lawyer, and Arnold was a wholesale candy salesman.1

Theresa and Arnold’s son Albert Blumenfeld also had married by the time of the 1950 census. First, Albert served in the US Navy, enlisting on October 2, 1944, when he was eighteen, discharged on June 24, 1946.2 He then married Ruth Aronow sometime after March 17, 1949, when they took out a marriage license in New York.3 Ruth was the daughter of Moe Aronow and Mollie Schulter and born in New York on July 22, 1929.4

Arnold Blumenfeld died October 6, 1956, in New York; he was only 56 years old.5 Theresa survived him by less than eight years; she died in January, 1964.6 She was 58. Arnold and Theresa were survived by their two children and their grandchildren. Their son Albert also did not live a very long life; he was 63 when he died on October 19, 1989.7

As for Theresa’s sister Lillian and her husband Max Blumenfeld, Arnold’s brother, in 1950 they had moved from the Bronx and were living in Queens with their son, and Max was still a salesman for the pleating company.8 Max died on April 13, 1971, at the age of 67.9 Lillian survived him by almost seventeen years; she was 78 when she died on January 7, 1988.10 Max and Lillian were survived by their son.

Finally, the youngest of the sisters, Dorothy and her husband Sidney Spiegel were living in the Bronx in 1940; Sidney was working as a typewriter mechanic.11 Sidney joined the US Army on October 8, 1943, and was discharged on May 6, 1946.12 I couldn’t find Sidney and Dorothy on the 1950 US census. At some point they relocated to Florida, where Dorothy died on September 3, 1979, at the age of 6413. She was survived by her husband Sidney, who died three years later on October 27, 1982.14 He was 71. I was not able to determine if Dorothy and Sidney had any children.

Longevity was definitely not a trait shared by Albert Rothschild and his family. He died at 39, his wife Rose at 57, and their son Milton died when he was just a year old. Of their five daughters, only two made it to 65.  Although Josephine lived an extraordinarily long life, making it past 100, and Lillian at least made it to 78, the other three sisters did not have long lives—Rae was only 54, Theresa 58, and Dorothy 64. Their husbands didn’t live very long either.  It must have been very hard for Josephine to see not only her brother die as a baby, her father die when he was only 39, her mother when she was 57, and then to lose all four of her sisters before they reached a ripe old age. It seems quite miraculous that Josephine lived as long as she did, given all those losses she had suffered and her family history.

  1. Arnold Blumenfeld and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Queens, New York; Roll: 5432; Page: 23; Enumeration District: 41-1418, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Albert Blumenfeld, Gender Male, Birth Date 9 Sep 1926, Death Date 19 Oct 1989
    Cause of Death Natural, SSN 054200492, Enlistment Branch NAVY, Enlistment Date 2 Oct 1944, Discharge Date 24 Jun 1946, Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 ↩
  3. Albert Blumenfeld, Gender Male, Marriage License Date 17 Mar 1949, Marriage License Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Ruth Aronow
    License Number 2084, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Bronx, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  4. Ruth Aronow, Birth Date Jul 1929, Birth Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Certificate Number 10300, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965; “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2CJ-256Y : Thu Mar 07 12:25:58 UTC 2024), Entry for Moe Aronow and Mollie Schulter, 27 October 1928. ↩
  5. Arnol[d] Blumenfeld, Age 56, Birth Date abt 1900, Death Date 6 Oct 1956
    Death Place Queens, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 9506, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  6. Death notice for Theresa Blumenfeld, The New York Times, January 30, 1964, p. 29. ↩
  7. Albert Blumenfeld, Gender Male, Race White, Birth Date 9 Sep 1926, Birth Place NY Bx, New York, Death Date 19 Oct 1989, Father Arnold Blumenfeld Mother Theresa Rothschild, SSN 054200492, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  8. Max Blumenfeld and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Queens, New York; Roll: 1920; Page: 22; Enumeration District: 41-601, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  9. Max Blumenfeld, Social Security Number 056-09-6623, Birth Date 18 Feb 1904
    Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 11367, Flushing, Queens, New York, USA, Death Date Apr 1971, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  10. Lillian Blumenfeld, Social Security Number 056-10-4503, Birth Date 9 Dec 1909
    Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 11360, Flushing, Queens, New York, USA, Death Date 7 Jan 1988, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  11. Sidney Spiegel and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02498; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 3-1476A, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Sidney Spiegel, Gender Male, Birth Date 28 Sep 1911, Death Date 27 Oct 1982
    SSN 109142052, Enlistment Branch ARMY, Enlistment Date 29 Oct 1943, Discharge Date 6 May 1946, Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 ↩
  13. Dorothy Violet Spiegel, Race White, Age at Death 64, Birth Date 3 Dec 1914
    Death Date 3 Sep 1979 Death Place Broward, Florida, United States, Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998 ↩
  14. See Note 12, supra. ↩

Why Was Josephine Traveling with her Future Husband’s Daughter Years Before She Married Him?

Posted on by
15

We have seen that Albert Rothschild, the third son of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild, died at a very young age in 1915. He and his wife Rose Katz had had six children, five daughters and one son, but their son Milton had died before his first birthday. The five daughters, however, survived. When Rose, Albert’s widow died in 1933, all but one of those daughters were still living in New York City, either in the Bronx or Manhattan. But eventually most of them moved elsewhere—at least as far as Queens and as far from New York as California and Florida. This post is about the two oldest daughters, Rae and Josephine.

In 1940, Rae Rothschild Jordan, her husband Gerald Jordan, and their daughter Alberta (19) were living in the Bronx; Gerald was the credit manager for a clothing company, and Alberta was a secretary at an advertising firm.1 However, by April 24, 1942, Gerald listed his residence as New Haven, Connecticut, on his World War II draft registration, but listed Rae’s address in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. Gerald was working for Merit Clothes in New Haven.

Gerald Jordan World War II draft registration, The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the State of Connecticut; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M1962, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

But in 1950, both Gerald and Rae were living in Queens; Gerald was not employed, but Rae was working as a salesperson in a department store.2

Meanwhile, their daughter and only child Alberta had married Joseph Weiner in 1948.3 Joseph, the son of Max Weiner and Minnie Kravich, was born in New York on July 1, 1916.4 Alberta and Joseph would have two children.

Sadly, Rae Rothschild Jordan died on July 16, 1950, two years after her daughter’s marriage and just months after the 1950 census; she was only 54.5 Her husband Gerald died fifteen years later on December 31, 1965.6 They were survived by their daughter Alberta, who herself died on March 28, 2008.7

Rae’s younger sister Josephine lived much longer than her sister’s 54 years. It took me quite a while to find Josephine on the 1940 census because it appears that sometime before 1940, Josephine’s marriage to Charles H. Hall had ended. I could not find Charles at all on the 1940 census, but I found a Josephine Hall listed on the 1940 census, living in New York City at the Barbizon Hotel, a well-known hotel for women where many women who later became famous actresses once lived in New York City during that same era and afterwards. Among the many famous women who once lived there were Grace Kelly, Shirley Jones, Ali McGraw, Lauren Bacall, Cybil Shepherd, and Liza Minelli.

The Barbizon Hotel, I, Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

Josephine Hall’s marital status was recorded as single on that 1940 census, and she was working as a bookkeeper for a wholesale manufacturer. Her age matched my Josephine, as did her birthplace of New York.8 I can’t be positive this is my Josephine, but when I found a record on Ancestry that showed that on March 1, 1941, Charles Hall married Rosene Mast, it lined up with my assumption that Charles and Josephine were no longer married as of 1940.9

And sometime in that same era between 1930 and 1941, Josephine also remarried. Her second husband Andrew Sangster was also previously married. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on December 4, 1880, the son of Andrew Sangster and Margaret Robb,10 and had immigrated to the United States on January 30, 1911, listing his occupation as a chartered accountant.11 His first wife Margaret and their children arrived a few months later on April 24, 1911.12 They were living together as a family in 1920 in New Trier, Illinois,13 and in 1930 in Chatham, New Jersey,14 but by 1940 Andrew was living in the Hotel Laurelton in New York City, working as an accountant,15 and his wife and children were living in Madison, New Jersey.16 Both Andrew and Margaret listed their marital status as married.

An article I found in The (Morristown, NJ) Daily Record about the renovation of  historic homes in the area gave some background on what might have happened to Andrew Sangster. According to that article, Andrew purchased the family home in Chatham, New Jersey in 1922, but in 1937 the bank foreclosed on the home. As the article suggests, “apparently the Sangster fortunes had plummeted in the Depression.”17

Although I cannot find a marriage record for Josephine Rothschild Hall and Andrew Sangster, my hunch is that the two separated individuals, both living in hotels in New York, one located on West 55th Street and the other on West 63rd Street, one working as a bookkeeper and one as an accountant, somehow connected either before or after the 1940 census was taken. In 1940, Andrew was sixty years old and Josephine was 38.

In fact, they may have connected long before 1940. I found Josephine Hall on a ship manifest dated September 22, 1930, traveling from Bermuda to New York; listed immediately below her was the 13 year old daughter of Andrew Sangster and his wife Margaret, Edith Sangster, of Chatham, New Jersey. I searched the entire ship manifest and did not find either Charles Hall or any other member of the Sangster family aboard. What was Josephine doing with little Edith on a ship from Bermuda? I have no idea. But somehow Josephine knew the Sangster family as early as 1930. Isn’t this a little odd? I have no evidence that ties them together.

Does anyone have any theories? Was Josephine hired to take Edith on a trip for some reason? I have a theory, but it’s way too speculative to put down in words here.

Josephine Hall and Edith Sangster, 1930 ship manifest, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, Ship or Roll Number: Veendam, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957

Andrew was appointed the director of accounting for the New York State Public Service Commission in December 1940. He was living in Larchmont, New York, at that time.18 I cannot find a marriage record for Andrew Sangster and Josephine Rothschild Hall, but their first child was born in early 1941 in Albany, New York, suggesting that by sometime in 1940 they may have married. Andrew’s April 1942 World War II draft registration shows him living in Albany, New York, but interestingly, he listed a man named Lionel V. Longhurst of New York City as the person who would always know his address, so perhaps he and Josephine were not yet married. But in 1950 they were living together with their two children in Albany, New York, according to the 1950 census. Andrew was still working as an accountant for the New York State Public Service Commission.19

Andrew Sangster World War II draft registration, The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the State of New York; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 533, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

Andrew died at the age of 89 in Albany, New York, on December 22, 1969.20 Josephine survived him by many years; she lived to be one hundred years old and died in Hermosa Beach, California, on June 2, 2003, but was buried back in Albany with Andrew.21

I am glad that Josephine and Andrew met and were able to have many years together. They are survived by their children and other descendants.

 

 

 

  1. Gerald Jordan and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02496; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 3-1403, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Gerald Jordan, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Queens, New York; Roll: 4472; Page: 14; Enumeration District: 41-864, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  3. Alberta L Jordan, Gender Female, Marriage License Date 21 Jun 1948
    Marriage License Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse
    Joseph Weiner, License Number 19409, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 28, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  4. Joseph Weiner, Gender Male, Race White, Birth Date 1 Jul 1916, Birth Place New York City, New York, Death Date 6 Jun 2002, Father Max Weiner Mother Minnie Kravich
    SSN 092079511, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  5. Rachael Jordan, Age 51, Birth Date abt 1899, Death Date 16 Jul 1950
    Death Place Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 15880, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965. (The birth date is off by three years here; she was born in 1896.) ↩
  6. Gerald Jordan, Age 73, Birth Date abt 1892, Death Date 31 Dec 1965
    Death Place Queens, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 16719, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  7. Alberta Weiner, Social Security Number 116-09-5716, Birth Date 18 Apr 1921
    Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 11360, Flushing, Queens, New York, Death Date 28 Mar 2008, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  8. Josephine Hall, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02657; Page: 83A; Enumeration District: 31-1387, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  9. Charles H Hall, Gender Male, Race White, Marriage Age 41, Birth Date 7 Dec 1899
    Birth Place Glen Cove, LI, Marriage Affidavit Date 4 Jan 1941, Marriage Date 1 Mar 1941, Marriage Place New York, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, Residence Street Address 10 State St, Residence Place Ossining, New York, Occupation Restaurant Prop, Father Joseph H Hall, Mother Minnie I Hall, Spouse Rosene Mast
    Certificate Number 140, Current Marriage Number 1, Witness 1 H. Edwin Brown
    Witness 2 Vivian C Lopez, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Marriage Licenses; Borough: Manhattan; Year: 1941, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, Index to Marriage Licenses, 1908-1910 ↩
  10. Andrew Sangster, World War II draft registration, The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the State of New York; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 533, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942; Andrew Sangster, Parish: Edinburgh St Cuthberts; ED: 46; Page: 16; Line: 3; Roll: cssct1881_285, Ancestry.com. 1881 Scotland Census ↩
  11. Andrew Sangster, ship manifest, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, Ship or Roll Number: Caledonia, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 ↩
  12. Margaret Sangster, ship manifest, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 ↩
  13. Andrew Sangster, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: New Trier, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T625_361; Page: 31B; Enumeration District: 119, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  14. Andrew Sangster, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Chatham, Morris, New Jersey; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 2341108, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  15. Andrew Sangster, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02656; Page: 84B; Enumeration District: 31-1380,
    Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  16. Margaret Sangster, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Madison, Morris, New Jersey; Roll: m-t0627-02371; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 14-45, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  17. Shirley Eastman, “Restoration of Historic Homes,” The (Morristown, NJ) Daily Record, November 15, 1987, pp. 15-16. ↩
  18. “Larchmonter Named PSC Accounting Head,” The (New Rochelle, NY) Standard-Star, December 3, 1940, p. 14. ↩
  19. Andrew Sangster, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Colonie, Albany, New York; Roll: 4485; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 1-72, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  20. Andrew Sangster, Gender Male, Age 88, Birth Date abt 1881, Residence Place Menands, Albany, New York, USA, Death Date 22 Dec 1969, Death Place New York, USA, Certificate Number 90112, New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Death Index, Ancestry.com. New York State, U.S., Death Index, 1957-1972; Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189724933/andrew-sangster: accessed December 11, 2024), memorial page for Andrew Sangster (4 Dec 1881–22 Dec 1969), Find a Grave Memorial ID 189724933, citing Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, Albany County, New York, USA; Maintained by Sidney (contributor 48067839). ↩
  21. Josephine I Sangster, Gender Female, Birth Date 19 Nov 1902, Death Date 2 Jun 2003, Claim Date 14 Oct 1964, SSN 578011916, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; Josephine I Sangster, Birth Date 19 Nov 1902, Birth Location New York City, New York, Death Date 2 Jun 2003, Age at Death 100, Death Location Hermosa Beach, CA, Spouse Andrew Sangster, Section Number of Burial 123, Lot Number of Burial 349, Ancestry.com. Menands, New York, U.S., Albany Rural Cemetery Burial Cards, 1791-2011 ↩

Moses Rothschild’s Grandson Alvin and His Many Homes

Posted on by
2

The 1940s were challenging years in the US and around the world with World War II raging in Europe and America’s entrance into the war after Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. They were also challenging years for the two oldest children of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild, Samuel and Rudolph. And Rudolph’s son Alvin found himself being transferred to at least five different cities over twenty years.

Samuel and his wife Sallye were living in the Bronx, now each 66 years old, and retired.1 Samuel and Sally’s son Milton and his family were also living in the Bronx, and Milton was a salesman in a wholesale grocery business.2 His 1940 draft registration shows that he was working for a company called J. Bond & Co.

Milton Rothschild World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Samuel’s wife Sallye died on November 14, 1945, at the age of 77.3 Samuel remarried on March 18, 1948; his second wife was Fannie Lichtenstein.4 She was born in Germany in about 1888. In 1940 she’d been single and living with her niece and brother-in-law in New York and was working as a “salesgirl.”5 In 1950 Samuel and Fannie were living in the Bronx.6 Samuel died eight years later on October 22, 1958, in New York.7 Fannie died four years after Samuel on February 8, 1962.8

Milton Rothschild, Samuel’s son, and his family were still in the Bronx in 1950, and Milton was still working in the wholesale grocery business.9 At some later point, Milton and Blanche moved to New Rochelle, New York,10 and then later retired to Hollywood, Florida, where Blanche died on October 7, 1974, at the age of 66.11 Milton outlived her by almost 20 years. He died on October 15, 1993, at the age of 87.12  He was survived by his daughter and grandchildren; his other child, Ronald, had died from leukemia in 1960 when he was only 25 years old.13

Samuel’s younger brother Rudolph lived in Florida, but years before Samuel and Blanche moved there. In 1940 Rudolph and his wife Rebecca were living in Miami Beach, Florida, and Rudolph was retired.14 But they may have been splitting their time between Florida and New York because  in 1948 they were in New York and living at 23 West 73rd Street when Rudolph died suddenly on May 31, 1948; he was 73. 15 In 1950 his widow Rebecca was living in New York City.16

As for Rudolph’s children, I could not find Mortimer and his family on the 1940 census, but when Mortimer registered for the draft on February 15, 1942, he was living in Manhattan and working for Mode Kiddie Coats, Inc.

Mortimer Rothschild World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

In 1950, he and his wife Amelie and their two children were living in Scarsdale, New York, and Mortimer was an executive of a clothing manufacturer.17 Mortimer died on October 4, 1974, in Scarsdale; he was 74;18 his wife Amelie outlived him by 36 years; she was 104 when she died on March 4, 2010. 19 According to her obituary, Amelie made her mark in her support of public education. It states that “[s]he was an educator, the first Jewish woman on the Scarsdale, NY, Board of Education, one of the two New York State representatives at President Eisenhower’s White House Conference on Education, and a driving force for public education. She was President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, the Associate Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, and in 1958 was honored by inclusion in the first Who’s Who of American Women.”

Mortimer and Amelie were survived by their sons and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mortimer’s younger brother Alvin and his wife Marjorie, who had been living in Wilmington, Delaware, when they married in 1936, were living in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, by 1940. Alvin was still working for the same company, Neisner Brothers, owners of a chain of variety stores, that he’d been working for in Wilmington in 1936, so I assume he must have been transferred from one company location to another.20 By February 14, 1942, when Alvin registered for the draft, he had again been transferred by Neisner Brothers, this time to Buffalo, New York.

Alvin Rothschild World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

But Alvin and Marjorie weren’t done moving. In 1950 they were living in Wheaton, Maryland, with their three children, and Alvin listed his occupation as the manager of a variety store, I assume again one owned by Neisner Brothers.21

And that wasn’t the end of Alvin’s relocations. By 1957 it appears that he had moved to the Skokie, Illinois area and that his mother Rebecca had moved there as well and lived with them. I inferred this from the August 27, 1957, death notice in The Chicago Tribune for Rebecca Rothschild, which gave her address as 8943 N. Samoset. That matched the address of Alvin and Marjorie Rothschild as reported in the engagement announcement for their son Charles in the March 19, 1961, issue of The Chicago Tribune.

Death notice for Rebecca Rothschild, August 27, 1957, p. 28

“Weds in June,” Chicago Tribune, March 19, 1961, p. 125

It seems that the Chicago area was finally a place where Alvin and Marjorie and their children could settle in and stay. Alvin died there on February 22, 1987; he was 83.22 Marjorie survived him by almost twenty years. She died on January 9, 2006, in Chicago.23 Alvin and Marjorie were survived by their children and grandchildren.

The next post will cover the post-1940 lives of the children and grandchildren of Albert Rothschild, Moses and Mathilde’s third son, who, as we saw, died at a young age.

 

 

  1. Samuel Rothschild and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02497; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 3-1438A, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Milton Rothschild and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02497; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 3-1438A,
    Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  3. Sallye Rothschild [Sallye Livingston], Gender Female, Race White, Marital Status Married, Age 77 Birth Date 14 Oct 1868, Birth Place Missouri, Clarkville, Residence Street Address 1900 Grand Concourse, Residence Place New Death Date 14 Nov 1945
    Death Street Address 1900 Grand Concourse, Death Place New York City, Bronx, New York, USA, Cause of Death Adenocarcinoma of Ascending Colon, With Metastasis
    Burial Date 16 Nov 1945, Burial Place MT Carmel Cemetery, Occupation Housewife
    Father’s Birth Place Germany, Mother’s Birth Place Germany, Father Aaron Livingston
    Mother Magdeline Livingston, Spouse Samuel Informant Thomas Rothschild Informant Gender Male Informant Relationship Husband Executor Samuel Rothschild Executor Relationship Husband Certificate Number 10938, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Death Certificates; Borough: Bronx; Year: 1945, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948 ↩
  4. Samuel S Rothschild, Gender Male, Marriage License Date 18 Mar 1948, Marriage License Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Fannie Lichtenstein
    License Number 7437, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 11, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  5. Fanny Lichtenstein, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02654; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 31-1275, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  6. Samuel Rothschild, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: 3965; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 3-1030,
    Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Samuel Rothschild, Age 83, Birth Date abt 1875, Death Date 22 Oct 1958, Death Place Bronx, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 10774, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  8. Fanny Rothschild, Age 74, Birth Date abt 1888, Death Date 8 Feb 1962, Death Place Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 2961, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  9. Milton Rothschild and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: 3965; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 3-1030, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  10. Milton S Rothschild, Birth Date 5 Mar 1906,Address 164 Church St, Residence Place New Rochelle, New York, USA, Zip Code 10805-3254, Ancestry.com. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2 ↩
  11. Blanche Rothschild, Social Security Number 098-36-1046, Birth Date 4 Nov 1907, Issue year 1962, Issue State New York, Last Residence 33021, Hollywood, Broward, Florida, USA, Death Date Oct 1974, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  12. Milton S Rothschild, Gender Male, Birth Date 5 Mar 1906, Death Date 15 Oct 1993, Claim Date 15 Dec 1970, SSN 062019743, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  13. “Ronald Rothschild Succumbs at Home,” The New Rochelle Standard Star, August 11, 1960, p. 2. ↩
  14. Rudolph Rothschild, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Miami Beach, Dade, Florida; Roll: m-t0627-00580; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 13-37A, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  15. Rudolph Rothschild death notice, Buffalo (NY) Jewish Review, June 11, 1948. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96200762/rudolph-rothschild: accessed December 6, 2024), memorial page for Rudolph Rothschild (19 Mar 1875–31 May 1948), Find a Grave Memorial ID 96200762, citing Mount Carmel Cemetery, Glendale, Queens County, New York, USA; Maintained by Dave Davisson (contributor 36744121). See also search results here: http://www.mountcarmelcemetery.com/search.asp&#160;↩
  16. Rebecca Rothschild, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: 1128; Page: 17; Enumeration District: 31-819, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  17. Mortimer Rothschild, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Scarsdale, Westchester, New York; Roll: 135; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 60-367, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  18. Mortimer Rothschild, Social Security Number 068-07-0481, Birth Date 28 Oct 1899, Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 10530, Hartsdale, Westchester, New York, USA, Death Date Oct 1974, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Death notice, The White Plains Reporter Dispatch, October 7, 1974, pp.8, 12. ↩
  19. Amelie S. Rothschild, Social Security Number 117-30-5315, Birth Date 13 Aug 1905, Issue year 1955-1956, Issue State New York, Last Residence 10530, Hartsdale, Westchester, New York, Death Date 3 Mar 2010, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  20. Alvin Rothschild and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Kingston, Luzerne, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03554; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 40-147, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  21. Alvin Rothschild and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Wheaton, Montgomery, Maryland; Roll: 2551; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 16-189, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  22. Alvin Raymond Rothschild, Death Date 22 Feb 1987, Death Place Cook, Illinois, USA, File Number 12187, Cook County Clerk; Chicago, IL; Cook County Genealogy Records (Deaths), Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988 ↩
  23. Marjorie Breuer Rothschild, [Marjorie B Rothschild] [Marjorie Breuer Breuer] Gender Female, Race White, Birth Date 29 Apr 1914, Birth Place Wilmington, Delaware
    [Wilmington|], Death Date 9 Jan 2006, Claim Date 5 Apr 1976, Father Charles Breuer
    Mother Maryann Gold, SSN 343368015, Citizenship or Alien Status U.S. citizen, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩

Theresa Rothschild Alexander’s Daughter-in-Law Grete Maren: A Dramatic Life

Posted on by
13

Although Theresa Rothschild Alexander’s daughter Frances Alexander Jacobs left the US for Canada in the 1930s, her parents and siblings remained in the US. This post will be about the other members of Theresa’s family, in particular her son Herbert and his wife Grete.

In 1940, Theresa and her husband Max Alexander and their two sons Herbert (29) and Albert (24) were living together in the Bronx along with Max’s sister Esther, as they had been in 1930. Max continued to work in the real estate business, Herbert, who had graduated from New York University in 1931 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, was a short story writer, and Albert was an insurance salesman.1

Although the census said Herbert was a short story writer, according to one source, Herbert had been working as an editor in the publishing industry since 1932, except for two years when he worked as a social worker for New York City. Herbert’s 1940 World War II draft registration lists his employer as Norman Warren, which I assume was a publishing company. Thus, I think the census may be inaccurate—perhaps Herbert was writing stories on the side, but he was working as an editor in 1940. In 1942, Herbert enlisted in the US Army Air Force where he served until 1945, achieving the rank of second lieutenant.2

Herbert Alexander World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947.

Before enlisting, Herbert married Grete Maren in early May, 1942.  Grete’s story deserves a post of its own. She was born Margarete Johanna Hinterauer on February 12, 1912, in Munich, Germany, to Maximillian and Margarete Hinterauer.3 Her parents were Catholic, and her father was a merchant in Munich. From a very early age, Margarete was interested in dance and theater, and by the time she was sixteen she was performing professionally on several stages in many cities in Germany, including in Munich at the Munich Kammerspiele, as well as at several theaters in Vienna, where she established herself as a successful actress, using the stage name Grete Maren.4

I located one image that was labeled Grete Maren in 1932, so I believe that this may be her.

Grete became part of the troupe of actors hired by Max Reinhardt, the esteemed Austrian theater and film director known for, among other things, establishing the famous Salzburg Festival.5 On August 31, 1930, Grete was performing as part of Reinhardt’s company in a theater in Bad Ischl, Austria, a town not too far from Vienna. She was eighteen years old. A young man named Kurt Daehn, who was also part of the same theater company and with whom she’d been involved romantically, traveled from Vienna to Bad Ischl to demand that she return to Vienna with him. An argument followed, and when she tried to end their relationship, he shot her five times, injuring her critically.6 As the notes below reveal, there was widespread international coverage of this crime of passion.

From “Vienna Beauties and The Jinx of 3,” The Buffalo (New York)Times, December 7, 1930, p. 45.

Grete was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, and she was able to resume her acting career once she recovered despite being scarred from her injuries. Kurt Daehn was arrested and convicted, but according to numerous newspaper reports, Grete testified on his behalf at his trial and as a result he was sentenced to only two years in jail, but only served nine months. 7 Numerous US papers ran a story in February 1932 that claimed Grete was going to marry Daehn after he was released from prison, but the Munich Kammerspiele biography of Grete Maren does not include any reference to a marriage between Grete and Daehn, nor can I find any support for it elsewhere.8

After the Nazis came to power in April 1933 and much of German theater was shut down or censored, Grete left Germany and on October 20, 1933, she arrived in New York, listing her occupation as an actress. However, she did not remain in the United States to live, but went to Montreal, Canada, until she returned to the US on May 3, 1934.9

When Grete came to the US in 1934, once again her life was filled with drama. After she was awarded a role in the Broadway production of Alfred Savoir’s play, Sexes and Sevens, the Council of the Actors Equity Association blocked Grete from taking the role because as a foreign actress, she was prohibited from taking another role within six months of performing in a different work. It appears she had been in a one-week tryout for a different play in a different theater less than six months before.10 The producer, Lee Shubert, soon selected another actress for the role.11

In April 1935, Grete finally had her debut on Broadway in Journey by Night, an English adaptation of a Germany play by Arthur Goodrich. Grete was cast  in the lead female role, and Jimmy Stewart was given the lead male role. Unfortunately the play closed after only seven performances after receiving terrible reviews.12 Once again, Grete’s acting career was stymied.

In 1937, Grete filed a Declaration of Intention to become a US citizen. Her Petition for Naturalization, filed on July 14, 1939, was approved, and she became a US citizen on November 13, 1939.13

Greta Maren Declaration of Intention, The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions For Naturalization From the U.s. District Court For the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 1199, Archive Roll Descriptions: (Roll 1199) Petition No· 330211-Petition No· 330571, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944

From various newspaper reports, it appears that Grete never returned to Broadway, but did appear in various local theater productions in the greater New York City region until she married Herbert Alexander in May 1942.

Grete and Herbert had one child born after Herbert was discharged from the military in 1945.  Herbert resumed his career in publishing and became the associate editor of Pocket Books, Inc., in 1947, and its editor-in-chief in 1948. He remained with Pocket Books for most of the rest of his professional career.

Meanwhile, Herbert’s brother Albert also served during World War II. On January 20, 1941, Albert enlisted in the New York Guard, where he served until he was discharged on May 7, 1945.14

In 1950, the entire family of Theresa and Max Alexander was living in the same building at 2033 Morris Avenue in the Bronx where they’d been living since at least 1930. Herbert and Greta and their son were living upstairs from Herbert’s parents Theresa and Max and his brother Albert, who were all living on the first floor. Herbert was an editor for the Pocket Books publishing company. His brother Albert was a machine parts salesman. No one else was employed outside the home.15

Theresa Rothschild Alexander died not long just months after the 1950 census was taken; she was 71 when she died on June 18, 1950, in the Bronx.16 Her husband Max Alexander died five years later on February 12, 1955, in New York City.17

Their son Albert took out a license to marry Mary Jane Deiches in 1952.18 Mary Jane was born on December 15, 1925, in New York, and was the daughter of Maurice Deiches and Ruth Greenebaum.19 In 1950 she had been living on her own in New York City and working as a freelance editor.20 Perhaps Albert’s brother Herbert had made the connection through his work as an editor. Albert and Mary Jane eventually relocated to the Rochester, New York, area.21They had two children.

UPDATE! I have been very fortunate to hear from Albert’s son Charles and granddaughter Kate, who have provided me with more information. Charles wrote that his mother Mary Jane Deitches did not meet his father Albert through Herbert, even though they were both in the publishing business. Charles wrote, “They met because they lived next to one another in an apartment building. They met on Thanksgiving of what I believe was 1950 or 1951and were married 6 weeks later. My mom was 10 years younger than my Dad.” Also, I learned that Albert and Mary Jane had four children, not two. There is nothing like first-hand information. I am so glad that Charles and Kate found me through this blog! Charles also shared this photo from his father’s high school yearbook. Unfortunately I could not add it to this post except at the very bottom because WordPress has made it too difficult to add here, so please look below. 

Herbert Alexander died on November 23, 1988, in New York City after a lifetime career in the publishing company. After Simon & Schuster acquired Pocket Books, Inc., in the late 1950s, he became a director and vice-president of that large publishing house. Herbert was 78 years old when he died;22 his wife Greta had died six years earlier in September 1982.23 They were survived by their son.

Albert Alexander died when he was 79 on September 15, 1994, in Rochester, New York;24 he was predeceased by his wife Mary Jane, who died at 65 in May 1991.25

  1. Max Alexander and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02497; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 3-1442,  Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Herbert M Alexander, Gender Male, Birth Date 1 Sep 1910, Death Date 23 Nov 1988, SSN 082015161, Enlistment Branch AF Enlistment Date 26 May 1942 Discharge Date 6 Jul 1945 Enlistment Branch 1 AF Enlistment Date 1 7 Jul 1945, Discharge Date 1 26 Oct 1945, Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. ↩
  3. Herbert M. Alexander, Gender Male, Race White, Marriage Age 41, Birth Date 1 Sep 1910, Birth Place New York City, Marriage Date 9 May 1942, Marriage Place New York, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, Residence Street Address 2033 Morris Ave., Residence Place Bx.NY, Bronx, Occupation Writer, Father Maximilian Alexander
    Mother Theresa Alexander, Spouse Greta Maren, Certificate Number 9322, Current Marriage Number 0, Witness 1 Enid Bessett, Witness 2 Robert Peters, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Marriage Licenses; Borough: Manhattan; Year: 1942, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, Index to Marriage Licenses, 1908-1910, 1938-1940 ↩
  4. This information about Grete Maren and much of what follows about her comes from a page in the Munich Kammerspiele website “dedicated to the employees of the Munich Kammerspiele who were disenfranchised, persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era.” Grete Maren is one of the many individuals named on that website, which includes detailed biographies of each of those being remembered. ↩
  5. “Vienna Beauties and ‘The Jinx of Three,’ ” The Buffalo (New York)Times, December 7, 1930, p. 45. This story ran in numerous other US newspapers during this time. ↩
  6. See Note 7, supra. As a side note to this tragic story, another actress who was in love with Kurt Daehn committed suicide when he chose Grete over her even after shooting her. “She Fell in Love to Learn about Life,” Detroit Free Press, August 9, 1931, p. 46. This story also ran in numerous US newspapers during that time. ↩
  7. See the biography of Grete Maren on the Munich Kammerspiele website at https://schicksale.muenchner-kammerspiele.de/  Also, see “Weds Girl He Once Attempted to Kill,” The Oklahoma County News, May 13, 1932, page 1. ↩
  8. See, e.g., “Actress Plans to Wed Suitor Who Shot Her,” Chattanooga Daily Times, February 7, 1932, p. 21. Many other papers ran the same story. One paper later reported that the couple had in fact married. See, “Weds Girl He Once Attempted to Kill,” The Oklahoma County News, May 13, 1932, page 1. ↩
  9. Grete Maren, passenger ship manifest, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, Description Ship or Roll Number: Deutschland, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957. Greta Maren, [Margareta Johanna Hinterauer], Race German, Record Type Naturalization Departure Place Montreal, Canada, Residence Place New York, USA, Declaration Date 10 Mar 1937
    Declaration Place New York, USA, Mode of Travel D & H Rr 10, Court District Court
    Court District Southern District, New York, Description (Roll 1199) Petition No. 330211-Petition No. 330571, The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions For Naturalization From the U.s. District Court For the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 1199, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944 ↩
  10. “Broadway Barred to Alien Actress,” The New York Times, September 26, 1934, p. 17. ↩
  11. “Margot Graheme Replaces Greta Maren in ‘Sexes and Sevens,’ ” The New York Times, October 5, 1934, p. 28 ↩
  12. See the biography of Grete Maren on the Munich Kammerspiele website at https://schicksale.muenchner-kammerspiele.de ↩
  13. Greta Maren, Naturalization papers, The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions For Naturalization From the U.s. District Court For the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 1199,
    Archive Roll Descriptions: (Roll 1199) Petition No· 330211-Petition No· 330571, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944 ↩
  14. Albert E Alexander, Birth Date 6 Jul 1915, Birth Place Bronx, New York, Residence Place Bronx, New York, Enlistment Age 25, Enlistment Date 20 Jan 1941, Enlistment Place Bronx, New York, USA, Unit Co A 8th Regt, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; Collection: New York, New York Guard Service Cards and Enlistment Records, 1906-1918, 1940-1948; Series: B2000; Film Number: 27, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., New York Guard Service Cards, 1906-1918, 1940-1948. ↩
  15. Max Alexander, Herbert Alexander, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: 856; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 3-1805, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  16. Theresa Alexander, Age 71, Birth Date abt 1879, Death Date 18 Jun 1950, Death Place Bronx, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 6080, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  17. Max Alexander, Age 80, Birth Date abt 1875, Death Date 12 Feb 1955, Death Place Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 2493, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  18. Albert Alexander, Gender Male, Marriage License Date 1952, Marriage License Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Mary Deiches, License Number 1742, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  19. Mary J Deiches, Birth Date 15 Dec 1925, Birth Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Certificate Number 46405, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965; Maryjane Deiches, [Maryjane Alexander] [Mary Alexander] Gender Female, Race White, Birth Date 15 Dec 1925, Birth Place New York New, New York, [New York N Y, New York], Death Date May 1991 ,Father Maurice Deiches, Mother Ruth Greenebaum, SSN 132206980, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  20. Mary Jane Deiches, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: 4145; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 31-86, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  21. Ancestry.com. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 ↩
  22. Herbert M Alexander, Gender Male, Birth Date 1 Sep 1910, Death Date 23 Nov 1988, Claim Date 1 Apr 1975, SSN 082015161, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; “Herbert Alexander, Pocket Books Editor and Publisher, 78,” The New York Times, November 24, 1988, p. 96; “Herbert Alexander, Ex-Pocket Books Publisher,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, November 25, 1988, p. 42. ↩
  23. Greta Alexander, Gender Female, Birth Date 12 Feb 1912, Death Date Sep 1982
    Claim Date 7 Apr 1975, SSN 045129047, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  24. Albert E. Alexander, Social Security Number 114-12-2501,Birth Date 6 Jul 1915
    Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 14610, Rochester, Monroe, New York, USA, Death Date 15 Sep 1994, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  25. Mary J. Alexander, Social Security Number 132-20-6980, Birth Date 15 Dec 1925
    Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 14610, Rochester, Monroe, New York, USA, Death Date May 1991, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩

Moses and Mathilde’s Granddaughter Frances Alexander: A Genealogy Adventure Takes Me to Canada

Posted on by
25

As we saw in the last post about the family of Moses Rothschild, Mathilde Rothschild died in 1931, and her daughter-in-law Rose Katz Rothschild died in 1933. There were also some weddings and some births for the children of the three oldest children of Moses and Mathilde, Samuel, Rudolph, and Albert.

Now we turn to Moses and Mathilde’s fourth child Theresa Rothschild Alexander and her children and their lives in the 1930s. This post focuses primarily on my challenges in finding out what happened to Theresa’s daughter Frances during this decade and thereafter.

In 1930, Theresa was living in the Bronx with her husband Max Alexander, who was in his own real estate business, and their two sons, Herbert (19) and Albert (14) as well as Max’s sister Esther.1 I will follow up with their lives after the 1930s in a later post.

But Theresa and Max’s daughter Frances, who would have been 24 in 1930, was not listed as living in the household, nor for a long time could I find her elsewhere. Looking for Frances led me down many a rabbit hole and provided me with a good reminder of how tricky genealogy research can be, even when you are looking for someone who lived fairly recently in the United States.

I searched for a death record, a marriage record, and elsewhere on the 1930 census, but for a long time could not find Frances. There were several other women close to her in age with the same or similar names, but I couldn’t establish that any of them was the daughter of Max and Theresa Alexander. The closest one I could find was a Frances H. Alexander who married a Joseph Jacobs, but I could only find a listing on the marriage license index and no actual marriage record. And the index didn’t provide the names of the bride’s parents. The marriage license index showed that the license was taken out on July 6, 1926, when Frances would have been only twenty years old.2

I was more certain that this was the right Frances when I found her birth certificate and saw the her middle name was Harriet, consistent with the middle initial on the listing on the marriage license index. I wasn’t positive, but pretty persuaded that Frances had married Joseph Jacobs.

But…then I found a Frances H. Alexander who married Jerome Walton in 1933. Had Frances never married Joseph Jacobs, just taken out a license?3

But when I searched for Frances and Jerome Walton on FamilySearch, I located a record there that revealed that the Frances H. Alexander who married Jerome Walton was the daughter of William Alexander and Helen Harkness, not Max Alexander and Theresa Rothschild. Also, that Frances was born in 1913, not 1907 like my Frances.4 So I eliminated Jerome Walton as a possible husband for Frances and focused back on Joseph Jacobs as the likely candidate.

Joseph Jacobs was born on November 6, 1902, in the Bronx to Max and Sarah Jacobs.5 In 1920, Joseph and his parents and siblings were living at 2020 Morris Avenue in the Bronx.6 When I saw Morris Avenue, it rang a bell. I went back to see where Frances Alexander and her family were living in 1920, and sure enough, they were at 2033 Morris Avenue.7 Frances and Joseph were neighbors! I was now more confident that my Frances Alexander had married Joseph Jacobs.

My next step was looking for Joseph Jacobs with a wife named Frances on the 1930 census, and sure enough, I found them living in the Bronx with a daughter named Joan. Joseph was working as an engineer. Joan Jacobs was born in the Bronx on July 13, 1927.8 But Joseph, Frances, and Joan disappeared after the 1930 census. I could not find them on the 1940 census nor could I find them anywhere else. Where had they disappeared to? Had they had any other children?

My big breakthrough came when I found an obituary for Frances’ brother Albert that listed “a sister Francis Jacobs of Canada” as one of his survivors.9 (More on Albert to come in a later post.) Not only did that give me the confirmation that my Frances (or Francis—both spellings appear to have been used) had married Joseph Jacobs, it told me where she was living at least in 1993 when her brother Albert died. I switched my search for Frances and her family from the US to Canada.

And sure enough I soon found an obituary for Frances Jacobs in the Montreal Gazette of June 19, 1998, that reported that Frances had died on June 17, 1998, in Montreal.10 The obituary provided the names of Frances’ survivors, including her daughter Joan and son-in-law Martin Samuels, but also two other children, a son Peter and a daughter Maggie. I then found an obituary for Frances’ husband Joseph Jacobs, who died on April 5, 1983, in Montreal.11 So I knew that Frances and Joseph had moved to Montreal at some point, but when?

That question was answered when I found an obituary for Frances and Joseph’s daughter Joan Jacobs Samuels, who died on August 16, 2021. The Montreal Gazette ran a long and detailed obituary for Joan on August 21, 2021, that reported that Joan “had moved with her family to Montreal in 1933.”12

Interestingly, I had earlier been confused by Joseph Jacob’s 1942 World War II draft registration, which listed 2033 Morris Avenue in the Bronx as his mailing address, but gave a Westmount, Quebec address in Canada as his place of residence. I had assumed that he was temporarily living in Canada for business, but otherwise still a US resident living in the Bronx. Now, after finding that 2021 obituary for their daughter Joan and looking more closely, I realize that he gave 2033 Morris Avenue, his in-law’s address, as his mailing address for purposes of his required registration with the US military. But they were living in Westmount, a section of Montreal.

Joseph Jacobs World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

So Frances and Joseph had moved to the Montreal area with Joan in 1933, where they would have two more children, Peter and Maggie. As we saw above, Joseph died in 1983, Frances in 1998, and Joan in 2021.Joan Jacobs was predeceased by her husband Martin Samuels, who died on December 23, 2003.13 Joan was survived by her children and grandchildren and her brother Peter and sister Maggie.

Sadly, Maggie Jacobs died on November 4, 2024, just days before I found the family of Frances Alexander and Joseph Jacobs. She is survived by her brother Peter and her nieces and nephews and their children.

It took some doing, but I am so glad I persisted and located my Canadian cousins.

 

 

 

  1. Max Alexander and family, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0609; FHL microfilm: 2341221, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Francis H Alexander, Gender Female, Marriage License Date 6 Jul 1926, Marriage License Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Joseph N Jacobs, License Number 4383, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Bronx, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  3. Frances H Alexander, Gender Female, Marriage Date 19 Jul 1933, Marriage Place Kings, New York, USA, Spouse, Jerome M Walton, Certificate Number 10142, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 ↩
  4. “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2CD-FHZF : Sat Mar 09 21:15:06 UTC 2024), Entry for Jerome Maury Walton and Frances H Alexander, 19 July 1933. ↩
  5. Joseph Jacobs, World War II Draft Registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Max Jacobs, Naturalization Petition, The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions For Naturalization From the U.s. District Court For the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 178, Archive Roll Descriptions: (Roll 0178) Petition No· 29218-Petition No· 29480, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944 ↩
  6. Max Jacobs and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 8, Bronx, New York; Roll: T625_1141; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 416, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Max Alexander and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 8, Bronx, New York; Roll: T625_1141; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 416, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  8. Joseph Jacobs and family, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0689; FHL microfilm: 2341224, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  9. “Alexander, Albert E.,” Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle, September 17, 1994, p. 5. ↩
  10. Montreal Gazette, June 19, 1998, p. 60. ↩
  11. Montreal Gazette, April 7, 1983, p. 31. ↩
  12. Montreal Gazette, August 21, 2021, p. CS18. ↩
  13. Montreal Gazette, December 26, 2023, p. 86. ↩

Moses Rothschild’s Three Oldest Children and Their Families in the 1930s: Samuel, Rudolph, and Albert

Posted on by
14

The 1930s proved to be challenging years for some members of Moses Rothschild’s family. His widow Mathilde died on November 7, 1931, in the Bronx;1 she was 82 years old and had outlived her husband by more than thirty years. She had lived to see the births of all of her grandchildren and even three great-grandchildren.

Most of Moses and Mathilde’s children and grandchildren continued to live in New York in 1930. Their oldest son Samuel and his wife Sallye and their 24-year-old son Milton were living in the Bronx, and Samuel and Milton were salesman for a “private concern.”2 Milton married the following year on October 23, 1931, just two weeks before his grandmother Mathilde died.3 Milton married Blanche Zimmerman, the daughter of Bernard Zimmerman and Gertrude Landan. She was born in the Bronx, New York, on November 4, 1908 or November 4, 1907.4 Milton and Blanche would have two children.

The second old son Rudolph Rothschild and his wife Rebecca (listed as Rae here) were living in Manhattan in 1930, and Rudolph was a jewelry salesman.5 Their son Mortimer was living with his wife Amelia and her mother Selma Spiegel in Manhattan. Mortimer was a traveling salesman, and Amelia was a school teacher in 1930.6 They would later have two children.

Rudolph’s younger son Alvin does not appear on the 1930 US census, but according to his entries on the 1940 US census, Alvin was living in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1935.7 And on July 19, 1936, he married Marjorie Breuer in Wilmington, Delaware, where, according to their marriage record, they both were living and where Alvin was working as a store manager.

Alvin Rothschild marriage certificate, Ancestry.com. Delaware, U.S., Marriage Records, 1750-1954

According to their wedding announcement in the Wilmington News-Journal, Alvin was working for Neisner Brothers, Inc. Marjorie was the daughter of Charles Breuer and Mariann Gold and was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 29, 1914.8

“Breuer-Rothschild,” The News Journal, Wilmington, DE, July 18, 1936, p. 4

Alvin appears to have been one of the first of the descendants of Moses Rothschild to move out of New York City. Could the Depression have forced him to seek opportunities elsewhere? Alvin and Marjorie would later have three children.

As for the family of Albert, the third son of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild,  his widow Rose and their youngest daughter Dorothy (17) were living in the Bronx in 1930; Dorothy was working as a clerk in the film industry.9 Albert and Rose’s oldest daughter Rae, like her cousin Alvin, had left New York City by 1930 and was living with her husband Gerald Jordan and daughter Alberta (8) in Buffalo, New York, where Gerald was the manager of a clothing store.10 I again wonder whether economic conditions forced Gerald to move out of New York City.

Josephine, the second oldest daughter of Albert and Rose, was living with her husband Charles Hall in 1930 in Manhattan, and she was working as a secretary and Charles as an electrician.11 The third daughter Theresa was living in the Bronx with her husband Arnold Blumenfeld and their two young children; Arnold was an insurance agent.12  I could not locate Theresa’s sister Lillian and her husband Max Blumenfeld (Arnold’s brother) on the 1930 census.

On January 31, 1932, Albert and Rose’s youngest daughter Dorothy married Sidney Spiegel in the Bronx.13 When I saw the surname Spiegel, I wondered if Sidney was related to Amelia Spiegel, who had married Dorothy’s cousin, Mortimer Rothschild, son of Rudolph Rothschild. But Sidney’s parents, Benjamin and Frieda Spiegel, were born in Galicia whereas Amelia’s parents Adolph and Ida Spiegel were born in Germany. Sidney was born in New York on September 28, 1911.

The year after Dorothy’s wedding,  Rae, Josephine, Theresa, Lillian, and Dorothy lost their mother Rose when she died on March 7, 1933, in New York.14 Rose had had many challenges in her life; she’d lost her only son Milton when he was not yet two years old. She’d lost her husband Albert in 1915 when she was only 39, and she’d had to raise her five daughters alone, including Dorothy who was just a year old at the time. Rose was survived by those five daughters and by her grandchildren.

My next set of posts will cover the families of Moses and Mathilde’s younger three children Theresa, Gertrude, and Aron during the 1930s.

 

 

  1. Mathilda Rothschild, Gender Female, Race White, Marital Status Widowed, Age 82
    Birth Date 19 Feb 1849, Birth Place Germany, Years in US 63 Years, Death Date 7 Nov 1931, Death Street Address 2033 Morris Ave, Death Place New York City, Bronx, New York, USA, Cause of Death Chronic Myocarditis and Nephritis, Arterial Hypertension
    Burial Date 9 Nov 1931, Burial Place Mount Carmel Cemt, Occupation House Wife
    Father’s Birth Place Germany, Mother’s Birth Place Germany Father Louis Selizmann [sic] Mother Theresa Selizmann [sic], Executor Sam Rothschild, Executor Relationship Son, Certificate Number 9230, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Death Certificates; Borough: Bronx; Year: 1931, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948 ↩
  2. Samuel Rothschild and family, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0200; FHL microfilm: 2341204, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  3. Milton Rothschild, Gender Male, Marriage License Date 23 Oct 1931, Marriage License Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Blanche Zimmerman
    License Number 8578, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Bronx, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018; Milton S Rothschild Gender Male Marriage Date 29 Oct 1931 Marriage Place Manhattan, New York, USA Certificate Number 25564, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937. ↩
  4. Blanche Zimmerman, Gender Female Race White Birth Date 4 Nov 1908
    Birth Place Bronx, New York City, Bronx, New York, USA Residence Address E 138th St Bronx 639 Certificate Number 194 Father Benjamin Zimmerman Mother Gertrude Zimmerman Mother Maiden Name Landan, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Birth Certificates; Borough: Bronx; Year: 1908, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909. But another record shows she was born November 4, 1907: “New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W84-31S : 11 February 2018), Blanche Zimmerman, 04 Nov 1907; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 194 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,023,224. I do not know which is correct. ↩
  5. Rudolph Rothschild, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 0485; FHL microfilm: 2341294, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  6. Mortimer Rothschild, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 0485; FHL microfilm: 2341294, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Alvin Rothschild, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Kingston, Luzerne, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03554; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 40-147, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  8. Marjorie Breuer Rothschild, Gender Female, Race White, Birth Date 29 Apr 1914
    Birth Place Wilmington, Delaware, Death Date 9 Jan 2006, Claim Date 5 Apr 1976
    Father Charles Breuer, Mother Maryann Gold. SSN 343368015, Citizenship or Alien Status U.S. citizen. Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. ↩
  9. Rose Rothschild, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0327; FHL microfilm: 2341208, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  10. Gerald Jordan and family, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Buffalo, Erie, New York; Page: 16A; Enumeration District: 0294; FHL microfilm: 2341167, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  11. Charles Hall and family, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 1167; FHL microfilm: 2341316,
    Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Arnold Blumenfeld and family, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 1167; FHL microfilm: 2341316, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  13. Dorothy Rothschild, Gender Female, Marriage Date 31 Jan 1932, Marriage Place Bronx, New York, USA, Spouse Sidney Spiegel Certificate Number 936, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 ↩
  14. Rose Rothschild, Age 56, Birth Year abt 1877, Death Date 7 Mar 1933, Death Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Certificate Number 6002, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Death Index, 1862-1948 ↩

Moses Rothschild’s Family 1920-1929: More Marriages, More Census Evasions

Posted on by
12

For the family of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild, the Roaring Twenties began with the birth of their first great-grandchild, Alberta Jordan, daughter of Rae Rothschild and Gerald Jordan, on April 18, 1921, in the Bronx, New York. Alberta was the granddaughter of Albert Rothschild and Rose Katz and was presumably named for her grandfather, who had died in 1915.

The next major family event came on September 22, 1923, when Albert and Rose’s daughter Theresa, just seventeen years old, married Arnold Blumenfeld,1 a son of Elias Blumenfeld2 and Celia Finkelstein3 Arnold was born what is now Poland in the town of Czestchowa, on December 9, 1899,4 and immigrated to the US with his family on November 1, 1909.5 Arnold was working as a scaling clerk in a slaughterhouse when he registered for the World War I draft and was living in Manhattan with his family in 1920.6 Theresa and Arnold would have two children, Albert, born September 8, 1926, in the Bronx,7 and presumably named for Theresa’s father Albert Rothschild, and a daughter who may still be living.

Arnold Blumenfeld World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Following Theresa’s marriage in September, 1923, her older sister Josephine married Charles H. Hall on October 14, 1924.8 He was the son of Joseph Hall and Minnie Golden and was born in Glen Cove, New York, on December 7, 1899.9 On his World War I draft registration, Charles reported that he was an apprentice electrician and living in the Bronx with his family.

Charles Harding Hall World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: Bronx, Draft Card: H, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

That brings us up to 1925 and the 1925 New York State census records for this family. In 1925 Mathilde Rothschild was living in the same building (maybe the same apartment?) in the Bronx as her daughter Theresa and Theresa’s husband Max Alexander and their three children, Frances (19), Herbert (15), and Albert (9), as well as Max’s sister Estelle. Max continued to work in the real estate business.

Mathilde Rothschild, Max Alexander and family 1925 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 16; Assembly District: 08; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 35, District: A·D· 08 E·D· 16, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925

Samuel Rothschild was also living in the Bronx with his wife Sallye and son Milton; he was in the novelties business.10 His brother Rudolph Rothschild was living in Manhattan with his wife Rebecca and sons Mortimer (25) and Alvin (21). Rudolph and Mortimer were salesmen, and Alvin was working in advertising.11

Gertrude Rothschild Lancelot (the family now having shortened the surname from Lancelotti, it appears) and her husband Charles and their children Milton (16) and Estelle (14) were living in Manhattan, and Charles continued to work as an artist for an engraving company.12

As for Rose Katz Rothschild, widow of Albert Rothschild, as I wrote earlier, I could not find Rose on the 1925 NYS census nor could I find her two youngest daughters, Lillian and Dorothy, on that census. But I did find Rose and Albert’s three oldest daughters on that census. Two of them, Rae Rothschild Jordan and Theresa Rothschild Blumenfeld, were living next door to each other in the same apartment building in the Bronx with their respective husbands and Rae’s daughter Alberta. Rae’s husband Gerald Jordan was working as a “manager.”  Theresa’s husband Arnold Blumenfeld was in the insurance business. Their sister Josephine Rothschild Hall and her husband Charles Harding Hall were living in the Bronx also; Charles was an electrician, Josephine a stenographer.13

Gerald Jordan and family, Arnold Blumenfeld and family 1925 US census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 54; Assembly District: 08; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 20, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925

Aron Rothschild, the youngest child of Moses and Mathilde, posed more challenges for me when it came to the 1925 NYS census. I could not find him or his wife Martha or son Melville anywhere on that census. Like his sister-in-law Rose Katz Rothschild and her two youngest daughters Lillian and Dorothy, Aron and his family all seem to have somehow evaded the enumerator.

The following years saw another marriage in the family when Rudolph Rothschild’s son Mortimer Maxwell Rothschild married Amelia Spiegel on April 14, 1927, in New York City. Amelia was born in New York on August 13, 1905, to Adolph Spiegel and Ida Jaffa.14

Also, Lillian Rothschild, Albert and Rose’s daughter, married Max Blumenfeld on June 29, 1929, in the Bronx.15 Max was the younger brother of Arnold Blumenfeld, Lillian’s brother-in-law and the husband of her older sister Theresa. Max was born on February 18, 1904, in Poland.16

Thus, the family was expanding throughout the 1920s. Next time we will see how they fared through the Depression of the 1930s.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Theresa Rothschild, Gender Female, Marriage Date 22 Sep 1923, Marriage Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Spouse, Arnold Blumenfeld, Certificate Number 33859, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 ↩
  2. Eliasz Dawid Blumenfeld, Birth Date 1862, Birth Place Czestochowa, Film 875329
    Line 123, JRI-Poland Shtetl CO-OP Volunteers, comp. Poland, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, Births, 1550-1993. When I first saw “Blumenfeld,” I wondered if Arnold was a cousin, but once I realized his family was from Poland, not Germany, I knew there was no familial connection. ↩
  3. Celia Blumenfeld, [Celia Finkenstein], Gender Female, Race White, Marital Status Widowed, Age 75, Birth Date abt 1865, Birth Place Russia, Residence Street Address 1748 Washington Av, Residence Place New York, Years in US 30, Death Date 15 Aug 1940, Hospital Morrisania, Death Place New York City, Bronx, New York, USA, Cause of Death Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease Conestive Heart Failure, Burial Date 16 Aug 1940
    Burial Place Beth David Cemetery, Occupation Hwife, Father’s Birth Place Russia, Mother’s Birth Place Russia, Father, Aaron Finkenstein, Mother Sarah Finkenstein, Child, Aaron Blumenfeld, Informant Aaron Blumenfeld, Informant Gender Male, Informant Relationship Son, Executor Aaron Blumenfeld, Executor Relationship Son
    Certificate Number 7791, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Death Certificates; Borough: Bronx; Year: 1940, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948 ↩
  4. BLUMENFELD Aron Icyk Eliasz Dawid Cyrla FINKELSZTAJN 6 Dec 1899 Czestochowa 119 12 1089 With parents 1232, Czestochowa Book of Residents 1870-1914 CRARG, JRI-Poland, at https://legacy.jri-poland.org/databases/jridetail_2.php&#160;↩
  5. Arnold Blumenfeld ship manifest, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 ↩
  6. Arnold Blumenfeld, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 17, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1217; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 1205, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  7. Albert Blumenfeld, Gender Male, Race White, Birth Date 9 Sep 1926, Birth Place NY Bx, New York, Death Date 19 Oct 1989, Father Arnold Blumenfeld, Mother Theresa Rothschild, SSN 054200492, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  8. Charles H Hall, Gender Male, Marriage Date 14 Oct 1924, Marriage Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Certificate Number 27615, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937; Charles H Hall, Gender Male
    Marriage License Date 14 Oct 1924, Marriage License Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Josephine F Rothschild, License Number 5830, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Bronx, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  9. Joseph Hall, 1900 US census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Oyster Bay, Nassau, New York; Roll: 1079; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0726, Description
    Enumeration District: 0726; Description: Oyster Bay Town; Election District 8, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census; Minnie I Golden, Gender Female
    Marriage Date 14 Sep 1896, Marriage Place Glen Cove, New York, USA, Spouse
    Joseph H Hall, Certificate Number 16959, New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Marriage Index, Ancestry.com. New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967. ↩
  10. Samuel Rothschild and family, 1925 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 72; Assembly District: 02; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 17, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925 ↩
  11. Rudolph Rothschild and family, 1925 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 01; Assembly District: 11; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 11, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925 ↩
  12. Charles Lancelot and family, 1925 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 18; Assembly District: 23; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 3, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925 ↩
  13. Charles Hall and family, 1925 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 69; Assembly District: 08; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 5, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1925 ↩
  14. New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938″, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24WQ-H78 : Tue Feb 20 22:32:18 UTC 2024), Entry for Mortimer Rottschild and Amelie Spiegel, 14 Apr 1927. ↩
  15. Lillian Rothchild, Gender Female, Marriage Date 29 Jun 1929, Marriage Place Bronx, New York, USA, Spouse, Max Blumenfeld, Certificate Number 4938, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 ↩
  16. Elias Blumenfeld and family, 1910 US census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1020; Page: 3a; Enumeration District: 0474; FHL microfilm: 1375033, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census; Max Blumenfeld ship manifest, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957; Max Blumenfeld, Social Security Number 056-09-6623, Birth Date 18 Feb 1904, Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 11367, Flushing, Queens, New York, USA, Death Date Apr 1971, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014; “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2CJ-G79S : Sat Mar 09 14:13:28 UTC 2024), Entry for Max Blumenfeld and Lillian Rothchild, 29 June 1929. ↩

Albert Rothschild’s Family 1915-1920: Loss and Survival

Posted on by
22

The third son of Moses and Matilda Rothschild, Albert, was the first to die, and he died far too young.

On August 25, 1915, Albert, while a patient at Lloyd’s Sanitarium in New York City, drew up his last will and testament. According to this website, Lloyd’s Sanitarium was created by Dr. Henry William Lloyd in 1909 as a private hospital for the well-to-do.

Dr Lloyds Sanitarium from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

Albert’s will1 provides evidence that Albert was at least financially comfortable although perhaps not wealthy. In it he provided for a $500 trust to be created for his mother, Mathilde. In 1915 $500 would be worth over $15,000 in today’s money—not a fortune, but still a generous bequest. The will also provided that his wife Rose would receive “a third of her dower rights” or alternatively $50 to $60 a month, or about $1500 a month or $18,000 a year in today’s money. Again, hardly a fortune. Albert named Rose as well as his brothers Samuel and Rudolph to be the executors of his estate. The will documents reveal that Rose and the children were living at 964 Simpson Street in the Bronx in 1915 (although they are not listed there on the 1915 New York State census).

Albert Rothschild Last Will and Testament

Albert Rothschild notice of probate

Albert Rothschild probate order

Albert died a month later on September 29, 1915, in Amityville, New York, out on Long Island, presumably at a hospital there.2 I do not know what the cause of death was (and ordering a copy of the certificate from Vital Records is prohibitively expensive), but it would certainly appear that Albert knew he was gravely ill a month earlier when he wrote his will. He was only 38 years old and left behind not only his widow Rose, but their five daughters, Rachael, then 19, Josephine (13), Theresa (9), Lillian (6), and Dorothy, only one year old.

In this way Albert was following in the footsteps of his father Moses, who also died in his thirties and left behind six children who were all quite young. Was it the same cause of death? Was Moses’ cause of death really general paresis or was there a genetic cause of death for both Albert and Moses? I don’t know.

As for Albert’s widow Rose and their five daughters, their lives continued. Rose remarried in 1917, in New York;3 her second husband was Craig Powis, born in New York on October 27, 1874, to Charles Powis and Jennie Armstrong.4 On his 1918 World War I draft registration, Craig’s occupation was reported as an engineer at the army base in Brooklyn, and he and Rose were living in Brooklyn.

Craig Powis World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: Kings, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

But two years later in 1920, Rose was living with four of her daughters in the Bronx. Although she was using the last name Powis and reported her marital status as married, Craig was not listed as living with her. Rose was working as a salesperson in a dry goods store.  Perhaps Craig was living on the army base in Brooklyn. Perhaps the marriage had failed.

Rose Powis and family 1920 US census, ear: 1920; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 1, Bronx, New York; Roll: T625_1130; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 42,  Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census

It’s hard to know because I cannot find Craig on the 1920 census nor can I find either Rose or Craig on the 1925 NYS census. However, it does appear that Craig may have married again because on the index of his death record on FamilySearch, it says that he died on July 14, 1926, in the Bronx and that his surviving spouse was named Anna. Of course, the index could be an incorrect transcription of the death certificate or it could just be a mistake. But in any event it does not appear that Craig was living with Rose in 1920.5

Living with their mother Rose in the Bronx in 1920 were her four younger daughters: Josephine (17), Theresa (14), Lillian (10), and Dorothy (5). Josephine was working as a billing clerk for a lumber company. The other three were still in school.6

Albert and Rose’s oldest daughter Rachael (now using Rae) was not living with her mother and sisters because she had married Gerald L. Jordan on July 17, 1919, in Brooklyn, New York. Gerald was born in Charleston, West Virginia, on June 9, 1892, to Louis Jordan and Bertha Schmitz.7 On his June 1917 World War I draft registration, Gerald was living in New York City and was the secretary and salesman for the David Cohen Sales Company. He claimed an exemption from military service because of “heart trouble.” I could not find Rae and Gerald on the 1920 census. They had a daughter born on April 18, 1921, in the Bronx, named Alberta.8 She was Moses and Mathilde Rothschild’s first great-grandchild, and I assume she was named for Rae’s father Albert Rothschild.

Gerald Jordan World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

The rest of the story of Albert Rothschild’s family will follow in subsequent posts.

  1. Albert Rothschild, Probate Date 25 Aug 1915, Probate Place Bronx, New York, USA, Inferred Death Date 1915, Item Description Probate Administration Records, #0335-0343, Mary Vander Roest-Charles V Schüll, 1915-1916, New York, Bronx Probate Administration Records; Author: New York. Surrogate’s Court (Bronx County); Probate Place: Bronx, New York, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 ↩
  2. Albert Rotohschild [sic], Event Type Death, Event Date 29 September 1915, Event Place Amityville, Babylon, Suffolk, New York, United States. Event Place (Original) Amityville, New York, Entry Number 55476, “New York, State Death Index, 1880-1956”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG2W-Y243 : Fri Mar 08 01:04:50 UTC 2024), Entry for Albert Rotohschild, 29 Sep 1915. ↩
  3. Rose Rothschild, Gender Female, Marriage License Date 1 Mar 1917, Marriage License Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse Craig Powis
    License Number 6232, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 3, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  4. Craig A. Powis., Sex Male, Age 52, Birth Year (Estimated) 1874, Marital Status Unknown, Father’s Name Charles, Father’s Sex Male, Mother’s Name Armstrong
    Mother’s Sex Female, Spouse’s Name Anna Powis, Event Type Death, Event Date 14 Jul 1926, Event Place The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States, Event Place (Original) Bronx, New York, New York, United States, Record Type death, Certificate Number cn 5497, “New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WG3-NVM : 13 May 2022), Craig A. Powis, 1926. ↩
  5. See Note 4, supra. ↩
  6. See image above. ↩
  7. Gerald Lewis Jordan, Sex Male, Age 25 years, Birth Year (Estimated) 1892, Father’s Name Louis, Father’s Sex Male, Mother’s Name Bertha Schmitz
    Mother’s Sex Female, Spouse’s Name Rae Rotschild, Spouse’s Sex Female
    Spouse’s Age 21 years, Spouse’s Birth Year (Estimated) 1896, Spouse’s Father’s Name Albert, Spouse’s Father’s Sex Male, Spouse’s Mother’s Name Rose Katz, Event Type Marriage, Event Date 10 July 1917, Event Place Kings, New York, United States
    Source Details 10399, “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2CK-YV93 : Sat Mar 09 05:09:54 UTC 2024), Entry for Gerald Lewis Jordan and Rae Rotschild, 10 July 1917. Gerald L. Jordan Sex Male Father’s Name Louis Jordan Mother’s Name Bertha Schmitz Event Type Birth Event Date 9 Jun 1892 Event Place Charleston, Kanawha, West Virginia, United States, “West Virginia Births and Christenings, 1853-1928”, , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X556-8BP : 12 December 2019), Gerald L. Jordan, 1892. ↩
  8. Alberta L Jordan, Birth Date 15 Apr 1921, Birth Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965 ↩

Moses Rothschild’s Family: Where Was His Widow in 1920?

Posted on by
21

In my last post before the holiday last week, we saw that all six of Moses Rothschild’s children, his widow Matilda, and their nine grandchildren were all living in the Bronx. But by 1915, there were some changes.

Matilda and her youngest child Aaron, now 32, had moved back to Manhattan, and Aaron was working as a bead salesman.1 Samuel, Moses and Matilda’s oldest child, and his family were still in the Bronx, and he was working as a factory superintendent.2 But Rudolph, the second child, had, like his mother and brother Aaron, moved back to Manhattan with his wife and children; Rudolph was still working as a traveling salesman.

As for Albert, the third son, it took some doing to find him and his family on the 1915 NYS census because his surname was transcribed as “Nathschild” instead of Rothschild. At the time the census was enumerated in June, 1915, Albert and his family were living on St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan, and Albert was working as an importer. Sadly, within a few months Albert would pass away. That will be the story of my next post.

Albert Rothschild and family 1915 NYS census,New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 53; Assembly District: 23; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 39, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1915

Moses and Matilda’s two daughters were both still living in the Bronx in 1915. Theresa Rothschild Alexander,3 the older daughter of Moses and Mathilde, was living with her husband Max, their nine year old daughter Frances, and their four year old son Herbert Mortimer Alexander, who was born on September 1, 1910, in New York.4 A third child, Albert Alexander, was born on July 6, 1915, in New York, not long after the 1915 New York State census was taken.5 Theresa’s husband Max was in the real estate business.

Gertrude, the younger daughter, was living with her husband Charles Lancelotti (spelled Lancelot here),6 who was working as an artist, their seven year old son Milton, and their daughter Estelle, who was born on February 18, 1911, in New York City.7

With the outbreak of World War I in Europe and America’s subsequent entry into that war, three of the sons of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild as well as their two sons-in-law registered for the draft. Samuel’s registration shows that he was living in the Bronx and working as a superintendent in a celluloid factory owned by Rice & Hochster. From what I could find on the internet, it appears that Rice & Hochster was a leading manufacturer of women’s hair accessories.

Samuel Rothschild World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: Bronx, Draft Card: R, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Rudolph’s registration reveals that he also was employed by Rice & Hochster, but as a traveling salesman. He was living in Manhattan.

Rudolph Rothschild World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York, Draft Card: R, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Meanwhile, the youngest brother Aaron had married Martha Schoenholz on July 3, 1918, in New York.8 Martha was born in New York on November 3, 1890, to Max Schoenholz and Clothilde Herman.9 Aaron registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918, two months after his marriage to Martha. They were living in New York, apparently with Aaron’s sister Gertrude and her husband Charles Lancelotti, given the “c/o Lancellotti” on the registration. Aaron was self-employed as a wholesale merchant. Aaron and Martha’s son Melville Albert Rothschild was born a year later on July 22, 1919, in New York.10 I assume his middle name was for Aaron’s brother Albert.

Aaron Rothschild World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York, Draft Card: R, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

As for Charles Lancelotti, his draft registration shows he was working as the art director at Standard Engraving Company and living in New York City.

Charles Lancellotti World War I draft registration,Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York, Draft Card: L, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

And Max Alexander, Theresa’s husband, reported on his draft registration that he was a self-employed real estate broker. They were living in the Bronx.

Max Alexander World War I draft registration, Registration State: New York
Draft Card: A, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

The 1920 census for the family of Moses and Matilda Rothschild does not show many changes. Samuel and his family were living in the Bronx and Samuel was the manager of a novelty house.11 Rudolph and his family were living in Manhattan, and Rudolph as well as his 20-year-old son Milton were working as ladies’ wear salesmen while Alvin, the younger son now 17, was working as an office boy in a wholesale business.12 Aaron, the youngest brother, was living with his wife and son in Manhattan, and he owned a wholesale bead and novelty business.13 Theresa and her husband Max Alexander and their two children were living in the Bronx, and Max was a real estate broker.14 And Gertrude and her husband Charles Lancelot(ti) were living in Manhattan with their two children, and Charles was still an artist for an engraving company.15

The only family member who has been difficult to locate on the 1920 census is Matilda Rothschild, Moses’ widow and the mother of their children. The only entry I can find for a Matilda or Mathilde Rothschild is this one for a widow with that name, but this record reports that she was born in Pennsylvania, whereas my Matilda was born in Germany. It also says she was 77 whereas my Matilda would have been 71 in 1920. This Mathilde Rothschild was living at 550 Park Avenue in Manhattan, which is at 62nd Street near Central Park. My Matilda’s children who lived in Manhattan (Rudolph, Aaron and Gertrude) were all living much further uptown.

Mathilde Rothschild 1920 US census, “United States Census, 1920”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MV35-QX2 : Fri Mar 08 16:41:16 UTC 2024), Entry for Mathilde Rothchild, 1920.

What do you think? Is the Mathilde Rothschild living on Park Avenue in 1920 the widow of my cousin Moses Rothschild? I am not sure.

UPDATE: Thank you to my cousin Richard Bloomfield, who figured out that the Mathilde Rothschild on that census record was NOT my cousin’s widow. See his comment below. I guess Mathilde just somehow eluded the census enumerator.

Wishing all who celebrate Yom Kippur an easy but meaningful fast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Matilda Rothschild, 1915 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 52; Assembly District: 23; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 06, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1915 ↩
  2. Rudolph Rothschild, 1915 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 51; Assembly District: 23; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 36, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1915 ↩
  3. Max Alexander and family, 1915 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 33; Assembly District: 35; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 43, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1915 ↩
  4. Herbert M Alexander, Birth Date 1 Sep 1910, Birth Place Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, Certificate Number 9831, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965 ↩
  5. Albert Edward Alexander, [Albert E Alexander], Gender Male, Race White
    Birth Date 6 Jul 1915, Birth Place New York Bx, New York, Death Date 15 Sep 1994
    Father Max Alexander, Mother Theresa Rothschild, SSN 114122501, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  6. Charles Lancelot and family, 1915 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 29; Assembly District: 34; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 20, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1915 ↩
  7. [illegible] E Lancellotti, Birth Date 18 Feb 1911, Birth Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Certificate Number 11462, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965. ↩
  8. Martha Schoenholz, Gender Female, Marriage Date 3 Jul 1918, Marriage Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Spouse Aaron Rothschild, Certificate Number 19662, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937. ↩
  9. Martha Schonholz Sex Female Race White Father’s Name Max Schonholz Father’s Age 31 Father’s Birthplace Germany Mother’s Name Clothilde Herman Mother’s Age 23 Mother’s Birthplace Germany Event Type Birth Event Date 03 Nov 1890 Event Place Manhattan, New York, New York, United States “New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WMB-JL2 : 11 February 2018), Martha Schonholz, 03 Nov 1890; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 34007 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,322,237. ↩
  10. Melville Albert Rothschild, [Melville Rothschild], Gender Male. Race White
    Birth Date 22 Jul 1919, Birth Place New York City, New York, [New York Cit], Death Date Jun 1978, Father Aron Rothschild Mother Martha Schoenholz, SSN 084037768, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  11. Samuel Rothschild and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 2, Bronx, New York; Roll: T625_1133; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 161, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Rudolph Rothschild and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 22, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1226; Page: 23B; Enumeration District: 1486, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  13. Aaron Rothschild and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 23, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1227; Page: 19B; Enumeration District: 1504, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  14. Max Alexander and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 8, Bronx, New York; Roll: T625_1141; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 416, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩
  15. Charles Lancelot and family, 1920 US census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 23, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1227; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 1503, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census ↩

Moses Rothschild’s Family: The Move to the Bronx 1900 to 1910

Posted on by
11

The 1905 New York State census helped me locate the family of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild’s second-born son Rudolph; he was living with his wife Rebecca and their two children in New York City and working as a salesman. It looks like he was a “hail” salesman, but given how badly the enumerator spelled their names, I assume Rudolph was not selling frozen precipitation.

Rudolph Rothschild 1905 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: A.D. 23 E.D. 41 2; City: Manhattan; County: New York; Page: 13, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1905

But what about Rudolph’s mother and siblings? What does the New York State census show for them in 1905? His mother Mathilde and the three youngest children—Theresa (26), Gertrude (24), and Aaron (22)—were living together in New York City, and Gertrude was working as a stenographer and Aaron as a bookkeeper. Theresa and her mother listed their occupations as housework.

Matilda Rothschild 1905 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: A.D. 31 E.D. 13; City: Manhattan; County: New York; Page: 14, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1905

Samuel Rothschild and his wife Sallie also were living in New York City in 1905, and Samuel was working as a “superintendent,” specifics not given.1 His brother Albert was working as a traveling salesman and living in the Bronx with his wife Rose and daughters Rachael (or Rae, age 9) and Josephine,2 who was born on November 19, 1902.3

By 1910, there had been quite a few changes, including marriages, babies, and many relocations from Manhattan to the Bronx. Mathilde had moved from Manhattan to the Bronx and was living only with Aaron, her youngest child. Aaron was working as a traveling salesman in the trimmings business.4

Moses and Mathilde’s two daughters married between the 1905 NYS census and the 1910 US census. Theresa married Max Alexander on June 15, 1905, not long after that NYS census was enumerated.5 Max was born in New York on September 18, 1874, to Henry Alexander and Fannie Meyer.6 Theresa and Max had their first child on May 13, 1906, a daughter Frances.7 In 1910, Theresa, Max, and Frances were living in the Bronx, and Max had his own real estate office.8

Theresa’s sister Gertrude married Charles Lancelotti on November 27, 1907, in New York City. Charles was born in Italy on October 1, 1882, to Raphael Lancelotti  and Maria De Rosa.9 He had immigrated with his parents to the US as a young child. In 1900 he had been living with his parents and siblings in New York, working as a carpenter. In 1905, he was working as a bookkeeper. Gertrude and Charles’ first child, Milton, was born on November 23, 1908, in New York, and in 1910, they were all living in the Bronx, and Charles was working as an artist for an engraving company.10

Meanwhile, the three older sons of Moses and Mathilde Rothschild were also all living in the Bronx in 1910. Samuel and his wife and son were living in the Bronx and Samuel was a superintendent of a comb factory.11 Rudolph and his family were also in the Bronx, and Rudolph continued to work as a traveling salesman.12

And Albert and his family also were in the Bronx, and Albert was working as a traveling furniture salesman. Albert’s family, however, had expanded since the 1905 NYS census. He and his wife Rose now had two more daughters: Theresa, born January 5, 1906,12 and Lillian, born December 9, 1909.13 Since Rose reported on the 1910 census that she had had six children of whom only four were living, I assume that there may have been another child who died before 1910 in addition to their son Milton, but I cannot find a birth or death record for that child.

Albert Rothschild and family 1910 US census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 33, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1000; Page: 10a; Enumeration District: 1528; FHL microfilm: 1375013, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

Thus, in 1910 Moses Rothschild’s widow Mathilde and their six children and nine grandchildren were all living in the Bronx. Here’s a map showing where they were located as of that date.

 

But the next decade saw many changes, including departures from the Bronx.

 

 

  1. Samuel Rothschild, 1905 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: A.D. 31 E.D. 16; City: Manhattan; County: New York; Page: 50, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1905. ↩
  2.   Albert Rothschild, 1905 NYS census, New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: A.D. 34 E.D. 37; City: Bronx; County: New York; Page: 22, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1905 ↩
  3. Josephine Isabel Rothschild, Gender Female, Race White, Birth Date 19 Nov 1902
    Birth Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, USA, Residence Address E 127th Street 120, Certificate Number 48555, Father Albert Rothschild, Mother Rosie Rothschild, Mother Maiden Name Katz, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Birth Certificates; Borough: Manhattan; Year: 1902, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909 ↩
  4. Matilda Rothschild, 1910 US census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 33, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1000; Page: 15a; Enumeration District: 1527; FHL microfilm: 1375013, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  5. Theresa Rothschild, Gender Female, Marriage Date 15 Jun 1905, Marriage Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Spouse Max Alexander, Certificate Number 12562, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 ↩
  6. “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24MB-LP1 : Tue Feb 20 22:32:07 UTC 2024), Entry for Max Alexander and Theresa Rothschild, 15 Jun 1905. Max Alexander
    Birth Date 18 Sep 1874, Residence Date 1917-1918, Street Address 2385 Grand Concourse, Residence Place Bronx, New York, USA, Draft Board 21, Relative Theresa Alexander, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ↩
  7. Frances Alexander, Birth Date 13 May 1906, Birth Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Certificate Number 4332 S, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Birth Index, 1878-1909.  ↩
  8. Max Alexander and family, 1910 US census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 35, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1003; Page: 1a; Enumeration District: 1613; FHL microfilm: 1375016, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  9. “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24HY-Y61 : Tue Feb 20 19:16:26 UTC 2024), Entry for Charles Lancellotti and Gertrude Rothschild, 27 Nov 1907. Charles Lancellotti, Social Security Number 063-07-0924, Birth Date 1 Oct 1882, Issue year Before 1951, Issue State New York, Last Residence 10453, Bronx, Bronx, New York, USA, Death Date Aug 1967, Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ↩
  10. Charles Lancellotti and family, 1910 US census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 33, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1000; Page: 3b; Enumeration District: 1523; FHL microfilm: 1375013, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  11. Samuel Rothschild and family, 1910 US census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 32, New York, New York; Roll: T624_996; Page: 5b; Enumeration District: 1422; FHL microfilm: 1375009, Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Theresa Rothschild, Gender Female, Race White, Birth Date 15 Jan 1906, Birth Place Bronx, New York City, Bronx, New York, USA, Residence Address E. 144th Street 673, Certificate Number 506, Father Albert Rothschild, Mother Rose Rothschild
    Mother Maiden Name Katz, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Birth Certificates; Borough: Bronx; Year: 1906, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909 ↩ ↩
  13. Lillian Rothschild, Gender Female, Race White, Birth Date 9 Dec 1909, Birth Place Bronx, New York City, Bronx, New York, USA, Residence Address Cauldwell Av. 955, Certificate Number 8964, Father Albert Rothschild, Mother Rose Rothschild
    Mother Maiden Name Katz, New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Birth Certificates; Borough: Bronx; Year: 1909, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909 ↩