Women are VERY Difficult: Part III, Lizzie and Rachel

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Amy

As I continue to look for my grandfather’s female first cousins, I have hit some more dead ends. I hit a wall with Lillie after 1910. With Sarah I got as far as 1940, and I still can track her children to learn more. I have made lots of progress tracing the life of Rebecca Rosenzweig, but I am putting off reporting on my findings until I get some more confirmation. But with Lizzie and Rachel, I’ve had almost no luck at all. I have not been able to find anything that reveals if they got married and, if so, what their married names were. With Lizzie, the trail runs out in 1920; with Rachel I can get no further than 1930.

Here is what I know about Lizzie. She was born in February or March of 1900; I have not found a birth certificate, but her age on the 1900 census was three months, and the census was taken on June 7, 1900.

Gustave Rosenzweig and family 1900 census

Perhaps no certificate was ever recorded for her, for none shows up in the NYC birth index. She was living with her family in 1900, 1905, 1910, 1915, and in 1920. In 1915 she was in high school, and in 1920 she was an operator in a shop that made underwear.

Gustave Rosenzweig family on the 1905 NYS census

Gustave Rosenzweig and family 1910 census

Rosenzweigs 1915

Rosenzweigs 1920 census

After that, she disappears. She is not living with either her father or mother in 1925 or thereafter, nor is she living with any of her siblings. I assume that she got married and changed her name, but I cannot find any record of a marriage in NYC or on Long Island. Perhaps she was married elsewhere, but I have no idea where to start.

I thought I had a great clue from Gustave’s death certificate, which was signed by a daughter whose first name started with L, but as I posted the other day, the signature is hard to read and led me nowhere. I even used the address on the death certificate, 59 Oak Street in Brooklyn, and searched the 1940 census for that address, but no one with her name was living at that address in 1940, which was four years before the date of her father’s death certificate.

Thus, I have nowhere else to turn, and for now I’ve hit a wall and have to stop hitting my head against it. It hurts to give up, but as I learned in doing the research for the Brotman side, sometimes you have to stop and hope a new clue will appear.

I also know very little about Rachel. I do not have her birth certificate, but from the census reports it seems she was probably born in either 1902 or 1903. I cannot find a birth record for a Ray or Rachel Rosenzweig, however, in either of those years. There is one for 1900, but that is too early, and one in 1904, but that appears to be too late. On the 1905 census report, her age was four, meaning that she was born in 1901, just a year after Lizzie; however, in 1910 she was reported as being 7, making her birth year either 1902 or 1903. In 1915, Rachel was reported to be 12, making her birth year again 1902 or 1903. In 1920, she was seventeen, and although the entry is not very legible, it looks like she was working in a mail order business. In 1925 she was 22 and employed as a stenographer, and in 1930 she was reported to be 28 and working as a typist in a mail order business. Perhaps she was working at the same place from 1920 through 1930. In 1925 and 1930 she was living alone with her mother and was single.

Gussie Rosenzweig 1925 NYS census

Gussie Rosenzweig 1930 census

Like Lizzie, Rachel then disappears. Her mother died in 1935. Rachel either had to be living alone or married at the time of the 1940 census, but as with Lizzie, I cannot find a marriage record nor can I find her on the 1940 census living alone. As with Lizzie, I have nowhere else to turn right now and so have to put this aside and hope some new clue shows up.

This is particularly frustrating since I know that they both lived long enough that Joe’s grandchildren remember them both, but none of them remembers any husbands or children or last names Perhaps at some point a document or photograph or letter will show up that opens the door to finding out more about Gustave and Gussie’s two youngest children, Lizzie and Ray.

A brick wall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

More Mysteries: Can you help with handwriting analysis?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Amy

When I order a death certificate, I am hoping it will help me put some matters to rest (OK, pun intended), give me some closure, provide some answers. More often than not, however, these so-called vital records raise more ghosts and mysteries than answers.

Two cases in point: the death certificates of Gustave Rosenzweig and his first wife Gussie Rosenzweig, the parents of my grandfather’s first cousins Abraham, Jack, Joe, Lillie, Sarah, Rebecca, Lizzie, and Rachel, among others.

First, let’s look at Gustave’s death certificate. It confirms a number of things that make me certain that this is the right Gustave. He was born in Romania. At the time of his death, he was married to Selma and living at 49 Wadsworth Avenue in Manhattan. He died on October 16, 1944; his birth date is given as October 7, 1859, which is not exactly the date provided by his Romanian birth record of June 10, 1856, but close enough. He was a retired painter, which is consistent with his occupation both in Romania and in New York. The only clear mistake here is that although it has his father’s name correct (David), it has his mother’s name as Leah, instead of Esther. Again, I’ve seen worse mistakes on death certificates, so I am comfortable dismissing that error. Overall, this is a fairly reliable record of Gustave’s life and death.

Gustave Rosenzweig death certificate 1944

But here’s where it opens a new door and a mystery. Here’s where I need some help. At the bottom of the certificate is the signature of Gustave’s daughter as the informant, and I cannot read the last name. The first initial appears to be an L, meaning this could be either Lillie or Lizzie. But what is the surname? Dorsie? Dorne? Dorme? Dorsue? If I could decipher this, it might help me find either Lillie or Lizzie, both of whom I’ve had trouble tracking down. If anyone can help me read this writing, I’d much appreciate it. Remember you can click on the image below to enlarge it.

Now to Gussie Rosenzweig’s death certificate. Again, the information here makes me certain that this is the correct Gussie, the mother of my grandfather’s first cousins and Gustave’s first wife. Gussie was born in Romania to Isadore Sachs (Itzic Zacu) and Muriel Klein (Mirel), which is consistent with her birth record and marriage record from Romania. She was residing at 2112 Dean Street in Brooklyn at the time of her death on December 23, 1935. She was reported to be 75 years old at her death, giving her a birth year of 1860, close to the 1864 given on her Romanian birth record. It looks like Gussie must have died a fairly gruesome death, having been hospitalized since November 5, 1935, suffering from gangrene of her foot, caused by diabetes. Her son John hired the undertaker, as indicated on the reverse of the death certificate.

Gussie Rosenzweig Death certificate 1935

So what is the mystery here? Gussie is identified as widowed, and her husband’s name is…Benjamin? Who could Benjamin be? Had Gussie had remarried after she and Gustave divorced? (They are not living together on any census after 1910.) In 1915 the children were living with Gussie. (I have yet to find Gustave on the 1915 NYS census.)

Rosenzweigs 1915

The 1920 census is confusing; I have two pages for Gustave—one as a painter living in Manhattan as a boarder in East Harlem, one in Brooklyn with the Rosenzweig children. I have to believe that the Brooklyn Gustave is really Gussie, as she is listed as unemployed and divorced.

Gustave Rosenzweig in Manhattan 1920

Rosenzweigs 1920 census

The 1925 census shows her living with “Rose,” who I assume by the age (22) is Ray/Rachel. The NYS census does not indicate her marital status, but there is no Benjamin living with them.

Gussie Rosenzweig 1925 NYS census

The 1930 census has her again living with Ray, but lists her marital status as married. Again, there is no husband, no Benjamin living with her.

Gussie Rosenzweig 1930 census

I checked the NYC marriage index for any brides named Gussie Rosenzweig who married between 1915 and 1935 and found three. One did marry a man named Ben Rosenberg on January 27, 1935, less than a year before our Gussie died. Could she have gotten married at that point? If so, why wouldn’t she have changed her name to Rosenberg? Or did John, her son, not want her listed as divorced so he made up a husband who predeceased her? I will order the marriage certificate for Ben Rosenberg and Gussie Rosenzweig, but somehow I doubt that that is the same Gussie Rosenzweig. Stranger things have happened, of course.

And here’s the final mystery. Both Gustave and Gussie are buried at Mt Zion Cemetery, not in the same section, but nevertheless in the same cemetery. Neither Selma, Gustave’s widow at the time of his death, nor Benjamin, the alleged widower of Gussie at the time of her death, is buried there. Gustave and Gussie’s son Harry who died as a teenager in 1913 is buried there, however, so perhaps in death Harry brought his parents back together.

I’m Ba-a-a-ck! With an Update on Lillian Rosenzweig

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Amy

After a week away in the beautiful Florida Keys where we were able to put the miserable New England winter weather behind us and enjoy the outdoors, kayaking, swimming, walking, and seeing wildlife including dolphins and alligators, I am back in New England with the miserable winter temperatures outside, but happy knowing that spring is at least here on the calendar if not in the weather quite yet. It has to get above freezing soon, doesn’t it?

While I was away I received a number of documents, mostly confirming the hunches I’d had about Lillian and Rebecca Rosenzweig. Today I will focus on Lillian. About ten days ago I posted what I knew and thought I knew about Lillian. I believed that she had married Toscano Bartolini in July, 1901, had had a son William born in March, 1902, and then lost her husband in 1904. All of those facts are now confirmed by the marriage certificate, William’s birth certificate, and Toscano’s death certificate, all of which I received late last week.

First, as you can see from the marriage certificate, Lillian and Toscano were married by an alderman, not a rabbi, on July 6, 1901. This is clearly the right Lillian Rosenzweig, as her parents’ names are Gustav and Gussie nee Sagg. According to the certificate, Lillian was then eighteen years old, which would have made her birth date 1883—a year before her parents married. Lillian must have lied about her age in order to get married without parental consent. I have speculated elsewhere that she was likely born in 1885 since her parents were married in June, 1884. Also, Lillian’s address is given as 320 East 9^th Street—not in Brooklyn where her parents were living. She must have moved out before she married Toscano, who was living on Sullivan Street at that time. These inferences are consistent with the family story that Lillie’s marriage to someone who was not Jewish led to disapproval and perhaps some estrangement from her family.

Bartolini Rosenzweig marriage certificate

From William’s birth certificate, another inference seems possible. William was born on March 9, 1902, just eight months after Lillie and Toscano had married. Perhaps Lillie was already pregnant at the time of the wedding, although I am not sure she would have known that at the time since she would have been just one month pregnant. It is, of course, entirely possible that William was a month premature. William was born at home—177 Houston Street in NYC. Interestingly, Lillie’s age is now reported as seventeen—a year younger than she had reported on her marriage certificate a year earlier. If she was in fact seventeen in March, 1902, her birth year would have been 1885, as I suspected. It also means she was only sixteen when she married Toscano.

William Bartolini birth certificate

The other interesting fact gathered from this certificate is that Lillie had already had a child before William’s birth, but that that child was no longer living. When could she have had that child? Her marriage certificate reported that her marriage to Toscano was her first marriage. Had she had a child with him before they married? Had she had an out-of-wedlock child with someone else? Had that child really died or had she given that child up for adoption and simply reported it as if he had died? I have no idea and no idea how to try and figure that out. (It’s also sad that on the 1910 census when Lillie was back living with her parents, she is listed as single and having no children.)

The third document in this trilogy is Toscano’s death certificate. Toscano died on April 27, 1904, from chronic nephritis, kidney disease, at age 27. He’d been working as a bartender and died at 69 Carmine Street in NYC. He had only been in the US for five years, had been married for less than three years, and left behind his 19 year old wife and 2 year old son. I don’t know what causes chronic nephritis, although it looks like uremia is given as a contributing cause of death. But I’ve never heard of someone dying at age 27 from that today.

Toscano Bartolini death certificate

The rest of the story, as reported earlier, shows a family in disarray. Lillie and William moved back to Brooklyn and were living with Gustave and Gussie and the family in 1905, indicating at least a temporary reconnection. In 1906, however, William was living at the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphanage. Although it appeared that he was released back to his mother for some time, by 1910 William was living at St. John’s Home in Brooklyn and in 1915 at the NY Catholic Protectory. Lillian, who was living with her parents in 1910 without William, then disappears from the records.

I still have not found either William or Lillian after that. I don’t know what happened to either of them. Joseph’s grandchildren told me that at some point Lillie was back in touch with her siblings, but no one knows anything more specific than that. I will keep looking for some new clue, but for now I’ve hit the proverbial brick wall with Lillie and William Bartolini.

What I do know is an incredibly sad story of a young woman, emigrating with her family from Romania when she was only a young child, having two children before she was eighteen years old, losing one apparently to death and another to institutional care, losing a young husband after just a few years of marriage, and losing the support of her family as well for at least some period of time. It’s a story to contrast with the story of Leah Strolowitz Adler, the daughter of Tillie Rosenzweig and Jacob Srulovici, who also came to the US as young girl but found the American dream.

The story of Lillie Rosenzweig raises so many questions: how did she, a young Jewish immigrant living in Brooklyn, meet and get involved with a young Italian immigrant who was living in the Lower East Side, not Brooklyn? Who was the father of her first child, and what happened to that child? What happened to William after he left the Catholic Protectory? Did he have any contact with his mother or her family? And what happened to Lillie after 1910? Did she remarry and regain custody of William? Did she also die at a tragically young age? These loose ends make me crazy—I want some endings to the story, but I may have to accept that I may never know what happened.

The Story behind the Photograph

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Amy

Florence Goldschlager Cohen

A while back I posted about this photograph of my mother, a photograph I’d never seen before. My cousin Robin had sent it to me, but neither of us knew when it was taken. It looked like a professional photograph, and I could not figure out who took it or why my mother was sitting for a formal photograph.

I finally got around to asking my mother about the photo a few weeks ago. At first she could not recall when it was taken. What she remembered was that she had purchased the sweater while visiting her brother and sister-in-law in West Hartford. My Aunt Lynn had taken her shopping, and my mother remembered what a good time they had and how much she enjoyed visiting with them for a long weekend. She thought that perhaps the photograph was taken by my Uncle Maurice.

But I pointed out to her that it looked like a professional photograph. I asked her when she had cut her hair short since I knew that it was long when she graduated from high school in 1948 and short by the time she married my father three years later. She could not remember the exact year, but said that she had cut it after an interview with the Barbizon School of Modeling. The people there had suggested that she cut her hair, and so my mother did, much to my grandmother’s dismay. She recalled that she must have visited my aunt and uncle shortly thereafter and purchased the sweater then. She then went back to the Barbizon School to have a professional photograph taken. Although she never pursued a modeling career, that photograph certainly is evidence that she could have.

Great-grandparents

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Amy

Ron, Joe and Sadie Rosenzweig’s grandson, sent me these wonderful photographs of Joe and Sadie with their great-grandson Bradley as a newborn in 1982 and then as a toddler in 1982.

Joe and Sadie Rosenzweig in 1982 with Bradley Marc, their great grandson

1983

These photos reminded me of some pictures I have of my parents with their great-grandson Nate. As magical as it is to be a grandparent, I can only imagine what it must be like to be a great-grandparent—to see yet another generation, your grandchild’s child, enter the world and become a person.

My father with Nate June 2010

My mother with Nate 2012

Today it is not all that rare for people to live to see great-grandchildren. What a contrast to the experience of those who were born in the late 19^th and early 20^th century. My great-grandfather Joseph Brotman lived to see just one grandchild’s birth, Ethel Brotman, Abraham’s daughter. My great-grandfather Moritz Goldschlager died before any of his grandchildren were born. My great-grandmothers were much more fortunate; they both lived long enough to see the births of all their grandchildren, but none of their great-grandchildren.

We are so much luckier today. Every minute I spend with my grandson Nate is a joyful, magical moment for which I am so grateful. When I see these pictures of children with their great-grandparents, it makes me realize how lucky those children are and how lucky those great-grandparents are to be able to have those moments together.

Rose Fischer Schoenfeld

In loving memory of Rose Fischer Schoenfeld, who passed away last night at the age of ninety-eight. She was my son-in-law Brian’s beloved grandmother and Nate’s adoring great-grandmother. She was blessed to live to see and know many great-grandchildren, including Aaron, Ben and Nate. May her memory be a blessing.

A Celebrity Connection: Louis Gossett, Junior

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Amy

Actor Louis Gossett, Jr. at the 16th Annual MovieGuide Faith and Values Awards Gala (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes when doing genealogy research, the world seems very small. Six degrees of separation becomes more than a Kevin Bacon game, but a reality. Little did I know that I was six degrees of separation from living with Oscar Award winner Louis Gossett, Junior.

The story is really about Sarah Rosenzweig, Gustave and Gussie’s second daughter. Sarah was born in New York City around 1888, according to several census reports. (I’ve yet to locate her actual birth record.) She appears on the 1900, 1905, and 1910 census reports living with her parents and siblings. In 1900, she was in school; in 1905 she was doing housework; and in 1910 she was a “saleslady” in a department store.

Gustave Rosenzweig and family 1900 census

Gustave Rosenzweig family on the 1905 NYS census

Gustave Rosenzweig and family 1910 census

On March 26, 1911, Sarah married Samuel Kurtz, born in Brooklyn to Lena and Solomon Kurtz.

Sarah Rosenzweig and Samuel Kurtz marriage certificate

Sarah and Sam settled in Brooklyn, and in 1915 Sam was working as a clerk in a department store while Sarah was home. Their first child, Solomon, named for Sam’s father, was born in 1918, and in 1920 Sam and Sarah were living on Howard Avenue in Brooklyn. Sam was employed as a driver for a laundry business. Their second child, Benjamin, was born later that year. In 1924, Sam and Sarah’s daughter Rebecca was born.

Kurtz family 1920

Although I have not found the Kurtz family on the 1925 census, I did find them on the 1930 census, living on Neptune Avenue with the three children and two lodgers, Victor Oleson, a 64 year old Swedish-born house painter (like Sarah’s father) and Louis Gossett, an eighteen year old born in South Carolina, working as a newsboy. As soon as I saw the name, I thought, “Could this be Louis Gossett, Junior’s father?” I checked the box for race on the census, where it was reported that Louis Gossett was “neg” or Negro. I began to think this could be more than coincidental.

kurtz family 1930

So I googled Louis Gossett, Jr., and I saw that he was born in Brooklyn in 1936, making it quite possible that his father had been living in Brooklyn six years before.

I then found a blog describing an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, the television show that was a part of what had inspired me to start researching my family history. One of the episodes had traced the family history of Louis Gossett, Jr. I had seen this episode, but forgotten the specific details. The blog post retraces Gossett’s family history all the way back to the mid-1800s including his father’s birth in South Carolina and includes a snip from the 1930 census when Louis Gossett, Sr. was living with my grandfather’s cousin, Sarah Rosenzweig Kurtz.

So I think that’s within six degrees, right? Louis Gossett, Jr—Louis Gossett, Sr—Sarah Rosenzweig—Gustave Rosenzweig—Ghitla Rosenzweig—Isadore Goldschlager—Florence Cohen—me. Okay, seven degrees. But really, who’s counting?

As for Sam and Sarah Kurtz, by 1940 their two sons and their lodgers were no longer living with them, but their daughter Rebecca was still living with them on Dean Street in Brooklyn, where they also resided in 1942 when Sam registered for the draft. That is the last record I have of either of them so far. I have not found any death records yet. I am also still in the process of researching the lives of their three children, Solomon, Benjamin, and Rebecca.

Sam and Sarah Kurtz 1940 census

Sam Kurtz World War II draft registration

But what I learned from researching Sarah’s life up through 1942 is that you never know what surprises you may uncover while doing family research. You never know who crossed paths with your ancestors or what stories may lie beneath the cold hard data you can find on the records. It is endlessly fascinating.

Louis Gossett Jr to play Halle Berry’s dad

Women are Difficult…to Find and Track, Part I: Lillian Rosenzweig

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Amy

One thing that has been clear to me for a long time is that women are much harder to track in vital records than men, largely because they traditionally changed their names when they married. The Rosenzweig daughters are a case in point.

I have now located and tracked from birth to death the five sons of Gustave and Gussie: Abraham, David, Jacob, Harry and Joe. For those who survived to adulthood, I know who they married, where they lived, and what they did for a living and their military service. I still need to trace the children of Abraham and Jack, but I wanted to see what I could find about the five daughters of Gustave and Gussie first. I’ve been looking all along, but kept hitting walls and so decided to focus on one daughter at a time. Here’s what I know about Lillian.

The oldest child and the only one born in Romania was Lillie or Lillian. According to the 1900 census, she was born in July, 1884, in Romania, but since that was only a month after Gustave and Gussie’s marriage, it seems likely that this was an error and that Lilly was probably born during 1885. The census also says that Lillie arrived in 1884, but her father’s naturalization papers say that he arrived in 1887. In 1900 when she was only fifteen years old, Lillie was working as a typist while her younger siblings were all in school.

Gustave Rosenzweig and family 1900 census

In 1905 the family had moved to Fulton Street in Brooklyn, and Lillian, now 21 according to the census, was doing housework as her employment. In addition to the siblings listed on the 1900 census, there were now two additions, Rachel, who was four, and William, who was three. William is described as a son of the head of the household, which led me to believe that he was another child of Gustave and Gussie. I was unable, however, to locate William on the birth index as William Rosenzweig, nor did he reappear on the 1905 or 1910 census with the family.

Gustave Rosenzweig family on the 1905 NYS census

Once again I searched the death index for a child of Gustave and Gussie, but could not find a death record for William Rosenzweig either. If he was not living with his “parents” and siblings in 1905, where could he be? I searched on ancestry.com for William Rosenzweig and found him living at the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphanage in 1906. I knew it was the right boy by his age (four years old), the address from where he was taken (1021 Fulton Street, Brooklyn), and his mother’s name—Lillian nee Rosenzweig.

William Rosenzweig at the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphanage in 1906

Brooklyn Hebrew Orphanage

William was not Gustave and Gussie’s son, but Lillian’s son. His father is only identified as “Frank (dead),” with no surname. For the other children listed, their father’s first name is also all that is supplied, but that’s because the child presumably has that surname. For William, his surname is the same as his mother’s—Rosenzweig, and no surname is given for his father. I could not find any marriage record for a Lillie or Lillian Rosenzweig between 1900 and 1902 to a Frank, so had Lillian had William out of wedlock? Who was Frank? Was he really dead?

I did find a Frank Cramer who died between 1902 and 1906 and a William Cramer born on March 2, 1902, the birth date provided for William on the orphanage records. I sent for the birth certificate for William Cramer, but unfortunately that William’s parents were not named Frank and Lillian.

Then last night I went back once again to the marriage index and looked again for a marriage record for Lillian Rosenzweig, but this time I did not limit my search to grooms named Frank. I restricted the dates to 1900 to 1902, based on the fact that Lillie was single in the 1900 census and that William was born in March, 1902. I found one marriage of a Lillie Rosenzweig in July, 1901, to a Toscano Bartolini. Could Frank have been his more American nickname? I turned to the death index and searched for a death record, and there it was—Toscano Bartolini had died on April 27, 1904, at 27 years old. Finally I looked for a birth record for a William Bartolini and found one—born March 9, 1902, a mere eight months after Lillie’s wedding to Toscano in July, 1901. It was all starting to come together. I obviously have to send away for all these records to be sure that Lillie is Gustave’s daughter and that William is Lillie’s son, but it certainly seems likely that the records will back up my hunches here. In fact, I checked today on FamilySearch for Toscano Bartolini and found a more thorough description of the marriage record, including a reference to the bride’s parents’ names, Gustav and Gussie. I will still order a copy of the certificate, but I am now certain that Lillie married Toscano, who died just a few years later, leaving her with a two year old son named William.

UPDATE: All these facts were confirmed by the documents. See my more recent post with images of the documents.

After finding all this, I remembered something that Joe’s grandson Ron had told me—that one of Gustave’s daughters had married someone who wasn’t Jewish, and Ariela had said she thought one of the sisters had married someone with an Italian name. Ron had told me that the family was not happy about this, and that for a long time there was some estrangement. Despite whatever they felt, however, in 1905 after Frank/Toscano died, Gustave and Gussie took both Lillian and her son into their home.

It also occurred to me that perhaps the reason Lillie used the name Rosenzweig for William and not Bartolini was based on the fact that he was being taken to a Jewish institution. Obviously Rosenzweig would seem more clearly Jewish than Bartolini.

But why he was taken from the home in 1906 is not explained by the records. The orphanage record indicates that William was discharged to his mother on September 3, 1906, and reports that her address was then 307 East 120th Street in Manhattan, so perhaps there was a falling out with the family. But in 1910, Lillian was living again with her parents and siblings in Brooklyn, and William was not living with her. Lillian’s occupation was listed as a trained nurse at a hospital, and she was listed as single, not widowed. But where was William?

Gustave Rosenzweig and family 1910 census

I had not been able to find him as William Rosenzweig in the 1910 census, but now I searched for William Bartolini and found him, living at a residential facility, St. John’s Home in Brooklyn.

William Bartolini 1910 at St John’s Home, Brooklyn

Maybe Lillie placed him there so that she could get training to be a nurse. Perhaps she just could not take care of him. Perhaps I can find some records from St John’s Home.

I also was able to find where William was in 1915: another home for children, this one the New York Catholic Protectory, in the Bronx. (Interestingly, this facility was located where Parkchester is today; Parkchester is an apartment building complex developed by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in the Bronx and is where my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my parents once lived; I lived there also until I was four and half years old.)

William Bartolini 1915 Catholic Protection Bronx

William Bartolini 1915 Catholic Protecory Bronx

It seems that in both 1910 and 1915 William had been placed in Catholic institutions after being at a Jewish orphanage briefly in 1906. Had Lillie given up her parental rights? Was neither set of grandparents interested or able to take care of the boy? Was William troubled or disabled in some way that made caring for him at home a problem for everyone? I don’t know the answers, but will try to find out what happened to William after 1915. Apparently you can order microfilm from the Family History Library and see the actual records for the children who resided there, which I plan to do.

And I cannot find Lillie in 1910 or thereafter. She was not living with her mother and siblings in 1915 or in 1920. I cannot find her as Lillie Rosenzweig or as Lillie Bartolini. Perhaps she remarried and changed her name, but I have not yet found a marriage record. But now I know that I just have to keep looking. I almost gave up after Frank Cramer did not pan out. And then last night I looked a different way and found Toscano Bartolini. I hope I can eventually uncover what happened to Lillie and to William.

Document Updates on David and Jack Rosenzweig

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Amy

Last week I wrote about Gustave and Gussie’s one year old son David, who died on December 25, 1892. Today I received David’s death certificate, and it confirmed that this was their son. It also revealed his cause of death: meningitis. Having known a young child who had meningitis when he was just a few months old, reading this caused me to stop and once again be thankful that we live in an era of modern medicine where most children survive what were once deadly illnesses, although meningitis remains a danger to children and adults.

David Rosenzweig death certificate

I also am not sure what to make of the notation here that a contributing cause to his death was teething. Really? Teething? I will have to ask my brother whether there is or was anything that linked teething to meningitis and/or death.

The certificate also indicates that the doctor had cared for David from December 6 until December 18, but had not seen the baby in his last week. He wrote, “Child lingered hopelessly for the last week therefore no MD was called in during last days.” How awful that must have been—to watch a one year old child just literally pass away and not be able to do anything about it.

I also received the marriage certificate for Jacob/Jack/John Rosenzweig and Ethel Bloom, confirming that this was the correct Jacob, as indicated by the names of his parents provided on the certificate.

Jacob Rosenzweig and Ethel Bloom marriage certificate

Interestingly, Jack and Ethel each gave the same residence: 327 Howard Avenue. I doubt they were living together before they were married (it was 1923), so either they were providing their expected address for after the wedding or they had been living in the same building on Howard Avenue. Jack was 28 years old, and although he had been living with his family on Bergen Street in 1920, perhaps he had moved out on his own to Howard Avenue and met Ethel there.

The Rosenzweig Brothers: A Family Portrait

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Amy

Abraham Joseph and John (Jack) Rosenzweig

I have now been able to trace the outline of the lives of the three Rosenzweig brothers who survived to adulthood: Abraham, Jack, and Joe. I posted elsewhere about Abraham and Joe, so let me fill in the details of Jack’s life. His name shifted throughout the records from Jacob to Jack back to Jacob and then to John Jacob and finally to John Edward, but based on both clues in the records and confirmation from Joe’s granddaughter Ariela, I am certain that all the records refer to the same person, born Jacob Rosenzweig on August 19, 1895, in New York City to Gustave and Gussie Rosenzweig.

Like his older brother Abraham and his younger brother Joseph, Jacob served in the US Navy. Like Abraham, he already was a sailor in 1915 before the US entered World War I.

Rosenzweigs 1915

On his draft registration Jack claimed that both his mother and his father were dependent on him.

John Jacob Rosenzweig World War I draft registration

I found this interesting for two reasons: first, why would his father be depending on him? Wasn’t he still working as a painter? Also, Joseph had claimed on his draft registration that he was his mother’s sole source of support. According to his 1917 draft registration, Jack, like Joseph, was then employed by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company. The brothers must have been quite close, living together and working together. In 1920, Jack was still living with his mother and siblings in Brooklyn and working as a clerk in the shipyard.

Rosenzweigs 1920 census

On November 26, 1923, he married Ethel Bloom and was now identifying as John Rosenzweig. In 1925, he and Ethel were living with her parents Fanny and Hyman Bloom in Brooklyn, and Jack was working as a postal clerk.

John E Rosenzweig 1925 NYS census

In 1930 Jack is listed as John E. on the census, still working as postal clerk, but now listed as the head of household with his in-laws living with him.

John E Rosenzweig 1930 census

In 1935 Jack and Ethel’s daughter Mona was born, as indicated on the 1940 census. On that census Jack was still working as a postal clerk.

John Rosenzweig 1940 census

According to his World War II draft registration in 1942, he and his family were still living in Brooklyn, and Jack was still working for the post office.

John Rosenzweig World War II draft registration

Sometime after his 1942 draft registration, Jack and his family moved out to Patchogue, Long Island. Jack died in June 1981, when he was 86 years old.

Jack may have changed his name a few times, but otherwise he seems like an incredibly constant and consistent man. He remained close to his family, he had a long marriage to one woman, and he worked for the US Postal Service his whole career.

Putting together what I have learned about Abraham, Jack, and Joe from these records and, more importantly from Joe’s grandchildren, I believe that I have a good sense of what these siblings were like. Despite having endured some terrible family tragedies growing up—the deaths of several siblings in infancy, including David, and of one as teen, Harry, and the apparent divorce of their parents around the time that Harry died, the brothers grew up to be warm, fun-loving and close to each other and to at least two of their sisters, Lizzie and Ray. They were all salt-of-the-earth men—a bakery driver, a postal worker, and a hat maker. Joe quit school after 3rd grade. He was very active in the union as well as an active Mason. He not only supported his own wife Sadie and his daughters Irene and Mildred; he also brought Sadie’s family over from Russia. Her family lived in his home until they were able to move out on their own. These three brothers, first generation Americans, worked hard, played hard and loved their children and grandchildren.

I was very touched by the fact that all the grandchildren with whom I have spoken or emailed have such strong feelings of love and affection for their grandfather Joe and grandmother Sadie. All mentioned how much they still missed them after all these years.

Joe and Sadie

In a comment on the blog, Hava shared that she named her first-born son for Joe and that she sees him as a gift from her grandfather. She wrote, “My older son is named for him, and I believe the first thing Joe did when he got to heaven was send my Joe’s soul to be born to me! I’d been trying to get pregnant 5 years and we conceived the night Joe passed away.”

Ariela described her grandfather Joe as very fun-loving and outgoing. She said that he “loved children – and children loved him. He would walk around with pistachio nuts and Hershey’s Kisses and M&M’s in his pockets and distribute them to any child he would meet. He was warm, loving and nurturing and generous. He would sometimes stop the car in the middle of the road and start dancing to the music on the radio.”

Joe at Ariela and Uri’s wedding in 1974

Ariela also remembered how Joe would bring his grandchildren rolls of ribbons and beautiful hats. He always had a cigar in his mouth and loved a drink of scotch.

Joe

Ron told me that his grandparents Joe and Sadie were incredibly devoted and committed to having a relationship with him after their daughter Mildred, Ron’s mother, passed away when Ron was only 15 months old. They worked hard to stay in touch with him, and Ron remembers visiting them not only when he was a child, but also as an adult when Sadie and Joe lived in Brighton Beach near Ron’s in-laws. It was very clear to me that Joe and Sadie were exceptional people and exceptional grandparents to have developed such strong, close and lasting bonds with their grandchildren.

Although I have yet to find the grandchildren or children of Abraham, Jack, Lizzie or Ray, from the recollections of Ariela and Ron, it seems that the siblings were all warm, fun-loving and close. Ariela remembers that Abraham was quite a practical joker; she commented that he “used to hide behind a curtain and put his set of false teeth around and click the top and bottom together and scare me half to death. He was as fun loving as Joe was.” Ron remembers his grandfather Joe talking about going out to Patchogue to visit Jack, even when they were both relatively old men. Ariela also said that Ray and Lizzie were outgoing and warm and fun-loving.

To me, it is remarkable how happy and well-adjusted these siblings appear to have been. They endured so much loss and heartache. How did they grow up to be so seemingly functional and joyful? My impression from the historical data about their father Gustave has always been that he was a devoted and caring person who did whatever he could do to help his entire extended family. I don’t have as clear a picture of Gussie, but she also must have loved her children very much. It is therefore perhaps not that surprising that these children grew up to be so close and so devoted to their families.

Another Sad Story: Harry Rosenzweig

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Amy

I have already told the story of Gustave and Gussie’s son David who died shortly after his first birthday. I’ve also talked about the records that indicate that Gustave and Gussie suffered the loss of many infants—perhaps as many as nine babies who did not survive. But I have not yet told the story of their son Harry Rosenzweig.

Harry was born in July 1897, two years after Jacob and a year before Joseph. He appeared on the census reports with the family in 1900, 1905, and 1910, but then he disappeared from the records. He is not on the 1915 census or any later census report. Since he would have been eighteen in 1915, I thought perhaps he was serving in the military like his brothers Abraham and Jack, but I could not find any military record or draft registration with his name. Where could he have been?

Fearing the worst, I checked the death index for NYC and sadly saw that indeed a Harry Rosenzweig had died on July 9, 1913. He would only have been sixteen years old—could this be the same Harry? If so, why did he die so young? I sent for the death certificate, which I received the other day.

Harry Rosenzweig death certificate

As you can see, it is in fact the death certificate for Harry, the son of Gustave Rosenzweig and Gussie Sachs. His cause of death is given as drowning.

I then searched for and found this brief news article from the Brooklyn Standard Union of July 8, 1913, p. 6, which explains some of the circumstances surrounding Harry’s death.

Brooklyn Standard Union July 8, 1913 page 6

Can you imagine what his father must have felt, going to the police station and seeing his son’s clothing? Why was Harry off by himself, swimming alone and away from the others in his gray flannel bathing suit? The article almost seems to imply that there was something suspicious about his behavior. Was his drowning other than accidental? The police obviously did locate his body the next day, as indicated on the death certificate, but the rest of the story remains a mystery.

The other question that lingers for me is whether or not Harry’s death occurred before or after Gustave and Gussie had separated. By the time of the 1915 census, Gussie and Gustave were apparently separated, as Gustave is not listed as living at 1914 Pacific Street with Gussie, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Lizzie and Ray. I have yet to find Gustave anywhere on the 1915 census. I searched the address given in the news report on Harry’s drowning in 1913, 1166 Nostrand Avenue, and Gustave is not listed as living at that address in 1915. In 1910 the family was living at 677 Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn and in 1905 they were living on Fulton Street in Brooklyn. Had they moved to Nostrand Avenue between 1910 and 1913 and then moved again between 1913 and 1915 to Pacific Street? Or had Gustave already left the home by 1913 and thus was living by himself on Nostrand Avenue? Where was he then in 1915? I will have to keep searching. By 1920 he seemed to be living in upper Manhattan as a boarder, and by 1920 he was remarried.

If Harry died before Gustave and Gussie separated, one has to wonder whether his death precipitated the end of their marriage. And if he died after they separated, one has to wonder whether the end of their marriage was in any way a factor in his swimming alone, away from everyone else on the beach.

Of course, his death could have been an accident, or he might have been swimming alone for any number of possible reasons. Whichever version of the story is true, the death of Harry Rosenzweig as a young teenager must have been a terrible tragedy for his family, a family which had already suffered the deaths of so many of their children.

Which makes it even more remarkable that at least some of his surviving siblings grew up to be such loving, warm and fun-loving adults, as my post tomorrow will discuss.

Brotmanblog: A Family Journey

Adventures in Genealogy

Tag Archives: Family

Women are VERY Difficult: Part III, Lizzie and Rachel

More Mysteries: Can you help with handwriting analysis?

I’m Ba-a-a-ck! With an Update on Lillian Rosenzweig

The Story behind the Photograph

Great-grandparents

A Celebrity Connection: Louis Gossett, Junior

Women are Difficult…to Find and Track, Part I: Lillian Rosenzweig

Document Updates on David and Jack Rosenzweig

The Rosenzweig Brothers: A Family Portrait

Another Sad Story: Harry Rosenzweig

Share this:

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this: