Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Two Weddings in 1937 for the Burk Family


On the morning of December 26, 1937, my aunt Miriam Burk (1911-1987) married millinery salesman David Bourstein (1907-1982) in New York City. They're the handsome young couple in the photo above, flanked by her father Isaac Burk (1882-1943) and Henrietta Mahler Burk (1881-1954).

The Depression was still underway, but when Dave proposed (he told his son years later), he showed Miriam his bankbook as proof that he could support her when they were married. 

Earlier in 1937, Miriam's older sister Mildred Burk (1907-1993) had married hairdresser Charles Lang (1906-1968), who went on to open his own beauty salon in the Bronx after World War II. 

Miriam and Dave were married at a relative's apartment, surrounded by both families. My father Harold was there, an aspiring travel agent at age 28, along with his brother Sidney, the "baby" of the Burk family at age 23. The day was mild for late December, with no snow on the ground, according to Extreme Weather Watch

The Boursteins shared 44 years of marriage before Dave died at the age of 74. Miriam outlived her husband by five years. The Langs were married for 31 years before Charlie died at the age of 62, outlived by Millie, who died at age 86.

Remembering my aunts and uncles on this anniversary of the Bourstein wedding.

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