Isaac & Henrietta Birk's story

Isaac Burk, daughter Miriam, son-in-law David,
and wife Henrietta Mahler Burk, in December, 1937

The ancestor who started me on my genealogy journey is Isaac Birk (abt 1882-1943), name later changed to Burk, a cabinetmaker from Gargzdai, Lithuania. Isaac is shown at left in photo above from his daughter's 1937 wedding.

Grandpa Isaac stopped off in England, along with his brother Abraham, when enroute from Lithuania to North America. He lived with aunt and uncle Isaac and Ann Hinda Chazan in Manchester, England (see 1901 UK census, above). Most likely, Hinda (nee Mitav) was his relative--the sister of his mom, Necke Gelle.

Isaac and Hinda Chazan

Isaac then sailed for North America and made landfall in New Brunswick, on December 5, 1903 (seasick). He made his way to Montreal. His brother Abraham stayed on in Manchester and married Anne Horovitz. Their first child, Rose, was on the way before Abraham sailed to Canada in 1904 and settled in Montreal, as well. For more, see the Abraham and Annie Berk page.

In May, 1904, Isaac took the train from Canada to New York City, saying he was going to "sister Nellie Block at 1956 Third Ave., corner of 107th St." in Manhattan. Nellie was one of 2 sisters who came to America (Jennie Birk was the other).
 

But that address is very familiar. In the 1905 NY Census, Isaac is living in the same apartment with his future bride's family, the Mahler family, plus Isaac's brother Meyer Berg.

Isaac married Henrietta Mahler on June 10, 1906 (setting the stage for becoming my grandparents!). They spent the next 8 years or so moving back and forth between New York and Montreal as he found work and their four children were born (the youngest in Montreal). Then they settled in New York City permanently. They both signed their names on the marriage license application...his was halting, hers was smoother. In a photo book I created about these grandparents, I included a timeline to guide readers through the chronology of their lives.

Children of Isaac Burk & Henrietta Mahler Burk:

Mildred Burk, Harold Burk (my Dad), Miriam Burk, Sidney Burk

What became of Isaac's parents? How did he, Isaac, get from his homeland of Lithuania to Manchester, England?

Daisy, Harold, and cousin William

A number of Abraham's grown children attended my parents' wedding in NYC, I now know. Also Isaac's brothers Max and Meyer were there, along with sister Nellie, but not Jennie.

The man at right in the photo was in their wedding photos and then, a year later, my parents (left and center in the photo here) were with him in Montreal, where this photo was taken. His name was William Burke, the son of Abraham Berk, and he was my father's first cousin. My 2d cousin identified him for me!

Here are my posts about Isaac and his family, from 2008 on (see below for Henrietta Mahler Burk's links). Also I've created a "virtual cemetery" of Burk and Mahler burial memorials on Find a Grave (see this link).

• When Henrietta met Isaac, 1905 (they're in the same apartment in the NY Census, but he's a boarder, his brother Meyer Burke [sic] is a boarder, and Henrietta is the daughter of the household head, Meyer Mahler)
• Isaac was born in the Pale (and probably all of his siblings) - verified in 2017.
• Why Isaac sailed to New Brunswick (and never set foot on a seafaring vessel again)
• October 7, 1943 - Newly found photo of Isaac walking arm-in-arm with his wife and family on the day before he died in Washington, D.C. More about Isaac's tragic last trip with his wife Henrietta.
• Isaac and Henrietta pose together for a photo in the countryside
• Birk or Birck? (summary of Isaac's surname and his possible hometown Gorsk, in Kovno) Also Burke and Burk and Berg and Berk! UPDATE: hometown is Gargzdai, Lithuania.
• The world when Isaac married Henrietta in 1906 (a quick time-travel view of major world/national/local events that were the backdrop for my grandparents' lives at this time)
• Isaac's wife Henrietta, the mogul? (A bit of financial funny-business on paper when my Dad applied for a bond as a travel agent)
• Isaac's obit in the New York Times (quite terse, considering it was war time and his two sons were in Europe fighting in the Army)
• Isaac was Lithuanian (how I found that out)
• Isaac and brother Abraham lived in Manchester, England for a time with their aunt and uncle, Isaac Chazan and Ann Hinda Mitav Chazan.
• Uncle Sidney's Montreal birth record (he was named Samuel B. Berk at the time)
• Uncle Sidney Burk crosses the border. And he was a lifelong bachelor, who left ephemera that helped me trace an entire branch of the family tree!
• My Dad on Father's Day and as a travel agent and in WWII. Another Father's Day post about where Dad (Harold Burk) lived in NYC is here. Remembering my Dad, Harold Burk, on his birthday.
• My Dad the grad (photo and certificate) - also dating Dad's grad via MyHeritage's PhotoDater feature.
• Henrietta, Isaac, and son Harold Burk at a festive occasion--when and where? So far, cousins don't recognize anyone else (as of 2023).
• Isaac Birk's aunt Hinda Mitav Chazan, Lithuania to Manchester, England.
• On Dec 26, 1937, Miriam Burk got married (see photo at top).
• Abraham and Annie Berk visit Isaac Burk in 1919. 
• Isaac was the son of Neche Gelle Shuham? So says his Soc Sec app. 
• Finding Jennie Burk, Isaac's sister, hiding in Mom's address book for more than 50 years. Finally finding Jennie Birk (Shayna Birk) in 1909 passenger records--her immigration to America!
• Max Birk, Isaac's brother, came to America (and was met by Isaac) on July 9, 1906. From about 1917 to 1923, he lived in Chicago. Where was he from 1923 to 1936, when he married in NYC? His FIL of BIL was a photographer and I found out more from him via a NYPL database.
• Grandpa's sister, Nellie Block, taught me important lessons about genealogy. Update: I found Nellie in the 1950 US Census, and she said she was widowed. June 2022 update: I found Nellie's marriage license and now know for sure that she was not single.
• How my grandpa Isaac got me started in genealogy in 1998!
• Remembering my Dad, who died in 1978, and writing a bite-sized bio for posting on genealogy websites (Fold3, Find a Grave, WikiTree, and more). Dad was a big NY Yankees fan!
• Remembering the Birk ancestor who most likely died in the Holocaust.
• Grandpa Isaac Burk's three immigrant brothers, and their stories.
• Gargzdai, Lithuania, Grandpa Isaac Burk's home town.
• Adding Isaac and his wife Henrietta Mahler to the Ellis Island Wall of Honor.
• Harold Burk (hi Dad) moved out of his parents' apartment building and into a brand-new apartment 3 miles away in 1940. Was his brother with him?
• I paid $130 for a search and a copy of Isaac Burk's Alien Registration Form. What did I learn? Not enough to justify the expense IMHO.
• Knowing that May 1 was Moving Day in New York City helped me understand when grandpa Isaac's siblings moved. 
• Keeping heirlooms safe, including my Dad's pinochle set.
• I'm writing or enriching bite-sized bios of Burk/Berg/Birk/Berk/Burke ancestors in my family tree during NaGenWriMo, November as family history writing month.
• Focusing on research to learn more about Isaac Burk's aunt, Hinda Mitav Chazan, in coming months.
• I created numerous memorial pages for ancestors on Fold3, including this page with a bio of my dad, Harold Burk. 
• My Dad's Valentine to my Mom, 1946.
• I created a small photobook showing my Dad Harold Burk and his brother, Sidney Burk, and writing about their World War II military service.
• Understanding why Henrietta and Isaac's four children were not all enumerated together in 1920 US Census.

Henrietta Mahler Burk, 1946

I found Henrietta Mahler Burk in the 1950 US Census, head of household, 68 yrs old, widowed, born in Russia (the area reverted to Latvia independence in 1991), homemaker living with her younger son Sidney, who was a travel agent. Source: sheet #11 of 1950 US Census, Bronx county, NY, ED 3-1634, lines 26-27. 

More about Henrietta Mahler here (as well as in most of Isaac's posts):

• Henrietta Mahler Burk and her son, Harold Burk, circa 1940. 
• Henrietta and the house on Rodman Street, Washington, D.C.
• Henrietta's youngest daughter, Dora, died in 1950.
• Henrietta's son--my Dad--and the granddaughter Henrietta never met. 
• Henrietta's brother David Mahler and his obit.
• Captioning a photo with Henrietta and her son, my Dad.
• What surprised me about my grandparents, including Henrietta.
• Henrietta, husband Isaac, and older daughter Mildred in a portrait seemingly celebrating her HS grad.
• Fidelity bond for my Dad, Harold Burk, says his mom, Henrietta Mahler, had some money. Not sure I believe it.
• My baby bracelet was Burk A, Sis's baby bracelet was Burk B.

More Mahler blog entries are here:

• The Markells (who married into Mahler family) meet and marry the Lebowitz sisters.
• More on the Markell brothers and Lebowitz sisters. Also, who's missing from Fannie Lebowitz's obit (her daughter, Rose Markell)
• Mary Mahler Markell (Henrietta's sister) was a matchmaker: Through her friend and neighbor Rose Farkas Freedman, my Dad met my Mom.
• Ida Mahler (Henrietta's sister) married Louis Volk. Louis's sister Becky married Simon Wolf.
• Henrietta & Meyer Mahler's twin granddaughters check out a new TV console.
• Unexpected discovery: I think this tintype shows my paternal grandparents, Henrietta Mahler and Isaac Burk.
• Creating a virtual cemetery for Mahler and Burk descendants on Find a Grave, as a one-page summary of where ancestors are buried.
• A recent ancestor coloring book features a 1936 photo of Isaac Burk & Henrietta Mahler Burk.