Ancestors in the Newspaper

Sometimes we find out something about our family tree because a distant relative or ancestor is mentioned in the news--often because of something bad that happened. My friend Mary's ancestors made the newspaper because they were involved in mysterious illnesses and death.

My grandfather Theodore SCHWARTZ made the newspaper because he was robbed.

His lone news coverage was in a New York Times article of Dec. 17, 1937, titled: "Band Robs 3 Stores; Three Armed Men Get $300 in Series of Bronx Raids."

Grandpa's grocery store at 679 Fox Street in the Bronx (above, with Grandpa at the counter) was robbed, he was hit on the head with a pistol butt when he resisted, and robbers stole $50 from his store.

That $50 represented a lot of money for my grandparents, especially during the Depression, when customers had difficulty paying their monthly tab.

So now, with Dec 17th just a couple of days away, I'm paying tribute to Grandpa's bravery in trying to resist...and then having to go home to tell Grandma that they were out of pocket by $50.

What Was Really Important to My Ancestors, the Journey Takers?

Leslie Albrecht Huber asks this question in her new book, The Journey Takers. It's a really interesting question to think about as I delve into my family's history, trying to figure out not only where my ancestors came from but also why they left on their journey to America, how they left, and what they expected in their new lives here.

I was lucky enough to be in the audience when Leslie spoke to the local genealogy club last night, and her presentation was both inspiring and informative. Her ancestors' immigration experiences were entirely different from those of my grandparents and great-grandparents, and so it was especially intriguing to follow along as she discovered her family's hometowns and pieced together a picture of what their lives were like before and after their decisions to come to America. I also got some new ideas for immigration research and for understanding the social and historical context of my ancestors' challenges and successes.

Don't miss her book, which tells the fascinating story of her decade-long search for ancestors in Germany, Sweden, and England--with some unexpected twists along the way! Updated 2022 with fresh link. 

Wordless Wednesday - family gatherings

Every summer for years, the Farkas Family Tree (my maternal grandmother's side of the family) gathered for a weekend at a summer resort or bungalow colony to talk over old times, let the cousins get to know each other, and just plain have fun. This photo was taken in June, 1958 (I'm a twin at far right). My grandparents had just retired and this was a chance to relax with kin. Since we had no car, I'm sure we carpooled with my aunt (Mom's twin).

This photo was taken at the Pines, a long-abandoned resort in upstate New York. Sad to see the current photos of what was once a comfy summer getaway area.

Happy Thanksgiving - Parade Memories

Living in NYC, my family often went to the big Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which meant getting up early and riding the subway an hour to get downtown to a street where we could see the floats and bands pass by. Of course Spider Man wasn't in the parade then, but other cartoon favorites were fun to see. Santa in his sleigh arrived at the tail end of the parade, then as now, much anticipated as the high point of the whole show. The crowds were enormous but we usually staked out a spot where we children could sit on a parent's shoulders or climb on a nearby statue or fountain to get a better view. If we were lucky, we'd come home with a little balloon of our own! My honorary aunt Lee Wallace directed this big parade for a number of years.

In other years, we watched the Macy's parade on TV and flipped channels to see the Dayton's parade in Detroit (after the Macy's parade was over) and the Gimbel's parade in Philadelphia. I didn't realize that the Philadelphia parade had continued after Gimbel's went bust in the 1980s, but now it's the a sponsored parade by another brand. 

Happy Thanksgiving and happy memories. (updated 2022)

Wordless Wednesday - Thanksgiving 1956

My maternal grandmother (Hermina Farkas Schwartz) and her siblings and their families celebrated Thanksgiving (Nov 22, 1956) by gathering at the Hotel Gramercy Park in New York City for a masquerade luncheon. This was only one of many "Farkas Family Tree" get-togethers that I can remember over the years. The photographer spelled "Farkas" incorrectly (bottom right of photo, it's spelled "Falkas"). I'm one of the Hawaiian girls at left toward the back of the room, wearing a lei. Happy Thanksgiving!

Amanuensis Monday - Wartime letters to Mom, 4/13/1944

War-time letter to my Mom from her friend Eleanor Weinberger, postmarked April 13, 1944. Eleanor's husband Monty was in the service and they moved as he was stationed in different places. One big problem for me, all these years later, is that I don't remember Mom ever mentioning Eleanor, yet Mom kept a big bundle of letters from her--kept the letters for decades. Who was Eleanor and why was she so important in Mom's life? Clearly she was a close friend but I wish I knew more.

[This letter was written on letterhead from the Hotel Buena Vista and Cottages, Biloxi, Mississippi, "overlooking the sparking waters of the Gulf of Mexico" - postcard, below, is from the Web site of Mississippi State University. 2022 update image]

Dear Daisy,

Received your letter and was happy to hear from you. Your letter was nice and newsy and I enjoyed reading it. If you’re interested in my impressions of Biloxi, for your information, I plan to write a book about the place after the war is over. Just keep my letters and each one shall be the basis for another chapter!

I have definitely decided that there’s one difference between Goldsboro and Biloxi. Goldsboro had no advantages—had nothing to do—so I went to work and tired myself out so—that I didn’t want to do anything. In Biloxi, there are advantages but there are disadvantages too, which far outweigh the advantages and makes it impossible the enjoy the place. Of course this is all my opinion. Some people I’ve met down here feel I’m wrong but of course, we all have a different idea of living and mine simply doesn’t coincide with what I’m faced with. 

We’re still living in the room we found the day after we arrived. After we took it we discovered we were on the wrong side of the tracks—I’m tickled pink when Monty leaves the car for me! Then, too, I’ve discovered that roaches are very unpleasant company to have around and have to be content with the retort “oh! They’re all over town—even in New Orleans" people say when I happen to mention it as a slight drawback to our room. Yes! They’re in N.Y. too, but not in every house! 

The worst thing of all though is the water. It’s sulphuric and sells that way. The smell seems to remain everywhere and it’s really very nauseating, when it’s as constant as it is. Both Monty and I refrain from drinking any and I usually have to wait about 3 hrs after any meal to take a bath. The water isn’t as bad in other parts of town—another reason for my wishing to move. 

All these things seem to outweigh by far, the glorious days, the Gulf, palm trees and basking in the sun, on the beach. By the way, our room is about a mile inland, that’s why it’s so cheap--$10 a month! Heck! I had my own furnished apt. in Champaign for $42.50 a month. We’d love to spend our time down here, living at one of the hotels on the beach, but it's far beyond our reach. Rooms are $5 or $6 a night and over a period of a month it just about amounts to what Monty’s making. But I do manage to make good use of the hotels’ facilities, like ping-pong, checkers, the sun-decks, etc. It’s fun and it helps a little, to bear the unpleasantries.

So that, my dear, is Biloxi—you can have it—any day. They say, people pay thousands for sulphuric water. I’d pay thousands too, not to have it. Forgive me if I sound a bit unenthusiastic, but things do seem dark right now. They always do before the light and here’s hoping things become a little brighter.

         

Do remember me to Daddy when you next write. I’m really not in the mood to write very much nowadays. I’ll feel much better when I’m settled. My best to your parents. 

            Love to you—

            El

Tombstone Tuesday - Meyer Mahler and Tillie Jacobs Mahler

Here are the tombstones of my great-grandparents, buried in Queens, New York. Meyer MAHLER's inscription, translated, suggests a connection to the famous Luria family (reputedly descended from King David):

Here lies the distinguished man from the branch of the fear of heaven, author of the sefer "Kanaf Ranannim," R' Meir Eliyahu son of R' Dovid Akiva, born in 5616 died 3 Shvat 5670.

The sefer mentioned here was written by Chanoch Zundel LURIA. 2022 update: This ancestor is mentioned in a footnote here, and his writings are available on antiquarian sites, among other sites.

According to Meyer's death cert, his mother was Hinde Luria. So far, I've found no other evidence of any direct link to the Lurias, but will keep looking. The Luria genealogist in Europe can't find a real connection, either (2022 update). 

Tillie JACOBS MAHLER's inscription, translated, says "Here lies Mrs. Taube Raize daughter of R'Yonah, died 11 Silvan 5712." Yonah might be Jonah, a clue to Tillie's father, Jonah Jacobs? 2022 update: Yes! 

Sunday's Obituary - Isaac Burk

When paternal grandfather Isaac Burk died suddenly while visiting his wife's sister and brother-in-law in Washington, DC, the obit in the New York Times was quite terse, with nothing more than the basics. It read:

BURK--Isaac, on Oct. 8, 1943, husband of Yetta, father of Millie, Miriam, Harold and Sidney. Funeral 3:15 pm Sunday, Oct. 10. 1943.

This obit appeared on the day of the funeral service, which took place in New York City where Isaac lived, with the burial in New Jersey. "Yetta" was actually Henrietta (2022 update: Yetta was also her nickname in the family), and "Millie" was Mildred, Isaac's oldest daughter. Since Isaac's sons Harold and Sidney were fighting in Europe at this point, having enlisted for WWII, it must have been a very small group that attended the funeral, unfortunately. 

Isaac's name was recorded as "Birk" when he arrived as an immigrant, but he changed it sometime during his early years in New York City and Montreal, moving between the two places as a carpenter looking for work.

When Isaac married Henrietta MAHLER (my grandmother) in June, 1906, he listed his father's name as Elias (L. or S.) Burk and his mother as Necke (or Neche) Burk, although the "Burk" last name was clearly corrected on the marriage cert so it may have actually been spelled "Birk" or "Berk" the first time through the clerk's hands. Isaac said he was 26 and Henrietta said she was 19 at the time of their marriage. 

Those Places Thursday - Ungvar (now Uzhorod)

Grandfather Teddy (Tivador) SCHWARTZ and his siblings (including Paula and Etel, above), came from Ungvar, then part of Hungary and now in the Ukraine. After Teddy, his older brother Sam, and their little sister Mary moved to New York, they periodically received photo portrait postcards like the above from the old country. Whether Grandpa sent photo postcards back, I don't know. Sadly, I also don't know for sure what happened to Etel Schwartz. 2022 update: Cousin confirmed that Etel was killed in the Holocaust, unfortunately.

Curious to see more about Ungvar, I located this site with vintage postcards of the city in the 19th and 20th centuries. Wow, it was more cosmopolitan than I expected. Even though Grandpa probably lived outside the city, it's interesting to see the skyline and buildings he would have seen in this market city itself.

Wedding Wednesday - 1946

The biggest social event of 1946 in my father's side of the family was the wedding of my parents (center, seated). Alas, Mom's gold lame wedding dress is long gone but it was quite glamorous!

Surnames: Burk, Birk, Schwartz, Volk, Mahler

Mystery Monday - Margaret Schwartz and son William

My great-uncle Samuel SCHWARTZ died in 1954, while married to his second wife, Margaret (his first wife, Anna, had died in 1940). According to family lore, Sam and Margaret drifted away from the family after their marriage and once Sam died, leaving nothing to the children of his first marriage, the rift was complete.

Looking for more on Margaret, I found a grave for someone with that name in the same cemetery where Sam & Anna are buried...in fact, Margaret's plot is in the same block and section as Sam & Anna, and the burial society (1st Hungarian Independent Lodge) is the same for all three. 2022 update: Cemetery is Riverside in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Sam's Find a Grave memorial is here.

Now for the mystery: The next of kin listed on Margaret's cemetery info is "William Schwartz, son." Although I don't know whether this is the correct Margaret (I've guessed wrong before!), nobody has ever heard of Margaret and Sam having a son. Is William Schwartz a distant relative? Does he still have any of Sam Schwartz's family heirlooms?

Mystery solved! My cousin Bonnie told me she remembers that Margaret had a child from her first marriage, so William might have been my great-uncle Sam's stepson. However, it turns out that William is NOT the correct guy. Margaret's son was named Simon, as I learned when I found him with his mother and stepdad in the 1950 US Census. My 2024 conclusion is: Margaret Schwartz buried in Riverside unlikely to be the person in my family tree.

Talented Tuesday: Needlework Experts

My mother (Daisy Schwartz Burk) and my younger sister, shown above, were talented with a needle and thread or yarn. Mom did petit point and needlepoint when she was first married, but from an early age she had been crocheting afghans, doilies, etc. She never sewed her own clothes because her mother (my grandmother, Hermina Schwartz), was a proficient seamstress who made the family's clothes for many years--and when my mother was working and earning money, she wanted store-bought apparel, not home-made.

My younger sister embroidered, did needlepoint, crocheted, and was good at many different hand-crafts.

My mother taught us to crochet before we started school (I now quilt as well) and my twin sewed a lot of her clothes during high school and college. Now one niece is an expert crocheter and another loves to embroider. The tradition of needlework continues!

I still have some items embroidered by my grandmother and mother, which I treasure and take care of so the memories and stories of their talents remain alive.

Data Backup Day - Suspenders and Belt Edition

Having lived through several PC crashes that demolished my data in the bad old days, I now rely on the "suspenders and belt" strategy of ensuring that my stuff can be retrieved, even if my computer is a total loss.

First, I use and automatic backup that begins at 5 pm every day (this is my 2022 update).

Second, now that I've given up the PC world and become a Mac fan (remember, "fan" is short for "fanatic"), I have Apple's Time Machine backing up every hour to an external hard drive that sits right on my desk. Really worst case, I'll lose an hour. Who can beat that? This is the suspenders part, the extra bit of insurance that lets me feel secure about my data.

2022 update: I have another external hard drive for photos, videos, and other genealogical items I do not ever want to lose!

Sentimental Sunday

 At left is my mom and below is her twin sister, a few minutes older. These are their high school graduation photos.

Remember those socks filled with chalk that children used to swing around on Halloween? Mom's Halloween memories weren't very positive because one Halloween she was socked in the mouth with a sock filled with rocks. Although she had a few sets of front teeth put in over the years, replaced as dental techniques became better, she always had to be careful what and how she ate. She even had to be careful how she kissed! 2022 update: letters written to her in 1940s mentioned her new teeth and the problem with kissing.

Those Places Thursday - European Band Tour

Edgar James Wood, born in Cleveland, OH, spent his summers in between college semesters touring Europe with a band. They'd get hired to play on an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic and then pick up gigs as they moved around Europe. This is a poster from 1926, when Edgar was playing in Dick Bowers' Band. Although they didn't make much money, they did have lots of adventures and see the world. Decades later, Edgar (my late father-in-law) was still talking about his summer band tours and cruise dates.