52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History - Winter

Week #2's challenge is to write about winter. Growing up in the Bronx, NY, nearly every December our parents took me, my twin, and our younger sister on the subway downtown to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and walk along Fifth Avenue gawking at the holiday displays.

Many years we went to Radio City Music Hall to see whatever blockbuster movie was opening and the main attraction, the Rockettes' Christmas show. (I think I recall seeing "The Sundowners" there.) It was thrilling to see the organ slide into view as the deep chords started the show. At intermission, the luxe bathrooms were a big attraction.

A real treat was going to the elegant Savoy Plaza (later the Savoy Hilton) Hotel, above, where my father Harold BURK and his brother Sidney Burk maintained their travel agency (see my father at his desk, below). The hotel had a Trader Vic's restaurant and we loved tiki meals! But once the GM building was built, it was goodbye to the hotel and the restaurant . . . and my father's travel agency. That's a story for another day. (2022 update with link to GM Building history)

In those days, we kids would drag our sleds over to Bronx Park after a big snowfall, spend an entire day going down the gentle hills, and return home positively encrusted with snow. I don't remember many times when snow forced schools to close, but this must have happened more than a few times.

The elementary school was 10 blocks away, no school bus, so yes, we really did walk 1/2 mile each way in all kinds of weather (and often we walked home for lunch and back again!). No wonder fitness wasn't an issue. No school cafeteria*, so anyone who brought a lunch (which we usually did during heavy rains or very cold weather) ate in the school basement, sitting on benches. *My sister says there was a cafeteria in the basement, and the food was (stereotypically) terrible and she preferred the bag lunches!

And who could forget my mother's beloved Persian Lamb coat? She's wearing in the above photo from her wedding day in November, 1946. For years, she'd wear that when the temperature dropped. We kids loved to run our hands through it, another winter memory.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - New Year's traditions and resolutions

Happy new year! First, a couple of resolutions for 2011's genealogy projects:

• Learn all about my new Mac FTM software and move my files from the old PC version to the Mac. 2022 update: Switched to RootsMagic for Mac.
• Keep entering info and citing sources (this is one of my weak spots--I love to solve genealogy mysteries but don't find it anywhere near as much fun to write things up).
• Label more of the family photos that I protected in individual sleeves last year.
• Keep blogging as cousin bait! Can't wait to meet my newly found cousins this spring.

Now for traditions. Whenever my father and his brother and brothers-in-law got together (which might have been on New Year's Day but also one or two other holidays), they played pinochle. I still have the two-deck card set they used. Although I never understood the game, I know they were expert and enthusiastic about playing. So at the table would be my father, Harold Burk; his brother, Sidney Burk; and his brothers-in-law, Charles Lang (married to my aunt Millie) and David Bourstein (married to my aunt Miriam). Lots of laughter but also intense concentration.

The New Year's Eve I most vividly remember was when I was 17 and went to Times Square with my boyfriend, my closest girlfriend, and her boyfriend. Maybe we took the subway (who remembers? It was that long ago), or perhaps one of the guys drove us all from the Bronx. I remember the crowds and excitement, the cold, and the jubilation when the ball dropped at midnight. We all counted along (yes, just like on TV) and kissed at the stroke of the new year. Once was enough. I can say "been there, done that."

My husband's family had a quieter New Year's Eve in Cleveland Heights, because his father Edgar J. Wood always had a gig playing in a band that evening. Insurance adjuster by day, Ed was a professional piano player on the weekends and was booked for New Year's Eve by October every year. Photo above shows him in one of the college bands he joined while at Tufts. He and his friends worked their way across the Atlantic and back by playing on cruise ships, then picked up gigs in Europe to cover room and board for the summer between semesters.

May the new year bring you many family tree discoveries and reunions with long-lost relatives.

Family Recipe Friday - Grandmother McClure's Butterscotch Brownies

Floyda Mabel Steiner McClure, my husband's grandmother, made these not-too-sweet butterscotch brownies. You can see her below, reading to my husband (pre-TV days).

For a little Christmas family bonus, we gave out copies of this recipe held in a cute glass recipe holder clip, along with specialty toppings to be attached with icing.

Grandma McClure's Butterscotch Brownies

7/8 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (or margerine)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" or 8" round or square pan.
2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and add sugar gradually to blend thoroughly.
3. Stir in eggs and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture. Then stir in sifted ingredients. Add nuts if desired. Batter will be fairly smooth and thin.
4. Spread batter in greased pan, bake at 350 for 20 min. Check for doneness with a toothpick. If toothpick is clean/dry, remove brownies from oven.
5. Cool, cut into squares, dust with powdered sugar, and serve with ice cream for best taste!

Sharing recipes from ancestors is one way to keep family history alive--as discussed in my genealogy book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past.

Sorting Saturday - Christmas Tradition

The origin of this family Xmas tradition is lost to the mists of time, but we have an annual Silly Sox contest. The goal is to make the youngest child (who's the judge) laugh and choose which pair of socks is the silliest. Not ugliest, not cutest, but silliest.

Years later, we're still laughing at the ridiculous socks family members presented in an effort to win the biggest laugh from the youngest child. (Last year's winner had a hawk head on a chicken body, which only an 8-yr-old would think is sillier than the pirate sox I entered, right?) Today the competition is cut-throat :) And although it's not the kind of competition that fits neatly into a Family Tree Maker category, it's fun to remember and even more fun to enter.

I've been runner-up for 2 yrs in a row. But this year, in sorting through the possibilities, I believe I have sure-fire winners. Take a look (above) and let me know what you think. I'll post other people's entries another day. This is a sneak peek of mine (the contest begins in a few hours). Note that I went to the scrapbooking section of the local craft store and gussied up my chosen sox just a bit. Skulls aren't silly unless they're doing something silly, right?

UPDATE: Nope, I didn't win (again). The judge disqualified sox that had been "customized." So all my wonderful creations were pushed to the side. This year's winners were the penguin slipper-sox wearing red hats (at 12 o'clock to 1 o'clock on photo above). The rest of the sox paraded on family tootsies were pretty silly too.

Next year's rules, according to the judge: The winner will be the pair that's most surprising. Hmm. Better get busy. Only 364 more days to go! Happy holidays to all.

Treasure Chest Thursday - "Cousin Bait" Blog

Over on "West in New England," Bill West posted a message he called "What is the worth of a genealogy blog?" Some of the people who commented on Bill's post mentioned genealogy blogs they called "Cousin Bait."

That's my theme for Treasure Chest Thursday--Cousin Bait.

I'm not a professional genealogist nor is my blog intended as a scholarly recitation of my family history. The real reason to maintain my blog is, as my masthead says, "Finding out about ancestors and connecting with cousins!"

In other words, the true treasure (for me) is in connecting with cousins. Thankfully, I've been blessed with quite a treasure trove of cousins to connect with. Most recently my 2nd cousin Lois "found" me when she searched for her grandfather's name and up popped a blog post I'd written about hoping to find out his story. Her grandfather was my great-uncle by marriage to my great-aunt, Ida Mahler, and in trying to learn about them, I've now connected with her.

Cuz Lois has lots of stories to tell about this line of our family! And she's delighted to share her stories with me. Just as important, she's introducing me to my other 2nd cousins--cousins that, thanks to Lois, I'll be meeting in person in just a few months. 2022 update: We are still in touch and it's a joy to know this part of the family.

So I like the idea of a Cousin Bait blog because it brings me closer to my treasured family connections. Yay for Cousin Bait blogs! And here's hoping that 2011 will bring more cousins together, in your family and in mine.

Wordless Wednesday - Numbers tell the story

465

That's the number of days until the 1940 Census is released. And I can hardly wait! For one thing, the Census asked everyone 5 and older where they were living on April 1, 1935, filling in some blanks for where my ancestors were living between the 1930 and 1940 Census periods.

The 1940 Census will include a special series of questions--more data! In addition, there will be extra info about housing, although Dr. Weintraub (see comment below) says this is unlikely to be released for individuals.

Looking forward to April 2, 2012! But first, happy 2011.

2022 update: The release of the 1950 US Census has been accompanied by a basic search function for name and location, enabled by AI/handwriting recognition technologies. For more about this Census, see my summary page here.

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.