Past-Present-Future

The Flood, Blog Hopping and Produce Row

2013-06-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

Last week's heroic flood rescue story, was brought to my attention by his Barney Kenet's daughter. My interaction with her required a deep knowledge of our joint family history, local Vermont history and the power of the internet which brought us together. The next part of the flood series is less about heroism. There is no 150 feet chasm opening up in the middle of the night and taking with it, eight houses, leaving half of a house hanging over the cliff. Rather this tale, has more to do with serendipitous discoveries, the importance of natural disaster such as a flood for genealogical work and once again, the internet, which never ceases to amaze.

William Bloomfield standing in front of the
Guenard, Speed & Clemens
c.1919

Quick Recap
This story, begins with the post, Where Was This Picture Taken? Back in January, I approached blogger and genealogist Lorraine Arnold, a specializes in the history of buildings and business. Through skillful detective work, she identified the building behind my great-grandfather William Bloomfield to be Guenard, Speed & Clemens building, located at 817-819 Commerce Street, Houston, Texas. William's place of employment between 1915-1920—the family owned Houston Fruit and Produce Company—was just across the street, on the next block at 906 Commerce Street.

Historical background:
Commerce Street, also known as Produce Row, became the heart of the Produce business in Houston. Betty Trapp Chapman of the Houston History Magazine, wrote a nice article discussing the evolution of Commerce Street into Produce Row titled Houston’s First Ward: Producing Food from Farm to Counter. In the article she describes how Main Street was designed to end at the intersection of two of Houston important Bayous, the Buffalo and Oak Bayou. Allen's landing, at the bottom of Main Street, was the main docking point for the boats who transported products into the city and further down the bayou. Warehouses popped up around the docks as a weigh station for the fresh produce. Commerce is the closest street to these docks.

Blog Hopping
Now, for the serendipity. Earlier this month, I recommended Lorrine's services to a fellow blogger, +Jacqi Stevens of A Family Tapestry. Jacqi was looking to identify a building from an old photograph in her Bean Shoebox collection. Another of Jacqi's readers, Kathy Morales, noticed my comment and followed the link to Lorrine's website www.legacyroots.com. Kathy, a member of the genealogy blogging community, immediately recognized the Commerce Street building. She continued her blog hopping and landed on my blog, where she learned that "my people" and her "husband's people" (as she put it), were working side by side on Produce Row. She proceeded to leave me a long comment, linking to her blog Abbie and Eveline, and a beautiful post she had written about the Morales family Banana House Business. Her Sepia Saturday post, is complete with photos of the Morales & Son's storefront (at 812 Commerce Street), promotion paraphernalia and some great music videos of two banana songs!

The Guenard, Speed & Clemens building during one of Houston's major floods
Photo not dated. Most likely taken in 1929 or 1935.
Photo belonging to Kathy Morales (Click to enlarge).

Allow me redirect you back to the photo from Kathy's collection of the Guenard, Speed & Clemens, which she has kindly given me permission to share.

The Guenard building (click on the photo to enlarge) is on the top left hand side of the photo. The view here is from the back. The flood that we are looking at is not Commerce Street, where both our family businesses were located, and where William was standing, but rather of the overflowing bayou which ran immediately behind the Guernard building. Observe the General Electric Supply Company building (on the right). According to the 1929 Houston City Directory, the GE building was located at 5 North Miliam Street, at the corner of what was then Washington Av and the T & N O Railway (Texas & New Orleans Railway). Today Washington Avenue terminates at the freeway and does not reach Miliam Street. Neither building remain standing, but a google map view of the area clearly shows Commerce Street, the Bayou and the train tracks.

The ad from page 143 of the Houston City Directory 1929

View Larger Map

Location B is 906 Commerce where the Houston Fruit and Produce company used to be. The 800 block where the Guernard building and the Morales Banana House were located is the next, between Travis and Millian Street. Location A is 5 North Miliam Street where the GE Building stood on the other side of the bayou. Because of the wide gap between the buildings which seems to converge to a more populated area at the back of Kathy's picture, I believe the picture was taken from the Main Street direction.

Harnessing the Internet
Cousin bait, using the internet to fish for long lost relatives, is the stated purpose of many family history blogs. Kathy and I pulled each other out of the vast internet sea! We are not cousins, but it's been just as exciting and probably more fruitful (pardon the fruit pun) to find each other. Our common interest in Houston's historical Produce Row has enabled both of us to progress in our own family research.

I is impossible to say, whether our "people" knew each other. We have found no evidence so far, besides the proximity of the two business. They clearly crossed paths as they shared the same stomping grounds. It has been eye opening to think of the various immigrant communities, including the Jewish (my ancestors) and the Italian (Kathy's husband's ancestors) communities, obviously interacting with each other during the early years of life in their new adoptive country.

Seeing the photo of the flood, naturally led to the question: was my family's business affected by the floods? Kathy, has shared three other flood photos with me. I have not been able to determine with certainty that the rising bayou waters reached commerce street, but in all likelihood they did. Kathy can document that her relatives experienced the flood. They photographed and document it! To address the question of how my family was affected by the flood, I need to do a bit more digging and write another post!

For now, I'd like to end this post with another Banana Song! This was a favorite in our home when the boys young. I dedicate it to Kathy, the Morales Bloomfield and Pomerantz families and the rest of the descendants of Produce Row!

Raffi singing Apples and Bananas:

Genealogy Quote of The Week: Henry David Thoreau

2013-06-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

The lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime and departing leave behind us footprints on the sands of time.

Henry David Thoreau

Today, Father's Day, I dedicated this quote to all fathers who are leaving their children and grandchildren a wonderful legacy—their "footprints on the sands of time".

Note: +Mariann Regan deserves a mention, since I would not have necessarily chosen this quote today, if it wasn't for her thoughtful and insightful comment last week. I know Mariann supports, not only my blogs, but many other bloggers in the genealogy community! Last week, in response to the saying I posted by Ralph Waldo Emerson's, Mariann remarked that compared to Emerson, Thoreau was mostly concerned with "solitude and meditation". Therefore, as I was searching for this week's quote, the line from Thoreau jumped out at me. I thought we would all enjoy seeing that Henry David Thoreau, in his solitude did at times meditate on ancestors. Thanks, Mariann for leaving such contemplative comments which help spark great conversations!

Happy Father's Day!

Quote source: www.familytreequotes.com

Friday's Face from the Past: Risqué Photo

2013-06-14T14:17:00.001-04:00

If you were hoping to see a Bloomfield photo from the surprise package I received yesterday, you are going to be disappointed. Those treasures are not quite ready to be shared, as there are too many questions and details I'd like to research first. Instead, I'm going to stick to my schedule, and share the photograph originally schedule for today's post. It promises to be almost as exciting as the Bloomfield bunch still resting in the envelope in which they arrived in.

This is an unusual photo from my collection. It's not an orphan photo, but rather features the new Mrs Bloomfield, my great-grandmother Minnie. The photo is dated and has a fairly large amount of writing on the back. Do you agree, it's a bit strange?

Minnie in Bed

Back in the twenties, folks tended to get dressed when they took the train and when they had their photo taken. Though photographs were becoming more affordable and common, they a certain aspect of glamour and novelty. When I first found Minnie's oldest photo album, I was surprised at the amount of photos she had and particularly the large number snapshots it contained. It almost seemed as if she had a camera, which surprised me, considering she did not have a lot of money. This photo, certainly indicates that Minnie or someone close to her owned a camera. It's quite an intimate shot, with Minnie lying in bed. Note: the dark bunched up section on the blanket which appears strange is actually the flowered comforter. The white duvet cover has a laced opening showing part of the comforter, which is easily discernable when you zoom into the photo with the help of the computer.

The writing on the back, in Minnie's own handwriting, provides interesting clues.

Back of the photo of Minnie lying in bed.
(Click to enlarge)

12/26/1920
Please return.
The other picture you have of me was taken in back of mother's house in the chicken coop.
It doesn't look much like the back of a store does it.

Minnie and William Bloomfield were married Oct 23rd, 1920 in New York City, about two months before this photo was taken. For their honeymoon, they took a short trip, stopping in Springfield, Massachusetts to visit the Golds (mutual friends who were partially responsible for setting them up) and then heading to Laconia, where William introduced his new bride to his family. They ended up staying in New Hampshire and opening up a grocery shop.

Caption in the back reads:
Taken on our honeymoon Oct 30th, 1920
Sister Minnie

Minnie must have sent this photo to her brothers, along with a second photo from the honeymoon which she mentions in the blurb on the left. The photo of her "taken in back mother's house" is referring to a photo of Minnie feeding her mother-in-law's chickens (see left). That photo is dated Oct 30th, 1920 and signed sister Minnie. Amazingly, as Minnie requested, both photos were returned and found their rightful place back in Minnie's album.

The comment on the right refers to "the back of the store". I this comment references their new store, the Bloomfield Market, rather than her mother-in-law's grocery store which was located only a few miles away. My assumption implies that in the two months, when the honeymooners arrived in New Hampshire and the day after Christmas, when the photo of Minnie lying in bed was taken, they were able to start their own business.

Two things lead me believe this is Minnie's own New Hampshire bedroom. The first is the comment about the back of the store. I know from her memoir (Stored Treasures), that they lived in a small room at the back of the store. The note to her brothers indicate that she told them about the store and their modest living arrangements. The second clue, is the framed photo above the bed. Easy to miss initially and difficult to make out, there is a single picture hanging on the wall above Minnie's head. Thanks to high resolution scanning and further zooming on the computer, I could easily recognize the Crane family portrait taken in 1918, when Minnie's brother Will returned safely from World War I.

Remember this photo?

It's one of the earliest family photographs in existence and the only one, with the five Cranes who made it to America, including Max who committed suicide a few years later. I have yet to see the original of this photo, all I have is a xerox copy. but I loved discovering that the original was hanging next to Minnie's wedding bed. I bet that when she sent the photo of herself in bed, she must have wanted her brothers to notice the portrait above her head, and I am pretty sure the didn't need a computer to take note.

Here is the big question? What was Minnie doing in bed? Was she sick? Why would she send a picture of herself in bed? It seems an odd way to show off her new home.

We many never know the answer to these questions. She doesn't look very ill in the photo. To me, she appears healthy and happy. In her memoir, she mentions falling ill to the Spanish Influenza in 1918, but she does not mention any sickness early in her marriage. I ran the date in my handy day of the Week Calculator, and discovered that Dec 26th, 1920 was a Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas. It's very possible the store was not open that sunday, and the new Mrs. Bloomfield could enjoy a lazy day in bed while her new husband snapped away risqué pictures of his bride. But why send such a picture to your siblings?

My only guess is that she was in bed rest. My grandmother Ethel was born August 6th, 1921, eight months and ten days after this picture was taken. If she was born on time, then Minnie would have been barely three weeks pregnant in this photo. If Ethel was born a bit late, maybe Minnie was a much as five weeks along. Could she have been bleeding a bit? Did she know she was pregnant or was she hoping to conceive? Was the custom back then to stay remain in bed rest during the first trimester in order to improve the chances of a successful pregnancy? Perhaps by the time, she sent the photo, she knew she was pregnant in the photo and that is what she was showing off to her brothers.

I find it remarkable how much we can learn about Minnie from this one unusual photo. Much of the story behind the photo may be conjecture on my part, yet it comes from years of researching my ancestors and Minnie in particular. I'd love to hear what you think about these theories.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Surprise Package

2013-06-13T15:01:00.005-04:00

I'm jumping onto the Treasure Chest Thursday bandwagon today! I know I don't have a blog corner dedicated to this particular geneablogger daily prompt but I just couldn't help it!

As I was leisurely sipping my morning coffee, browsing my favorite blogs and answering some of my followers comments from last night, the doorbell rang! Lincoln was at the door. Remember Don Lincoln? He's my amazing handyman who successfully assembled the now—somewhat famous— "Tienda" in my office (see: La Tienda Part I and Part II). This achievement has already earned him a place in my family's history. Lately, he has been spending so much time in our home, that he has pretty much become part of the family. Yesterday, he finished installing the garage shelves which replaced the bulky antique (see photo), and he is still working on a few left over projects. In addition to expert handyman, today he took on the role of treasure bearer.

The garage after Lincoln finished replacing the "Tienda" with
garage storage. His work table is still taking up part of the garage
will be gone soon! Notice the amazing bike rack!

"You have a package," Lincoln said, and handed me what looked more like a thick white envelope.

"Not much of a package" I thought, thanked him and accepted the envelope. The padded envelope, was addressed to me. When I spotted the sender, I became a bit more intrigued. My grandmother Ethel's (from Ethel's Scrapbook) first cousin Marty Bloomfield had e-mailed me a few days ago, asking for my mailing address. He mentioned some pictures he wanted to drop in the mail. Marty, has been one of a handful of trusted Bloomfield collaborators. In his email, he hadn't specified which pictures he was sending and I figured I would wait and see. Honestly, I wasn't expecting a treasure! He has shared a bunch of amazing photos with me in the past, and since his note didn't mention any new discoveries, I was inclined to think this might be a photo of Marty and his family. Not that I wouldn't enjoy such a photo. I absolutely would, Marty! But let's just say that, I would not have posted a modern family portrait on the blog under Treasure Chest Thursday.

When I opened the package, I couldn't believe it. Tucked inside a couple of old cardboard photo frames were 28 original vintage photographs, 2 newspaper articles, 1 postcard and 1 slide. I had seen a few of the photos before. These were photos of the Bloomfield brothers which Marty had scanned for me in the past and which I shared on this blog a several months ago. But most of the photos were brand new to me! Why Marty decided to entrust me with all of the originals, I'm not sure, but boy am I grateful!

Just when I think there are no more family treasures. No more lost diaries, or old albums, something always shows up. Another Stored Treasure! Thanks Marty for this amazing gift and for making my day, my week, my month and probably my year! I'm going to study these amazing treasures carefully and promise to share them with all of you soon! In the meantime, here is a glimpse of today's treasure!

Treasure Chest in the form of a white envelope, with the treasure content I found inside.

Flood Hero in Wrecked Town

2013-06-10T21:20:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, the first named storm hit the north east. The rain was not terrible, but it was bad enough for the city of Boston to request commuters take the train rather than drive to work. The expected flooding never materialized, but there was enough rain for me to cancel a planned trip to Newport to meet up with some friends. Cozy and dry at home, riding out the storm, I thought about storms and floods which affected my ancestors. In my research so far, I have come across two major storms, one in Vermont, the second in Houston, which affected my family. Amongst the rubble and devastation, I've gathered valuable information about my relatives. Today, I want to share the heroic story of Barney Kenet and the Vermont 1927 flood.

Who is Barney Kenet, you ask? Barney Kenet was Max Blumenfeld's brother-in-law and longtime business partner. Barney's sister Leah Kenet was Max's wife. Max, my great-grandfather's—William Bloomfield—second oldest brother, used the name Blumenfeld. (To this day, I have not reach a definitive conclusion why he was the only one of the seven Bloomfield brothers to use the Blumenfeld name. I do know, they had an uncle Harris Blumefeld who predated them in the United States). In order to refresh your memory of Max and Leah, and the Springfield flood, you might want to look back at two earlier posts: Which Ancestors to Research? and Springfield Vermont, Home of the Simpsons and the Bloomfields).

Last summer, I was fortunate to meet one of Barney Kenet's daughters. I found her on Geni.com, and she happened to also live in the Boston area. Barney's daughter was the first person I met who knew Max personally. She had many fond memories of uncle Max and aunt Leah and was excited to share them with me. I told her about the roots trip I took earlier that summer where I visited her hometown of Springfield, Vermont. She told me about the experience of growing up Jewish in rural Vermont. I wanted to know how the Bloomfields fared during the devastating 1927 flood. I was curious to know if their grocery store was flooded. Born in 1926, she was too young to recall the events first hand, but to my delight, she pulled out an article from the Boston Globe about her father's harrowing tale. Barney's daughter explained that Barney, did much of the peddling in the partnership. He delivered supplies to farmers in the surrounding towns while Max manned the Springfield store. This division of labor, was at times, a source of dispute amongst the overall peaceful partnership. The Kenets were are large clan while Max and Leah were childless. Bertha Kenet, resented managing the home front alone for extended periods with eight small children, while Barney traveled. Imagine how they all worried about him, the day of the flood.

View of a flooded Clinton Street, Springfield Vermont 1927.
Max and Barney's store was located at 26 Clinton Street

Barney Kenet Flood Hero in Wrecked Town

November 6, 1927

How Barney Kenet, Springfield merchants, saved the lives of scores of people in the little village of Cavendish, Vermont was graphically told in the Boston Globe of Monday morning by Louis M. Lyons, one of the Globe reporters, who, with scores of his fellows, worked his way into the stricken area from the Hub, when the first news of the disaster that had struck the Green Mountain State, came to the outside world.

Mr. Kenet, well known around this section and a familiar sight as he peddled goods about the countryside, told a reporter representative his story Monday morning, after he returned from a harrowing a journey as it is every man’s experience to live through.

The Globe story written on the spot where Mr. Kenet’s heroism saved scores of people, tells better than this overworked scribe, the scenes that followed the Springfield man’s entrance into the town. The story follows:

By Louis M. Lyons

Cavendish, Vt, Nov 6- The thriller of the flood is the story of Cavendish that lay a lovely hamlet on a hillside above the Black River, much of which lies now a mass of kindling wood at the bottom of a gulch.

Disaster stuck it in the black of the night. A chasm 150 ft: deep and half a mile long marks the site of its principal residential street. Yet there is not a soul lost in the village.

All were asleep in Cavendish. The rain pelted on roofs as it had for two days steadily. The roar of the river was a lullaby to the tight little village. Floods frightened them not for they had been forehanded and ran a penstock right down the village street last fall to care for any surplus water. It would keep their cellars dry.

Peddler to the Rescue

Long after Midnight a dry goods peddler from Springfield named Kenet, who makes the round of these Green Mountain villages with his wares, floundered through the mud in Cavendish and stalled his car as he had a hundred times in the hours that had delayed his return through the storm.

He wrestled with the ruts, but his wheels sank deeper. He felt the bottom go out of the street. By good luck his car was jolted out of the hole, clear. But the bottom was dropping out of the road. He heard water rushing as though beneath his feet. But the river was far away. What tricks was his tired head playing on him.

But it was real. He backed his car away from a great gaping hole and he remembered he read of earthquakes. The hole spread. He saw the street disappear, and the sidewalk. There stood a house beyond the sidewalk, a customer of his sometimes.

Cries Rouse Tony

The peddler got to the house of Tony Prokulevicz and told him of strange things, warned him to fly flee from his house. Tony felt safer inside and drier. The peddler, pleaded. His excitement won the argument. Tony and his wife were prevailed upon to flee into the storm in their nightclothes.

They had barely cleared the threshold when the house slid into emptiness in the inky blackness of the night, they saw nothing where their house had been. They fled. Soon the church bell rand alarm and terror though Cavendish.
The peddler cried out as he had never cried his wares, to wake Tony’s neighbors. Did they think they had all night to escape? Did they suppose this was a slow thing like fire? Would they never believe their danger?

After age-long moments they came streaming into the night, family after family. And pell-mell as they slipped into the dark without, their homes behind them slipped into nothingness beneath them.
“All Safe”

There were no lights. The power line was broken. In the rain and the dark the neighbors gathered about the crater that had opened and where friends had lived.
Where was Fred Perkins? His house had gone. Here was Fred and his folks, too. All safe.

“Ina Butler’s house isn’t there, either. Anybody seen Ina get out?” “Yes, Ina’s in our house.”

“Where’s Harry Bemis? Yes, his house is gone too.” “Here’s Harry now”.

“Anybody seen old Mrs. Bill Sperry and her sister? No. Aren’t they out? Their house is going to go next.” “Can anybody get round there? Look out there isn’t any bottom to it. Harry Bemis gone to get them out. My God, there goes Cornell’s house. They all right. Y’know Fred ain’t saved so much’s his front door key.”

One by one the homes on Cavendish’s main residential street were swallowed up in awful nothingness.

Eight Homes Vanished

When morning came after the horror of the night, eight homes had vanished and a crater 250 feet across and deeper than any dared to peer into yawned beyond the doctor's house.
The home of Richard Minch slid away before their sight after daybreak. They heard it splinter against the Whitesville Bridge, a mile below.
After Tony’s home, the houses of Harry Bemis, Ina Butler, Fred Perkins, Mrs. Spafford, Mrs. Sperry and Minch, besides Earl Bates’s garage had dissolved in the flood.
Mrs. Cornelia Bemis’ house hung over the edge of the crater, that dropped as perpendicular as Bunker Hill from the back steps. Across the street James Fuller’s house straddled a crevasse.

Cavendish, Vt., November 1927 from the Vermont Collection at Middlebury College http://middarchive.middlebury.edu/cdm/ref/collection/vtpostcards/id/941

The district school that had stood back 76 feet from the street now stood dizzily avoe the straight wall of the chasm. Hugh Eliot’s house beside it was perched onthe edge of nothing. Dr. W R Kitson’s house is habitable. It is a lovely house, the finest house of the village. The doctor refused $6,000 for it only last spring. The lawn swing stands hospitably out front. The comfortable furniture is still in the rooms. But after the horror of that night, the things she saw by lantern light make that street too terrible for the doctor’s wife. She never will live there again, she says. The doctor is looking for a little place on the other side of town.

Raise $8000 for the Homeless

All the homeless ones were alive and whole with neighbors and a reverent village gave thanks for that, all divided the burden of providing for the stricken neighbors.
**.......today a truck load of clothing came from the Salvation Army in Boston. The local members of the Red Cross put on their white caps and insignia and passed hats among the sightseers from the country round. They had raised $3000 this sum to be divided among those whose homes are gone.

Besides the houses that are piled and indistinguishable pile of splinters on the river banks below Cavendish, dozens of other homes in the tiny village are untenable. Guards are stationed all about the wide hole to protect the inhabitants and visitors against the menace and the hole that the river gouged out of the hill town.

The river bends around the village of Cavendish. The dike and penstock laid last fall provided for carrying the overflow through the center of the town, as a sewer pipe runs down a street. The penstock that tied into the river again on the lower side a mile away.
What the gods of wrath played with the hills and valleys of the Green Mountain State Thursday night, as Rip Van Winkle’s friends played .. their nine ... , the hill of Cavendish was chosen for a ten ...strike worthy of mythology and the hillside that was there in the ....at dawn.

............ Cavendish lies back off the side road, two miles from Proctorsville on the road to Ludlow from Springfield, Vermont. When the receding floods made it impossible to get through from White River Junction to Ludlow, the tragedy of Cavendish was the grimmest mark left by the flood in all that countryside.

But at Cavendish, when you seek their story, they tell you of the fate of Ed Jurras, who had brought a load of apples to the cider mill from Springfield that Thursday afternoon. He started back late over the road that the rain had softened for two days. He never got back and swirling black waters tell no detail of the story of the man or the truck that he drove.

So differently did the gods of wrath deal with the two who drove into Cavendish that stormy night, the peddler who is the hero of Cavendish and with the cider seller who left no trace.

(**Note: ... represent areas difficult to read on the xerox copy of the article I have).

While this historic flood brought much devastation to the region, as a genealogist, I am grateful for the insight it provided into my family's history. Next week, I hope to share another flood related story, this time in Houston. This second story is more serendipitous than dramatic. Both stories point out how important it is to research the natural disasters which most likely affected our forefathers and may teach us about them. Have you come across a natural disaster story in your research?

Genealogy Quote of the Week: Ralph Waldo Emerson

2013-06-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors".

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday's Faces from the Past: The Bogdanows

2013-06-07T14:29:00.000-04:00

Friday's Faces from the Past: The Bogdanows

Abe and Mollie Bogdanow with the Children Morris and Gwen, their daughter in-law
Ethel and their grandchildren. May, 1951
Left to right, Top row: Morris, Abe, Mollie, Ethel, Gwen
Middle Row: Shelly, Jodie
Bottom row: Barbara, Larry and Bill

Meet Mollie and Abe Bogdanow, my great-grandparents. This is one of the few remaining photos of the two of them. There are even fewer photographs of Mollie than there are of Abe, since he outlived his wife for ten years. This family portrait, is quite special because it features them with all their descendants at that time, with the exception of their youngest grandson Michael born in 1950 and somehow missed this Kodak moment. Mollie died of a cerebral hemorrhage (according to her death certificate) about 8 months after this picture was taken.

It's seems Sid Smith, Gwen's husband was the photographer. I deduced this fact from a second photo of Mollie and Abe with the Smiths, taken the same day. Everyone is dressed in the same outfit and they are posing in the exact same spot. This second photo has a fairly clearest image of Mollie's face.

Top: Abe, Gwen, Sid, and Mollie
Bottom: Shelly and Jodie
(Click to enlarge)

If I photo is worth a thousand words, I sure wish these photos could share a two thousand word story about Abe and Mollie whom I know so little about. For now, I'll have to settle with these two snapshots of some special family occasion in front of an undisclosed Bogdanow home.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and do stop by to visit this Friday's Fabulous Finds by +Jana Last , who highlighted both my interview with Sarah Ashley from Geneartistry.com and part II of La Tienda, amongst some great genealogy finds!

La Tienda Part II

2013-06-05T09:30:00.002-04:00

Continuation from last week's post: La Tienda Part I

Crowding the back of the garage for over a year, the Tienda, stood unused and decaying. There was no garage storage space and the office remained without a proper bookshelf. As much as my genealogy materials called out at me to be properly archived, I couldn't allow myself to spend thousands of dollars on a new bookcase. I felt stuck! Out of frustration, we decided to do the second best thing: unpack and put together the Mexican bookcase for use as garage storage. Not ideal, I admit, but better than letting the tienda continue to deteriorate the due to lack of maintenance and use.

A friend, who in turn hired three more friends and two large ladders, helped assemble the heavy shelves. The fixture looked completely out of place (sorry, I don't have a picture), housing balls, bicycle helmets and coolers, but at least we had somewhere to store our junk. It was not a pretty sight. The garage, overwhelmed by the sheer size of this bulky bookcase, remained only a tiny bit more functional and marginally less crowded.

Three weeks ago, everything came to a head, when I was leaving for the little league match. I needed a folding chair which was awkwardly placed on the bookshelf between a couple of elegant columns. In the process of squeezing myself between the car and the bookshelf, I knocked over three bikes. Though I hate to admit this in public, I just about lost it that day. My frustration with the garage just about boiled over and I could not believe that the garage would stay so tight and messy indefinitely. I called my local version of Don Miguel, our trustworthy neighborhood handyman—Lincoln, and asked him to take a look at the garage and somehow find a place for a bike rack.

Lincoln, examined the situation closely. Since the bookcase took up eighty percent of the back wall of the garage, he suggested, hanging the bikes from the ceiling.. This solution generated some problems and he questioned me about the bookcase which clearly looked out of place. When I relayed a briefer version this saga, explaining how there was no way to get the bookcase into its' intended destination, I noticed a sparkle in his eyes. He listen politely and then proclaimed: "I can do it. I can take it apart. I love this kind of delicate projects!"

"Really? Are you sure?" I asked in disbelief.

He took a few steps up and down the gigantic bookshelf, tapped the sides and examined the construction and then stated emphatically, that what I thought was impossible, could definitely be done. His plan involved pulleys to get the longer parts through one of the small third floor window, but he was confident quite confident it would succeed.

One of third floor office windows used
to pull up the bookshelf. It is the smallest window
in the house measuring about 2'x3.5'

I knew Lincoln was the man for the job! It took four days, one assistant and a lot of patience. He disassembled the old bookshelf into more than fifty smaller parts, three of which were eleven foot long. Lincoln even found a small bullet embedded into the ancient wood, which he extracted and handed over to me for safekeeping. Last week, after spending two unhappy years in the garage, the Mexican Tienda appeared like new—or more like—unharmed in my office!

My mission now is to bring the bookshelf to it's original glory. I spent the weekend, rehydrating the thirsty wood with oil and then stacking it with books and office supplies, some of which have been in boxes for as long as the Tienda spent in the garage. The garage is now empty and ready to receive proper garage storage shelves which Lincoln will build. Finally, the office has become a pleasant place to work! I bring you this post from my antique desk (a desk with its' own story). Every few minutes, I can not help but raise my eyes and glance with amazement at the miracle of having La Tienda here with me. The bookshelf is so large, that it now houses not only many of my books, but also most of the family photos albums and my genealogy files. Best of all, it displays many photos of my ancestors as well as my descendants. For lack of display space, they were in storage for quite some time. These vintage photos have accompanied me along my genealogy journey and inspired my work and it is a wonderful feeling to be able to enjoy them again!

La Tienda, in the third floor office!

Lincoln had the foresight to. when possible, use screws rather than nails, making disassembly easier in the unlikely possibility of needing to move the bookcase in the future. We are also adding a library ladder make the top shelves more accesible. I hope to replace the missing glass from the drawers which will bring back the transparent compartments to their intended use (see pictures below) and I am on the lookout for matching drawer knobs. In leu of antique candy jars, I found some vintage looking ones and filled them with office supplies. They now sit in the jar niches.

Closeup of a drawer missing glass & knob.
(Click to enlarge)

One remaining glassed drawer
with original knob. (Click to enlarge).

Closeup of the knob

Vintage style candy jars in niche.
(Click to enlarge)

When we purchased this Tienda, I had yet to discover my passion for family history. I knew that my great-grandparents owned a grocery store, but I spent little time pondering what the store may have looked like in the early 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. I never made a connection between this old Mexican grocery store display and my ancestors grocery store. But, as I was writing this post and contemplated the Tienda, I recalled a photo I came across recently. This amazing snapshot, printed as a postcard, is one of the few surviving photos the Bloomfield Market. In this unlabeled photo, taken around 1920, I am able to identify my great-grandfather, William Bloomfield who is standing behind the counter. To my amazement, behind him is what looks like a very large set of shelves, neatly stacked with rows of boxes, bottles and canned goods. It's difficult to tell from the photo, but it's quite possible that the vertical dividers are columns, just like the Mexican Tienda. Far away from Puebla Mexico, this vintage family photo, provides a glimpse of what the Mexican tienda would have looked like in its heyday. I am not sure what became of the New Hampshire tienda, but Minnie provides a small clue in her Memoir, Stored Treasures:

"We bought a grocery store from a friend of Will's (William Bloomfield). It was some ten miles from where his mother's store was located. She had some fixtures that she loaned us. So without any money, or experience, we were in business." (Stored Treasures, 137)

William Bloomfield, at the Bloomfield Market
Laconia, NH c1920
(Click to enlarge)

It's very likely that the loan included the fixtures in this picture and my guess is that they were returned to Freida Toby when William and Minnie moved to Houston. I don't believe any furniture from that period remains in the family. Though I'm not a big believer in destiny, I feel as if the Mexican tienda which now proudly sits in my office, had a purpose in fighting it's way back into my home.

As of now, my children do not have much of an appreciation for our eclectic taste in rustic furniture. Hopefully, one of our sons will one day want to inherit this beautiful tienda. Thanks to this blog post, the bookcase, will come with a story!

Featured Interview on Geneartistry.com

2013-06-04T11:48:00.003-04:00

Sarah Sward Ashley
Genealogist and founder of www.geneartistry.com

Genealogist Sarah Ashley, founder of Geneartistry has a unique twist on genealogist. She believes, genealogist should pull their files out of storage and display them to the world in a beautiful artistic way! A few months ago, she approached me about an interview. Sarah heard how my genealogy work inspired my husband to create an art installation called "Our Ancestors." Today, she published the complete interview on her website/blog www.geneartistry.com. I was honored to be approached by Sarah and very much enjoyed working with her, especially her thoughtful questions. I invite you to read the interview and visit her blog!

To read more about the installation "Our Ancestors", visit a post I wrote last March titled Genealogy Art.

Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week: Unknown

2013-06-01T09:10:00.003-04:00

Author unknown, source: www.familytreequotes.com

How true it is! I don't know if the person who came up with this statement was thinking about genealogy, but it certainly applies! Have a great weekend everyone!

La Tienda Part I

2013-05-30T13:12:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wondered about a family relic, perhaps a piece of furniture? Have you thought about the story it holds? Where does it's story begin? Why has it become important to the family? If only it could share the events it witnessed? This past week, I have been thinking about one such treasure I own, La Tienda.

Many authors have written about heirlooms. Nicole Krauss—well known for The History of Love—for example, tackles this subject in fiction. In her latest book, Great House, she traces the adventures of a desk. Reading this story, we span generations of fictional characters, following the movements of the desk across continents and historical periods. Author, Edmund de Waal choses to tell his own family history through the history of a collection of Japanese netsuke, miniature sculptures, which survives World War II and which he eventually inherited from his uncle. As his interest grows in the collection, so does his curiosity of the Ephrussi family and their history as the wealthy bankers who emerged from Odessa and made their way to Vienna and Paris. de Waal, turned the story of the netsuke into the best seller, The Hare with the Amber Eyes.

La Tienda, is my bookcase or library. I dubbed it, La Tienda—The Store, for it's original function. The story of this enormous bookshelf in our family dates back only about a decade. How old is the piece, I'm not sure. An antique expert may know, but my guess is that it is at least 50-100 years old. In the brief ten years the bookcase has spent in my custody, it has already managed to acquire a great story. I thought it would be fun to document it's most recent tales in a two part blog post.

My husband and I, love collecting original art works as well as antiques. We are far from connoisseur . Our philosophy is to purchase objects that call to us, object we like. We don't spend a lot of money. We buy student paintes, or pieces from our artist friends we believe in. Our collection is eclectic and quite rustic. Our purchases are not made with investment in mind. Rather, we enjoy decorating our living space with pieces which survived the trials of time and were not mass produced.

Ten years ago or so, we went on a family trip to Puebla. Located about an hour and a half from our home, Puebla is a colonial Mexican city, known for it's numerous churches, it's Mole (a delicious dark, chocolate based sauce) and it's antiques stores. We had just completed building our home and we excited with the idea of buying some furniture. We stumbled upon a quaint hotel/restaurant, which was decorated with Mexican antiques. Jacqueline, my husband's aunt, heard about our outing and recommended the hotel she stayed at, Meson Sacristia de la Compañia both for it's delicious food and fantastic store. We enjoyed the typical Mole and decore and noticed that all of the unique pieces in their collection were not only decorative, but also for sale. There were two beautiful bookcases on display in the dinning room and we fell in love. When we asked about the furniture, we were told that it used to be a "Tienda" or a storefront. Well, not exactly a store front, more like the display case, behind the counter in an old fashioned Mexican general store. When you examine the bookcase closely, you can see that one drawer is labeled, Plumas or pens and another, Estrellas or stars (for star shaped pasta). One of the drawers even contains the original glass, retained the small compartment at the front of the drawer to be filled with beans or pasta, which made it easy to mark the content of the drawer. There are concave sections which functioned as a rest for the front of class containers filled with assorted dried goods.

The bookshelf as it looked in the hotel
dinning room when we discovered it. (Click to enlarge)

What we had in mind was converting the bookcase into an entertainment set. Unsure which of the bookcases would fit our family room, we decided to return to Cuernavaca and measure. We took the hotel information and agreed to call back with the measurements. When we examined the space, we realized neither bookcase would fit and agreed it would probably be a crime to remove some shelves to make way for our large screen TV. We called the store and after measuring and remeasuring, on our part and theirs, we ordered the larger of the bookcases for our formal living room instead. Despite the hotel's good reputation, I was quite nervous about ordering a large piece of furniture. After all, this was Mexico, and I was accustomed to at least watch the store pack-up my purchase and send it on it's way, before I left the premises. Yet, we took our chances and purchased what we felt was a bargain Mexican antique. A new piece that size, would have cost three or four times what we paid, and certainly would not have had half as much personality.

La Tienda, in our Cuernavaca living room. (Click to enlarge)

To our relief, the bookcase arrived promptly, in two gigantic pieces. It required four men who climbed two ladders to mount the two halves together. To our surprise the bookcase did not fit, it was too tall for the space! Luckily, our trustworthy handman, Don Miguel, found a solution and was able make the necessary adjustments by shaving a layer off the top molding. He also added four decorative lights. Once put together, there it remained, in our Cuernavaca living room for many years, where we enjoyed it mostly as a decorative piece.

By the way, if you like these type of Mexican antiques, I highly recommend the Meson Sacristia de la Compañia. Puebla is well worth the visit. They ship all over the world and are quite trust worthy, so you can even order on-line.

During the summer of 2010 our family relocated to the Boston area. At first, we rented a furnished home, and left our own furniture in Mexico. A year later, when we bought our home in America, we shipped some of our belongings. Deciding what to bring, was not an easy. I knew we needed bookshelves, and it seemed that our Puebla antique would be ideal for the office. The bookcase, which measures about 9x11feet is quite large for most American homes, but the third floor office had space to spare, both height and width wise.

The bookcase arrived with the international movers, in May of 2011. It was one of the last pieces to come off the at the back of the truck. They removed the two carefully packed, bulky halves from the container and asked me to direct them to where this piece of furniture would go. When I replied the third floor, the all shook their heads to the contrary. The foreman explained that what should have been plainly obvious to me from the start. "There was no way, this bookshelf would clear the staircase", he said." He then continued: "Even if it cleared the stairs, it would never clear the two corners in it's path to the office".

The staircase leading to my office and a view
of the narrow hall and corner the
bookshelf had to clear.
(Click to enlarge)

The stairs! I had forgotten about the stairs. I was so excited that the office ceiling was heigh enough for this enormous piece, that I didn't take into account the narrow stairs. The movers who detected my distressed, questioned if the bookcase would come further apart, which I confirmed it would not. They even suggested bringing it through the window, but when we looked at the tiny dormer windows, this creative possibility was immediately nixed. Disappointed, we made a quick executive decision and left the two large parts of the bookshelf, packed and stacked against the back of our new garage.

Once we settled into our new home, we debated what to do with the Tienda. Maneuvering around the gigantic package in the garage was extremely tight and uncomfortable. I called upon a family friend who is very handy and good with carpentry to examine the problem. He took one look at the antique furniture, and highly advised against trying to disassemble it. "The old wood" he explained, "was held together by antique nails. Don't touch it," he said and suggested we sell the bookshelf.

The bookshelf did not fit anywhere in our new home. Shipping it back to Mexico was very expensive and out of the question. Sadly, I therefore resolved to part with the bookshelf. I sent an email to all of our family, friends and acquaintances informing them I was looking for a home for this special antique and offered them first dibs and a low price. I posted on facebook and listed it on eBay as well as Craigslist. When that didn't work, I called consignment shops in the area. When they heard the dimensions they all declined the bookshelf, claiming no one wanted such big furniture.

We were stuck!

To be continued.....

Friday's Faces From The Past: Sarah and David Appell

2013-05-24T09:48:00.001-04:00

Friday's Faces from the Past: Today's faces from the past are not relatives but two people who crossed paths with my now notorious ancestor Max Crane, Mr. and Mrs. David A. Appell. I found this article, thanks to Thomas Sewell an Ancestry.Com member and descendant of the Appell's, who has generously agreed to let me share this article with my readers.

The story of Max's employers, sheds some light onto his early years as a grocery clerk. In 1909, the year he was beaten by Waskowitz, a former employer, he was employed at Appell's New Britain store.

Couple Observing Wedding Today

1945

Mr. and Mrs. David A. Appell Were Married In Colchester In 1892

Mr. and Mrs David A. Appel of 227 Main Street are quietly observing their 50th wedding anniversary today at their home. Sunday the immediate family will gather for an anniversary dinner.

The couple were married August 22nd, 1892, in Colchester where they both were employed in a bootmaking factory. Mrs. Appel is the former Sarah R. Appelbaum and was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1872. Mr. Appell was born in Rostov, Russia in 1870. Both came to this country in 1890 and first settled in Colchester, becoming citizens in 1895. Shortly after their marriage they were partners in various business enterprises, chiefly the merchandising of food products. In 1895 they settled in New Britain where they were proprietors of a meat and grocery business for approximately 20 years.

In 1915 they came to Bristol where they have lived since. Their first grocery and meat establishment, The Bristol Public Market, was located on the site of the present Glynn Shoe Store on North Main Street. A second store carrying the same food products was soon afterwards located in the Palomba block on lower Main Street. Twenty Six years ago the two stores were combined and moved to the present location.

Mr. Appell in later years did all possible to promote and advance the idea of a super-market. Mrs Appell during the many years of their business has taken an active part. She was cashier of the present store until her retirement three years ago. Six months ago Mr. Appell retired from active business life.

Both in New Britain and Bristol they have participated in many religious and charitable affairs.

Mr. Appell is a member of Beth Israel Synagogue, the Knights of Khorassan, Bristol Lodge of Elks, No. 1010, B.P. O. E', the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows. Mrs Appell is a member of the Order of Hadassah and the Women's Auxiliary of the Beth Israel Synagogue.

Traveling, fishing and sport life in general have always interested Mr. Appell. Mrs. Appell takes keen interest in flowers and traveling.

They have four children: Paul H. Appell, Morris Appell, Mrs. Lewis H. Opolinsky, and all of this city, and Mrs. Harr I. Rifchin of Boston, Mass. There are seven grandchildren.

It sounds like, the Appells were completely different kinds of employers than Waskowitz was. While Waskowitz was in the papers repeatedly for shading dealings, the Applells were upstanding citizens. Their grocery store was a much larger operation than Waskowitz's. The couple owned two stores, one on West Main, the second, where Max worked, on Myrtle Street. Their business must have been more successful as they could afford to take out an advertisement they placed in the city directory. This ad even suggests that they were possibly wholesalers as well, since they were "dealing" with meats and groceries.

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories,
New Britain City Directory 1909 p. 116
.Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, New Britain City Directory, 1909 p. 37
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

The fact that Sarah Applebaum was involved from the business from the outset, is remarkable. I'd like to think that she kept a mother's eye on the young Max and may have helped him recover after the beating. After all, Max was not only working at the 459 Myrtle Street store, he was also living there!

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories,
New Britain City Directory, 1909 p. 288
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

I hope, you enjoyed the latest installment of the Max Crane story! Have a wonderful weekend.

Living History- Boston Strong

2013-05-23T14:42:00.001-04:00

I am back and I do apologize for the long silence. As you all know, the city of Boston and it's surroundings were under attack.My family and friends were all safe, but this horrendous tragedy touched us in so many ways and brushed our lives very closely. It was difficult for me emotionally to tend to my two blogs and write about family history. Instead, I allowed myself to live through a period which changed the course of history in America. Now that I have taken this pause, and life has returned back to normal, I am ready to return to my blog and my readers whom I have dearly missed.

In researching family history we often turn to the events of history and study how they affected the lives of our ancestors. For example: on July 28th, 1914, my great-uncle Bernard, found himself in the mid-atlantic, as the Austrian-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia and WWI broke out. The President Lincoln, the German passenger boat was declared an enemy vessel and seized at Ellis Island. The crew was detained, but luckily for the seventeen year-old Bernard, the passengers were allowed to disembark. (Click here to read more about the President Lincoln) It is rare that we notice when we ourselves brush with history immediately, but living weight of the Boston Marathon bombings did impact in an instantaneous and powerful way. If four or five generations from now, my descendants will wonder how might this event, affected our family's life, they will be able to turn to this blog post and find out.

The President Lincoln
Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-p/p-lncn.htm

How will this terrorist act change my life in the long run is too early to tell. Will I run the marathon next year? I doubt it. I'm am not a runner tough, like many of my friends, I am thinking about it. Will it be a major turning point in my life? I don't know. In a few years, together with the rest of the country, I will reflect back onto the impact. Today, I can only share my personal perspective in an attempt to make sense of this inexplicable tragedy.

Like other incidents of terror, around the globe, the boston bombings shook our sense of security and instilled fear. Having grown up in Israel, I had much experience with terror and have learned to compartmentalize the fear. When people asked me how you can live in Israel with so much insecurity, I tell them that Israelis always remind themselves that it is much more dangerous to get into one's own car every day, but we do so, almost without a second thoughts. Once chances of dying in a car crash in a lifetime, is much higher than dying from a terrorist attack, even in a place like Israel. But, the explosions on Boylston street, and the "shelter in place" order which followed while the Tsarnaev brothers were being chased, did not make me think of Israel. It made me think of Cuernavaca, Mexico.

As some of you may know, my family and I lived in Cuernavaca for almost thirteen years. We returned to the Boston area, because of the worsening security situation in Mexico. The Drug war, struck Cuernavaca very intensely in December of 2009. My husband and I, were caught in the crossfire, as a now deceased drug lord, was attempting to escape the Mexican army which had him cornered. Not unlike the Tsarnaev brothers, the Narcos (drug lords), were heavily armed. They used machine guns and grenades to try and escape. This incident took place five blocks from our house, and we happened to be driving by.

Many critics of the police response to the terrorist attack here in Boston, claimed that it was over kill. The entire cities of Boston, Watertown and their surroundings were in a type of lockdown. Nine thousand agents were involved in catching one nineteen year-old kid. Swat teams entered all the homes in a twenty block radios. People are worried about America become a police state. They are worried about losing their freedoms and their rights.

From my perspective, I feel blessed to be living in America. In Mexico, one of the biggest drug dealers (describe by CNN not as a big fish, but as one of the world's 50 whales) was being pursued by the Mexican army. He was not alone. He was armed and had the support of one of the best equipped "private armies" of drug dealers supporting him. The after a five day pursuit the army surrounded him in a residential neighborhood. Those who lived in the building, were taken into lockdown, but the rest of the neighborhood, had no idea this operation was taking place. Four hours later, there was no emergency response system, no streets were blocked and no cars turned away. There was an army presence and tanks guarding the city, but neither the governor of Morelos nor the President of the country, communicated with the public. Our lives were put in danger, because of incompetence. We were not informed, not warned of known dangers and not protected.

As scary as the Marathon Bombings experience was, the response, from first responders to last, was unbelievable! The coordination of the different agency, the organization on all levels, the cooperation between civilians, businesses and law enforcement, the medical personnel! All of it was unprecedented, first rate and exceptional! Even at the worst moments, the authorities took the time to inform the public! I felt safe and protected! Precautions were taken, lives were saved and Boston is stronger than ever!

See you on the next post, which will be about genealogy!

Part IV: The Max Crane Mystery Continues

2013-04-10T17:07:00.004-04:00

Part IV:

Driving past New Britain, I shared the latest discoveries of the Max Crane story with my aunt and uncle. We were heading to a funeral and unfortunately had no time to explore our ancestral town. The New Britain roots trip remains in planning mode. In the meantime, as promised, the newest research developments.

Last week's understanding of two key early 20th century vocabulary words, helped provide insight into uncle Max. Back then, the word block referred to large buildings spanning the length of a street block and the term teamster, meant a person who drove a team of horses. Max, the young delivery boy, drove a team of horse to distribute grocery. One of his earliest jobs in America, was delivering groceries for a man named, Waskowitz, a man that later on, would beat Max severely for standing in front of his new building, the Waskowitz Block.

Deciphering the language behind the two short newspaper clippings from 1909 left me with a nagging desire to better understand the men who beat Max. Who were they? Did meet in New Britain or perhaps in Europe? Perhaps the Kranowitz and the Waskowitz families came the same village in Russia? What went so sour between employer and employee? Who was truly to blame? Was the incident provoked by Max? How did this beating affect Max?

Up to now, I found no more mentions of Max in the newspapers—believe me, I'm looking—therefore, I took the always helpful advice of one of my readers +Jacqi Stevens and decided research the aggressors, Waskowitz and Berkowitz a bit more. Not so surprising, they made the headlines in the local papers a few more times.

Berkowitz born c. 1873 was about 34 years old during the beating and his subsequent arrest. He married to Jennie Devorah Welinksy around 1895. They had five children by 1909, the year in question. Berkowitz immigrated to America around 1889 according to US Census. He lived and ran the grocery store at the 646-648 Main Street address since at least 1898. Interestingly he lived with his brother in-law that first year the appear in the New Britain City Directory. Eventually he becomes a landlord. Owning business does involve often involves lawsuits. In 1911 Berkowitz and a partner, Nathan E. Mags, sued a tenant, a tailor, for unpaid rent. They liquidated his merchandise to pay for what he owed, but in 1914 were sued for damages by the company where he worked claiming the merchandise belong to them and not the tailor. (The Hartford Courant Feb 26, 1914). In 1921, Sam Berkowitz and the same partner were sued by a cousin, Abraham Berkowitz who claimed he was be wrongly dropped out of a partnership in a real estate deal. (The Hartford Courant, May 19, 1921). Otherwise Berkowitz stayed away from trouble and jail. Beating Max, as far as I can tell, was an isolated event.

Waskowitz, on the other hand was involved in shadier business dealings, though again, no other violent outbursts. Samuel Waskowitz, born in 1872 was about 35 the year he beat Max. He immigrated in 1888 according to his naturalization index card (Ancestry.com). He married Rebecca in 1895, according to the 1900 Census. In 1909, the year he inaugurated the Waskowitz Block, they had five children.

Waskowitz's trouble with the law made headline in 1900:

Waskowitz Has Skipped Town

The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Sep 28, 1900
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Hartford Courant (1764-1922)
p.12

Samuel Waskowitz, who has been conducting a grocery store on Willow Street for some time past, sold out his business to Jacob Sharr Wednesday and that evening left town. It is claimed that he has outstanding bills and notes to the amount of $800. Frederick Winkle is an endorser of one of his notes for $100. Waskowitz has a wife and three children and they are still here, but it is expected that they will join him in a short time.

Now, that sounds like serious trouble! $800 in 1900, adjusted for inflation is $21,621.62 . It is hard to believe he returned to New Britain at all after skipping out on these kinds of debts. He remains listed at the same Willow Street address in the 1901 and 1902 directory indicating that perhaps the sale did not go through after all and he returned to the store and to cover his debts.

1905 brings more trouble for Waskowitz. Business was booming and he raises enough funds to beging construction on his new building. This article is of particular interest because it discusses the construction of this now infamous Waskowitz block.

Neighbors at Odds Over New Building


The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Oct 11, 1905 ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Hartford Courant (1764-1922);pg. 13

New Britain Building Inspector Appealed To.

He Finds No Occasion to Act in the Matter

New Britain, Oct 10. There is trouble between Samuel Welinski and Samuel Waskowitz over a barn which the latter is erecting on his own land. His lot is on North Street, but the rear of the lot on which the building is being erected faces Willow Street. Mr. Welinski owns several houses on Willow street, which are provided with barns, and he is of the opinion that there are enough barns there now. He complained to the building inspector that Waskowitz was not erecting his barn according to his permit and the inspector investigated into the matter this afternoon. Mr. Bergstrom took with him L.S. Risley, chairman of the building committee and together they gave the matter careful consideration. They found the permit was being lived up to and that there was no reason, as far as the city was concerned, why Waskowitz should not go on with his building. The barn is 100 feet from the street and thirty feet from Welinski's nearest building, as the permit states. Mr. Welinski is not satisfied with this view of the matter. He says that the barn is, at most twenty-seven feet from his building , while the permit calls for thirty feet. He says that the fire risk will be increased if the barn goes up and that he is going to see a lawyer tomorrow about getting out an injunction to stop his neighbor from building. Mr. Waskowitz said this evening that Welinski wants the whole street to himself. He now keeps his horse and wagon in one of Welinski's barns and pays him $3 a month. Welinski objects he says, to anyone else in the neighborhood branching out, but wants a monopoly in the barn business. Waskowitz is in the grocery business and thinks he can save money by owning his own barn.

Waskowitz and Welinski go way back! The were neighbors and grocers on Willow Street (10 and 12 respectively) since as early as 1899. I could not find a follow up article, but history tells us that Waskowitz completed his building, barn or no barn, which he inaugurated four years later, and which remains standing to this day. Just imagine obtaining a building permit in New Britain today to build a horses barn. For the first time in this processes, I have began could smell the scent of US cities in the early 1900, before the automobile and parking garages, when people housed their horses in barns throughout densely populated residencial areas.

After this major review of the local Hartford papers, I feel confident that I have some insight into the two men who assaulted Max. About fifteen years his elders and much more established than Max, a recent immigrant from the "old country". The two brother-in-laws, like Max, arrived in America in their late teens. In the seventeen year head-start they had on Max, they went from small grocery clerks to real estate entrepreneurs.

The beating incident, continues to baffle. Despite some minor shady dealings, there wasn't much there. Waskowitz may have upset some of his neighbors but he wasn't in the habit of beating people. Why had Max angered his former boss so much remains a mystery. This beating on September on 1909 most likely, caused Max to leave New Britain altogether. According to the Census, in 1910 he was boarding with the Fisher Family and working as a clerk in a grocery store in Hartford.

In case you missed earlier posts about Max Crane:
Should Genealogist Spill Family Secrets?
Mystery Monday: Max Crane
Back to Square One
Treasure Trail Heating Up Part I
Trail Heating Up Part II
Why Was Max Hanging Around the Block?

Genealogy Quote of the Week: Meredith Hoffman

2013-04-07T16:57:00.001-04:00

I heard this quote today at Meredith Hoffman's talk "Who the Heck is Ida Gerskill? The Challenges of Researching Jewish Names"at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston. Meredith, a genealogist specializes in a topic close to my heart, Jewish 19th and 20th century immigration, had many wonderful tips for bringing down brick walls related to Jewish names. Towards the end of the presentation, referring to the difficulty of finding records she stated: "Unfortunately our ancestors were in charge of the records" quoting an unnamed colleague. She then continued, "They didn't always record what we hoped they would have". How many times had I wished ancestors did a better job registering a birth or a death certificate?

I highly recommend visiting Meredith's blog: GenerationsWeb : Mostly Jewish Genealogy, which is full of great resources for Jewish Genealogist.

Why Was Max Hanging Around the Block?

2013-04-05T12:24:00.002-04:00

Part III:

Following yesterday's post, I was left with a list of questions regarding the severe beating my great-uncle Max took in 1909. Yesterday's article, titled "Berkowitz was Released" revealed an important clue. Max was no stranger to his two assailants, Samuel Berkowitz and Samuel Waskowitz. Samuel Waskowitz was Max's former employer. I would like to know the following:

What kind of business did Sam Waskowitz own? Was it a grocery store? (Minnie's memoir describes Max's early job as grocery delivery boy).
Where was Sam Waskowitz's business in 1909? (presumably the "block" where the beating took place).
What is a block?
Where was Sam Waskowitz's business located prior to 1909?
Where was Max employed prior to 1909.
Why was he hanging around this block?

I hope to answer some of these questions as I continue to trace Max Crane's trail. I feel fortunate to be accompanied by such wonderful readers on this treasure hunt. +Jenny Lanctot's keen eye, predicted my next more and suggested to proceed to the New Britain City Directories looking the two Sams and Max.

Here are the findings beginning with 1909, the year of the incident:

Max boarded and worked as a clerk at 459 Myrtle Street.

1909 New Britain Directory

Sam Berkowitz owned a grocery and meats store on 648 Main and lived next door on 646 Main Street.

1909 New Britain Directory

Sam Waskowitz was a grocer as well. His grocery and meat shop was located at 246 North Street and he was living also living right next door to his place of business, at 250 North street. And then... BINGO! Check out the next entry after Waskowitz Samuel!

1909 New Britain Directory

Waskowitz Block! 250 North Street. The site of the incident, Waskowitz's store and home! Now I really need to understand what is a block?

According to the dictionary on my apple computer, there are at least seven meanings to the word block. When used with a modifier chiefly in British English, A block means: "a large single building subdivided into separate rooms, apartments, or offices: an apartment block."

It seems, young Max Crane stubbornly stood at the entrance to his former boss' new building! He was either blocking the door, according to Waskowitz testimony, or according to Max's version, he remained on the curb which was not far enough for the former boss.

Map of New Britain from the 1910 City Directory
(Click to enlarge)

For a better look, here is a closeup of the 1910 New Britain map:

X on the left marks where Max Crane lived and worked in 1909
X on the right marks the 250 North Street Block, the location of the beating incident.
(Click to enlarge)

To tie things up nicely, I wanted to figure out, where Waskowitz "old" store was and see if by chance, Max was listed in an earlier directory as employed for Waskowitz.

1908

List of Blocks, Building and Halls
(Click to enlarge).

In 1908 Samuel Waskowitz owned not one, but two grocery stores! One was at 236 North Street and the second at 172 Arch Street. He was living on 124 Hartford Avenue. The Waskowitz block was absent from the 1908 Directory. Once I understood what block meant, I found a list in the directory called Blocks, Buildings and Halls. The new Waskowtiz Block did not make the 1909 list (it must have been completed after the list was compiled), but it did appear in the 1910 list as Waskowitz Block 246 to 250 North Street.

Waskowitz's North street store in 1908 was few houses down from the future building. A review of the 1909 Waskowitz listing reveals that Waskowitz Max (a brother perhaps?) was running the 172 Arch street store and boarding at the 250 North street Block. Sam Berkowitz's listing was unchanged. In 1907 (not shown here), Waskowitz ran only the 236 North Street store and lived at the same Hartford Avenue address.

Max arrived in the United States on October 4th, 1905 and headed to NY. He stayed in NYC long enough to know he didn't like living there, probably the better part of 1906. By 1907 he had settled in the City of New Britain (for some reason he was not absent from the 1908 directory). I could have put money that Max's place of employment on the 1907 directory would be 236 North Street, Waskowitz's store. I would have lost my money though. Instead, this is what the 1907 directory had to say about the eighteen year old Max:

Earliest sighting of Max in a US City directory.
1907 New Britain City Directory.

Occupation: teamster! Unfortunately, the directory does not elaborate. My initial thought: the famous Teamster Union. It is difficult, but—knowing Max's Russian "revolutionary" tendencies— not impossible to imagine that hardly a year after arriving on US soil, speaking no English, Max would be employed by the Teamsters. Affiliation with the Union would certainly explain in part the altercation with his former boss.

According to Wikipedia, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters was formed in 1903 from a conglomerate of local unions. Luckily, Wikipedia called attention to an earlier definition of the word teamster, meaning "truck driver or person who drives a team of draft animals." Here I was, jumping to the conclusions about Max being a union organizer, when most likely he was a horse cart driver. According to Minnie he delivered groceries door to door, which would have required driving a truck or a carriage. Back in Russia, the family owned a horse drawn carriage and a horse or two. Max and his brothers helped their father deliver the town's mail using this wagon. He must have known how to drive a cart. Prof of this skill also appears on Max's Connecticut Military Census from 1917. On this form, Max reports to know how to ride a horse and "handle a team," meaning a team of horses! In all likelihood, the City directory listing from 1907 translated into today's terms states that Max was a horse cart driver. He probably delivered the groceries for Waskowitz's clients on this wagon and may not have left the job on good terms. By 1909 Max was employed by a competitor and was promoted to Clerk. Either way, I doubt he was a union organizer.

Why was Max standing on this particular corner no longer worked there and his new home and work place were on the other side of town? I call you attention again to the 1909 City Directory listing.

1909

Aaron Kranowitz, Max uncle was living at 220 North Street! Only a couple of blocks down from Waskowitz's shop. Aaron and Waskowitz were neighbors at least as early as 1907 when Max arrived in town. Max, was taken in by his uncle and the family like a son, although he did not reside with them, as I imagine they did not have space for him in their home. Aaron had five children, the eldest, Louis Kranowitz was only three years younger than his cousin Max. It is very possible that Louis was Max's companion mentioned in the article. Even though Max didn't live on North street, this was his stomping ground. He moved to New Britain because of his Uncle Aaron. He got a job from his uncle's neighbor, Sam Waskowitz. The family must have shopped at the Waskowitz grocery. Why had the relationship deteriorated to the point that Max was no longer welcome on the block remains a mystery. What is clear, is that, the a relationship went sour.

As an added bonus, here is the view of the 250 North Street Block today. Thanks +Jenny Lanctot for the suggestion! The original building appears to be standing and takes up the whole block. It continues to house a few small stores as well as residential units above. Hartford Street is now Martin Luther King.

View Larger Map

Note the building to the left is 232-238 North and houses a cuban grocery as well as other shops. That is the site of Waskowitz's original store where must have Max worked! The 218 and 220 North Street addresses where Aaron and Sophie Kranowitz lived with their children are an vacant lots today.

I hope you are enjoying this series! I promise there is more to come! Stay tuned until next week and enjoy the weekend!

In case you missed earlier posts about Max Crane:
Should Genealogist Spill Family Secrets?
Mystery Monday: Max Crane
Back to Square One
Treasure Trail Heating Up Part I
Trail Heating Up Part II

Source: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Trail Heating Up Part II

2013-04-04T12:57:00.002-04:00

Before I continue with Max's surprising beating, I must clarify an important point raised by a couple of my readers. Those of you who have been following Max Crane's story, know that a big part of the fascination with this particular 2nd great-uncle, is the story of how he died. In earlier posts, I discussed the suicide and the taboos around it. There is very little we can describe as "fact" in family history research. We try to document our family stories with actual records. These documents are often problematic and contain many conflicting dates, names and other details. We reconcile the information and try to come up with the best picture possible. A date of birth can be very complicated to determine, as many of our ancestors didn't know the exact date themselves. Max's suicide, therefore, is not a "fact". What I'm trying to do is to document the facts surrounding his death and the details of the suicide. I learned of the tragic suicide from various family members including Max's grandson. This is a story he grew up with, told to him by his father—Max's son—who lost Max when he was about seven. At the Kranowitz family reunion in 2009, the suicide was news to me. Most of the Kranowitz stories I knew, came from Minnie's journals and she omitted her brother's death. Though the story was news to me, it was an old news to the elders in the family and long dropped from conversation. As far as a family story can be certain, I'm certain of the suicide, but remain frustrated at my inability to document the incident. So far, I have not located records of his death. I do not know where and when exactly he died and I can find his grave.

A couple of months ago, when I was re-examining Max's file, I realized I had marked a NY death certificate which seemed promising. Ordering records for a large family gets pretty pricey, but this particular record seemed important to examine. The Indexing information on German Genealogy Group seemed promising. When the certificate finally arrived, it was disappointing. Though the Max H Crane on the record committed suicide, neither the occupation nor his parents names matched my relative. I posted the death certificate on this blog (Mystery Monday: Max Crane) and together with my readers, was able to absolutely prove that, that particular death certificate did not correspond to "my" Max Hyman Crane.

This is where I think the confusion arose. Even though this was not Max's death certificate, the fact he committed suicide was not refuted. The erroneous death certificate concluded that my Max Crane may not have died in NY like I previously assumed nor did he die on March 24th, 1925. He may have died in NY and he most likely died by 1925. All I now know for sure is that his wife and son were listed on the NY State Census of 1925 as widowed and living in New York City with her siblings. The last citing of Max is on the 1922 Hartford City Directory. I hope this clarifies the mix up.

Now, for Part II of Tuesday's post. In part I, I shared my excitement as Max's treasure trail was heating up again. For fear of writing a very long post, I left you guys hanging with the rest of the discovery.

We left off the young Max Crane, on September 17th, 1909, when he took a severe beating for standing his ground on a street corner, claimed by Sam Berkowitz and Sam Waskowitz. If you recall, the newspaper reporter promised a follow up: "An interesting story is promised in the police court today."

Four days after the initial story broke, the paper published the promised court proceedings and the plot thickened!

Berkowitz Was Discharged

Special to The Hartford Courant; September 21, 1909
ProQuest Historical Newspapers

"The adjourned case of Samuel Berkowitz, charged with assaulting Max Kranowitz was tried in police court yesterday. P,F McDonough appeared for the accused. Kranowitz first testified and he implicated Samuel Waskowitz, who was likewise charged. Waskowitz is brother-in-law of Berkowitz. Judge F. B Hungerford defended him. The alleged assault took place last Thursday evening at the corner of North and Willow Streets. Kranowtiz alleged he was attacked because he stood in front of Mr. Waskowitz's new block. He formerly worked for Waskowitz. He said both men assaulted him. They ordered him off the curb, and he declined to go, so they pitched on to him. Mr. Berkowitz said that Kranowitz and some others stood in the doorway of the block, as he was about to enter. He ordered them away and all moved except Kranowitz. He showed fight and trouble began between him and Waskowitz. Berkowitz tried to make peace. Waskowitz gave similar testimony. The accused men were discharged.

A few things jumped out at me. Sam Berkowitz spent three days in jail, but released along with his co-defendant brother-in-law Sam Waskowitz. Though they admitted to beating Max, they were not made to pay him a penalty for the inflicted pain and suffering. There is no clear explanation why a person can not stand on "a block", though it seems the word block might not have meant street block in 1909, since street blocks do not have doorways. Perhaps Max and his friend were standing at the entrance to Waskowitz's new store, which would explain why he owned the "block." If this is the case, than Waskowitz certainly had the right to ask the men to stop loitering at the entrance to his store, though I doubt he had the right to severely beat anyone. Most likely, today the Berkowitz/Waskowitz duo would be required to pay some kind of damages for this thuggish behavior.

What changes the entire picture of this interaction is the fact that Max worked for Waskowitz. I knew there was more to this story than initially met the eye. My first impression of two Jewish "street gangs" has shifted to something a bit different. Either way, it's difficult to tell who the instigator was. For some reason, Max seemed to be pushing his limits with his former boss, and therefore paid for it dearly. Waskowitz's brother paid the price of a few days in jail and had enough money to obtain a good lawyer who bailed him out.

Once again, I am left with many more questions and again, my daily post has reach it's length limitations. I promise not to make you wait too long for the next installment, so check again soon!

Treasure Trail Heating Up

2013-04-02T12:38:00.003-04:00

Treasure hunting is an excellent term as far as my second great-uncle Max Crane is concerned. Remember Max? Since February, Max's trail has gone cold. To find a treasure requires a map, and luckily, I have one—my great-grandmother's memoir—Stored Treasures (pardon the unintended pun):

"...the summer my brother Max came back from living in Pinsk (summer of 1903). Max was the second brother (the family’s third child). Max or Chaim Mordechai, as he was called in Hebrew, was a very sensitive boy. At a very young age, he was sent to study at the Yeshiva in Pinsk with my mother’s brother Hillel. Max went to continue his studies, help his uncle with the younger students, who were rich, spoiled kids, and sort of look after them. Max’s job was to wait on the kids, bring their lunches, run errands, and so forth. Somewhere in the process of study, he became indoctrinated with the ideas of socialism through some young revolutionaries. Uncle Hillel had a small printing press for his school. Max and his radical friends secretly printed propaganda leaflets on the school printing machines. Unfortunately, they were found out.

Pressure was put on Uncle. “Either you send Max away, or we tell the police.” He packed Max off home without any ceremony. Max found our small hometown to be intolerable. There was no one his age in Belitsa with whom he could exchange ideas. He left for America. Max was seventeen when he came to the United States.

...Max arrived in New York. Mother’s brother, Harry Yarmove, was there to greet him, but Max did not like New York. Instead, he headed to New Britain, Connecticut, where father’s youngest brother, Oscar Kranowitz had settled. (Note: Oscar used the name Aaron in the States)

...They (Oscar's family) treated him like one of their own boys. He found work in a large food market. He went to night school and worked days as a clerk and delivery boy for the large market. Max was a young boy of seventeen or so, attractive with blond, baby soft, curly hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and a mischievous nature. The women customers liked to have Max take their grocery order and deliver it to them. Yes, in the pre-supermarket days, groceries were delivered. Max’s popularity with the ladies made a nice profit for the owner. Max could always get another job if the one he held did not suit him. Max made a nice living and saved his money. When he had saved enough, he sent for Brother Will (Vevel) and then for the rest of us.

Fairly faint and scant as this treasure map is, it will have to do. X- marks the spot of the treasure, but in this case the X is not end of the story. Max's story ends tragically and Minnie chose to omit it from his story. At times, Minnie filtered her stories through a rose color lens. Max committed suicide. When Minnie sat down to share her stored treasures, the subject of Max's death remained too taboo.

Roots Tech 2013 encouraged us all to improve our stories telling. I'm afraid I've given away the ending of Max's story long ago. My quest is to uncover the missing details of his story, to fill-in the gaps and figure out how this "very sensitive boy" reached a premature death. The gaps are the treasures I'm seeking or the X in my analogy.

Treasure hunters often follow the wrong trail. Not long ago, I was was led off course by an erroneous death certificate.. With the help of +Jacqi Stevens, and +Jenny Lanctot I discarded the New York death certificate which turned out to belong to another poor Max H Crane who committed suicide as well (Mystery Monday: Max Crane). I therefore retraced my steps back to square one, New Britain, CT. New Britain was where Max lived most of his life in America. Max's grave and death certificates continue to elude me, but yesterday, I stumbled across a small treasure—a previously unknown story—by turning to the local papers. Yesterday, the Genealogy Gods were with me, and I found an amazing newspaper article from 1909!

Max Kranowitz's listing from 1909 New Britain City Directory
Source: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories,
1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line].
New Britain, CT 1909

First, I crosschecked my map, with the New Britain City Directory. The directory confirms Minnie's notes. In 1909, Max lived and worked as a clerk at 459 Myrtle Street. His uncle Oscar (Aaron) was the only other Kranowitz listed in the directory, living and working nearby. Note that Max had yet to change his surname to Crane (he did so when he was naturalized in 1913).

I doubt Minnie knew this story about her big brother. This event, which made headlines, happened four years before she joined her brothers in America. She was about twelve years old in 1909. If she knew this story, she consciously or unconsciously omitted it from our family history.

Picture the twenty years-old Max who by 1909 had been living on his own in America for about four years.

Kranowitz Was Badly Beaten

Special to The Hartford Courant; September 17, 1909
ProQuest Historical Newspapers

"Samuel Berkowitz was locked up last evening on the charge of assaulting Max Kranowitz, by Captain Grace. Kranowitz and a companion called at the station and made a complaint. They had hardly finished telling their story when Sam Berkowitz and his brother-in-law,Sam Waskowitz, hurried in. They were so intent on getting their complaint in first they did not notice Kranowitz and his companion, who were standing over by the window. The captain saw he had a nice kettle of fish on his hands, with the air vibrating with charges and counter charges. He called Kranowitz's witnesses, two others having joined him in the meantime, in his private office, to get as near a correct version as possible. All concurred in the story that Berkowitz had assaulted Kranowitz. According to the story Kranowitz was standing with his friend over by Berkowitz and Waskowitz's new block at the corner of Hartford Avenue and North Street. Waskowitz ordered them away and Kranowitz moved over to the curb. Berkowitz wasn't satisfied, told him that he had no business around there and beat him severely. Berkowitz was taken to the cell room, protesting against the alleged injustice of locking him up. An interesting story is promised in the police court today."

I doubt Max wrote home with news of this beating. A severe beating from fellow Jews may have scared his family from joining him in the States. This article, paints Max not in the pinkish hue of a loving sister. Somehow, despite being the victim in this story, Max seems like a tough guy. He did make it to the police station and not the hospital. Minnie's comment about Max’s revolutionary days comes to mind. The police did arrest the bully, Berkowitz, but the severity of the beating seems disproportionate to the crime of standing on the wrong side of the street. I am beginning to imagine young Jewish hoodlums, marking their territories. Max wasn't alone. He had a companion, and another quickly surfaced at the police station. Why didn't Max and his companion just leave the street like they were told, if they knew this was Berkowitz/Waskowitz territory? Why was Max the only one to take the beating?

There is more to this story, which for now, will just have to wait until Part II of this post. The treasure trail is heating up again and there is surely much more to be discovered. Any leads to obtaining court and police records from this case would be greatly appreciated!

Day 31: Fearless Females: Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week

2013-03-31T13:29:00.001-04:00

The month of March is coming to an end. In my home, a house full of boys, most are mourning the imminent end of March Madness. I myself am saddened by the end of Women's History Month and the Fearless Females series. Writing almost everyday has a challenge. I truly enjoyed the process of focusing on my female ancestors and connecting with amazing fellow blogger doing the same (see a list of some of my favorites below). I bid adieux to the series with this quote, connecting us women from past to the present into future!

"The measure of a woman's character is not what she gets from her ancestors, but what she leaves her descendants."Unknown www.scrapbook.com

Day 29: Fearless Female: Friday's Faces From the Past: Mollie Bogdanow

2013-03-29T10:11:00.003-04:00

March 29 Prompt — Create a free Fold3 Memorial Page or a Genealogy Trading Card at Big Huge Labs for a female ancestor. Some of you may have created your own card back in September 2009 following Sheri Fenley’s post over at The Educated Genealogist. This time, the card is for your female ancestor. Tell us about who you've selected and why and then post a link to what you've created.

Created at: Big Huge Labs

I present to you a Genealogy Trading Card for my fearless great-grandmother whom I've yet to feature in this inspirational series inspired by 's, The Accidental Genealogist. The main reason I neglected Mollie Bogdanow is that I know very little about her. She was born in 1886 in Austria-Hungary. According to her death certificate, she died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Houston, Texas on February 23, 1952. My mother was less than four years old at the time and has little recollection of her grandmother. Mollie immigrated to the US sometime around 1900-1902 (1920 and 1930 US Census respectively . She married my great-grandfather Abe Bogdanow in 1911 in New York. He was an upholster. The lived in the city at least until 1915, where they appear on the State Census living on Amsterdam Avenue. In 1920 they relocated the family to Jersey City, New Jersey. They parented two children, Gwen and Morris (my grandfather). They moved to Texas around 1943, I assume to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Mollie's native language was German. She spoke English with a strong accent, but read and wrote English well. She had a reputation of being an excellent cook. According to my uncle Larry she went away from home at a young age to study to be a chef.

Day 26: Fearless Females: Looking at Women's Education Through 5 Generations

2013-03-28T22:01:00.003-04:00

March 26th Prompt — What education did your mother receive? Your grandmothers? Great-grandmothers? Note any advanced degrees or special achievements.

As the month of March is coming to a close, I am trying to catch up on Fearless Females posts. Passover and school vacation are to blame for my falling behind, nevertheless, there are a few post I don't want to miss.

Analyzing the education of women in my family is an excellent way to review how historical changes have affected the opportunities of the women in my family and women throughout this country. I refrain from implying that these advances have equally affected women worldwide, since progress has been much slower in many parts of the world.

Examining my female ancestors going back four generations is a very powerful exercise. I will begin with myself and travel back the generations.

1 Generations:

I have a bachelors in Biology and Doctorate in medicine. My sister is completing her masters in Education.

2 Generation:

My mother has three degrees in psychology, a bachelors, a masters and a PhD.

3 Generations:

My grandmother Ethel was the not only the first of my woman ancestor to go to college. She was the first person in her family to attend college. She had an uncle and cousins who went to college, but neither one of her parents had to opportunity to go to University. Ethel held a bachelors in Chemistry and a Law degree. I am writing about her remarkable achievement extensively on my new blog, Ethel's scrapbook. Her parents were extremely proud of her accomplishments.

Ethel with her parents Minnie and William Bloomfield
at er Rice graduation 1940

My paternal grandmother, Shoshana Lavi (Celnik) did not attend university. She immigrated to Israel from Poland in her late teens, and gave up the idea of studying in exchange for the dream founding a Kibbutz.

4 Generations:

None of my great-grandmothers received a higher education. I make this statement with a bit of reservation, as I don't know for sure how much schooling my paternal great-grandmothers received. Cyla Jampel (Reiter) was listed as laborer and Anna Celnik (Rosenblum ) as store keeper on their Holocaust Yad Vashem witness sheets. My mother's paternal grandmother, Mollie Bogdanow (Katz) was a trained Chef. I believe she went to Austria to study cooking, when she was young.

In her writings, Minnie Crane, Ethel's mother, shares quite a bit about her struggles to obtain an education. As a young female child in a small village in Russia, her education was not a priority to anyone but herself. Though her parents did believe in educations and encouraged the children to study, the boys education came first. Her education came in dribbles, when the family could spare her from housework. Her father taught her to read and write. She followed her brothers to school when she was allowed. The town had a shortage of teachers in the Russian schools and education there was irregular at best. While her brothers were sent to Yeshivas (Jewish High Schools), Minnie was the primary caretaker of her sickly mother and her younger children at the age of ten. She had no real formal education, but she spoke five languages and could read and write in all of them, including Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, Polish and German. She was able to help her father with his job as the town's postman. She was adept at reading and writing letters for illiterate towns folk.

Arriving in America, Minnie placed education high on her list. She enrolled in English classes immediately. While working fulltime, she continued to study English as well as take writing classes. Once again, family duties called, and she moved to Hartford to keep house for her siblings. The older Crane brothers worked, supporting the youngest brother. Their goal was to send Bernard to Medical school. Bernard finished high school, college and finally medical school. Minnie continued night school and received a bookkeeping diploma. She studied French with a tutor in preparation for college entrance exams. When she moved to NY, she worked full time as a bookkeeper and took classes at the Columbia Extension School. Her college aspirations ended when she married William Bloomfield and they moved to Laconia, NH.

5 Generation:

Worth mentioning is another detail from Minnie about her own mother, my lookalike, Feige Kranowitz (Yarmovsky). Feige's family was fairly well to do. Her grandfather had hired a tutor for his grandchildren. The tutor, Moshe Aaron Kranowitz was a learned young Rabbi who came to the grandfather's house to teach the boys. Feige, sneaked into the back of the room, to catch a bit of the lessons. Her yearning for knowledge sealed her fate to the man she would marry, Moshe Aaron, the tutor.

Minnie showing her pride in her grandson's
MFA diploma

Understanding how difficult it was for Minnie to acquire an education, it is understandable why she pushed her daughter to take advantage of the educational in America. Ethel, on her part, felt a lot of pressure from her parents to excel. Her mother encouraged her to skip grades and graduate early. She pursued Chemistry because it was her father's dream to study Chemistry. She certainly tried hard to please her parents but as a mother and grandmother herself, she encouraged the rest of us to follow our own dreams and not those of others. Her advice has remained with me as I guide my own children to discover what they wish to study.

To learn more about +Lisa Alzo's 31 inspirational writing prompts in celebration of Women's History Month visit her blog: The Accidental Genealogist.

Day 24: Fearless Females: A Scary Resemblance

2013-03-27T00:54:00.000-04:00

March 24 Prompt— Do you share any physical resemblance or personality trait with one of your female ancestors? Who? What is it?

Many members of my family as well as my friends have read Stored Treasures, since it's publication. I received great feedback all around, but one unexpected response occurred Almost everyone who knew me and read the book, told me how stuck they were by how my resembled my ancestor. "Which one?" I asked, even though after a few times, I knew the response. "The one in that amazing photo. The erie one," they all pretty much replied.

They were referring to my second great-grandmother Feige Kranowitz (Yarmovsky) in the picture where she appeared next to her husband, my second great-grandfather Moshe Aaron Kranowitz. Honestly, at first, I was taken aback by this remark. Feige, in this photo, must be one of the most frightening looking women I've ever seen. The photograph, one of only two known photos of Feige, spent many years hidden away in a box. It was too difficult for me to look at it.

Moshe Aaron and Feige Kranowitz c1922

I've written about this amazing photos, early on in this blog. The January 11th post—A Photo Worth A Thousand Word—to this day, is my all time most popular post with close to four hundred views. I'm pretty sure it continues to get hits, because the photo is so striking.

How can people think I look like Feige Kranowitz? I thought. Her face is completely scarred from what looks like the pox. Her gaze is very stern. Yet, so many people see the resemblance. "What is it you see?" I began asking, trying not to take offense. "It's the eyes," the reply would come. "There is something in the eyes". And then, I saw it. I have my second great-grandmother's eyes. She had light eyes. Blue? Maybe green?

Her eyes reminded me of another family story. For years everyone in the family wondered where I got my green eyes. My mother and all her siblings had brown eyes. My grandmother Ethel had brown eyes as did her mother, my great-grandmother Minnie. My mother repeated asked Minnie where the light eye gene could have originated but she couldn't recall and light eyes going generations back. They almost agreed it was a mutation, when my sister, five years younger than me, was born with blue eyes. One day, Minnie recalled: "My mother had the most beautiful light eyes you've ever seen," she said. I'm pretty sure she must have said Blue or Green, but sadly I don't know for sure which color she reported her mother's eyes to be. All I know is they were light colored, not brown. My mother was amazed. Everyone was relieved that the mystery was solved. I inherited my eyes from Minnie's mother, Feige!

Kranowitz Family Reunion 2010

Here I am at our family reunion with the image of Feige projected behind me. In this view, I can even imagine that maybe we share a bit more than the eyes. The cheek bones or the shape of the face perhaps? See what you think.

To learn more about +Lisa Alzo's 31 inspirational writing prompts in celebration of Women's History Month visit her blog: The Accidental Genealogist. It's not too late to join!

Don't forget to check out my new blog Ethel's Scrapbook!

Day 23: Fearless Females: Timeline

2013-03-23T13:37:00.003-04:00

March 23 Prompt— Create a timeline for a female ancestor using your favorite software program or an online timeline generator such as OurTimelines. Post an image of it or link.

OurTimelines.com is a great website. I have generated timelines for various ancestors in the past. I find them very helpful in placing my ancestors lives into a historical context. I chose to share Minnie Crane's timeline in this post. I wish the website had a function which allowed to choose which countries to focus on during each time period. Minnie was born in Russia, and many of the events the timeline inserts, such as Hawaii being organized as a Territory in 1900 probably had little effect on her family's life in Russia. I love the feature where the timeline calculates how old Minnie was during each event. Note: Minnie's personal events are in Yellow.

Custom Timeline

For Minnie Crane

b.1896 Belitsa, Russia (Belarus) to d.1981 Houston, Texas

1837-1901

Reign of Queen Victoria (Hanover) [from before birth until age 5]

1881-1896

5th Cholera pandemic [from before birth until age 0]

1893-1896

Grover Cleveland president of US [from before birth until age 0]

1893-1897

US Financial panic, depression [from before birth until age 1]

1896

Utah enters the union - 45th [at age 0]

1896

Supreme court approves separate but equal segregation [at age 0]

1897-1901

William McKinley president of US [from age 1 to 5]

1898

Spanish American 1- [year war at age 2]

1899-1902

Boer war [from age 3 to 6]

1899-1923

6th Cholera pandemic [from age 3 to 27]

1900

Boxer rebellion in China [at age 4]

1900

Galveston Hurricane - 8,000 killed [at age 4]

1900

Hawaii organized as a territory [at age 4]

1901

First British submarine launched [at age 5]

1901-1910

Reign of King Edward VII (Saxe-Coburg) [from age 5 to 14]

1901

Third law of thermodynamics postulated (W. H. Nernst) [at age 5]

1901

Max Planck formulates the Laws of Radiation [at age 5]

1901-1908

Theodore Roosevelt president of US from age [5 to 12]

1901

US President William McKinley assassinated [at age 5]

1901

Commonwealth of Australia founded [at age 5]

1901

Oil discovered in Texas in significant amounts [at age 5]

1903

Nikola Tesla patents logic gates [at age 7]

1903

Airplane [at age 7]

1904

Radar [at age 8]

1904-1905

Russian-Japanese war from [age 8 to 9]

1907

Plastic [at age 11]

1907

Oklahoma enters the union - 46th [at age 11]

1908

Tunguska atmospheric object explosion [at age 12]

1909

North pole reached by Matthew Henson of Robert Peary's exp. [at age 13]

1909

Union of South Africa formed [at age 13]

1909-1912

William Howard Taft president of US from [age 13 to 16]

1910-1936

Reign of King George V (Windsor) from [age 14 to 40]

1910

Japan annexes Korea [at age 14]

1910

Halley's Comet [at age 14]

1911

South pole reached by Roald Amundsen[ at age 15]

1912

New Mexico enters the union - 47th [at age 16]

1912

Titanic sinks [at age 16]

1912

Arizona enters the union - 48th [at age 16]

1912

Alaska organized as a territory [at age 1]

1913-1920

Woodrow Wilson president of US from [age 17 to 24]

1914

Immigrated to America [at age 18]

1914-1919

World War I [from age 18 to 23]

1914

The Bra [at age 18]

1915

Einstein's Theory of Relativity [at age 19]

1916

Sonar [at age 20]

1916

Irish Easter Rebellion [at age 20]

1917

Russian revolution [at age 21]

1917

US enters WWI [at age 21]

1918-1933

Prohibition from age [22 to 37]

1918-1920

Flu epidemic - 25 million plus die [from age 22 to 24]

1919

League of Nations instantiated [at age 23]

1919

Shortwave Radio [at age 23]

1920

Minnie Marries William Bloomfield [at age 24]

1920

Bloomfield Market, Laconia [at age 24]

1920

Women receive right to vote in USA [at age 24]

1920-1929

Roaring 20's [from age 24 to 33]

1920

Palestine established [at age 24]

1921

Birth of Ethel Bloomfield [at age 25]

1921-1924

Warren G Harding president of US [from age 25 to 28]

1922

Insulin made available to diabetics [at age 26]

1923

Move to Houston Texas [at age 27]

1925

Max Crane Commits Suicide [at age 29]

1925

Scopes trial on Evolutionary Theory [at age 29]

1925-1928

Calvin Coolidge president of US [from age 29 to 32]

1926

Sound in Movies [at age 30]

1927

Holland Tunnel opens (New York City) [at age 31]

1927

1st transAtlantic solo flight - Lindbergh [at age 31]

1928

Television [at age 32]

1928

Geiger Counter [at age 32]

1928

Penicillin discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming [at age 32]

1928

Video Recordings [at age 32]

1929

Stock Market Crash [at age 33]

1929-1939

Great Depression [from age 33 to 43]

1929-1932

Herbert Hoover president of US [from age 33 to 36]

1930

Pluto Discovered [at age 34]

1931-1933

Chinese-Japanese war (2) [from age 35 to 37]

1933-1945

Franklin D Roosevelt president of US [from age 37 to 49]

1933

Armstrong invents FM modulation[at age 37]

1933

Soviet communist party purge [at age 37]

1933

Radio Astronomy [at age 37]

1934

Longshoreman's strike - 35,000 on strike for 83 days [at age 38]

1935

Dustbowl [at age 39]

1935-1936

Abyssinian war [from age 39 to 40]

1936-1940

Ethel Attends Rice Institute [from age 40 to 44]

1936

Spanish Civil War [at age 40]

1936

Helicopter [at age 40]

1936-1952

Reign of King George VI (Windsor) [from age 40 to 56]

1936

Reign of King Edward VIII (Windsor) [at age 40]

1937-1945

Chinese-Japanese war (3) [from age 41 to 49]

1937

Nylon (by DuPont) [at age 41]

1938

Germany annexes Austria [at age 42]

1939-1945

World War II [from age 43 to 49]

1939

Digital Computer [at age 43]

1939

Aircraft Jet Engine invented (by Ohain) [at age 43]

1940

Color Television [at age 44]

1940

1st black general in US army [at age 44]

1941-1942

Three siblings perish in Holocaust [from age 45 to 46]

1941-1945

Manhattan Project [from age 45 to 49]

1942

Ethel weds Morris Bogdanow [at age 46]

1942

William Bloomfield Passes Away [at age 46]

1942

Nuclear Reactor [at age 46]

1942

Magnetic Recording Tape [at age 46]

1945

Hypertext [at age 49]

1945

United Nations formed [at age 49]

1945

US drops the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki [at age 49]

1945-1952

Harry S Truman president of US [from age 49 to 56]

1946

The Bikini [at age 50]

1946-1989

The Cold War from [age 50 until after timeline]

1947

Transistor [at age ]51

1947

India and Pakistan emerge from ex-British India [at age 51]

1947

UN partitions Palestine to Jewish and Arab sections [at age 51]

1948

33 1/3 rpm musical recordings [at age 52]

1948

NATO formed [at age 52]

1948

Israel inaugurated as state [at age 52]

1948

Arabs attack Israel on the day it is inaugurated [at age 52]

1949

Apartheid policy in South Africa [at age 53]

1949

Soviets detonate first nuclear bomb [at age 53]

1949

45 rpm musical recordings [at age 53]

1950-1954

McCarthyism [from age 54 to 58]

1950-1953

Korean War [from age 54 to 57]

1950

World pop. est. at 2.4 billion [at age 54]

1950

Bunche 1st black to win Nobel Peace Prize [at age 54]

1951

Electricity from Atomic Power at age 55

1952

1st Thermonuclear Device Detonated [at age 56]

1952-Present

Reign of Queen Elizabeth II (Windsor) [from age 56 until after timeline]

1953-1960

Dwight D Eisenhower president of US [from age 57 to 64]

1954

Racial segregation in schools ruled unconstitutional [at age 58]

1955

Introduction of Salk Polio Vaccine [at age 59]

1955

Warsaw pact formed [at age 59]

1955

Invention of Velcro [at age 59]

1955

Fiber Optics (by Kapany) [at age 59]

1956

Ocean liner Andrea Doria collides with the Stockholm, sinks [at age 60]

1957

Sputnik Launched - 1st (artificial) satellite [at age 61]

1958

Stereo LP recordings come into usage [at age 62]

1958

FM Stereo Broadcasts [at age 62]

1958

Integrated Circuit [at age 62]

1958

US space agency (NASA) established [at age 62]

1959

1st nuclear powered merchant vessel, Savannah [at age 63]

1959

Alaska enters the union - 49th [at age 63]

1959

Hawaii enters the union - 50th [at age 63]

1960

1st weather satellite (Tiros I) [at age 64]

1960

Laser [at age 64]

1960

World subsurface circumnavigation by US sub Triton [at age 64]

1960

Pantyhose [at age 64]

1961

1st US manned spaceflight - Alan Shephard [at age 65]

1961

First human in space - Yuri Gagarin [at age 65]

1961-1963

John F Kennedy president of US [from age 65 to 67]

1961-1970

7th Cholera pandemic [from age 65 to 74]

1962-1965

Vatican II from [age 66 to 69]

1962

Cuban missile crisis [at age 66]

1963

Compact Cassette Recordings [at age 67]

1963

Pres. Kennedy Assassinated [at age 67]

1963

1st artificial heart [at age 67]

1963-1968

Lyndon B Johnson president of US [from age 67 to 72]

1964-1975

Vietnam War [from age 68 to 79]

1964

US civil rights bill [at age 68]

1965

Blacks riot in Watts neighborhood, Los Angeles [at age 69]

1965

1st spacewalks (US, USSR) [at age 69]

1966

1st soft landings on moon (US, USSR) [at age 70]

1966

8-track tape players [at age 70]

1967-1970

Nigerian civil war [from age 71 to 74]

1967

Six day war: Israel-Arabs [at age 71]

1967

Physicist John Wheeler coins the term Black Hole [at age 71]

1967

Marshall 1st black supreme court justice [at age 71]

1967

1st human heart transplant [at age 71]

1968

Martin Luther King assassinated [at age 72]

1968

Robert Kennedy assassinated [at age 72]

1969

Moon Landing - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin [at age 73]

1969-1974

Richard M. Nixon president of US [from age 73 to 78]

1969

Woodstock Music Festival [at age 73]

1970

Microprocessor [at age 74]

1970

Nat. Guard murders 4 students at Kent State [at age 74]

1971

Pakistani civil war [at age 75]

1971

Intel ships 1st uProcessor: the 4004 [at age 75]

1973

The Internet [at age 77]

1973

Yom Kippur War (Israel-Arab nations) [at age 77]

1974

Pres. Nixon resigns in disgrace [at age 78]

1974-1976

Gerald Ford president of US [from age 78 to 80]

1975

Ebola virus appears - 90 percent lethal [at age 79]

1975

Byte Magazine, issue #1 - September [at age 79]

1975

The 1st home computer: The Altair 8800a [at age 79]

1976

American Bicentennial [at age 80]

1976

Whites accept principle of black majority rule in S. Africa [at age 80]

1976

VHS Video Recordings [at age 80]

1976

Television begins satellite delivery [at age 80]

1977-1980

James Earl Carter Jr president of US [from age 81 to 84]

1977

Neutron bomb [at age 81]

1978

Jonestown religious group mass suicide - 913 people die [at age 82]

1978

1st test-tube baby [at age 82]

1978

Laserdisc video recordings [at age 82]

1979

Three Mile Island nuclear event [at age 83]

1979

Margaret Thatcher 1st Woman Prime Minister in UK [at age 83]

1980

Mount St. Helens Erupts [at age 84]

1981

1st space shuttle flight - Columbia [at age 85]

1981

1st female supreme court justice [at age 85]

1981-1988

Ronald Reagan president of US [from age 85 until after timeline]

1981

IBM PC ships [at age 85]

Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week: Kim Weitkamp

2013-03-23T12:41:00.002-04:00

"Leave them a fullness of stories with great intention." Kim Weitkamp, www.kimweitkamp.com

There is no shortage of amazing genealogy quotes being thrown around this week at #RootsTech2013. Kim's quote is one of my favorites. It came to me via a professional genealogist, +Stephanie Pitcher Fishman @CornAndCotton, whom I follow on twitter. She tweeted a great quote from +Kim Weitkamp's talk on Thursday.

Much of the conference has been stressing the importance of preserving stories as part of the family tree. I've been a big proponent of bringing the tree to life via stories and photographs. +Kim Weitkamp from the story@home project is an amazing storyteller. In her talk, she gave tips about how to tell an everyday life story in an exciting way. In this quote she was referring to the last and most important step of storytelling, telling a story with intention. Every story has meaning, a moral and a message which reaches beyond the story. We as family historians are collecting many such stories about our ancestors. The challenge is to leave them for our descendants in a meaningful way. Kim's advice: "Leave them a fullness of stories with great intention!"

Day 22: Fearless Females: Stored Treasures Hits the Big Screen!

2013-03-22T14:43:00.001-04:00

March 22 Prompt— If a famous director wanted to make a movie about one of your female ancestors who would it be? What actress would you cast in the role and why?

I have written about this question before in my post: The Next Big Thing. From the "Aha moment" I had three and a half years ago as I realized my great-grandmother's journal was much more than a journal—it was a book waiting to be written—I also envisioned the screenplay. It would make a wonderful period piece describing the life of a young woman and her immigration story. I can even imagine what the Movie Billboard might look like!

The nice thing about converting the book to a movie is that I could add family stories that I've collected since the publishing of the book such as Ruth's story Runaway Newlyweds from yesterday's post or the story about Sara Esther, my uncle Larry remembered Minnie telling him.

Picture a cold snowy day in Belarus around 1905. Minnie and her younger sister, Sarah Esther, are seated next to their father, Moshe Aaron on their rickety horse drawn carriage. The carriage is returning from a trip to the central post office in Neiman, overloaded with mail for the towns folk. In addition they are bringing burlap sacks full of food and other supplies to trade in town. Sara Esther, bundled up in her down feather coat, is snuggling next to Minnie, trying to stay warm. As they approach the river and bridge leading to their home town, Belitsa, the three-year-old Sara Esther can barely contain her excitement. The horses continue to dredge through the falling snow and climb the old bridge. Sara Esther leans over to get a better look at the following river below and before anyone can contain her, she falls off the wagon and into the river. Moshe Aaron brings the carriage to a halt. Nine-year-old Minnie jumps off the carriage with her father and they run to the river bank. Townsfolk who happen to be nearby come running to join them. The skinny toddler, who doesn't know how to swim, sank into the freezing waters. Surprisingly to all, she quickly emerges between the icy chunk. Miraculously, her down coat functioned as a floatation device. There is a lot of commotion. Someone pulls Sara Esther out of the frozen waters, and hands over the shaking toddler to a tearful Moshe Aaron. Her drenched blond curls begin to freeze quickly and cling to her father's long beard. She looks up at her father with her big beautiful blue eyes and Minnie joins them from behind in a big hug of relief.

I admit this is a mushy scene and I've embellished much of the story. I've taken some tips from yesterday's talk on #RootsTech by +Kim Weitkamp from story@home, to create an exciting story from what I knew. All Larry remembered was that Sarah Esther fell off the wagon and into the water and the down coat she was wearing saved her life. I don't know that Minnie was there or that Moshe Aaron was driving his wagon. I didn't add the story to the Memoir, because I couldn't document any of the details. The Memoir, was first hand stories told by Minnie or her daughter Ethel. Yet, a Movie would allow for some poetic license to related family stories and embellish them a bit.

Casting this film might be complicated. The story spans Minnie's life from the time she was a very young girl to when she was an elderly woman. On the Next Big Thing post, I chose three actresses to play Minnie. I chose them because they "stand out to me for their beauty, softness and kindness on screen. I think Jennifer Connelly would make a great young Minnie, Amy Irving from Crossing Delancey could play the middle aged Minnie, and Tova Feldush who played Golda Meir could play the narrator and older Minnie."

A side note about #RootsTech: If like me, you are not fortunate enough to be in Utah, I highly recommend watching the live streaming. The focus has been very much about the importance of adding stories to your family tree. I feel very high tech as watching the conference from the comforts of my couch. This year I figured out how watch the lectures on TV. On my iphone, I go to www.RootsTech.org. I then play the live stream and project it through appleTV onto my television. This leaves my laptop free for blogging, taking notes and tweeting! I highly recommend you try it! It's amazing to be able to be part of the conference and hear such inspiring talks by renown experts and all for free!

I've enjoyed having the conference reinforce much of what I have been doing in this blog, telling family stories! Lets hope a famous director reads my blog and decides to make a movie about my favorite Fearless Female!

Past-Present-Future

The Flood, Blog Hopping and Produce Row

Genealogy Quote of The Week: Henry David Thoreau

Friday's Face from the Past: Risqué Photo

Treasure Chest Thursday: Surprise Package

Flood Hero in Wrecked Town

Barney Kenet Flood Hero in Wrecked Town

November 6, 1927

Genealogy Quote of the Week: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday's Faces from the Past: The Bogdanows

La Tienda Part II

Featured Interview on Geneartistry.com

Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week: Unknown

La Tienda Part I

Friday's Faces From The Past: Sarah and David Appell

Couple Observing Wedding Today

Mr. and Mrs. David A. Appell Were Married In Colchester In 1892

Living History- Boston Strong

Part IV: The Max Crane Mystery Continues

Waskowitz Has Skipped Town

Neighbors at Odds Over New Building

New Britain Building Inspector Appealed To.

He Finds No Occasion to Act in the Matter

Genealogy Quote of the Week: Meredith Hoffman

Why Was Max Hanging Around the Block?

Treasure Chest Thursday: Trail Heating Up Part II

Berkowitz Was Discharged

Treasure Trail Heating Up

Kranowitz Was Badly Beaten

Day 31: Fearless Females: Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week

Day 29: Fearless Female: Friday's Faces From the Past: Mollie Bogdanow

Day 26: Fearless Females: Looking at Women's Education Through 5 Generations

Day 24: Fearless Females: A Scary Resemblance

Day 23: Fearless Females: Timeline

Custom Timeline For Minnie Crane b.1896 Belitsa, Russia (Belarus) to d.1981 Houston, Texas

Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week: Kim Weitkamp

Day 22: Fearless Females: Stored Treasures Hits the Big Screen!

Custom Timeline

For Minnie Crane

b.1896 Belitsa, Russia (Belarus) to d.1981 Houston, Texas