Meyer Rubinstein and Family in Chicago

Meyer Rubinstein was born in October, 1822, in Koerlin, Germany. Let's trace the U.S. records that are available for the family. These, and the photographs, are usually the only things we can use to piece together their lives. Please keep in mind that names in city directories and census returns were often misspelled. Also, the women never seemed to use the first names they were given at birth, instead adopting new "Americanized" first names.

Meyer Rubinstein

After the family's arrival in New York from Germany on July 29, 1871, the first time any of them appear in U.S. records is beginning in 1873 in Davenport, Iowa.

Meyer Rubinstein listed in the 1873 City Directory for Davenport, Iowa

In 1874, his occupation was listed as a cutter (clothes cutter). His son, Isidore, worked as an assistant bookkeeper.

1874 City Directory for Davenport, Iowa

According to the 1888 Voters' Registration Index for Chicago, a Meyer Rubinstein born in Russia moved to Illinois, specifically Cook County, 14 years prior, or about 1874. The Index indicates he had lived in that particular precinct in Chicago for one year. The date and court of where naturalization papers were filed were unknown. Even though the birthplace is incorrect, the address given matches the address in the 1888 Chicago city directory.

1888 Voters Registration for Chicago

Next in chronology is the marriage of Eda Rubinstein, Meyer's daughter, on January 2, 1876, to Joseph S. Spitzer. More on the Spitzer family in the next blog post.

The first listing in the Chicago city directory for the family is in 1876. Isidore and Meyer are both listed, living at 647 Hubbard. Joseph and Eda Spitzer lived nearby at 644 Hubbard. I noticed that a cabinetmaker named Mandella Rubenstine also lived on Hubbard, but I don't know what, if any, their connection was.

1876 Chicago City Directory

The 1878 Chicago City Directory listing for Meyer Rubinstein showed he lived on South Park Ave. in Chicago, which matches the address in the 1880 census below. There was another listing in the 1878 directory at 499 Clark, which was his work address (as his home and work address were combined in the 1890 city directory shown later below).

Meyer Rubinstein's son, Isidore, returned to Davenport, Iowa, as he is shown in the Davenport city directory in 1880, the year he moved to Honolulu.

1880 City Directory for Davenport, Iowa

The 1880 census in Chicago for Meyer Rubinstein and family lists his occupation as clothes cutter. His birthplace was Prussia. They lived on South Park Avenue.

1880 Census in Chicago for Meyer Rubinstein and family

In 1881 and 1882, the city directory lists Meyer Rubinstein's daughter, Selina. In the 1882 city directory below she is near the bottom of the page. The spelling of the last name for Meyer and Selina is different. Listings were posted according to what the directory or census takers wrote down, and they often didn't confirm the spellings. 

1882 City Directory for Chicago

Thanks for your patience as I list many of the city directories. Sometimes the most mundane detail can be important. 

The 1885 City Directory has two listings, one for "Rubenstein Myer, notions 431 Clark" and "Rubinstein M. house 3655 Vincennes av". These are for his work and his home.

1885 Chicago City Directory

In the 1887 city directory, Meyer's occupation is shown as "dry goods". 

1887 Chicago City Directory

The 1890 city directory is important because, as mentioned earlier, the work address and the home address are listed on one line. It also lists Joseph M. Rubinstein, Meyer's son.

1890 Chicago City Directory

The family moved often. Sometimes each year has a different address. How do I know I've got the correct address? I matched the addresses with those of Joseph S. Spitzer. They always lived on the same street and the same block.

Next in sequence, daughter Selina was married in September 1895 to Isaac M. Solomon. Unfortunately, the marriage record hasn't been located.

There is a naturalization index listing in 1896 for "Meyer Rubenstein", but it has no address or other identifying information to confirm it is the correct person. Perhaps the original document, which could not be found online, would have a clue. Not sure if this is the correct person, but the 1900 census (see below) indicates he was naturalized.

1896 Naturalization Index

In the 1900 census in Chicago, there was no occupation listed for Meyer Rubinstein. His birthplace was Germany. His wife, Rosalie, reported she gave birth to six children, but only four of them were living. Daughter, Selina, and her husband were living with them. Their address was on 46th Place in Hyde Park or South Side area of Chicago.

1900 census in Chicago for Meyer Rubinstein and family

In the 1880 census, I noticed that Eda Rubinstein Spitzer and her husband, Joseph, lived next to Charles Busch and his family. Because Eda's mother, Rosalie, had the maiden name of Busch, it got me to look at Buschs in Chicago, Davenport, and Hawaii. There was a Busch family in Davenport as early as 1852. And there were dozens of Buschs in Chicago between the years 1890 and 1900. It's certainly possible that Meyer and Eda Rubinstein joined some cousins in Davenport and Chicago. After all, Davenport seems to me to be an illogical location to emigrate to. I failed, however, to prove a family connection existed. 

It was surprising to discover some Buschs in the 1890 Hawaii directory living in Lihue, Kauai and on Niihau island, working as carpenters for a grove farm plantation. This connection may be just a coincidence. However, we do know that the Hyman cousins were in contact with the Rubinsteins and convinced Isidore and Joseph Rubinstein to move to Hawaii, so it's reasonable that the family was in touch with Busch cousins as well.

Rosalie (Rosalia on her death certificate) Rubinstein died on April 26, 1904, in Chicago. Meyer Rubinstein died on April 14, 1909, in Chicago. He was living at 451 E. 44th St., Chicago, with his daughter, Selina, and her family when he died. They are buried at Mt. Israel Cemetery, Chicago. His son, Isidore Rubinstein, appears on a passenger list departing Honolulu on March 5, 1909, hopefully to visit his ailing father. 

I didn't find any records that Meyer and Rosalie had visited Hawaii. 

Daughter Selina Rubinstein Solomon and her son, Raymond, visited Hawaii in 1925. Selina died in 1948 in Illinois. Her son, Raymond, changed his last name at that time to Selwyn. Selina's husband, Isaac M. Solomon, was a merchant in a retail electrical and gas fixtures company. In the 1910 Chicago city directory, he was listed as the president of Illinois Mantle and Fixture Company and, in 1928, as president of Illinois Fixture and Electrical Supply.

Son Joseph Rubinstein left Hawaii about 1895 after living there for 4-5 years. He moved back to Chicago and then to Detroit where he was listed in a city directory as the proprietor of the Weatherproof Clothing Company. He married Mary Petersen in 1910 in Ontario, Canada, and died in 1921. He was buried next to his parents in Chicago.

Son Isidore Rubinstein married Anna Louise Desser on December 5, 1906, in Manhattan, New York. He brought his wife to Honolulu to live, where he operated his dry goods store. He died about 1931. 

Daughter Eda Rubinstein Spitzer lived in Hawaii. More on her family in the next blog post.

References

The documents above were found on Ancestry.com or fold3.com (except the family photograph).

First Jewish Wedding in Hawaii

The first Jewish wedding to take place in Hawaii occurred in 1879. The bride is the grand niece of A. S. Grinbaum, who is regarded as the first founder of a Jewish firm in Hawaii who had a partner settle in Hawaii. In this case, the partner living in Hawaii was his nephew, Morris Louisson. The groom, Joseph Hyman, was a cousin of the Rubinsteins and Mrs. Eda Rubinstein Spitzer.

The following article appeared in the Hawaiian Gazette describing the wedding.

MARRIAGE CEREMONY. --On Tuesday evening, the 22nd of July [1879], at the residence of the bride's uncle, M. Louisson, of Honolulu, Mr. J. [Joseph] Hyman of the mercantile firm of Hyman Brothers, of this city [Honolulu], was married to Miss B. [Belle] Frankel, niece of Mr. and Mrs. M. [Morris] Louisson, in the presence of a very large company of invited guests, composing the elite of Honolulu. Everything that they could suggest or money procure, was furnished for the pleasure of the company.

Mr. Louisson's spacious and elegant mansion was arranged with consummate taste and liberality, and everything connected with it gotten up in the best of style. Outside the main building was erected a booth, draped with evergreens, tropical flowers, and the national flags of the United States, Hawaii and the German Empire, which gave a charming effect to the scene. The verandas and booth were brilliantly illuminated with Chinese lanterns and tastefully decorated, giving it the finest effect. In the booth was spread for the accommodation of the guests, who numbered about 200, a most sumptuous repast, gotten up under the superintendence of Mr. Herbert of the Hawaiian Hotel.

At precisely 8 o'clock, the hour fixed, the bride and bridegroom filed into the parlor, where the guests were assembled, and Mr. Peck, a Hebrew and friend of the parties, who was deputized by the Jewish Rabbi at San Francisco, to perform the marriage ceremony according to the Hebrew formula, which he did in the Hebrew tongue by reading from a book. The ceremony was short and solemnly performed by Mr. Peck, who concluded by pronouncing them man and wife, according to the Jewish as well as Hawaiian law.

After Mr. Peck had concluded the Rev. Dr. Damon stepped forward and presented the bride with the marriage certificate, prefacing the fact with a few appropriate and very happy remarks. This ended the ceremony, after which the persons assembled passed the bride and bridegroom in review, and paid them the usual compliments; this done, the guests repaired to the saloon, where they regaled themselves on a most sumptuous repast, and all went happy as a marriage bell.

There is one circumstance connected with the marriage ceremony above described, which we wish particularly to note, because of its novelty, as well as its historical significance, it is this:  This marriage ceremony, conducted in accordance with the Hebrew ritual and formula as handed down from Moses, the ancient law-giver, is the first case of the kind that was ever thus celebrated on these Islands. This case possesses peculiar significance from the fact that Mr. Peck, before officiating as the substitute of the Rabbi, of San Francisco, took the precaution to procure from the Interior Department of the Hawaiian Kingdom, a license under Hawaiian law, permitting and legalizing the ceremony; and thus was secured not only the sanctity of the Jewish religion, but the civil law of this Kingdom at the same time, which rendered the solemnization of the marriage good and legal in a double sense, and thus it will form a precedent to be followed in similar cases for all times.

The Hawaiian Band, under the direction of Mr. Berger, was present and occupied a pavilion outside the main building, erected for their especial accommodation, from which they discoursed sweet music.

We must not neglect to mention that in the side room from the parlor were spread the elegant and costly presents to the happy pair, which consisted of an almost endless variety of silverware and articles of vertu [excellence or merit in objects of art, curios, and the like], which testified the estimation in which both bride and bridegroom are held in this community.

Everything passed off in the most pleasant and happy manner, and all who were present will long remember the first Jewish wedding that ever took place on the Hawaiian islands.

Reference:

The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]), July 23, 1879, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025121/1879-07-23/ed-1/seq-3/>

Early Jewish Merchants in Hawaii

Relatives who were Jewish merchants continued to seek opportunities to develop successful, thriving businesses.

According to a journal article appearing in the Western States Jewish Historical Quarterly, the rapid increase in the population of California due to the Gold Rush created a market surge for agricultural products and general merchandise. As a result, shipping lines expanded, including a line between Honolulu and San Francisco. A few Jewish merchants stepped in to begin businesses in Hawaii, establishing themselves as suppliers to the sugar and coffee plantations (Glanz).

A. S. Grinbaum is considered the earliest founder of a firm to have one partner reside in Hawaii. He arrived in Honolulu in 1856 and stayed seven years (Glanz). Through marriage, this family is related to the Hymans.

Another Jewish merchant, Hirsch Rayman, came to the islands in the early 1860's and established a successful business. But after five years he returned to Posen (Glanz).

Henry and Joseph Hyman arrived in Honolulu in 1867. They obtained a mercantile license in July 1867 with partner Michael Phillips of San Francisco. By December 1867, however, this partnership had dissolved (Cashmere).

The Hyman Bros. Co. established itself in business on Merchant St. in Honolulu immediately upon dissolution of the partnership with Phillips (Cashmere). 

In 1870's, Hyman Bros. was located in the near right building on Merchant St. 
between Fort and Bethel in Honolulu. See the "HY" on the sign? 
(Hawaii State Archives).

The general merchandise the Hyman Bros. sold in their store consisted of clothing and shoes, as an early advertisement in 1868 showed (Hawaiian Gazette):

A photo of Merchant Street, Honolulu, with Hyman Bros. located up the street:

Merchant Street in Honolulu in the 1880's. Hyman Bros. is located on 
the right side of the street, second building down with the wavy printed
 name of "Hyman Bros." (Hawaii State Archives).

In 1880, the Hymans opened a new firm in San Francisco:

A New Grocer Firm

The new jobbing grocery house of Hyman Bros. is located at 409 and 411 Front street. The gentlemen comprising the firm are eminently connected and have numerous valuable interests throughout this Slope, in Honolulu and the East. Mr. Thomas Dowling, lately with W. W. Henry & Co., and formerly of the firm of J. M. Pike & Co., has become associated with the new firm. A New York agency guarantees them all the advantages of the New York markets, and a prosperous business here promises to be theirs (Daily Alta).

Four years later, in 1884, the California part of the business closed:

Hyman Bros. will retire from the wholesale grocery business Jan. 1, retaining thereafter an office only for the transaction of their island business. Other changes are rumored, but not as yet made public (Daily Alta).

The Honolulu City Directory of 1884 shows:

HYMAN BROS. (Hyman W. and Henry W. Hyman, San Francisco, Michael Hyman, NY, and Morris and Joseph Hyman, Honolulu), general merchandise and shipping and commission merchants, 29 Merchant (Ancestry). 

A business advertisement of the firm in the late 1880's appeared in California:

Hyman Bros., Importers of General Merchandise and Commission Merchants, No. 58 Queen Street, Honolulu... 206 Front Street, San Francisco. Particular attention given to filling orders, and to the sale of Consignments of Rice, Sugar, Coffee and other Island Produce (Glanz).

According to the 1900 Hawaiian Census, Isidore Rubinstein arrived in Honolulu in 1880, leaving Chicago, IL, to join his cousins, the Hymans, in their business. Isidore's brother, Joseph Rubinstein, also worked for the Hyman Bros. Co. (Cashmere).

The partners and employees of Hyman Bros. Co. were listed in the 1890 Honolulu Directory:

Isidore Rubinstein, salesman.

Joseph M. Rubinstein, clerk.

H W Hyman; Michael Hyman; Morris Hyman; Joseph Hyman; Isidore Rubinstein, gen mdse and commission merchants, at Queen near Fort, Honolulu, HI (Ancestry).

Queen St. in Honolulu where Hyman Bros. relocated, although in which building
in this photo is unknown. M. Phillips, Importers of General Merchandise 
and an early partner, is on the left. (Hawaii State Archives)

On January 1, 1894, Isidore Rubinstein became the manager and a partner of the Hyman Bros. Co,

___________

Notice of Dissolution of Copartnership

and of Formation of New Partnership

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the partnership heretofore existing between Henry W. Hyman, Joseph Hyman, Morris Hyman and Michael Hyman carrying on business in Honolulu, Island of Oahu, under the firm name of Hyman Bros., has been dissolved by mutual consent.

And notice is hereby further given that Henry W. Hyman, Joseph Hyman and Morris Hyman of San Francisco, State of California, Michael Hyman of New York City, State of New York, and Isidore Rubinstein of Honolulu, in the Island of Oahu, have formed a copartnership for the purpose of buying and selling goods, wares and merchandise in the Hawaiian Islands under the firm name and style of Hyman Bros., and that the place of business of said copartnership is in Honolulu, Island of Oahu.

Dated Honolulu January 1, 1894. HYMAN BROS. (Hawaiian Gazette)

__________

Here is the listing in the 1903 Honolulu City Directory. Walter J. Hyman was the son of Henry W. Hyman (Ancestry):

In 1904, the Hyman Bros. sold the firm to Isidore Rubinstein. It became I. Rubinstein & Co. (Cashmere). A newspaper article showed:

__________

CHANGES IN OLD FIRM

HYMAN BROS., MERCHANTS,

IS I. RUBINSTEIN & CO.

THE HOUSE WAS ESTABLISHED

IN HAWAII IN 1868 AND HAS

PRODUCED MANY

FORTUNES.

The dissolution of the Hyman Bros. copartnership closes a successful mercantile career of one of the best-known firms in Hawaii. The firm of Hyman Bros. was established in 1868 by H. W. Hyman, Michael Hyman, Morris Hyman and Joseph Hyman. The first and only change in this partnership of thirty-five years was made in 1893, when Isidore Rubinstein, a clerk since 1880, was taken in as a partner, the style of the firm remaining Hyman Bros. 

Mr. Isidore Rubinstein now becomes sole owner of the business, the four Hyman brothers retiring. The business hereafter will be conducted under the style of I. Rubinstein & Co., at the same old stand on Queen Street, which has been the home of the concern for so many years.

The four Hyman brothers through this business house accumulated vast fortunes which are invested in San Francisco, where they now reside (Evening Bulletin).

__________

Hopefully, some of the profits were somehow reinvested in the community where they were made.

Thank you to cousin Mickey for all her valuable research in Honolulu, including at the Hawaii State Library and local synagogue. It's nice to have an ally who's interested and helpful in solving all the question marks in the family genealogy.

Arrival of the Spitzer family in Honolulu will be detailed in a future blog (not to be delayed).

Happy Birthday, Grandma.

References:

Ancestry.com database, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989. Honolulu, Hawaii, City Directories, 1884, 1890, and 1902.

Cashmere, Kirk. The History of Jews in Hawaii (an unpublished thesis). Manuscript located at Temple Emanu-El Library, Honolulu, HI.

Daily Alta California (San Francisco, California), 3 April 1880 and 13 Dec 1884. California Digital Newspaper Collection. <http://cdnc.ucr.edu/>

Evening Bulletin (Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii), Saturday, July 2, 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025121/1879-07-23/ed-1/seq-3/>

Glanz, Rudolph. "The Jews in the Sandwich Islands." Western States Jewish Historical Quarterly, April 1974, Vol. VI, No 3, pp. 177-187. Published by the Southern California Jewish Historical Society. Reproduced at www.konabethshalom.org/history.early.html, accessed on 9 Feb 2014.

Hawaii State Archives Photograph Collection. <http://ags.hawaii.gov/archives/about-us/photograph-collection/>

The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii), April 29, 1868, and January 19, 1894, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025121/1879-07-23/ed-1/seq-3/>

Hyman Brothers' Partnership

The five Hyman brothers were the first ancestors in this tree to arrive in the United States, and they all headed for San Francisco. It was the gateway to opportunity where Jews suffered no oppression because of their religious heritage. The contrast between the treatment they received in the old country and the new must have been astounding.

Early San Francisco

Around 250,000 immigrants from Central Europe moved to the U.S. in the mid-1800's. After the discovery of gold in 1848 on the American River, immigrants who were both Jewish and non-Jewish, headed for San Francisco.

Three options existed to get to San Francisco. Traveling cross-country in a covered wagon took six months. Sailing 13,000 miles around South American could take three to six months, with the drawbacks of seasickness and lack of fresh food and water. The shortest option was crossing the jungles of Panama if immigrants were brave enough to face forty days of alligators, mosquitoes, snakes, diseases, robberies, and a potentially long wait on the Pacific Ocean side for space on ships crammed with people heading north.

San Francisco was an exciting city that grew exponentially from 800 to 36,000 residents in the four years after the start of the gold rush. It provided the greatest opportunities for anyone considered "white," which at that time meant non-Chinese. Jews took a huge leap in social status in San Francisco.

By 1851, around 2,000 Jews lived in San Francisco. In the old country, their professions were mostly limited to that of peddler. Many of the early Jews in California started as peddlers to the gold miners and actually fared better than those miners.

The discovery of the silver strike in 1859 in Virginia City brought ten times more wealth than gold. By this time, the harbors of San Francisco were clogged with ships either abandoned or used as living accommodations. It was like a great, floating camp.

Most of the people who came to San Francisco were looking for wealth. When they didn't find it, they left discouraged. The Jews, however, never left. By the 1870's, there were 16,000 Jews in San Francisco, second in number to New York City. Wealthier Jews blended with elite San Francisco society, something they never imagined while in the old country. There were no Jewish neighborhoods, and Jews were proud of their city. By this time, San Francisco was the tenth largest city in the United States and Jews could be found in all professions in San Francisco. They saw their chance to start over in a new life and rose to become prominent merchants, bankers, politicians, and civic leaders. This was unique in the U.S. at that time and was due to the fact that San Franciscans were a diverse group who were more accepting of change.

In the 1880's, a new influx of Jews arrived in San Francisco. They were Eastern European Jews, mainly from Russia, and more devout in their religion than earlier Jewish settlers from Central Europe. They spoke Yiddish. The earlier Jewish settlers became afraid because these new Jewish immigrants stood out as being different. All along Jews had set up benevolent societies to help Jewish immigrants adapt in San Francisco. Now they had a new and more difficult task, to educate the new Jewish immigrants to blend into society.

A Little Bit About Life for the Hymans

Most of the Hyman brothers called San Francisco their home base, but some did live in other places for a time while establishing businesses.

Hyman W. Hyman appears to have traveled the most. He had a wholesale business in Honolulu at least by 1868. In the 1870 census, he and his brother, Morris Hyman, were living in Portland, Oregon. He was married in San Francisco in 1873, but he can be found in Nevada City, Nevada County, California in records for the years of 1875, 1878, and 1880. His wife gave birth to Solomon in 1875 in Nevada City and to Ruth in 1878 in San Francisco before moving back to Nevada City for a time. [The 1880 census also shows an older "daughter" named Able R., which was usually a boy's name. I believe there is the possibility of an early death or a mistake, which happened a lot in old census records. No evidence of Able is found in any later records naming his children.] The family resided in San Francisco after Hawaii.

Henry W. Hyman could only be found in San Francisco records. He had seven children there between the years 1869 and 1886.

Michael S. Hyman's passport indicates he lived for a time in California before moving permanently to New York. His wife was born in California.

According to census records, Morris Hyman was in Portland, Oregon in 1870 and in Honolulu in 1880. His first three children were born in Honolulu in the years 1884, 1886, and 1890. His next two children were born in San Francisco in 1894 and 1897. He remained in San Francisco after that.

One of Joseph Hyman's passport applications indicates he also lived for a time in Portland, Oregon. He was married in San Francisco in 1879 and can be found in Honolulu, Hawaii in newspaper ads in 1880, 1883 and 1887. He left Hawaii and went back to San Francisco in 1887.

The five Hyman brothers realized they had an advantage in each other--business partners they could trust. Here is a newspaper ad showing one of their certificates of partnership from 1880.

Published in the Daily Alta California on November 24, 1880.

What kind of business were the Hyman brothers in? From the book, The Jews in the California Gold Rush, "Three brothers who maintained a widespread branch business were Hyman Wolf Hyman of Portland, Henry Wolf Hyman of San Francisco, and Michael S. Hyman of Honolulu, who established a branch of their clothing, boot, and hat business in Nevada City in 1874 under the name Hyman Brothers." From 1884 newspaper articles, merchandise brought overland by the Central and Southern Pacific Railroad Companies to California for Hyman Bros. consisted of 30 cases of boots and shoes; 3 boxes dry goods; 15 cases syrup in cans; 3,06l lbs. smoking tobacco; 125 boxes of candles; 11 boxes cut tobacco; and 50 cases of canned goods. In San Francisco, Hyman Bros had a wholesale grocery business. The Hawaii business will be written about in a future blog post.

The Hyman brothers were a success story. Newspaper clippings indicate multiple real estate transactions in San Francisco. Here is one such clipping.

Published in the San Francisco Call on June 19, 1907.

Success is often revealed in the advantages of the next generation, as shown in a few news items. Solomon Hyman, son of Hyman W. Hyman, graduated from U.C. Berkeley. Another graduate of the University of California was Joseph Leo Hyman, son of Morris Hyman, who spent one year of college studying abroad in Geneva, Switzerland and was an ensign during WWI. Tessie and Hattie Hyman, daughters of Henry W. Hyman, appeared in print in 1888, which indicated they had "just returned from Europe after an absence of 18 months."  Tessie and Hattie married successful and well-known spouses in 1891 according to newspaper entries. Tessie married an ex-assemblyman of San Francisco who was also an officer in a family-owned tanning company in Redwood City. Hattie married the consul-general for San Salvador who was in the New York consul office.

For anyone who is a direct descendant in the Hyman line, it might be interesting to obtain a list of probate estate actions filed with the court at http://www.californiaancestors.org/index.php?option=com_namesearch for $10 per estate. Enter "Hyman" in the Search Name field. Full probate records can be obtained by hiring a researcher through this website.

More newspaper research could be done. My objective was to give a glimpse of the Hyman brothers' whereabouts and success. Beware that there were other Hymans living in San Francisco at this time who may or may not be distantly related. There is a Wolf Hyman, and I wondered briefly whether he was the father of the Hyman brothers, but further research proved that not to be the case. There were also at least two other Henry Hymans, one of which was a brother of the Wolf Hyman just mentioned. The middle initial "W" is helpful to find the Henry of interest.

References

"American Jerusalem, Jews and the Making of San Francisco," a film produced by Actual Films/Switchback Films, 2014.

California Voter Registers for San Francisco and Nevada City in Nevada County.

Daily Alta California, Vol. 32, No. 11181, 24 Nov 1880; Vol. 42, No. 14305, 4 Nov 1888; and various dates in 1884 [from the California Digital Newspaper Collection at http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc].

The Jews in the California Gold Rush, by Robert E. Levinson, Ktav Publishing House, 1978, page 57.

San Francisco Call, Vol. 102, No. 19, 19 June 1907; 9 March 1891; and 18 November 1891 [from the California Digital Newspaper Collection at http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc].

San Francisco City Directories, various years.

United States Census Records, various dates and locations.

War Record of American Jews: Commissioned Officers, compiled by the Office of War Records of the American Jewish Committee in cooperation with the Jewish Welfare Board.

Emigration dates and Reasons for Leaving

When did the Hyman brothers and the Rubinstein family emigrate from Prussia (now Poland) and why?

Immigration of the Hyman Brothers

The Hyman brothers didn't emigrate together at the same time. The first was probably the oldest brother, Hyman Wolf Hyman, though his immigration date is unknown. According to the passport applications of the other brothers, Henry Wolf Hyman arrived in the U.S. in 1857; Michael Hyman arrived in 1863; Morris Hyman arrived in 1865; and Joseph Hyman arrived 1867/1868.

Passport of Henry Wolf  Hyman, showing he arrived in U.S. in 1857.

Passport application for Michael Hyman showing an immigration year of 1863.

Passport application for Morris Hyman, showing he arrived in the U.S. in 1865.

First passport application for Joseph Hyman showing an immigration year of 1868.

Second passport application for Joseph Hyman showing his arrival in 1867.

Immigration of the Rubinstein Family

The Rubinstein family, consisting of father Meyer, mother Rosalia, and children Ida/Eda, Isidor, Zerline/Selena, and Joseph, arrived at the port of New York from Bremen on July 29, 1871, on the ship Donau. Their residence was shown as Berlin, though they may have reported the largest city near their hometown as was sometimes done.

Immigration Record for Rubinstein family in 1871.

Poland's early Jewish history will help us examine the possible reasons why the above persons emigrated.

Prussia/Poland's Early Jewish History

In Prussian/Polish history, Jewish merchants first arrived and settled in the Silesia area of southern Poland in the early 11th century. These merchants spoke Arabic, Persian, Greek, Spanish, Frankish and Slav languages, and extended trade over great distances.

In 1264, Polish rulers employed Jews to work as coin engravers and granted them special status that ensured that they and their property were protected. They also had the freedom to conduct religious rites, free trade and moneylending. These privileges resulted in hostile reactions by the Catholic clergy and laws were passed that created segregated Jewish living areas and business restrictions. Because of the profits the ruling princes received from the economic activity of the Jews, however, these laws generally went unenforced.

By the middle of the 14th century, Jews occupied 35 Silesian towns. The main occupation of Jews in Poland at this time was moneylending and local and long distance trade between Poland and Hungary, Turkey and Italian colonies on the Black Sea.

Some Jewish merchants became rich and invested in property, often taking letters of credit against property, until riots broke out by Christian merchants in the 15th century. At that time in western Europe, epidemics of Black Death were being blamed on Jews, who were accused of poisoning wells. As a result of the riots and epidemics, migrating Jews from western Europe and from Silesia fled to northern Poland. Generally, they were welcomed, although some cities forced immigrants into separate Jewish towns. By the end of the 15th century, which is generally considered the end of the Middle Ages, 18,000 Jews lived in 85 towns in Poland and represented less than one percent of the population.

During certain periods, Prussian/Polish rulers provided protection toward Jews. They were granted the right to self-govern themselves. A Jewish city was established within a Christian city with its own religious, administrative, judicial and charitable institutions.

In the 16th and early 17th centuries, more migrating Jews arrived in Poland from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Bohemia and Hungary. By the mid-1600s, 500,000 Jews lived in Poland. Their primary sources of income were local trade and crafts, including food items, leather, clothing, and objects made of gold, pewter and glass.

Then, at the end of the 17th century, decrees were passed due to pressure from competitive burghers and jealous clergy that restricted Jewish wholesale trade. One reason prejudice arose against the Jews was because Jews had established banks and centralized credit operations in Poland that caused many debtors, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to be put in prison for nonpayment of high-interest loans when crops or businesses failed to bring in enough money to repay the loan.

The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) decimated the population of Germany, destroying much of the economy and making refugees of thousands of Germans of all denominations. As a result, the Polish economy was changing. Rents on homes and businesses increased dramatically. Jews became increasingly indebted to nobles with long-term interest rates between 22% and 25% and short-term interest rates as high as 50%.

In the 1700s legislation passed in the German empire to limit the Jewish population from growing. Under these Familiants Laws, only the oldest son of a Jewish family was permitted to marry if his father had died and if the son had attended a German or Jewish-German school. Subsequent sons could only marry if the oldest brother died. In wealthy Jewish families, huge payments could be made for second and third sons to marry. Other exceptions were granted for Jews who joined certain guilds or completed military service.

Familiants Laws resulted in many Jews secretly marrying in so-called "attic weddings." Children from these unions were considered illegitimate by the authorities and had to bear their mothers' names. These mothers could be sentenced to forced labor. If discovered, fathers could be punished by flogging and expulsion. This led to large scale emigration from Central Europe. For example, many communities in Hungary were founded by younger sons from the area now known as Czechoslovakia. Formal abolition of these laws didn't take place until 1859.

Poland was divided into partitions between Austria, Russia and Prussia in 1772, 1793, and 1795. During this period, a movement existed to reform Jewish life and end special customs. Wealthy Jews in particular believed that assimilating with the Poles would bring prosperity and eliminate persecution. Assimilation was difficult for most Jews, however, because their religious schools did not help them learn the local language and master non-Jewish customs. Shopkeepers and artisans in particular chose to keep speaking Yiddish and continue to practice Orthodox Judaism.

It is estimated that there were 750,000 Jews living in Poland in 1766 and 900,000 in 1790. In 1797, Prussian Jews were divided into two groups. Jews who were wealthy and spoke German were placed in the "protected" group. The other group was merely "tolerated" and encouraged to emigrate. Poor Jews were expelled.

In 1833, a new law was passed in the area of Poznan that allowed some Jews to become Prussian citizens. Citizenship was granted based on economic, moral, and educational achievements and command of the German language. By 1846, eighty percent of the 6,748 Jews in the Poznan area (the largest Jewish community in Prussia) were still non-citizens as well as one-third of all Jews in Prussia.

Equal rights for all Jews came in 1848, although some restrictions still existed, such as prohibiting Jews from certain occupations. Jews still felt pressure to dress like their countrymen and adopt their customs and intellectual interests.

Why Did The Hymans and Rubinsteins Emigrate?

Although general equal rights for Jews had been instituted, Jews continued to be subject to anti-Semitism in Prussia/Poland. In order to keep their own culture intact and escape from prohibitions, many Jews decided to emigrate, and America was a popular destination. America was a place where Jews could enjoy religious freedom and engage in any type of business without interference.

References:

Excerpts from: Salo Wittmayer Baron, "A Social and Religious History of the Jews," v. 16, Poland-Lithuania 1500-1650, pub. 1976 by Columbia University, posted at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/POSEN/2000-06/0960358599.

Familiants Laws, Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0006_0_06267.html.

Polish Jews Heritage at http://www.polishjews.org/history1.htm. Its source is History of the Jews in Poland by Ph.D. M. Rosenzweig, and this book can be searched at books.google.com.

Ancestral Towns in the Old Country

The Birth Towns

The children of Abram Hersch and Dine Busch were born in the town of Kórnik, province of Poznan, and government of Prussia. Kórnik is now part of Poland. Before World War I when it was part of Germany, it was spelled Kurnik and was located in the province of Posen. Kórnik is located 12 miles SSE of the city of Poznan.

The oldest daughter, Yette "Taubechen" Busch married Wolf Hyman, who was born in the nearby town of Schwersenz, province of Poznan, Prussia. Schwersenz is located 5 miles east of the city of Poznan and is now called Swarzedz.

One of the twin daughters, Rahel "Rosalie" Busch, married Meyer Rubinstein, who was born about 140 miles NNW of Kórnik in the town of Koerlin (also Kórlin), Pomerania, Germany. Koerlin is now known as Karlino, Poland.

[Note: placenames are reported by me as they were reported in old family records.]

Map Showing Towns

1947 Map of a portion of Germany just after the end of the German occupation of Poland, which occurred in 1945.

Although the history of Jews in Poland will be summarized in the next blog, a brief history of ancestral towns is given here.

The Town of Kórnik

Kórnik was founded in the Middle Ages and now includes the former neighboring town of Bnin. The earliest mention of Jews in Kórnik is found in a study entitled "The Oldest Record of Jewish Settlements in Poland," which indicates that Jews of Kórnik paid coronation taxes in 1507. Sixteen Jews lived there in 1674 engaged in trade and crafts, especially tailoring. The Jewish population increased substantially in the first half of the 19th century. In 1837, there were 1,158 Jewish residents; 1,170 in 1840; 399 in 1871; and 92 in 1910. Many emigrated to Germany and America.

A wooden synagogue built in Kórnik in 1767 was considered one of the most unusual in Poland. The lower part of the synagogue was built for men with an upper gallery for women. It was completely torn down by the Nazis in 1940. All that remains is the narrow passage and gate leading to the former synagogue. The gate has a Hebrew inscription of "Uchem Igielnym," which means, "This is the gate to the eternal; just enter here." The passage was renovated by locals in 1979. At the front door there are two plaques indicating the synagogue and the passage. Each year on Catholic holy days, the doors to the gate are opened and candles are lit to honor the memory of former Jewish neighbors.

Former synagogue in Kornik.

Gate which led to the former Jewish synagogue in Kornik.

Current town hall in Kornik.

The Jewish cemetery in Kórnik was destroyed by the Nazis. The marble headstones were used to shore up the sides of drainage ditches and for walking pavements. Later, the Soviets established an arboretum on 99 acres surrounding Kórnik Castle that included the former Jewish cemetery. It has 3,300 types of trees and shrubs.

Kornik Castle, originally built in 15th century and renovated in the 19th century.

The Town of Schwersenz

Schwersenz's Jewish origins began in the nearby city of Poznan, one of four Polish towns that had over 1,000 Jewish residents in 1550. The number of houses in Poznan allocated to Jews was 49 in 1552, 83 in 1558, 115 in 1590, and 138 houses in 1620. In 1558, the entire population of Poznan was 20,000 and 1,500 of them were Jews living in 83 houses.

In 1521, Poznan burghers petitioned the king to limit immigration of competing German Jewish merchants and artisans. Christian craftsmen complained that Jews ran after carriages of visiting noblemen, asking what they wished to buy, taking business away from local merchants. They particularly complained about Jewish furriers, tailors, and petlicarzy or scarf makers.

The Jewish quarter had densely-packed wooden buildings that made it vulnerable to fires that spread to other parts of Poznan. Fires occurred in the Jewish quarter in 1536, 1590 and 1613. In 1621, when Jews numbered 3,130, Poznan city elders resolved to do something about the problem of fires and the overcrowded Jewish ghetto by moving Jewish families to the nearby town of Schwersenz. In exchange, forty houses and a synagogue were allowed to be built.

The new residents were also granted a right to choose some land for a Jewish cemetery they would own. The cemetery chosen comprised five acres on a hillside on the road to Poznan. Its first wall was wooden, then later the cemetery was surrounded by an openwork brick wall. A long wooden bridge led to the iron gate entrance where a marble plaque paid tribute to the founding family of Solomon Herzog. The oldest section of the cemetery buried women, men and children in separate sections.

When the Nazis destroyed the cemetery, they used the gravestones to construct roads and set a second railway line to Poznan. After WWII, a children's childcare center for working mothers was established on the site. Today there is a residence on the property and part of the land is now part of an urban park with a plaque commemorating WWII victims.

Old postcard from 1899 of the Schwersez Jewish cemetery.

The nursery built on the old cemetery site in Schwersenz.

The synagogue in Schwersenz was built in the 17th century near the cemetery.

The population of Schwersenz was 2,767 in 1704 when 1,501 were Jews; 1,665 Jews lived there in 1834 out of 2,829 total residents. The Jewish population in 1921 was 61. There are no Jews living there today.

Pomerania

No historical information could be found on the town of Koerlin, which was located in Pomerania at the time of the Prussian occupation.

The earliest historical reference to Jewish settlement in Pomerania occurred in 1261 when the Duke of Pomerania decreed that the German Magdeburg Law applied to the Jews of Pomerania, who were then given autonomy and the right of self-government. They had a favorable living situation until the Black Death persecutions in 1350.

Jews of Pomerania made their livings first as traders and later also as moneylenders. In 1481, 22 Jewish families were granted residence in Pomerania, but then in 1492 the Duke of Pomerania expelled them.

In 1670, the Duke of Prussia invited Jewish merchants who had been expelled from Vienna to settle in his lands of Brandenburg-Prussia. By 1682, at least four Jewish families were living in Pomerania. However, numerous complaints about Jewish business practices caused him to threaten Jewish expulsion in 1687-88. By then, 15 families had been licensed to reside in Pomerania, and in 1706 there were 46 licensed families. In 1728, all laws of Prussia applied to the Jews of Pomerania, who totaled 325 persons. During this period, Jews were mainly engaged in the wool, wheat, and amber trades and in peddling.

Pomeranian communities grew after 1812, when there were 1,700 Jews. By 1880, the number jumped to 13,886 Jews. Many Jews emigrated from the area so that by 1932 there were 7,760 in 50 communities.

References:

Excerpts from: Salo Wittmayer Baron, "A Social and Religious History of the Jews," v. 16, Poland-Lithuania 1500-1650, pub. 1976 by Columbia University, posted at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/POSEN/2000-06/0960358599.

International Jewish Cemetery Project, Kornik,  http://www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/poland/kornik.html.

International Jewish Cemetery Project, Schwersenz, http://www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/poland/swarzedz.html.

The Jewish Cemetery in Swarzedz, http://www.kirkuty.xip.pl/swarzedz.htm.

Pomerania, Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0016_0_15955.html.

Poznan, The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Poznan.

Searching German Records

Good genealogy practice starts with what you know (yourself) and works backwards. To present my research, however, I want to do the opposite. I want to start in the old country with information on the oldest known ancestor.

Birthplaces in Family Records

I am grateful to Herbert C. Cayton for filling in detailed information on the death certificate of his mother-in-law, Eda Rubinstein Spitzer. He reported Eda's birthplace as Koerlin, Germany, and the full names and birthplaces for her parents as father Meyer Rubinstein, born in Koerlin Germany, and mother Rosalie Bush (should be Busch), born in Kornick, Germany. This is gold to a genealogist. Not even the birth records of Eda's children have this specific birth information for Eda.

Death record for Eda Spitzer, nee Rubinstein.

Finding German Records

Armed with birthplaces, I searched for information on the Jewish Genealogy website. No online Koerlin records could be found, but links were posted for online vital records for the town of Kornik. Maybe there would be a birth record for Eda's mother, Rosalie Busch, or at least some Busches in the records.

After tediously searching the records and resolving old German handwriting issues, I found twin daughters, Dwore and Rahel, born on 31 October 1821 to Abram Hersch Busch and his wife Dine. An older sister, Yette, was found born to these parents on 14 May 1819.

To find these records, go to this link for the Kornik birth ledgers for the years 1817-1827: http://szukajwarchiwach.pl/53/3579/0/1.1/1/str/1/3/50#tabSkany. Request 30 scans per page. Then click on the 23rd box. Look along the left side to item number 246. This is the birth record for twins Dwore and Rahel. For the birth of sister Yette, click on the 12th box and find item number 119. Unfortunately, there is now copy protection on these ledgers. When I did this research over a year ago, however, I was able to enlarge and copy the entries. They appear below.  [Note: these records are also available at the LDS Library, microfilm #742,003.]

This is page 1 of the birth record for the twins. See the red arrow on the left where the parents' names appear.
The date of 31 October 1821 written at the top is the birthdate in that column next to the parents' names.

This is part 2 of the birth record. See the red mark on the right where the names of the twins appear.
Ignore the Yette name below as that is for another family.

This is part of the birth record for older sister, Yette. Unfortunately, I didn't get the second part copied with her name
shown, but you can see it clearly if you go the links given above. What you can see here are the parents' names.

Meaning of Names

So how do I know this is the correct family? It would be nice to have another confirmation in a second record, but it looks very good to me. There are clues in the names.

Rahel is Hebrew for Rachel and its origin is Genesis 29:6. The Yiddish versions are Rokhil, Rokhl, Rukhl and Rahel. The Yiddish nicknames are Rokhe and Rukhele. The local secular is Rachel, Rachil, Ruchel, and Rozalia. The comparable name in the U.S. is Rose. It's not uncommon for people to modernize their first names, especially if they are immigrating to the U.S.

Dwore is a girl's name. I couldn't find a meaning.

Yette is Yiddish and Hebrew for Henriette. It's Yiddish nickname is Yetkhen.

Abram means Abraham.

Hirsch means Harry in the U.S.

Dine is Yiddish for Hebrew Dina.

Taubechen is a nickname of Yette's. Taube means dove in Yiddish. Chen means grace in Hebrew.


Note: Information on the towns will be in an upcoming blog post.