Treasure Chest Thursday: First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association incorporation papers

When the number of Jewish immigrants from a specific community in Europe reached critical mass in their new settlement, they often banded together to form a landsmanshaft - a community benevolent society. In 1911, Jewish immigrants from Labun, Russian Empire (now Yurovshchina, Ukraine) who had resettled in New York City formed the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association. These incorporation papers are archives YIVO in New York City.

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

of the

FIRST LUBINER PROGRESSIVE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION

(the word "Lubiner" is the name of a town in Russia)

STATE OF NEW YORK      )

CITY OF NEW YORK        :   SS:

COUNTY OF NEW YORK )

                    We, the undersigned, of full age, being desirous of associating ourselves together for social and beneficial pruposes as hereinafter is more particularly described, pursuant to and in conformity with Acts of the legislature of the State of New York, relating to Membership Corporations, do hereby certify and declare that we are all of full age, two-thirds of us are citizens of the United States, and all of us are residents if the State of New York.

                    We further certify and declare as follows:

     First:       That the particular objects for which said Corporation is formed are as follows, viz:

                    To engender good feelings and brotherly love among its members; to promote sociability among its members; to aid its members voluntarily in case of need and distress; to voluntarily provide for a suitable funeral and burial for its members in case of death; to institute and maintain a common meeting place where its members may gather at certain intervals or meetings for social purposes, and to adopt by-laws by which said Association may be governed.

     Second:   That the corporate name by which said Corporation bereby to be formed shall be known and distinguished is and shall be

                    FIRST LUBINER PROGRESSIVE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION.

     Third:      That the territory in which the operations of said corporation are to be [line cut off on microfilmed copy]

     Fourth:    That the principal office of said Corporation shall be located in the City of New York, County of New York and State of New York.

     Fifth:       That the number of Directors of said corporation shall be five.

     Sixth:      That the names and places of residence of the persons to be the directors of said Corporation until its firth annual meeting are:

JOSEPH ROTHMAN                      178 Chrystie Street, N.Y. City

MORRIS SCHREIBMAN               30 Orchard Street, N.Y. City

LEO NATHANSON                        341 E. 82nd Street, N.Y. City

MYER MYERS                               41-43 E. 7th Street, N.Y. City

HARRY SIMON                              232 Bergen Street, Brooklyn,

     Seventh:  That the annual meeting of said Corporation shall be held on the first Tuesday of October in each and every year.

                     IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, we have made and signed this this Certificate in duplicate and have hereunto set our hands and affixed our respective seals this 29th day of April 1911.

/s/ Myers Myers

/s/ Joseph Rothman

/s/ Morris Schreibman

/s/ Harry Simon

/s/ Leo Nathanson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty five years later, only Myer Myers (my great grandmother Sarah Myers Morris' brother) and Joseph Rothman were still listed as members of the landsmanshaft.[1] And both Myer and Joseph were the only members of the original directors who are buried in any of the three FLPBA burial plots in New York.[2]

Notes:  

1. "First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association, 25th Anniversary," photocopy of original booklet; original in possession of family of Julius Reitman, Massachusetts. 

2. All three plots (two at Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, NY and one at Beth Moses Cemetery, Pinelawn, NY) have been phtographed by the author. All three may be accessed online via the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry.