Treasure Chest Thursday: Burglar Suspects Nabbed by Sleuths

BURGLAR SUSPECTS

  NABBED BY SLEUTHS[1]

__________

Detectives Trail Two Men on

Street and Capture Them

in Woman's House.

_________

HAD BUNCH OF SIXTY KEYS.

__________

Mrs. Anna Liebross Says They

Tried to Rob Her.

_____

    Detectives Chas. Byer and James McCormick were on the steps of the Gates avenue police station yesterday afternoon, when they saw two young men pass by.

    "Those birds don't look good to me; let's follow them," remarked Byers.

    Trailing the men for eight blocks, they noticed them peering into standing automobiles, as though looking for valuables.

    The sleuths them saw them mount the steps of a private house at 280 Stuyvesant avenue and ring the bell. There was no response to the ring and the suspects took keys from their pockets, the detectives say, and entered the house, leaving the door open behind them. Byer and McCormick followed and secreted themselves in the hallway. They watched the two men make their way to the second floor of the house and soon heard the jingling of keys.

    "Help! Police!" came a woman's voice. Downstairs dashed the two men and the detectives seized them. They took them to the woman upstairs, Mrs. Anna Liebross, who identified them and said that they had tried to rob her.

    The men described themselves as Joseph Schmitt, 24 years old, a laborer, of 47 Herbert street, Maspeth, and Anthony Evans, 21, a driver, of 226 Manhattan avenue. The detectives searched the prisoners and say that they found sixty keys attached to a leather strap. On Schmitt, it is said,were found thirty-one pawn tickets for clothing and household articles pledged in various Brooklyn pawnshops under the names of "Jones" and "Cohen."

    The men will be taken before Magistrate McGuire to-day in Gates avenue police court on charges of attempted burglary. 

 _______________________________

This 27 November 1920 publication is the second time I've located a newspaper article with one of my relatives as victim of a criminal. Anna Liebross was, at the time, the wife Max. Their address at 280 Stuyvesant Avenue, Brooklyn, would have been across the street from his parents and siblings at 291 Stuyvesant Avenue. [2] When this event occurred, they had three children: Rose, Harold and Gertrude. In 1923 they would have a fourth: Morris. Sometime after that, Max left his family. Daughter Rose died in 1928. [3]

Reading this article and knowing the difficult life that Anna lived, I am relieved that the thieves were caught so quickly and without further incident.

Note:

1. The Standard Union (Brooklyn, NY), 27 November 1920, page 6, column 7; digital images, Old Fulton, New York Postcards (http://www.fultonhistory.com: accessed 8 January 2013).   
2. 1920 U.S. Census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn, Enumeration District 294, sheet 13A, dwelling 173, family 271, Louis Liebross; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 January 2012).
3. Kings County, New York, Certificate of Death no. 16457 (31 July 1928), Rose Liebross, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.  

Tombstone Tuesday: Harry & Gertie Liebross

Harry Ira and Gertrude Bohrer Liebross headstone, Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Queens, New York, Block U, Section 4, Line 8, Graves 14 and 13, Plot owned by Beth Talmud Torah of Brooklyn.

Here lies

Yisrael Hirsch son of Eliezer

HARRY IRA

 BELOVED HUSBAND

DEAR FATHER

AND GRANDFATHER

 NOV. 14, 1893

SEPT. 18, 1956

Here lies

 Gitl daughter of Aharon Zise

GERTRUDE

BELOVED WIFE

DEVOTED MOTHER

DEAREST GRANDMOTHER

June 13, 1906

June 7, 1972

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

Harry Liebross was the fifth child and third son of Louis and Bertha Liebross and was born about 1893 in Radautz, Austrian Empire (today Radauti, Romania) and came to the United States in 1898 on the Britannic from Liverpool with his mother and seven brothers and sisters. [1] His father had emigrated six months earlier. [2]

Gertrude Bohrer, daughter of Harry and Minnie Sokoloff Bohrer, was born in New York City. She and Harry Liebross married in Brooklyn on 25 June 1927.[3] They had five children: Marilyn, Cecile, Louise, Bertram and Stephen.

They are buried in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Queens, New York in the Beth Talmud Torah plot, Block U, Section 4, Line 8, Graves 14 and 13.  

Notes:
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 May 2009), manifest, Britannic, Liverpool to New York, arriving 1 July 1898, Libros, citing National Archives Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 25; Lines: 20-28; Page Number: 2.

2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 September 2009), manifest, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, Bremen to New York, arriving 23 December 1897, Leiser Lebros, citing National Archives Microfilm Roll: 11; Line: 4; Page Number: 107.
3. Kings County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage number 8883 (25 June 1927), Harry Liebross and Gertrude Bohrer, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

Treasure Chest Thursday: The Liebross Family Circle

For many years the Liebross and Ett families held Family Circle meetings in Brooklyn, New York. The following article was found in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of Wednesday, 22 June 1938. [1]

 

FAMILY CIRCLE PARTY

     The Louis and Bertha Liebross Family Circle, 31 Colin Place, will hold a strawberry festival in the Galleon Grill Room of the Half Moon Hotel this evening.[2]

     The chairman of the committee is Mrs. Tillie Wilson, who is being assisted by Mrs. Sarah Cohn, Mrs. Bessie Ett, J.J. Liebross and Miss Cele Liebross.

     The president of the organization is Mrs. Sarah Cohn; vice president, Irving Liebross; treasurer, Jack Wilson, and recording secretary, Max Rappaport.

The Family Circle was essentially a social organization for cousins who were descendants of two sisters: Bertha Wenkert Liebross and Perl Wenkert Ett.

Tillie Wilson was Louis and Bertha Liebross' eldest daughter. "Jack" Wilson was actually Joe Wilson, Tillie's husband. J.J. Liebross (Jerry), "Cele" (Celia) and Irving were also Louis the Bertha's children.

Sarah Cohn was the daughter of Perl Ett. Mrs. Bessie Ett was married to Perl's son David Ett. Max Rappaport was of the younger generation. He was the grandson of Perl Ett and the son of Perl's daughter, Chaitza (also known as Clara) and Chaim (aka Adolph) Rappaport.

Note:
1. The Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York), Wednesday, 22 June 1938, page 9, column 8; digital images, Old Fulton, New York Postcards (http://www.fultonhistory.com: accessed 18 March 2010).
2. The half Moon Hotel was a 14 story building that opened at Coney Island in 1927.One may read about it in the Ephemeral New York blog and in this article from the New York Times.

Tombstone Tuesday: Sidney Liebross

DEAR SON

Here lies

Asher Zelig son of Eliezer

Died  3 Av 5692

SIDNEY

LIEBROSS 

DIED

AUG 5, 1932

AGE 40 YRS 
MY BELOVED
HUSBAND 

Sidney Liebross, the fourth child and second son of Louis and Bertha Liebross, was born 2 February 1890 in Radautz, Austrian Empire (today Radauti, Romania) and came to the United States in 1898 on the Britannic from Liverpool with his mother and seven brothers and sisters. [1] His father had emigrated six months earlier. [2]

He is buried in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Queens, New York in the Workmen's Circle plot, Block WC, Section D, Line 18, Grave 4.  

Sidney was a men's hat salesman. In about 1926, Sidney married May Weinberg.[3]  They had no children.

Sidney died young after short illness. His death certificate reports a lung abscess.[4] After Sidney died, May married Leonard Safron. She died in 1974.[5]

Notes:
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 May 2009), manifest, Britannic, Liverpool to New York, arriving 1 July 1898, Libros, citing National Archives Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 25; Lines: 20-28; Page Number: 2.

2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 September 2009), manifest, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, Bremen to New York, arriving 23 December 1897, Leiser Lebros, citing National Archives Microfilm Roll: 11; Line: 4; Page Number: 107.
3. I have not found a marriage certificate for May and Sidney. However, the 1930 U.S. Census indicates that they'd married about four years earlier. The 1925 New York State Census shows Sidney still living with his parents.
1940 U.S. Census, Kings County, New York, Population Schedules, Brooklyn, Enumeration District 24-1406, sheet 1B, family 19 (Irving Greenspan, brother-in-law), Sidney Liebross, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 July 2008).
1925 New York State Census, Kings County, New York, Enumeration of Inhabitants, Brooklyn, Enumeration District 11, Assembly District 5, page 4, House Number 291 Stuyvesant, Sidney Liebross, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2013).

4. New York City Department of Health, Standard Certificate of Death 16139 (5 August 1932), Boroughof Brooklyn, Sidney Liebross; New York City Municipal Archives, New York.
5. "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JKR4-SJ8 : accessed 19 Feb 2013), May Safron, October 1974; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

JRI-Poland and PSA: A marriage made in Jewish genealogy heaven

This is huge! We had some inklings a few weeks ago that Stanley Diamond, Executive Director of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, and his colleagues were closing in on a new agreement between JRI-Poland and the Polish State Archives. They'd been in discussions for several years to re-establish the partnership they'd once enjoyed for indexing and accessing Jewish Records in the Polish archives. 

Now comes the announcement that the agreement was signed Friday, 15 February 2013. Not only will more records be available for indexing by JRI-Poland, but access to copies of the original records will be streamlined through a new Order processing System. Ultimately (and this is great not just for Jewish genealogists, but for all researchers interested in Polish genealogy),  PSA will digitize all vital records in all branches of the State Archives and make them available online. I hope this will serve as a model to get archives in neighboring countries to see the value of this endeavor!

What follows is the news release from JRI-Poland.

Polish State Archives and Jewish Records Indexing - Poland sign
historic agreement providing expanded access to Jewish records in Poland Bethesda, Maryland and Warsaw, Poland, February 15, 2013

Today the Polish State Archives (PSA) and Jewish Records Indexing - Poland (JRI-Poland) entered into a new multi-year agreement to expand access to Jewish records.

PSA General Director, Professor Władysław Stępniak observed: "The signing of this agreement will open a new phase in the cooperation between JRI-Poland and State Archives in Poland. I am convinced that the results of our mutual efforts will be helpful for many people interested in centuries-old Polish-Jewish relations, shared history and family history research."

JRI-Poland’s searchable online database of records from more than 550 towns is the starting point in Jewish family history research in Poland. The database of records going back to the late 18th century belies the misleading notion that Jewish records of Poland were destroyed in World War II.

The agreement will enable JRI-Poland to rapidly expand its current online database of indices to five million records, the largest database of Jewish vital records online. Indices to more than one million additional records are expected to become available within a year and will dovetail with the opening in Warsaw of the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

In a statement reflecting the strong significance of these records and their importance to family historians around the world, the PSA announced that they are beginning a massive effort to digitize all vital records in their more than 30 Regional Archives. These will be available — free — on their National Digital Archives and Regional Archive websites.

JRI-Poland will serve the research community and PSA by linking its search results to the PSA’s digital images of the Jewish records. As a result of the massive indexing undertaken by JRI-Poland since 1995, the indices to Jewish records will form the bulk of all digital image linking on the PSA website. Thus, for the first time a non-profit organization will be linking its search results to vital record images provided by a European archives.

In addition, JRI-Poland and the PSA will institute a new Order Processing System to vastly simplify the process of obtaining copies of archival records. JRI-Poland will have the administrative responsibility for processing orders for records from branches of the Polish State Archives. Researchers will be able to place orders by clicking on record index entries of interest in the JRI-Poland search results and paying by credit card via the JRI-Poland website. The Order Processing System will eventually be phased out as digitized records become available online.

The JRI-Poland database and volunteers have been instrumental in reuniting families separated by the Holocaust and helping hidden children find their identities. JRI-Poland has been recognized by the medical and scientific communities for the potential assistance to Ashkenazic families trying to trace medical histories, particularly those at increased risk for hereditary conditions and diseases. As a result of statistical analyses indicating a high incidence of medical and genetic abnormalities in individuals of Polish-Jewish descent, JRI - Poland serves as a finding aid for those who may need answers to medical-related questions or require bone marrow or other transplants. Because of this, JRI-Poland has received commendations from the Gift of Life Foundation and the National Marrow Donor Program.

Founded in 1995, JRI-Poland was an outgrowth of Executive Director and Montrealer Stanley Diamond's need for access to Jewish vital records of the former Łomża Gubernia area of Poland for research into his family’s genetic history. JRI-Poland is run by a global board, aided by hundreds of volunteers and serving thousands of researchers, funded by groups and private genealogists around the world.

For further information, please contact:

Stanley Diamond
smsdiamond@aol.com

Please visit: 

www.jri-poland.org  and  www.archiwa.gov.pl/en/news.html

Chelyabinsk: More than Lightning Struck

It's not often I awake to a disaster in a remote portion of the former Soviet Union and nod knowingly: I know that place. In fact, I'd have to say not only is it not often, it's never before happened! Today's newspapers tell of the interesting meteor fireball sighting near Chelyabinsk, Russia. Now they're cleaning up. Chelyabinsk also happens to have been the place to which some of my Garber relatives were evacuated in advance of the Nazis taking their shtetl in Ukraine in 1941. And, in fact, I still have relatives in the vicinity. Before I started my family history research about five years ago, I didn't know that.

Base map from Google Maps, 15 February 2013

My grandfather Jack (Jacob) Garber had two sisters who chose not to leave the Russian Empire (later the USSR) when they had the chance: Perl and Sura (Sarah). They lived in their family's town Labun (in Yiddish known as Lubin and today in Ukraine called Yurovshchina, Khmelnytskyy, Ukraine). Perl Garber Zabarsky and three of her four children perished at the hands of Nazis and their sympathizers in 1941. Sarah Garber Giller and her family were more fortunate.

Sarah Giller, about 1912

Sarah (ca. 1892 - 1960) had married Zalman Giller (ca. 1893 - 1972) and had three sons: Simon (1923 - 1994), Efim (1926 - 2001) and Vladimir (1928-2000). Sometime before 1941 they had moved to Starokostyantyniv, a larger town 20 miles (32 kilometers) SSW of Labun. I have not yet learned all the details, but when it became clear that the Germans were closing in on the communities in the area, the Soviets began a concerted effort to evacuate residents. In June of 1941, Sarah, Zalman and their children were moved to Troitsk, Chelyabinsk, USSR, 1714 miles (2758 kms) ENE of Labun, well into the Soviet interior and just north of the border with today's  Kazakhstan. After the war they decided not to return to Ukraine and resided in Chelyabinsk until their deaths. Most of their families still live there. One grandson and his family moved to Israel.

I've sent an email to my Israeli cousins asking if everyone is unscathed. I haven't heard back yet. But, it's nice to know my family history work has expanded my horizons and made remote geography more meaningful.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Liebross Family Manifest

"New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 May 2009), manifest, Britannic, Liverpool to New York, arriving 1 July 1898, Libros, citing National Archives Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 25; Lines: 20-28; Page Number: 2.

Early on in my family history work (circa B.A., i.e., Before I had an Ancestry subscription), it was this record that made me start to think that one must have a knack for success at this genealogy stuff. Liebross is one of those surnames that make genealogists salivate: it's unusual. But, it's also been spelled every which way and can be a challenge to find.[1] As I struggled through the Ellis Island database seeking Liebross, I started to get creative. I tried several variations and then "Libros." Bingo!

It looked like the bugs got there before the microfilm photographer. There were no longer any first names on this portion of the manifest.

Surname: Libros
Ages: 30, 10, 9, 8, 7, and 5. It was clear there had been more children listed, but that portion of the page was gone.
Nationality: Galicia
Last Residence: Radautz 
Final Destination: New York
Person who paid for their tickets: husband
Relative would they join in the USA: Husband (and father) Leiser Libros, New York

I knew there had been 8 children in the Leiser and Breindel Liebross family. Only 5 were visible. The 10 year old was about the correct age to be the oldest child, my grandmother Tillie. But this was no easy call. Yes, it looked right, but considering the paucity if information, one could not be certain.

About a  year later I was able to confirm that this record did, indeed, record the arrival of Bertha (Breindel) Leibross and her children. Lucky for us, they'd started their trans-Atlantic voyage from Liverpool. Find My Past held two images of manifest pages for the Britannic kept in the United Kingdom. All the family except the youngest child, Irving (listed on another page of the manifest as Isaac) were on one page with names and ages listed. [2] [3]

Breindel Libross, Tovi, Regina, Marcus, Sigmunt, Hermann, Janos, Zila

Breindel (30), Tovi (10), Regina (9), Marcus (8), Sigmunt (7), Hermann (5) Janos (3), Zila (4)

It is an interesting list, however, since it is the only indication we have, thus far, of the names that they went by in Radautz when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The main language in Bucovina area at that time was German. Breindel became Bertha in the United States; Tovi - Tillie; Regina - Rose; Marcus - Max; Sigmunt - Sidney; Hermann - Harry; Janos - Joseph Jerome; and Zila - Celia. Isaac became Irving.

One other interesting note: the family was processed for immigration at the Barge Office, not Ellis Island. On 15 June 1897, the buildings at Ellis Island suffered a devastating fire. The old Barge Office (which had been used for a short time previously as an immigrant processing center) was pressed into service until Ellis Island was reopened 0n 19 December 1900.

Notes:
1. Over the years of research I've located 24 different spellings of the name. 
2. The UK, at that time did not require the same depth of information on their manifests that the United States did. The British pretty much listed names and ages and not much else. But, in this case, it was all I needed! 
3. "Passenger List Leaving the UK, 1890-1960," digital images, FindMyPast.com (http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 1 January 2009), manifest, Britannic, Liverpool to New York, departing 22 June 1898, Breindel, Tovi, Regina, Marsus, Sigmunt, Hermann, Janos, and Zila Liebross, citing The National Archives, London England; page 2, ticket number 24282.
"Passenger List Leaving the UK, 1890-1960," digital images, FindMyPast.com (http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 1 January 2009), manifest, Britannic, Liverpool to New York, departing 22 June 1898, Isaac Liebross, citing The National Archives, London England; page 3, ticket number 17724. 

When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Valentine's Day Edition

Since it's Valentine's Day and I just received a copy of my parents marriage license application in the mail yesterday, thought I'd post it.

Certificate of Marriage Registration, The City of New York, Office of the City Clerk, Marriage License Bureau. Marriage License for Bernard Garber and Norma C. Wilson, Number 2040, Recorded 25 January 1947.

	From the Groom	From the Bride
Full name	Bernard Garber	Norma C. Wilson
Color	W	W
Place of residence	2595 Ocean Ave.   Bklyn.	31 Colin Pl.   Bklyn.
Age	28     1/18/19	25    4/6/21
Occupation	Business	Bookkeeper
Place of birth	N.Y.C.	Brooklyn, NY
Full name of father	Jacob	Joseph
Country of birth of father	Ukrainia	Russia
Full maiden name of mother	Dora Morris	Tille [sic] Liebross
Country of birth of mother	Ukrainia	Austria
How many times have you been married	None	None

I, Solomon Marwit, Rabbi residing at 333 West 57 Street in the county of New york and the State of New York, do hereby certify that I did on this 9 day of February in the year A.D. 1947 ay 1230 P.M. at Siegel's Restaurant West 38th St. in the county of New York and the State of New York, solemnize the rites of matrimony between Bernard Garber of 2595 Ocean Ave. in the county of Kings and State of New York, and Norma C. Wilson of 31 Colin Place in the county of Kings and the State of New York in the presence of Erwin Siskind and Louis Cohen [sic] as witness and the license therefor is hereto annexed.

Witness my hand at 333 West 57 St. in the county of Nee York this 9 day of February A.D. 1947.

In presence of     Erwin Siskind                                               Solomon Marwit
                              (Signature of Witness)                            (Signature of Person Performing Ceremony)
Residence   14 Billings Place, B'klyn, N.Y.                          333 West 57 Street 

                               Louis Cohn
                                     (Signature of Witness)
Residence   949 East 12 St Brooklyn


The Rabbi performing the ceremony was Rabbi and Cantor Solomon Marwit who was married to my maternal grandfather's sister, Esther Wilson Marwit.

The witnesses were Erwin Siskind and Louis Cohn. Siskind, was the husband of my mother's good friend Rosella Mass Siskind. Louis Cohn was a relative of my mother's. He was married to my maternal grandmother Tillie's first cousin Sarah Ett Cohn.

Other posts in this series:
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 1
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 2
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 3
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 4
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 5
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 6
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 7
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 8
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 9
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 10 
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 11
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 12

33rd IAJGS Conference Keynote Speaker: Dumpster-Diving Genius

Well, if one wasn't excited before about the 2013 International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference in Boston (August 4-9, 2013), one ought to be now. The keynote speaker will be MacArthur Foundation Fellow (aka the genius award) Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.

While a college student in the 1970s, Aaron became interested in learning Yiddish and in studying Jewish culture. He found, however, that many of the Yiddish language books he sought were out of print. As he and friends scoured resources to locate Yiddish literature he found that many personal Yiddish libraries were in danger. Those who could read Yiddish were dying out and their books were too often relegated to the trash bin.

The story of his developing mono-mania (trying to friends and relations) to rescue Yiddish books is entertainingly told in his book Outwitting History.* The invaluable byproduct of his quest has been a growing appreciation of Yiddishkeit (Jewishness or Jewish culture) that he ably shares with us in his book. He started his work, more than 30 years ago, at a time when many native Yiddish speakers were still with us. He developed lasting friendships with fascinating people for whom Yiddish was central.

Today, the non-profit Yiddish Book Center houses more than one million Yiddish books. But they are more than just a book warehouse. Their overall goal is to find ways to share Yiddish language content and culture. Their Steven Spielberg Digital Yiddish Library (in coordination with the Internet Archive) allows online access to more than 11,000 titles, searchable in Latin or Hebrew/Yiddish characters. Their blog regularly posts news about newly digitized texts. To keep Yiddish literature accessible, they are translating many books into English. They are conserving and preserving Yiddishkeit with oral recordings and histories. 

I will be excited to hear Aaron speak at the IAJGS Jewish Genealogy Conference in Boston. I highly recommend Aaron's book. It's an easy read and a wonderful chronicle of how a great idea may take over ones life. For Aaron, and all of us, thank goodness it did. It's amazing what one may find in a dumpster.

* Lansky, Aaron. Outwitting History. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2005.

Tombstone Tuesday: Max Liebross

Max Liebross grave stone, Mount Richmond Cemetery, Staten Island, New York, Grave 34, Row 6, Section 3-36, Hebrew Free Burial Association, photograph acquired by author on 19 January 2009

Here lies
MAX LIEBROSS

1889 - 1959

May his soul be bound in the bonds of the living

Gambling may have been Max Liebross' downfall, but it was a gamble that led me to his grave. Max was, unfortunately, the Black Sheep of the family. He'd married, had four children and then left his wife and his children to fend for themselves. He'd come around to his brothers and sisters asking for money. Ultimately, those who were left wanted nothing to do with him. The family was close-mouthed about him and his troubles. One unconfirmed thought is that he had a problem with gambling.

So, when I contacted Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in 2008 and found that he was not among the Liebrosses buried there, I was unsure of where to look. I tried the online indices at several New York Jewish cemeteries, but did not find his grave. I thought about New York City's potter's field: Hart Island. But then I recalled that Jewish people in New York City have their own organization for handling burials for the indigent and those who cannot afford burial: the Hebrew Free Burial Association.

They were the only other cemetery I contacted, and they answered in the affirmative: Max Liebross was buried in their Mount Richmond Cemetery on Staten Island. I asked them to take a photograph of his stone, they did, and I sent them a donation.

Max Liebross was the third child and the eldest son of Louis and Bertha Liebross. He was born about 1889 in Radautz, Austro-Hungarian Empire (today Radauti, Romania).

When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: 66th Wedding Anniversary

Norma Wilson Garber and Bernard (Sonny) Garber

My parents were married on 9 February 1947 - 66 years ago. Unfortunately, I do not, right now, have their wedding photograph. So, I've scanned one from about 30 years later.

Their wedding and the celebration at a restaurant was somewhat small due to the fact that my mother's aunt Celia Liebross had passed away just a couple of  months before.[1] During the twelve months after a family death, Judaism proscribes celebrations for those in mourning. Thus, Norma and Bernie's party was kept to a minimum.

By the time my parents reached their 50th wedding anniversary, they really didn't want for anything. In an inspired moment, I had medals made for them for surviving all those years together. Truth be told they were well-suited for each other and their marriage did not require heroism or extraordinary bravery in the face of adversity. They absolutely loved the medals and wore them proudly as we feted them at a restaurant.

Notes: 
1. New York County, New York, Certificate of Death, number 26589 (16 December 1946), Celia Liebross, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

Other posts in this series:
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 1
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 2
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 3
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 4
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 5
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 6
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 7
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 8
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 9
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 10 
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 11
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 12

When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 12

When my father died in 2002 and my mother began her precipitous decline (dying eight months later) my brother and I began the arduous task of cleaning out the house. In my mother's dresser drawer I found a packet of twelve envelopes containing letters my father had sent her during their courtship. The letters are sweet and humorous, completely reminiscent of my father's personality. They are a wonderful chronicle of the beginning of their enduring love-affair.

In honor of what would be my parents 66th anniversary on February 9th, I will be posting a letter each day along with an annotated transcription adding additional insights and explication.

____________________________

August 29, 1945

Dear Norma,

    I had just made up my mind that if I didn't get a letter today I would take you over my knee and warm the seat of your pants. Luckily for you, a letter came this morning, and you were spared. Boy, am I rough and tough, g-r-r-r-r.

    I had heard that my cousin had returned to the states but your letter was the first one telling me that he was home.  [1] If you know Herbie Auerbach you surely must know Irving as they were both in class night. [2] Did he tell you about his exploits overseas and how he won the war single handed. He was always very modest so I am sure he didn't. He was never very aggressive with women or has he changed?

    I am sorry to hear that Skippy is sick. [3] I'll bet you have your handsful [sic] taking care of him. 

    That block party sounds like a swell idea. I'll bet you will have lots of fun. Don't get all beered up you old sot.

    As far as getting a pass I don't think I'll need one. I will be home, a full fledged civilian by that time. Today, I went through the necessary processing to clear this field. I had a medical and surprizingly [sic] enough, I passed. I had my clothing checked again and tomorrow I shall have my records checked. That will prepare me for Camp Dix. [4] I don't expect to stay at Dix more that forty-eight hours and I should be home by Tuesday of next week, at the latest, unless I run into a snag. [5]

    The weather here has been rather warm. As I sit here and write the sweat is pouring off me. The radio says that the weather at home has been very poor and cold. It gets a little chilly in the evening and that only helps sleep.

    I saw George Raft in "Johnny Angel" last night. It was all right and it passed the evening. My idea of a perfect picture would be to get all the screen tough guys together and let them fight it out. Can you just picture Alan Hale, George Raft, Humphrey Bogart and a few others, all together. [6] Boy, what a brawl and all the blood running down the street, hubba, hubba.

    I guess that about brings me up to date. I don't think it would be advisable for you to answer this as I won't be here to receive it. Just try to think of me once in a while. I'll be seeing you.

                                                                                                       Love

                                                                           

                                                                                                       Sonny

Notes:

1. Irving Garber (1920-2000), son of Nathan and Yetta Garber (see here and here), served in the Army Air Corps, as well. Like my mother Norma, he attended Lincoln High School. She was acquainted with him.

2. Herbert Auerbach (1919-1968), son of Martin and Jeanette Auerbach, was a long-time good friend of my father's. Later in life, after both he and my father were married with children, he and his wife Sylvia lived just a few miles from my family on Long Island. He died suddenly and too young, leaving his wife and three children.
3. My mother had at least two dogs during her youth. I know she, at one point, had Bruno the St. Bernard (named after the dog in Gone With the Wind). She also had another one (perhaps Skippy), a wire-haired terrier prone to running outside and rolling in mud puddles immediately after he'd been bathed.
4. Camp Dix (aka Fort Dix) near Trenton, New Jersey is about 75 miles from Brooklyn, New York. Much closer to home than Langley, Virginia.
5. No snag, apparently. Bernard Garber was honorably discharged from the Army Air Corps at the Personnel Center at Fort Dix, New Jersey on 3 September 1945. 
Final Payment Roll, Attached Unassigned Separation Center 1262d SCU Personnel Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey, Voucher no. 78261, 3 September 1945, identifying several soldiers including Bernard Garber. National Personnel Records Center, St Louis, Missouri.
6. Actually, they'd already made a movie together: They Drive by Night (1940).

Other posts in this series:
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 1
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 2
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 3
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 4
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 5
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 6

When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 7
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 8
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 9
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 10 
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: Courtship Letters, 11
When Bernie (Sonny) met Norma: 66th Wedding Anniversary