Treasure Chest Thursday: Marriage of Evelyn Myers and Boris Paull

Evelyn Myers, the daughter of Myer and Yetta Myers, was born in New York City. Her parents and elder sister, Dorothy, were immigrants from Labun, Russian Empire.[1] Evelyn's father, Myer, was one of my great grandmother Sarah Myers Morris' brothers. So, Evelyn would have been my grandmother, Dora Moris Garber's first cousin (and my first cousin twice removed).

New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 11131 (26 April 1927). Boris Paull and Evelyn Myers, Municipal Archives, New York, New York.

Items in red will be discussed further, below.
 
[1st page]
Groom: Boris Paul
Residence: 925 57th St.
Age: 29
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: single
Occupation: salesman
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Peter
Mother's Maiden Name: Sophie Freedman
Number of Groom's Marriage: 5430

Bride: Evelyn Myers
Residence: 904 58th St.
Age: 19
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Meyer
Mother's Maiden Name: Yetta Fell
Number of Bride's Marriage: 5430

I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in Marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at 298 Madison St. NY, in the borough of [left blank], City of New York, this 26th of April, 1927.

Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                        /s/ Rabbi Yeor Lerner
Official Station: 63 Montgomery Ave
Residence: 298 Madison St., N.Y.C.

Witnesses to }  Harry Shapiro
the Marriage }  55 E. 11th St., N.Y.C.
 
[2nd page]  
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/ Boris Paull  Groom
                              /s/ Evelyn Myers Bride  
Signed in the presence of  /s/ Rabbi Yeor Lerner
                                                /s/  Vivienne H. Barg 

--------------------

There are several interesting errors in this certificate compared to information known from other records. For comparison purposes, I  located the marriage license application on microfilm at the New York City Municipal Archives. This is my transcription:

Kings County, New York, Affidavit for License to Marry no. 5430 (6 April 1927; marriage date 26 April 1927 [two marriage dates on form: 15 Apr and 26 Apr. Based upon what appears to be written on marriage certificate 11131, correct date is 26 Apr 1927), Boris Paull and Evelyn Myers; "Brooklyn Marriage Licenses 1927, 5,300-6,199," Municipal Archives, New York City, microfilm roll K1927-410 MN 36410; transcription made from microfilmed image.

The first issue is the marriage date. It is difficult to read the date on the marriage certificate. There are two online indices of New York City marriages: one on Ancestry.com and one on ItalianGen.org. Both indicate that Boris Paull and Evelyn Myers married on 15 April 1927. The marriage license shows two different dates. 15 April 1927 is noted in the upper right corner of the affidavit. 26 April 1927 is shown (twice) in the text, below, where Rabbi Lerner and the two witnesses signed. Based upon a comparison of the relatively unintelligible date on the marriage certificate and the date written in the body of the license, I believe that 26 April was the correct date.

Boris' surname is spelled incorrectly on the top of the marriage certificate. Boris consistently spelled his surname with two Ls. His signature on page two of the certificate includes two Ls. 

Boris was born in the Russian Empire. The license adds the additional information that he was born in "Kerson," Russia. This could have been the gubernia (province) or community of Kherson, located on the Black Sea. 

Neither the groom nor the bride has been married 5430 times (!). This is the number assigned to the application for the marriage license.

Evelyn Myers was born in New York City, not Russia. While I have not yet located her birth certificate, the 1906 emigration of her mother and older sister, and subsequent census records indicate birth in New York. Her family members have told me she was born on 9 October 1907.

Yeor Lerner had been rabbi in Labun. I've seen his first name spelled in other records as Yoer or Yaer. He became a immigrant on 11 March 1921 when he landed in New York City on the S.S. Cedric.[2] 

Harry Shapiro was Evelyn's brother-in-law, her sister Dorothy's husband. 

Notes:

1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 July 2009), manifest, Noordland, Antwerp to New York, arriving 9 April 1906, page A, line 05, Jette Meyers; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Microfilm Roll 689.

2. Yoer Lerner, Petition for Naturalization (1929), no. 161152, Southern District of New York; Records of the District Courts of the United States, record Group 21; National Archives - Northeast region, New York City.