My DNA Arboriculture

Commons.Wikimedia.org

Recently many genealogists have jumped on a bandwagon started by blogger J. Paul Hawthorn. He created a chart using Excel to show where ancestors on his family tree were born. Then some genealogists, including Lara Diamond, thought to show their Y-DNA (father's father's father, etc.) and mitochondrial DNA (mother's mother's mother, etc.) haplogroups. 

Using this tool for DNA results is a terrific way to see how well one has applied DNA testing to one's tree. It really shows where the holes are and gives one an idea which relatives to approach next for further testing. 

For my family, I had to remake the chart to take into account the fact that my paternal grandparents (Jacob Garber and Dora Morris) were first cousins. Jacob's mother and Dora's father were siblings.

Holes in the Chart:

Morris (Mazewitsky) Y-DNA: I have not pursued this line yet, but I do have more than one Morris male relative to approach.

Wilson (Wilensky) Y-DNA: Soon to be accomplished. My cousin (a Wilson male) has just sent in his cheek swab test to FamilyTree DNA. Yes!

Liebross Y-DNA: I have asked some of my Liebross male cousins to test and have not yet received a yes (sigh).

Hoda Epstein Mt-DNA: I know of only one person I could approach on this (I missed my chance to ask her late mother to test). Right now I do not think the daughter is interested.

The other blanks cannot be pursued, at this point, unless I determine some additional collateral relatives on my tree.

Tombstone Tuesday: Rebecca Lerner, Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York

Last week's Tombstone Tuesday post was about Rabbi Yoer Lerner, former Rabbi of Labun (Lubin). Today, we address his wife, Rebecca or Rivka.

Here lies

The rabbi's wife from the town of Labin

the modest and pleasant

Mrs. Rivka daughter of

Rabbi Chaim of blessed memory

Died

19th day in the month of Sivan

in the year 5689

May her soul be bound in the bonds of the living[1] 

The Hebrew calendar date corresponds to 27 June 1929 - the date shown on her death certificate.[2]  Her death certificate indicates that her rabbi father's last name was Gershfield. Her mother's name was not known to whomever was the informant for the certificate.

Yoer and Rebecca stayed in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. While I have located Yoer in a 1925 city directory at 3 Rutgers Place, Manhattan, I have not located the family in the 1925 New York State Census.[3] When Rebecca died, they had been living at 300 Madison Street. 

Rebecca's death certificate indicated she died at the age of 61; however, her passenger manifest from March 1924 showed her as 62.[4] So, the best we can say at this point was that she was born sometime between 1861 and 1868.

According to Yoer's petition for naturalization, he and Rebecca had nine children: Esther (born about 1887), Max (1893), Ita (1894), Yokheved (1898), Simkha (1900), Moishe (1902), Bobel (1903), Shia (1909),  and Khaim (1915).[5] At the time of Yoer's naturalization filed in November 1929, Max and Shia were in New York; Simkha, Moishe and Bobel were in Palestine; and Esther Balin (likely, Dolin), Ita Bosin, Yokheved and Khaim were still in the Soviet Union. 

Perhaps it was fortunate that Rebecca and Yoer died before World War II. They did not have to live with knowledge that several of their children were murdered. There are pages of testimony in the Yad Vashem database submitted by Khaim Dolin in 1992 for his mother Esther Dolin, and his aunts Ita Bosin and Yokheved Gelman.[6]

Rebecca was buried in the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association plot in Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York: block 89, gate 156N, line 3L, grave 5.

Notes:
1.  Special thanks to participants on Tracing the Tribe page on FaceBook: Elihu Romberg, Leah Cohen, Robin Meltzer and Esther Chanie Dushinsky. And thanks to Schelly Talalay Dardashti for all she does to maintain this useful resource.
2. New York County, New York, death certificate no. 17329 (27 June 1929), Rebecca Lerner; Municipal Archives, New York City.
3. R.L. Polk, compiler, Trow's New York City Directory, 1924-1915 (R.L. Polk Directory Co., 1924-1925), p. 1396, entry for Yera Lerner; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 March 2016)
4. Manifest, S.S. Cedric, 11 March 1924, stamped p. 7, lines 2 and 3, Fre and Rebeka Lerner, ages 61 and 62; images, "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 January 2012).
5. Yoer Lerner petition for naturalization (1929), naturalization file 61152, Southern District of New York; Record Group 21: Records of the District Court of the United States; National Archives - Northeast Region, New York City.
6. "Shoah Names Database," index and digital images, Yad Vashem (http://yvng.yadvashem.org/ : accessed 20 March 2016); search on name Lerner and community Labun.

Tombstone Tuesday: Rabbi Yoer Lerner, Montefiore Cemetery, NY

 Here lies

Rabbi Yoer

son of Rabbi Simkha

from the town of Lubin, Volin

Grandson of the author of Ohr Haganuz ["Hidden Light"]

died

28 Iyar 5695

May his soul be bound in the bonds of the living*

Rabbi Yoer Lerner was the religious leader of the community of Labun (Lubin in Yiddish), Volhynia Gubernia, Russian Empire. The First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association (the community association for Lubin immigrants in New York City) raised funds from their members to bring Rabbi Lerner, his wife Rivka and their youngest son to the United States. In a previous post, we read Julius Reitman's essay recollecting that effort.

Yoer, Rivka and 15 year old Syyza (who became Sam in the United States) arrived in New York from Liverpool on the S.S. Cedric on 11 March 1924.[1] They left behind Yoer and Rivka's daughter, Ester Balin. They reunited with their son, Max Lerner, who was living at 13 E. 101st Street in Manhattan.

Rebecca died in June 1929.[2] The 1930 census enumeration lists Yoer with Sam and a boarder living at 417 Grand Street.[3] Yoer is listed as a Hebrew school teacher and Sam, a cutter making ladies dresses.

Yoer died on 31 May 1935.[4] He was listed as married to Hinde. I have not located a marriage record for Yoer and Hinde.

Yoer was the child of Rabbi Simkha and Ite. Yoer's death certificate listed his age as 57 (i.e., born 15 January 1878). He was listed on his manifest as 61 in June 1924 (born ca. 1863). His naturalization petition indicates he was born 15 December 1863.[5] In the 1930 census he was listed as 65 (ca. 1865). So, the age on the death certificate seems to be an outlier and is likely incorrect.

Rabbi Lerner is buried in the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association plot in Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York, block 89, gate 156N, line 12L, grave 6.
Notes: 

* Special thanks to Tracing the Tribe FaceBook page participants Elihu Romberg, Hannah Newman, Leah Cohen, Robin Meltzer, Israel Pickholtz, Barbara Fox Ehrenberg, and Esther Chanie Dushinsky. Their translations and interpretations have been illuminating. Much of what they have shared and we have discussed on FaceBook will be fleshed out further in a future post.

1. Manifest, S.S. Cedric, 11 March 1924, stamped p. 7, lines 2 and 3, Fre and Rebeka Lerner, ages 61 and 62; images, "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 January 2012).
Szyza Lerner was listed on a separate manifest page: stamped p. 5, line 5, Szyza Lerner, age 15; accessed 3 September 2014. 
2. New York County, New York, death certificate no. 17329 (27 June 1929), Rebecca Lerner; Municipal Archives, New York City. 
3. 1930 U.S. Census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, enumeration district 31-1169, dwelling 14, family 148, Yor Lerner; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 January 2012).
4. New York County, New York, death certificate no, 12663 (31 May 1935). Yoer Lerner; Municipal Archives, New York City.
5. Yoer Lerner petition for naturalization (1929), naturalization file 61152, Southern District of New York; Record Group 21: Records of the District Court of the United States; National Archives - Northeast Region, New York City.