27 December 2016

Tombstone Tuesday: Clara Rogel Eisenberg, Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York

Those who have been following this blog know that I have been using my Tombstone Tuesday posts to document gravestones I recorded at the three First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association (landsmanshaft) burial plots in Montefiore (2 plots) and Beth Moses (1 plot) Cemeteries in New York.[1] The fun (and useful part) of all this is reconstituting families via analysis of records. Clara Eisenberg's gravestone is a great example.

The inscription on this stone is difficult to see. The third line indicates she was 

Chaye bat Mosche

The English text says:


My Beloved
Mother
CLARA
EISENBERG
Died Oct. 16, 1916
Age 33 years

I did not realize until starting record collection and analysis for this post that I already had several of the available records about Clara. Her maiden name was Rogel and I had previously documented two of her brothers, Abraham Rogel and Samuel Rogel, in Tombstone Tuesday posts. I had also discussed Samuel here (and had mentioned Chaye/Clara in that post).

Montefiore Cemetery indexed this grave as Clara Isenberg. That is likely in error. Her marriage certificate, the 1915 New York State Census and her indexed death certificate all recorded her married surname as Eisenberg.[2] 

Chaje Rogel was born in Polonnoye to Mosche Rogel and "Beckie" (perhaps originally Rivka) Beitch. Polonnoye is a larger community about 10 miles northeast of Labun. She traveled to New York from Rotterdam with her brother, Schmiel (Samuel), via the S.S. Potsdam. They arrived on 10 January 1911.[3] In addition to Sam, Clara had at least two other brothers: Abraham Rogel and Nathan Rogol (note that they adopted two slightly different spellings for their official documents in the United States).[4]

Chaje became Clara and married Max Eisenberg on 6 August 1914 at City Hall. They lived at 8 Saint Mark's Place in Manhattan - the same building where her three brothers resided in 1910 and where she, her husband and her brother Samuel were enumerated in the 1915 New York State census.

She passed away on 14 October 1916. The 16 October date on the stone and in Montefiore Cemetery's index was likely the burial date.

There is conflicting information regarding Clara's year of birth.
Her gravestone indicates 33 (born about ca. 1883).  

Her indexed death certificate shows she was 32 at death (b. ca. 1884). 

She was, apparently, a few years older than her husband, Max. How much older is unknown. The 1915 New York State census recorded her age as 30. Max was recorded as 24.

Her marriage certificate indicated she was 25 (b. ca. 1888). Max was 23.

The S.S. Potsdam's passenger manifest showed her as 19 years old (b. ca. 1890). 
The text, "My beloved Mother," on the stone is interesting.  This would indicate that Clara had a child. I have located no documents indicating that she had a child. There is no child with Max and Clara in the 1915 census. Birth record indexes for New York City are currently available only through 1909. So, if she and Max had a child, its birth record would not be easy to locate. 

The other interesting aspect of that text is that no husband is indicated. Usually, if there were surviving children and a spouse, the text would say something like, "Our beloved wife and mother." I have not found a death record for Max. New York City divorce records are closed for, I believe, 100 years and have not been indexed.

It may be that she had a child from a prior marriage. The certificate for her marriage with Max Eisenberg indicated that this was a first marriage for each. Of course, that may have been in error. No other marriage certificate for Clara has been located.

Clara is the only Eisenberg/Isenberg in the First Lubiner plots.

Clara was interred in the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association plot in Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York, block 89, gate 156W, line 3L, grave 2. 

Notes:
1. I am indebted to Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers for proposing the Tombstone Tuesday theme for blogging.
2. New York County, New York, marriage certificate no. 20253 (6 August 1914), Max Eisenberg and Klara Rogel; Municipal Archives, New York City.
   1915 New York State census, New York County, New York, enumeration of inhabitants, assembly district 3, election district 20, p. 37, Max and Clara Eisenberg family; images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 December 2016); citing New York State Archives, Albany.
   New York County, New York, death certificate no. 29488 (14 October 1916), Clara Eisenberg; index, "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 26 December 2016); citing Municipal Archives, New York City. I will acquire a copy of the original record in January, 2017.
3. Manifest, S.S. Potsdam, 10 January 1911, list 3 [stamped], line 27, Chaje Ragol, age 19; images, "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2015).
4. Graves for Nathan Rogol (d. 1955) and his wife Kate may be in New Montefiore Cemetery.

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