Treasure Chest Thursday: Isidore Morris World War I Draft Card

It took a while to locate this record. When at first I couldn't find it in either Ancestry's or FamilySearch's indices, I considered that, perhaps, my great grandfather, Isidore Morris, had been too old for World War I draft registration. My estimate of his birth year (1874) was just on the cusp of ineligibility. Isidore registered in the third registration of men eligible for the selective service during World War I.

The Selective Service Act of 18 May 1917 (P.L.65-12, 40 Stat. 76) authorized raising an army. Three draft registrations (and a supplemental one) ensued:

• 5 June 1917: all men between ages of 21-31 (born in years 1885 - 1896).

• 5 June 1918: all men who had turned 21 after 5 June 1917 (1885 - 1897)

• 24 August 1918: supplemental registration for all men be became 21 after 5 June 1918 (1885 - 1897)

• 12 September 1918: all men ages 18-45 (1873 - 1900)

It turns out Isidore's first name was just written incorrectly on the card as Ididore (and I do not know why, but when I query on surname Morris, born in Russia in 1874, his record does not come up among the results in FamilySearch).

"World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 August 2010), card for Ididore [Isidore] Morris , no. 3138, New York County Draft Board 160, citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917 - 1918, National Archives microfilm publication M1509; imaged from Family History Library microfilm roll 1,786,852.

Items in red text will be discussed further.

 

REGISTRATION CARD

SERIAL                                                            ORDER

NUMBER 3138                                               NUMBER A2381

1. Name: Ididore Morris

2. Permanent Home Address: 243 E. 105 New York, City

3. Age by Years: 44

4. Date of Birth: May 18, 1874

5. Race: White

14. Alien - Non-declarant

15. If not a citizen of the U.S., of what nation are you a citizen or subject? Russia

16. Present Occupation: glacier

17. Employer's Name: self

18. Place of employment of business: 239 E. 105 New York, N.Y.

19. Nearest Relative Name: Sarah Morris

20. Nearest Relative Address: 243 E. 105 N.Y. City

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

Registrant's signature or mark: /s/ I. Morris

Description of registrant

Height: tall

Build: medium

Color of eyes: black

Color of hair: black

Date of registration: 9 12 18

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

Isidore's first name is variably spelled on records as either Isidore and Isador (with or without the letter e at the end). So, I had not anticipated "Ididore." Of course, his name is the old country had been Yitzchak, so any spelling of the new name would do in the new country.

I have thus far been unsuccessful in determining whether Isidore ever became a citizen. If he did, he did so after his eldest daughter married on 12 August 1916. [1] She naturalized in August 1943.[2] At some point I may have to contact USCIS and have them search for me.

We genealogists always say that spelling does not count. In this case, I think it does. Since I do not think my great grandfather worked as a slow moving mass of ice, I believe that his occupation should have been written as "glazier."

Notes:

1. New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 19923 (12 August 1916), Jacob Garber and Dora Morris, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

2. Dora Garber Petition for Naturalization (1943), Volume 1354, petition number 378602, U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Brooklyn, New York.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Joe Wilson's WWI Draft Registration

I have very few relatives who served in the military during World War I. As far as I can tell, they all, in compliance with the law, registered for the draft. But, nearly all of them, apparently, had valid reasons not to serve (mostly involving being the sole source of support for family and parents), and most did not. My grandfather, Joseph Wilson, registered in on 5 June 1917. And did not serve.

"World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 March 2008), card for Joseph Wilson, no. 59, Bronx, New York; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509.

Items in red will be discussed further, below.

REGISTRATION CARD

No. 59

1. Name in full  Joseph Wilson

2. Home Address 2086 Vyse Ave N.Y. N.Y.

3. Date of birth  October 11, 1889

4. Are you (1) a natural-born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which)? 1

5. Where were you born?  Kazan Russia Russia

6. If not a citizen, of what nation are you a citizen or subject?  ------

7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office?  Salesman

8. By whom employed?  Empire Knitting Mfr

    Where employed?  10 Varet Bronx NY

9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or a brother under 12, solely dependent on your support (specify which)?  Father Mother Wife

10. Married or single (which)?  Married

    Race (specify which)? Caucasian

11. What military service have you had? Rank, branch, years, Nation or state  -------

12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?  Yes Dependant

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

/S/ Joseph Wilson      

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

31-9-15-A                                    REGISTRAR'S REPORT 

1. Tall, medium, or short (specify which)?  5 X 5

    Slender, medium, or stout (which)?  stout

2. Color of eyes  Blue

    Color of hair  Black

    Bald  No

3. Has person lost arm, leg, hand, foot, eye, or both eyes or is he otherwise disabled (specify)?  ----------

I certify that my answers are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows

/S/ HH Kutner        

Precinct  54 ED 34 AD
City or County  Bronx                                     June 5/17

State  NY

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

The 1 under item number 4 indicates that Joe was a natural-born citizen of the United States. Of course, the item immediately below (birth in Kazan, Russia) contradicts this information. In fact, Joe was a citizen by virtue of his father, Saul Wilson's naturalization. Saul was definitely naturalized - I have found his name on New York City voting lists.[1] But I have been unable to locate his naturalization papers, which likely were filed with a local court (in either Columbia, Albany or New York Counties) before 1906.

This WWI draft card was one of the first records I located confirming my grandfather's birth in Kazan, Russian Empire. The town is actually not the larger, more well-known city of Kazan in the interior of Russia, but a small village, close to the border with Lithuania, also known as Koziany in today's Belarus. At the time my grandfather and his parents and siblings left in the 1890s, Koziany was in the Vilna Gubernia of the Russian Empire.

I do not know what "5 X 5"means under the Tall, medium or short description on the second page. I suppose it could mean he was 5 feet, 5 inches tall - which might be about right.

Notes:
1. Board of Elections, City of New York, List of Enrolled Voters, Bronx Borough, Seventh Assembly District, 12th Election District, page 16, Saul Wilson and Hattie Wilson; Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 17 October 2013).

Treasure Chest Thursday: Sidney Liebross WWI Draft Registration Card

My mother was always proud of all the redheads in her Liebross family. My grandmother, Tillie, had red hair (auburn, actually) and, according to my mother, some of Tillie's brothers also had either red hair or beards. Unfortunately, without color photos or family recollections, it's not been possible to account for the redheads. Until now.

Of all the Liebross siblings (i.e., the brothers and sisters of my maternal grandmother Tillie Liebross Wilson) Sidney Liebross is the one about whom we know the least. He died young in 1932 and there is no one alive now who recalls him.[1]

Like all his brothers, he was of the age to register for the World War I draft.[2] As far as I know, he did not serve.

 

The items in red will be discussed further, below.

                                    Registration Card                 No. 229

1. Name in full: Sidney Liebross

2. Home address: 171 Melrose St., Brooklyn, New York 

3. Date of birth: Feb. 2, 1890

4. Are you (1) a natural born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared you intention (specify which)? Alien

5. Where were you born? Buckawiena, Austria

6. If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject? Austria

7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office? Salesman

8. By whom employed? Rosengarten Bros.

Where employed? 15 E. 26th St., NY City

9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent on you for support (specify which)? none

10. Married or single (which)? Single

Rec (specify which)? Caucasian

11. What military service have you had? None

12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify ground)? None

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.  /s/ Sidney Liebross

31-9-68-A                    Registrar's Report

1. Tall, medium, or short (specify which)? Tall

Slender, medium, or stout (which)? Medium

2. Color of eyes? Brown

Color of hair? Red

3. Has person lost arm, leg, hand, foot, eye, or both eyes or is he otherwise disabled (specify)? None

I certify that my answers are true, that the person has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows ------------

                                                                      /s/Alois Fisher

Precinct: 164

City of County: Kings

State: New York                                       June 5, 1917

The place of birth should be Bukovina, a region of what was then the Austrian Empire, but now in both southwestern Ukraine and Romania. Sidney and his siblings were born in Radautz (now Radauti in Romania).

According to the 1919 Trow's New York Copartnership and  Corporation Directory, Rosengarten Brothers was a store at 15 E. 26th Street that sold "cloaks."[3]     

Sidney is described as "tall." I suppose this was possible, but the Liebrosses are not known for height. Most were fairly short. So, I'm not sure if this was an accurate description.

And last, but not least, red hair.

Notes:

1. Kings County, New York, Certificate of Death no. 16139 (5 August 1932), Sidney Liebross, Municipal Archives, New York, New York.
2. "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-26583-12544-52?cc=1968530 : accessed 17 Apr 2014), New York > New York City no 68; A-Q > image 2773 of 3611; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d).  
3. Trow's New York Copartnership and Corporation Directory (New York: R.L. Polk & Co., 1919), page 990; digital image, Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 17 April 2014).

Treaure Chest Thursday: Jack Garber WWI Draft Registration Card

A recent review of my grandfather's World War I Draft Registration Card, one that I've had in a file for more than five years, surprised me. Oh, I'd seen the information before. But, it never made an impression. Item 9: Jacob Garber was financially supporting his wife, his mother and his father. 

"World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 May 2008), card for Jacob Garber, no. 277, Kings County Draft Board 80, citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917 - 1918, National Archives microfilm publication M1509; imaged from Family History Library microfilm roll 1,754,612.

Back in June 2012 I posted an article about my great grandmother Chana (Anna) Mazewitsky Garber. At that time I used birth dates of grandchildren, especially those whose names were clearly bestowed in memory of Chana, to postulate when she might have passed away in the Russian Empire. Now, here, with this draft card record, I have another independent source showing that on 5 June 1917, Chana was, likely, still alive.

REGISTRATION CARD

No. 277 

1. Name in full  Jacob Garber

2. Home Address  453 Williams Brooklyn NY

3. Date of birth  Dec 15 1893 [1]

4. Are you (1) a natural-born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which)?
Alien

5. Where were you born?  Lubin Voline Russia

6. If not a citizen, of what nation are you a citizen or subject?  Russia

7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office?  Glazier

8. By whom employed?  IM Meyers [2]

    Where employed?  66 - 6th Ave NY

9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or a brother under 12, solely dependent on your support (specify which)?  Wife & Mother & Father

10. Married or single (which)?  Married

    Race (specify which)? Cauc.

11. What military service have you had? Rank, branch, years, Nation or state  [blank]

12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?  Support of Family

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

/S/ Jacob Garber        

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

31-9-80-A                   REGISTRAR'S REPORT 

1. Tall, medium, or short (specify which)?  Tall

    Slender, medium, or stout (which)?  Med

2. Color of eyes  Gray

    Color of hair  Black

    Bald  No

3. Has person lost arm, leg, hand, foot, eye, or both eyes or is he otherwise disabled (specify)?  No

I certify that my answers are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows

/S/ Robert Weine        

Precinct  55 ED  22 AD
City or County  Kings                                      6/5/17

State  NY

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

Now, of course, we all know that there would have been ample reason to lie or, at least, stretch the truth if one did not want to serve in the U.S. military. But, in this case, Jacob would have achieved the desired effect without additionally listing his mother (i.e., "have a wife and father to support" would have been sufficient to meet the conscription exemption criteria). In addition, Jacob and his wife Dora had their first child Leah three months later. Had Chana been dead at that point, Jacob and Dora would likely have named their daughter after her grandmother. So, I think the footing on determining Chana's date of death is getting firmer. 

Notes:  
1. On other documents, Jacob's birth date is listed as 15 Dec 1894: application for Social Security Card (SS-5 filed 28 May 1937), World War II Draft Registration Card (April 1942) and Petition for Naturalization (26 June 1924).
2. Myer Myers, Dora Morris Garber's great uncle, owned a glass store at 66 - 6th Avenue in Manhattan at this time.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Max Garber & Cream Cheese

For a while I just couldn't make out the name of the company that Max Garber was working for in 1917 when he completed his World War I Draft Registration Card. [1]

Max, my grandfather Jack's older brother was the first in the Garber family to emigrate from Labun, Ukraine. [2] In the United States, he worked in the butter and egg business.

During World War I, all men born between 1872 and 1900 were required to register for the draft. There were three phases of draft registration and Max was in the first registration that that took place on 5 June 1917. 

1. Name in full:  Max Garber   Age in Years: 28
2. Home Address: 171 E 101 st
3. Date of birth: Sept. 1889
4. Are you (1) a natural born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which)?  Alien
5. Where were you born?  Weline Russia
6. If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject?  Russia
7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office?  Salesman
8. By whom employed?  Phenix Chees Co; Where employed?  1930 Lex Ave
9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 1, or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent on you for support (specify which)?  Wife  2 children
10. Married or single (which)?  Married; Race (specify which)?  White
11. What military service have you had? Rank:  No; branch:  -
12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?  main support

 I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

                                                          /s/ Max Garber

The right side (Registrar's Report) of the card indicates that Max is of medium height and build and that he has brown hair and eyes. He registered in the 39th precinct of Draft Board 151, New York County, New York. [3]

Item number 5 indicates "Weline Russia." This refers to Volhynia Gubernia (often called Wolin) in the Russian Empire.

But of real interest is the name of Max's employer. While I could not adequately decipher the name, I could read the address: "1930 Lex Ave," meaning "1930 Lexington Avenue, New York City."

Max is listed at 171 E. 1st Street and as an egg inspector in the 1915 New York State Census. [4] In the 1918 New York City Directory on Ancestry, he listed at this same address as "inspector," no business name identified. But, I determined that I might be able to find a listing for that business if I queried on the Lexington address in a directory. In Ancestry's city directory search box, I clicked on exact and entered only the location (New York, New York) and key words ("1930 Lex").

The first page of search results returned one entry from 1918 that included the word "Phenix."

 

Ah! "Phenix Cheese Company." That makes sense. A quick query on Google finds (via Wikipedia) that the company was a major player early in the cream cheese business, producing what was already known as Philadelphia Cream Cheese starting in 1903. In 1928, the company merged with Kraft. 

I have not yet located a 1920 census for the Max Garber family and have only sporadically found Max in city directories. By 1925, Max has his own business (Amsterdam Cheese Company). Exactly when he struck out on his own is something that will require further research.

Notes:
1. "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 March 2008), card for Max Garber, no. 187, New York, New York Draft Board 151, Precinct 39; citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, National Archives microfilm publication M1509; imaged from Family History Library microfilm roll 1,786,811.
2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Pretoria, Hamburg to New York, arriving 30 December 1907, List 10, Passenger 5, Motel Garber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715.
3. The Draft Board number is not obvious on the card. It is  noted in the citation on Ancestry. I believe it may be part of the stamped number on the top right of the card: 31-9-151-A. I will have to do some additional research on this number.
4. 1915 New York States Census, New York County, New York, population schedule,  Enumeration District 12, Assembly District 24, sheet 19, number 4, Max Garber; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 August 2012), New York State Archives: Albany, New York.