We begin with a small but historically important article we found on the internet, and which sets the stage for our grandparents’ journey.

THE PALE OF SETTLEMENT

by Alden Oreck

Jewish Virtual Library

The Czar Catherine II (“The Great”) established the Pale of Settlement in 1791 as a territory for Russian Jews to live. Created under pressure to rid Moscow of Jewish business competition and “evil” influence on the Russian masses, the Pale of Settlement included the territory of present-day Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Belorussia. More than 90% of Russian Jews were forced to live in the poor conditions of the Pale, which made up only 4% of imperial Russia. Still, the Jewish population in Russia grew from 1.6 million in 1820 to 5.6 million in 1910. Even within the Pale, Jews were discriminated against; they paid double taxes, were forbidden to lease land, run taverns or receive higher education.

A liberalization period in the 1860s, which granted Jews some privileges, was reversed under the May Laws of 1882. These laws restricted Jews in the Pale to urban areas, which were often overcrowded and offered limited economic opportunities. In addition thousands of Jews fell victim to devastating pogroms in the 1870s and 1880s. The pogroms, boycotts and other anti-Semitic depredations Jews faced in the Pale led to mass immigration to the United States (two million between 1881 and 1914), as well as a string of other developments, such as the controversial Haskalah movement, which sought to modernize Jewish culture. Zionism also took hold in the Pale. Only after the overthrow of the Czarist regime in 1917 was the Pale of Settlement abolished.

Sources: The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia, The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia, The Jewish World, Map. Map from The Routledge Atlas of Jewish History Ed. 7 by Martin Gilbert. ISBN: 9780415399661. Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group. © 2007 Martin Gilbert.

There is also a great deal of information on the internet about immigration to the United States. What follows is an essay we found on the website of a company named American Park Network®, a company that says it is the most comprehensive source of information on this country’s favorite national parks and public lands. It provides insight into both the challenge and the process of 1900s immigration. http://www.ohranger.com/ellis-island/immigration-journey An alternative narrative on the immigration journey extracted from a much more comprehensive 1906 report submitted to the United States government at the request of then President Theodore Roosevelt can be found here. For our most curious readers the complete report can be found in our General Source Documents entitled Cowan Report.

IMMIGRATION JOURNEY

In his book, A Nation of Immigrants, John F. Kennedy writes, “There were probably as many reasons for coming to America as there were people who came. It was a highly individual decision.” Historians agree that three social forces were the chief motivators for the mass migration to America: religious persecution, political oppression and economic hardship. It is, however, almost impossible to relate such a combination of overwhelming circumstances to the experience of one immigrant, or even of one family.

Although more than 12 million people passed through Ellis Island on their way to the promise of a better life in America, they walked through its gates one at a time, individual by individual. Once the decision to leave had been made, what was the journey like?

Step One: Leaving Home

For many, it was a family affair. Advice was sought and help was freely given by mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, friends and even entire villages. It was not unusual for an entire family to work to earn the money for a single family member who wanted to make the trip.

The practice of one member of a family going to America first and then saving to bring the others over was common. From 1900 to 1910, almost 95 percent of the immigrants arriving at Ellis Island were joining either family or friends. Sometimes the father would come alone — to see if the streets really were paved with the gold of opportunity — before sending for his wife and family. Sometimes the eldest son immigrated first and then sent for the next oldest, until the entire family was in America. Often those who arrived first would send a prepaid ticket back home to the next family member. It is believed that in 1890, between 25 and 50 percent of all immigrants arriving in America had prepaid tickets. In 1901, between 40 and 65 percent came either on prepaid tickets or with money sent to them from the United States.

Since all steerage tickets were sold without space reservations, obtaining a ticket was easy. Principal shipping lines had hundreds of agencies in the United States and freelance ticket agents traveled through parts of Europe, moving from village to village, selling tickets. After 1900, in addition to a ticket, however, an immigrant had to secure a passport from local officials and a United States visa from either the nearest American consular office or from the local consul at the port.

For many, simply getting to the port was the first major journey of their lives. They would travel by train, wagon, donkey or even by foot. Sometimes travelers would have to wait days, weeks and even months at the port, either for their paperwork to be completed or for their ship to arrive because train schedules were not coordinated with sailing dates. Assuming their paperwork was in order and tickets had been purchased, some provision was usually made for the care of the emigrants waiting for a ship. Steamship companies were required by the governments to watch over prospective passengers and, at most ports, the travelers were housed in private boardinghouses. Some port cities even boasted their own “emigrant hotels.”

After the 1893 U.S. immigration law went into effect, each passenger had to answer a series of 29 questions (recorded on manifest lists) before boarding the ship. These questions included, among others: name, age, sex, marital status, occupation, nationality, ability to read or write, race, physical and mental health, last residence, and the name and address of the nearest relative or friend in the immigrant’s country of origin. Immigrants were asked whether they had at least $30; whether they had ever been in prison, an alms house, or an institution; or if they were polygamists or anarchists.

Steamship lines were also held accountable for medical examinations of the immigrants before departing the port. Most seaport medical examinations were made by doctors employed by the steamship lines, but often the examination was just too rapid to disclose any but the most obvious diseases and defects. Disinfection (of both immigrants and baggage) and vaccination were routinely performed at the ports.

Finally, with questions answered, medical exams completed, vaccinations still stinging and disinfectant still stinking, the immigrants were led to their accommodations. Steerage passengers walked past the tiny deck space, squeezed past the ship’s machinery and were directed down steep stairways into the enclosed lower decks. They were now in steerage, which was to be their prison for the rest of their ocean journey.

Step Two: On Board

There were three types of accommodations on the ships that brought immigrants to America: first class, second class and steerage. Only steerage passengers were processed at Ellis Island. First and second class passengers were quickly and courteously “inspected” onboard the ship before being transferred to New York.

Steerage was enormously profitable for steamship companies. Even though the average cost of a ticket was only $30, larger ships could hold from 1,500 to 2,000 immigrants, netting a profit of $45,000 to $60,000 for a single, one way voyage. The cost to feed a single immigrant was only about 60 cents a day!

For most immigrants, especially early arrivals, the experience of steerage was like a nightmare (at one time, the average passenger mortality rate was 10 percent per voyage.) The conditions were so crowded, so dismally dark, so unsanitary and so foul smelling, that they were the single most important cause of America’s early immigration laws. Unfortunately, the laws were almost impossible to enforce and steerage conditions remained deplorable, almost beyond belief. As late as 1911, in a report to President William H. Taft, the United States Immigration Commission said:

“The open deck space reserved for steerage passengers is usually very limited, and situated in the worst part of the ship, subject to the most violent motion, to the dirt from the stacks and the odors from the hold and galleys…the only provisions for eating are frequently shelves or benches along the sides or in the passages of sleeping compartments. Dining rooms are rare and, if found, are often shared with berths installed along the walls. Toilets and washrooms are completely inadequate; saltwater only is available.

“The ventilation is almost always inadequate, and the air soon becomes foul. The unattended vomit of the seasick, the odors of not too clean bodies, the reek of food and the awful stench of the nearby toilet rooms make the atmosphere of the steerage such that it is a marvel that human flesh can endure it. Most immigrants lie in their berths for most of the voyage, in a stupor caused by the foul air. The food often repels them. It is almost impossible to keep personally clean. All of these conditions are naturally aggravated by the crowding.”

In spite of the miserable conditions, the immigrants had faith in the future. To pass the time — a crossing could take anywhere from 10 days to more than a month, depending on the ship and weather — they would play cards, sing, dance and talk…talk…talk…

Rumors about life in America, combined with stories about rejections and deportations at Ellis Island, circulated endlessly. There were rehearsals for answering the immigration inspectors’ questions and hour upon hour was spent learning the strange new language.

By the time the tiring trip approached its long awaited end, most immigrants were in a state of shock: physically, mentally and emotionally. Yet, even with the shores of a new world looming before their eyes, and even with tears of relief streaming down their faces, their journey was not at an end.

Step Three: Inspection

Medical inspectors boarded incoming ships in the quarantine area at the entrance to the Lower Bay of New York Harbor. Ships were examined from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vessels arriving after 5 p.m. had to anchor for the night.

The quarantine examination was conducted aboard ship and reserved for first or second class cabin passengers. U.S. citizens were exempt from the examination. Passengers were inspected for possible contagious diseases such as cholera, plague, smallpox, typhoid fever, yellow fever, scarlet fever, measles and diphtheria. Few cabin class passengers were marked to be sent to Ellis Island for more complete examinations. For example, in 1905, of 100,000 cabin passengers arriving in New York, only 3,000 had to pass through Ellis Island for additional medical checks. During the same year, 800,000 steerage passengers were examined at the island.

After the visiting medical inspectors climbed down ladders to their waiting cutter, the ship would finally move north through the Narrows leading to Upper New York Bay and into the harbor. Slowly, the tip of Manhattan would come into view.

The first object to be seen, and the focus of every immigrant’s attention, was the Statue of Liberty. Perhaps her overwhelming impact can best be described in the words of those who saw her in this way for the first time:

“I thought she was one of the seven wonders of the world,” exclaimed a German nearing his 80th birthday.

A Polish man said: “The bigness of Mrs. Liberty overcame us. No one spoke a word for she was like a goddess and we know she represented the big, powerful country which was to be our future home.”

Just beyond the statue, about a half mile to the northwest, was Ellis Island.

After the ship had docked in Manhattan, while cabin passengers were being released to the freedom of New York, steerage passengers poured across the pier to a waiting area. Each wore a name tag with the individual’s manifest number written in large figures. The immigrants were then assembled into groups of 30, according to manifest letters, and were packed on the top decks of barges while their baggage was piled on the lower decks.

When they finally landed, with the ground still swaying like waves beneath their feet and the shrill shouts of a dozen different languages assaulting their ears, they met their first American, a nameless interpreter. In retrospect, it may be that these interpreters were the unsung heroes of the entire immigration screening process. Their patience and skill frequently helped save an immigrant from deportation.

The average number of languages spoken by an interpreter was six, but a dozen languages (including dialects) was not uncommon. The record for a single interpreter was 15 languages.

Interpreters led groups through the main doorway and directed them up a steep stairway to the Registry Room. Although they did not realize it, the immigrants were already taking their first test: A doctor stood at the top of the stairs watching for signs of lameness, heavy breathing that might indicate a heart condition or “bewildered gazes” that might be symptomatic of a mental condition.

As each immigrant passed, a doctor, with an interpreter at his side, would examine the immigrant’s face, hair, neck and hands. The doctor held a piece of chalk. On about two out of every 10 or 11 immigrants who passed, he would scrawl a large white letter; that letter indicated whether or not that immigrant was to be detained for further medical inspection.

Should an immigrant be suspected of mental defects, an X was marked high on the front of the right shoulder; a plain X lower on the right shoulder indicated the suspicion of a deformity or disease; an X within a circle meant some definite symptom had been detected. And the “shorthand” continued: B indicated possible back problems; Pg, pregnancy; and so on. If an immigrant was marked, he or she continued with the process and then was directed to rooms set aside for further examination.

Sometimes whole groups would be made to bathe with disinfectant solutions before being cleared — not too surprising, considering how many were unable to bathe during the crossing. Again the line moved on. The next groups of doctors were the dreaded “eye men.” They were looking for symptoms of trachoma, an eye disease that caused blindness and even death. (This disease was the reason for more than half of the medical detentions and its discovery meant certain deportation.)

If immigrants had any of the diseases proscribed by the immigration laws, or were too ill or feeble-minded to earn a living, they would be deported. Sick children age 12 or older were sent back to Europe alone and were released in the port from which they had come. Children younger than 12 had to be accompanied by a parent. There were many tearful scenes as families with a sick child decided who would go and who would stay.

Immigrants who passed their medical exams were now ready to take the final test from the “primary line” inspector who was seated on a high stool with the ship’s manifest on a desk in front of him and an interpreter at his side. This questioning process was designed to verify the 29 items of information contained on the manifest. Since each “primary line” inspector had only about two minutes in which to decide whether each immigrant was “clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to land,” nearly all of the immigrants received curt nods of approval and were handed landing cards. Most passed the test; only two percent of the immigrants Seeking refuge in America would fail to be admitted. After only a few more hours on Ellis Island, they were free to go. Their journey was nearly complete.

Step Four: Beyond Ellis Island

Those with landing cards in hand next moved to the Money Exchange. Here six cashiers exchanged gold, silver and paper money, from countries all over Europe, for American dollars, based on the day’s official rates which were posted on a blackboard.

For immigrants traveling to cities or towns beyond New York City, the next stop was the railroad ticket office. There, a dozen agents collectively sold as many as 25 tickets per minute on the busiest days. Immigrants could wait in areas marked for each independent railroad line in the ferry terminal. When it was reasonably near the time for their train’s departure, they would be ferried on barges to the train terminals in Jersey City or Hoboken. Immigrants going to New England went on the ferry to Manhattan.

All that remained was to make arrangements for their trunks, which were stored in the Baggage Room, to be sent on to their final destinations.

Finally! With admittance cards, railroad or ferry passes and box lunches in hand, the immigrants’ journey to and through Ellis Island was complete. For many it had begun months or even years before. Some, of course, still had more traveling ahead of them…to the rocky shores of New England, to the great plains of the Midwest or to the orange groves of California.

But whatever lay ahead, in their hearts they could read the invisible sign that proclaimed, “Welcome to America.”

For information on Ellis Island immigration records, please contact the National Archives, Northeast Region, 201 Varick Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014; (212) 337-1300; or visit online at www.nara.gov.

There is a book of fiction, Beyond the Pale, by Elana Dykewomon, you might find interesting. See: http://www.powells.com/biblio?inkey=2-9781551926131-0.

For more background you are on your own. We leave you to dig as deeply as you choose into the history of the subject.

The map on our front cover is of two Russian Provinces of particular importance to us. They were on the eastern edge of the Pale of Settlement. Our Grandfather Saul was born in the upper one MOHILEV (now Mogileff), in the city of Mohilev. Just below, in TCHERNIGOV (now Chernigov), was the village of Snowsk, along the banks of the Snowsk River, the birthplace of our Grandfather Isreal. All of the towns, from which our grandparents emigrated, were in the Pale of Settlement. This is where they came from to bring us all…Beyond the Pale.

TRAVEL IN THE PALE & BEYOND

We have discovered no information about how our forebears got to their ports of embarkation. Russia, including the Pale of Settlement, was historically a vast stretch of land with few maintained roads between towns and villages.

We have, however, found a number of references to the build up of a rail system, in Russia, during the 1890s.

We have also found a detailed map of Russia from 1908 that includes the location of many rail lines. Below is a small sample. The ribbons of alternating black and white lines are those rail lines and they connect every one of the towns our grandparents came from.

We doubt our grandparents traveled by road, and while travel by boat on rivers and canals was possible, it is our considered opinion they got to Hamburg, Libau and Antwerp by rail.

From the manifests we have found, we know their voyages across the Atlantic took about ten days, probably all in the class then referred to as “steerage” — the lowest class of shipboard travel possible.

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CALL ME ISHMAEL

Our mother, Mary had a favorite story she liked to tell. It seems an elderly Jewish gentleman, who when asked his name replied, “Sean Ferguson”. When told he neither looked nor sounded like “Sean Ferguson” he explained, “When I first got to the United States at Ellis Island I was tired and hungry and more than a little confused. The very nice agent at the desk asked me for my name and in my confused condition I replied, ‘shoyn fergessen’ (I forget, in Yiddish), because quite frankly I had momentarily forgotten my name. He wrote down, “Sean Ferguson.”

It’s a cute little story that exposes the foibles of speech and communication between people of similar genetic makeup and very different cultures.

It turns out all of our grandparents, in their own way were Sean Ferguson.

This of course made our search a little more complicated and significantly more rewarding.

It must be noted however that we DO NOT subscribe to the notion our Grandparents names were changed on Ellis Island by uncaring and harried officials trying to get through thousands of people daily. Instead we base our view on four things.

First, although we were young when our grandparents died, the image we have of them is as strong willed, intelligent people who were not about to have someone take liberties with their names.

Second, the magnitude of their journey to America was so grand they, like millions before and after them, knew how to stand up for themselves and their desire to choose their own country to live in, and their own names.

Third, a genealogy website explains the identification process that turn-of-the-century immigrants went through in leaving their country of origin and entering the United States. http://genealogy.about.com/od/ellis_island/a/name_change.htm

It reads in part:

While immigrants’ surnames often changed as they adjusted to the new country and culture, they were very rarely changed upon their arrival at Ellis Island.

The facts of the U.S. immigration procedure at Ellis Island help to dispel this dubious myth. In reality, passenger lists were not created at Ellis Island – they were created by the ship’s captain or designated representative before the ship departed from its port of origin. Since immigrants would not be accepted into Ellis Island without proper documentation, the shipping companies were very careful to check the immigrant’s paperwork (usually completed by a local clerk in the immigrant’s homeland) and ensure its accuracy to avoid having to return the immigrant back home at the shipping company’s expense.

Once the immigrant arrived in Ellis Island, he would be questioned about his identity and his paperwork would be examined. However, all Ellis Island inspectors operated under rules that did not allow them to change the identifying information for any immigrant unless it was requested by the immigrant or unless the interrogation demonstrated that the original information was in error. Inspectors were usually foreign-born immigrants themselves and spoke several languages so communication problems were nearly non-existent. Ellis Island would even call in temporary interpreters when necessary, to help translate for immigrants speaking the most obscure languages.

This is not to say that the surnames of many immigrants were not changed at some point after their arrival in America.

Fourth, all the historical documents we have been able to find were either written or typed by “others.” The only thing we have written by any of our grandparents are the signatures of our grandfathers, and very few of those.

Based upon all of the above we believe our Grandparents documentation was checked before they boarded their respective ships and the documents identified them as:

• Maternal grandparents: Shewel Sissmann & Gidla Sissmann
• Paternal grandparents: Israil Aronow & Marya Tryan

There is even more confusion on this point, as Saul Sussman is actually identified on the German Manifest as Schewel Sissmann, even though the English version of the same manifest reflects Shewel Sissmann.

Later, by their own choosing, they decided to be known as Saul & Adela (Baronovsky) Sussman and Isreal & Mary (Trifon) Aronoff, once assimilated into American life “as Yankees.” Note we have used the spelling of Grandfather Aronoff’s first name as Isreal. This is not a mistake, but rather comes from three separate actual signatures on his Naturalization Papers. Also note although some Sussman family members refer to Grandmother Sussman as Adele, our review of relevant documents leads us to conclude her taken name was Adela.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SLOBODIEN

We both have memories of riding in our father’s car with our mother, brother and Grandma Mary to go visit our grandma’s aunt in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Until very recently we did not know her name. She was simply “Tante” – a very nice and robust lady who, our family story said, lived to be 103 years old, while caring for her aging son, Benjamin Franklin Slobodien, M.D.

Tante Sophie was married to Morris Slobodien, and we even have, thanks to her great nephew, Stanley Slobodien of Metuchen, New Jersey, their marriage certificate. For those who enjoy genealogy, Stanley is our second great uncle’s great nephew.

The Slobodien family researchers think Sophia Slobodien lived to be 110. The information they provide is that she was born in 1862 and died in 1972. Unfortunately, the only two pieces of “proof” we have are the above mentioned marriage document which states she was 20 years old in 1889 when she got married and an entry record for a Sophia Trimon who arrived in New York on May 18, 1882 at the age of 20. The conflict in age is explainable if the Justice of the Peace who filled out the marriage document was wrong when he wrote 20 instead of 27. A brief glance at the document will show he certainly got the name wrong when he wrote Treefan instead of Trifon. This is a discrepancy we will not resolve with facts. Instead we choose to follow the thinking of the Slobodien family that Tante Sophie died in 1972 at the age of 110.

That aside, the reason being Slobodien is important is it ties several historical records together and enables us to state, without fear of contradiction, we have found the travel manifests for Isreal and Mary Aronoff. No simple feat, we assure you, since the names on those manifests are Israil Aronow and Marya Tryan!

OUR IMMIGRANTS

TRIFON

Sophie Trifon was the first of our ancestors, or at least the first we know of (so far) to arrive in America. We know because she married Morris Slobodien in New Jersey in 1889 while everyone else was still in Russia. After a long search of Ancestry.com and ellisisland.org we finally turned to Castlegarden.org.

From August 1, 1855 through April 18, 1890, immigrants arriving in New York State came through Castle Garden. America’s first official immigrant examining and processing center, Castle Garden welcomed approximately 8 million immigrants – most from Germany, Ireland, England, Scotland, Sweden, Italy, Russia and Denmark.

It was at Castle Garden we found a record of a 20 year old woman, who arrived in 1882 and who was listed as Sophia Trimon. The date of birth and age match the story of a woman who died in 1972 at the age of 110. The name is a relatively close match as well. Unfortunately the records have no other information that would allow us to say with any degree of certainty this was our Great Aunt Sophie, but we believe it to be.

Joseph Trifon, our great uncle, was the next to arrive. His travel manifest (line 15) lists him as Josif Trifon. He was 23 years old and arrived on the S.S. Zeeland, from Antwerp, Belgium on December 27, 1905. He told the scribe filling out the manifest he was on his way to join his aunt, “M. Slobodien” at 49 New Brunswick Avenue, Perth Amboy, N.J. We know M. Slobodien was his uncle, not his aunt. However under accepted convention she was Mrs. M. Slobodien and that may explain this anomaly. He also indicated his aunt paid his passage. He was a hat-maker and he arrived with the grand sum of two dollars in his pockets.

CLIPPED FROM THE MANIFEST

SUSSMAN

Our Grandfather Saul, Grandmother Adela and their children Aaron and Lillian Sussman were next. They arrived on the S.S. Amerika on August 25, 1906 from Hamburg Germany.

They were listed on the manifest as:

They had $41 on arrival, Shewel paid for the passage himself and said he was a painter. They were going to a brother-in-law:

We are still trying to determine whether “Max Nawjas [?]” was married to Saul’s sister or Adela’s sister. It is possible “Nawjas” became “Newhouse” or “Niehaus” in America. We do know Adela had a sister, Sophie. Below is Adela’s death notice.

In 2010 neither of us had ever heard of such a sister. However at a recent family Zoom meeting we asked about Sophie. Our brother Ethan did know her and remarked that she and her family attended his wedding. Additionally our cousin Rose Kahan also knew of Sophie and told us all that our grandfather Saul was instrumental in bringing Sophie and her family to the U.S and saving them from Nazi Germany. Yet none of us yet know her married name.

ARONOFF

We both spent considerable time searching for Isreal and Mary’s travel manifest with no success. We assumed they were married and traveled together. We found no records at all. Shifting our thinking, we then decided to focus solely on Isreal. Using a broad search for any name similar to Israel Aronoff we finally found, on Ellis Island an entry for Israil Aronaw (line 5), a married man who arrived on the S.S. Kroonland on December 24, 1908. The Kroonland carried 874 passengers on that trip. We searched every record and could not find our grandmother on the manifest Isreal traveled on.

We continued to think he came over first to earn enough money for his wife’s (our Grandmother Mary) passage. We were wrong on several points.

Our Grandmother Mary (Trifon) Aronoff actually arrived in New York, on June 29, 1908, six months before our Grandfather. Her travel manifest lists her as Marya Tryan (line 8), SINGLE, her ticket paid for by her brother, with no money and a notation she was joining her brother Joseph of 199 Forsyth Street, New York.

Mary’s travel manifest identified another previously unknown uncle, “Max Trifon.” It appears Mary was actually traveling in the company of her future sister in law, Rosa Niewkow. The manifest listed Rosa’s U.S. contact as “bridegroom Max Triffan, 199 Forsyth Street.”

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As previously mentioned, our Grandfather Isreal arrived (line 5) on December 24, 1908. His place of birth and last town of residence was Snowsk, Russia. He stated his brother-in-law, J. Trifon, had paid for his ticket, he had no money and he too was on his way to join his brother-in-law, J. Trifon, at 199 Forsyth, New York. This seems very straight forward if we assume Isreal was identifying Joseph Trifon as his brother-in-law even though he had not yet married Joseph’s sister Mary. However the manifest presents a slightly different complication.

In column 11 of Isreal’s manifest we find some startling information:

We took a long time looking at this entry. We still cannot tell exactly what the initial is between the first and last name, but the name is clearly “Chane Aronow” and she was Isreal’s wife, in Snowsk, before he left Russia!

There are many ways to interpret this information. There are many ways to explain what it means. Who was Chane? Did she decide not to immigrate? Was she ill and did she die before immigrating? We will never know. However, we have both come to believe Mary was Chane’s sister. The manifest as written supports this belief. If Isreal was married to Chane at the time of his immigration, then listing his brother-in-law, Joseph Trifon as his U.S. contact would be both truthful and natural. Although it is possible he was referring to his “future” brother-in-law, we believe it was more likely Joseph Trifon and Isreal’s wife Chane were siblings. Our conclusion is that Chane died in Russia after Isreal’s immigration and Isreal subsequently married her sister, Mary. We believe Mary would have only married Isreal upon her sister’s death, not in the event of a divorce. Such intra-family marriages were not unheard of, and the Slobodien family has indicated Morris Slobodien of Perth Amboy also married two sisters in succession, the second wife being our Tante Sophie.

We have no real proof to offer about Chane and Mary being sisters. Our analysis is guided by their individual connections to Joseph Trifon and our attempt to figure out what normal behavior and customs in the early 1900s would have demanded of immigrant Jews.

Both Mary and Isreal listed Joseph Trifon as their U.S. contact. Joseph knew, or knew of, Isreal before Isreal landed at Ellis Island. We believe that was because Isreal was married to Joseph’s sister Chane, not Mary at the time of his sailing. Additionally Isreal identified Joseph as his brother-in-law, not as a friend, before Isreal married Mary, which if a falsehood might have been detected with dire consequences. After all, entry into America, for Isreal, could have been accomplished even if Joseph was simply listed as a “Friend”, or even as his “Future brother in law,” in a fashion similar to what Rosa did with Max. We regard the fact that both Mary and Isreal sailed out of Antwerp, six months apart as no more than a coincidence. We do not think Mary and Isreal traveled to Antwerp together, and we do not believe Isreal would have stayed in Antwerp for those six months while Mary tried to convince her brother Joseph to pay for the passage of a “nice fella she met on the dock in Antwerp.” But we are convinced, they also either knew each other, or knew of each other in Russia. Finally, we simply do not believe they met by chance, in Antwerp or even on the train to Antwerp. So – we think they were in-laws before they were spouses. Of course, as we previously stated, you can decide for yourselves. Remember, we are getting old but there are challenges here for young family researchers!

Isreal ultimately did marry Mary Trifon, and a census record for 1910 shows an entry for the “Aronov” family (lines 66-68), Israil, his wife “Trifon Aronov” (as listed by the Census Enumerator), and their daughter Lena (our Aunt Lee, their first born) of 87 Hester Street, New York. The following appears to be their wedding photograph found among Lena Berg’s possessions after her 2010 death. While we have many other photographs of family members, this is the only known photograph of Isreal Aronoff. If you have others please let us know.

AND THEN SAUL SAID “YOU’RE GOING TO VISIT WHO?”

Finally, with regard to manifests we have one more. There is a family “bubbe meise”, a story or tale about how our Grandmother Adela, packed up her children and went back to Russia for a visit. Our mother Mary told this story to Barry and separately to his son Peter. Our Aunt Lily told her daughters, our cousins, Rose and Laura, and mentions it on the recording included in the Sussman Source Material page. (Download and listen to: Grandma Lily.wma) Given what we read about the turmoil and dangers for Jews in 1900-1914 Russia, we were more than a little skeptical about the story. But after searching on all manner of names and combinations of names we can report it is an ABSOLUTE FACT!

On February 15, 1910 our Grandmother Adela, listed as Gidla and three of her children disembarked in New York from the S.S. Russia after a visit to Odessa, Russia.

It really happened and knowing it happened we still have to marvel at the amazing courage and “chutzpah” Grandma displayed with such a trip. We suspect the primary purpose of this trip was to introduce young Mary to her grandparents, the Baronovskys.

Our cousin Leon has related to us Aaron telling him of hearing gunfire while hiding in an attic in Russia. Leon always assumed it was when his dad was a very young child, before immigrating to the United States at the age of two. After discussing the return trip of 1910 with Leon, he now believes Aaron’s recollections most likely took place in 1910, at the age of six.

There may have been other trips back to Russia, but we have not been able to find any records of them. From our readings on the internet we can tell you the treatment of Jews in the Pale and in Russia in general was not for the faint of heart. We have included several articles in our source material for your reading, The Pogrom of 1905 in Odessa, Pogrom on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and one describing life in Odessa then and now. This last article is a contribution located by Bob Aronoff, of Pasadena, California, who has not yet been confirmed as a relative. Barry has met with him and further research is ongoing.

After you read them, we suggest you ask if you would have returned to Odessa in 1910, especially with three small children.

NATURALIZATION

We have included the Citizenship papers for Saul and Isreal in our source materials.

SEE:

• Sussman, Saul Naturalization Papers
• Aronoff, Isreal Naturalization Papers

We found Saul’s papers online and it was truly a goose bump experience. Try as we might however, we could not find Isreal’s papers online and for a long time only had the tantalizing record below, which we found early in our research.

Eventually the record itself led us to ask the New York County Clerk to provide a copy of the naturalization papers for Isreal. But more importantly, the address on the record was a fortuitous coincidence. Mary’s brother – Isreal’s brother in law, Joseph Trifon, lived at that address in 1908, and it is the address both Mary and Isreal had listed on their travel manifests. It was that address, 199 Forsyth Street that allowed us to connect a series of dots (old records) verifying both the identity and the travel of our Aronoff grandparents.

After spending considerable time searching, we stopped looking for citizenship or naturalization records for Mary Aronoff, Adela Sussman and Aaron and Lily, her two children born in Russia, when we found the following information on Ancestry.com.

Derivative citizenship was granted to wives and minor children of naturalized men. From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a U.S. citizen automatically became a citizen. (Conversely, an American woman who married an alien lost her U.S. citizenship, even if she never left the United States.)

From 1790 to 1940, children under the age of twenty-one automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father. Unfortunately, however, names and biographical information about wives and children are rarely included in declarations or petitions filed before September 1906.

Our Grandmother Mary Aronoff, Grandmother Adela Sussman, as well as Aaron Sussman and Lily Sussman are listed on their husband/father’s Petition for Naturalization. When those petitions were honored, they all became citizens.

IS THAT A SOROLLA OR A SUSSMAN?

As previously mentioned Saul, on his arrival manifest, listed his profession as “painter.” Our brother Ethan hypothesized Saul may have actually gone to art school in Odessa, a center of learning and culture in turn-of-the-century Russia. Ethan further suggested Odessa is where and when Saul may have met Gidla Baronovsky, his future wife. We know Saul became a “sign painter” to support his family in his adopted country. This family photo shows Jack, Ethan and Barry Aronoff in front of the Sussman Sign Company in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York.

Growing up, our mother Mary made sure we understood her pride in three oil paintings prominently displayed in our living room. She always told us they were Grandpa Sussman’s paintings. And whenever she talked about them, she smiled. As children we never knew if they were originals or copies of a more famous artist’s work. These three paintings now hang at the Ethan & Barbara Aronoff home in Los Angeles, California. Family members might consider contacting Ethan or Barbara when in Los Angeles to arrange an in-person viewing of these paintings.

At different times, as adults, we all came to understand they were copied from paintings done by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, a Spanish painter of some note. As part of our current genealogy research we discovered many Sorollas were on permanent exhibit at the Hispanic Society of America (HSA), located at Broadway and 155 Street in New York City. In 2011 we visited the HSA specifically looking for the three works Grandpa Sussman had painted. We were very pleased to find the painting named “After the Bath” (also known as “Leaving the Bath”) on permanent display in the south gallery of the museum. Of note, this painting is prominently featured in the HSA’s visitors’ brochure. This is Grandpa Saul’s interpretation of that work, and here is a comparison of the two. During our visit we learned one of the other paintings, “Beach at Valencia by Morning Light”, is on display in the north gallery, which was closed for renovation when we visited. Here is Grandpa Saul’s copy of that work. An attendant told us the third painting was also the property of the HSA, but is not on display at this time. Neither he nor we know the name of that work, however here is Grandpa Sussman’s copy. The connection between Grandpa Sussman, the HSA, and Joaquin Sorolla also has another Aronoff family link. The HSA was founded and built by Archer Milton Huntington in 1904. He was a lifelong student and admirer of all things Hispanic. He mounted the first US exhibit of Sorolla’s work in February 1909. His “Visions of Spain” is again on exhibit at the HSA and well worth seeing.

Archer Huntington’s wife was the noted American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington. Here is a heroic size work of El Cid by her at the HSA. She also sculpted the Jose Marti at the 59 Street entrance to Central Park, and the Joan of Arc on Riverside Drive and 93 Street. The additional link is Barry was the Trust Officer in charge of her estate at The Bank of New York, from the time of her death in 1973 through 1978. And extending the link, Howard’s daughter Andrea  was at the time of our original research an attorney and Managing Director at Bank of New York Mellon.

In our discussions, the question has arisen…why did Grandpa Sussman pick Sorolla’s work to study and copy? We have concluded it was a simple matter of time and place. In 1909 the Sussmans lived at 459 East 149 Street. It was a short walk from his apartment to the relatively new HSA at the time of the Sorolla exhibition. We have further speculated he probably worked on these paintings while Adela, Aaron, Lily and Mary were visiting Adela’s parents in Odessa, Russia, and, for a husband and father of three, he had a lot of free time on his hands. Our views on this subject are heavily influenced by the total absence of any other personal paintings produced by Grandpa Saul.

AN AGE ANOMALY

We discovered something unusual during our research and thought you might find it of interest.

We have four different documents showing Saul Sussman’s age.

On February 4, 1915 Saul filed a Declaration of Intention to become a United States citizen. He declared under oath his birthday was October 14, 1881.

On September 12, 1918 Saul filled out his World War I draft card. He listed his birthday as October 14, 1881.

On July 3, 1922 Saul filed a Petition for Naturalization (page 2 of PDF) he swore was truthful. He listed his birthday as October 14, 1881.

When we first started discussing our ancestors’ birthdates, Ethan reminded us our mother had told him her father shared a birthday with Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 14.

BUT – on April 25, 1942, on his World War II draft card, he listed his date of birth as September 11, 1882.

On April 25, 1942 that would have made him 59 and not 60. We cannot find an explanation of why he did this. We did find a web entry describing the “Old Man’s Draft” during WWII, and at least one anecdotal article describing how an individual intentionally made himself younger than 60 in the hope he might be able to serve in some capacity during the war. Unfortunately that article is no longer available. There are many web references to the “Old Man’s Draft.” Perhaps some other family members might someday research this subject. [Here is a forum posting Michael Aronoff found]

CSI: SUSSMAN – AN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE

Our brother Ethan recalls our Grandfather Saul’s death was related to, and probably caused by, a widespread smallpox outbreak that occurred in New York City in 1947. In 1947 Ethan was 11 years old. His recollection is he was told Grandfather Saul died from the vaccination. Our research has found an extensive article on these events. It was published in the American Journal of Public Health in November 1947. The report was presented before the Epidemiology Section of the American Public Health Association at the Seventy-fifth Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, NJ, October 8, 1947. This article includes many interesting facts and observations. In discussing the possible deaths that occurred as a result of the massive vaccination campaign, the article points out very few deaths could be directly attributed to such a widespread vaccination program. On page 8 it does however mention a 66 year old man died as a result of septicemia which followed an infection of his vaccination. Saul Sussman was 66 years old at the time of his death. Our conclusion is the individual described in this report was our Grandfather Saul.

SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

At the start of this report we explained, “In the final analysis while we have enlarged our family tree very little, we have learned so much.” Some of what we have learned has already been highlighted, such as our grandparents various names, their dates of immigration, and some bits and pieces of their migration to the United States. But there is much more.

For starters, while we always knew our Grandma Sussman’s maiden name, we now know her mother, our great grandmother Leah Baronovsky’s name and that the Baronovskys were from Odessa, Ukraine instead of the vast expanse named “Russia.” We have also learned Grandma Sussman’s father’s name. He was Adolphus Baronovsky. This was translated from a handwritten Cyrillic note on the back of his photo taken in Odessa, supplied by our cousin Leon Arden. This photo, and others, can be found in the Photography Gallery, listed on the introduction page of this website.

We learned our Grandpa Sussman came from Mogileff, Belarus, and trivial as it may be, we can now find Mogileff on the map. As an aid we have included a map of selected cities of importance to our ancestors. This document includes details of each city as found at jewishgen.org. We know Saul’s date of birth and location of birth. This may seem trivial also, but what if one of you or perhaps one of your progeny finds themselves in Mogileff in the future and has a few minutes to spend seeking some further information about the family?

When we started this project our brother Ethan pointed out the home towns were most important. We know he is correct, particularly when you add the dates of birth. We now know the dates of birth of our Grandma and Grandpa Aronoff also, and while Saul did not list Grandma Adela’s full date of birth, he did provide us the year 1885 on his Naturalization Papers. We also know where they all were born and once again this provides a starting point for any of us to seek further information. Is there anyone reading this who will travel to Odessa and seek information about Gidla Baronovsky, born in 1885 to Leah Baronovsky, who subsequently married Saul, or Shewel, or Schewel Sussman or Sissmann of Mogileff, Belarus? Maybe or maybe not, but at least it won’t be because of a lack of a starting point.

On our paternal Grandparent Aronoff’s side we have added nothing about our Grandpa Isreal’s family. We know much more, however, about our Grandma Mary (Trifon) Aronoff’s family. She was a daughter of Gershon, sister of Joseph, Max, Celi and of course Chane. And importantly, in terms of extending the family tree, we now know one set of our great grandparents…she was a granddaughter of Aaron and Bessie Trifon.

So, in a vertical, upward direction there has not been a lot of progress, so far. But we ask you to take a look at the family tree. In a horizontal direction and in a downward direction there is so much new to us, and we assert without fear of contradiction, to everyone reading this.

Let’s start out with the names you have provided us of your children, grandchildren and a great grandchild. Add all the pictures you have so generously shared with us, and you now know at least 20 to 30 (or is it 60 to 70 or more) of our relatives who we all had no awareness of before. Think about it, our cousin Leon has a granddaughter, and our cousin Laura is the first of our cousins to have a great grandchild. And Amy Lesh, who for all practical purposes started this research, was unknown to us five months ago. Thanks again Amy for contacting Barry through Geni.com.

We have both discussed with such a large family, why it is we have lost contact with so many of them? We don’t know the answer but every time we discovered a new aunt or uncle, we wondered…what about their children or grandchildren and others in their family of whom we have no knowledge? If this project gives anyone the impetus to reach out to distant family members we would be happy to act as the intermediaries to provide email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, etc. To this point we have kept all contact information confidential but would be glad to disseminate it if desired.

We have had input and help from many family members. However, looking at the family tree we know there are many more we have not been in touch with. We encourage all readers of this material to pass it on to their family members. Remember again, this report can be found at the following internet address: https://genealogy.aronoff.org

A FINAL THOUGHT

We have previously mentioned we made extensive use of the internet during our genealogy project, and we are glad we did. It enabled ALL the work to be done from the comfort of home; homes which happen to be 2,400+ miles apart.

The internet is a vast and powerful tool that seems somehow to grab every bit of knowledge and history in its grasp and hold it firm. We wonder what Saul, Adela, Mary and particularly Isreal would have thought about it.

In 2010 when we entered SNOWSK RUSSIA into our browser’s search window the following appeared:

When we clicked on the very first entry we were directed to a piece of the journey Israil Aronaw took in 1908, on his way to the United States. His journey was captured forever on the internet. Changes in the Ellis Island website structure will now link to different results. However, the reader may use this as an example of the type of internet searches that can be done.

We will probably continue our genealogy research. We hope you enjoy reviewing this report and hope you will pass it on to your progeny. We further hope maybe one or more of them, with the help of technology yet to be invented, look for more of our forebears and history.

Barry & Howard

 

LINK TO FAMILY TREE

(then click on the word “Tree” to the right of the word “Home” at the top left)