Taking a small detour from my Lipshitz branch I would like to again focus on the Haimowitz family. Recently I received 2 documents I had sent away for. This summer I had decided to look through my records for what might be missing, then try and locate and order them.
Below is a wonderful picture of 4 of the 5 Haimowitz siblings who started our branches here in the states. Hyman/Herman standing in middle, Pincus/Paul standing, baby Isidore/Irving seated in middle (my grandfather) and Frieda/Fay holding the basket. Not born yet was Molly.
Photo courtesy of the Fay Haimowitz Family
As I continue to research the family I have been concentrating and trying to locate exactly where the family originated from. I have still not been able to locate a passenger record for the parents, Samuel Haimowitz and wife Rebecca Strulowitz, nor can I find 1st born son Herman, confirmed born in Romania who traveled with them to New York. Son Paul, as the family story goes, was born aboard ship with his birth location puzzling. Was he a born in Romanian water or in U.S. water? The question may have been answered. Until now I have had conflicting census and records for him. The next three children were all born in New York.
First received was the marriage record for son Herman. He married Sadie Canter on May 18, 1918. This record actually threw a wrench in my research as his birth location was listed as Jassy/Iasi. Before receiving this, I had believed his birth location was the town of Galati or Galatz (yiddish) as noted on his death certificate.
A quick look for Ports in Romania on Wikipedia I learned that “The Port of Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port.[2][3] Located in the city of Galaţi, the port is an important source of revenue for the city because many large international companies have established there.”
On the birth certificate of my grandfather Isidore, his father, Samuel’s birthplace was noted as Odessa, Romania. Odessa (spelled with either 1 or 2 s’s) today is in the Ukraine. During WWII it came under Romanian occupation other wise it was considered part of the Russian Empire. The cities history is quite fascinating and worth a comprehensive read and still leaves me a bit confused as to why on a 1904 birth record Odessa was noted that way.
Had Samuel relocated from Odessa to Yassy/Iasi and then from there down into Galati where he and his wife Rebecca left from the Galati port to America? To me that makes the most sense now seeing all these cities on the map. Iasi is the second largest city in Romania. It holds a huge role in Jewish history. Samuel’s occupation was carpenter and that never wavered. In my mind he would have sought hubs of activity for work and that loop of Odessa, Iasi and Galati makes sense.
Herman and Sadie were married at the Municipal Building in New York. Witness to the marriage were Herman’s parents, Samuel and Rebecca.
The next record I received was the marriage certificate for Pincus/Paul Haimowitz. His marriage was to Ida Schiff nee Taub on November 3, 1927 in the Bronx. This was Paul’s first marriage and Ida’s second.
This was truly a welcomed document as Paul’s birthplace was listed as Galatz, Romania. I now have 2 documents for the 2 brothers with Galati mentioned. I continue to feel confident that Galati holds the a key to our ancestors beginnings prior to coming here, at least their last known place of residence. I have never been able to find a naturalization record for Paul nor a birth certificate for confirmation however his social security record does give a birth date of June 3, 1901, Romania.
Ida Taub was first married to Samuel Schiff in 1921. They had 1 daughter, Annette born in 1924. Whether divorced or Samuel died I have not been able to prove. Ida went on to marry Paul. They would have 1 son, Harold born in 1932.
Paul’s death certificate yielded no information on his place of birth. The informant on this record was Annette Reinert, noted daughter.
Thus ends another chapter for the lives of Hyman/Herman and his brother Pincus/Paul Haimowitz
I also would like to say a special Thank you to my cousin Arline for sharing some wonderful family photo’s with me. Truly a treasured gift.
Branches On Our Haimowitz Family Tree 