Surname Saturday ~ Goldstein of Romania and New Jersey

I am using the Surname Saturday prompt to review the ancestral lines for my husband's family.

The earliest Goldstein whose name I know may not have even been a Goldstein!

Isaac lived in Iasi, Romania. Family lore said that his surname was Yancu and that the name was changed to Goldstein at Ellis Island. However, (1) names were never changed at Ellis Island, and (2) I found Moische Goldstein on a passenger list with the surname Goldstein AND referencing his father in Iasi, Romania, as Itzik Goldstein. Moische Goldstein arrived in New York on August 3, 1914. This is the second page of his passenger list record.

The name and complete address of nearest relative or friend
in country whence alien came:
father: Itzik Goldstein
Strada Ruksanska Yassy

Isaac Yancu was married to Sheva Moskowitz (listed as Scheiba on her daughter's death certificate). I have one photograph of her. They had six sons and one daughter. I'm not sure of the birth order and don't have much primary source information for the following:

• Max (1892-1956) - lived in New York City and was the first to emigrate to America. I have written about him and his family.
• Anna (1895-1918) - emigrated with Morris in 1914 and died in New York. I shared her death certificate here.
• Moische / Morris (1897-1965) - see below.
• Mendel - maybe emigrated to Israel; maybe remained in Romania (dying young?)
• Shmuel-Leib Yancu - emigrated to Israel. See a photograph of him here and here.
• Pineu Goldstein - remained in Romania. See his photograph here, though my mother-in-law always thought that this photograph was of the youngest brother.
• Usher - is remembered as the youngest and he emigrated to Israel.

Son Morris' gravestone has the inscription: Moshe Hersh bar Yitzchak Halevi, which indicates his father, a Levite, was named Yitzchak. I'm still waiting on FindAGrave photo requests for sister, Anna, and brother, Max, of Morris (buried at Mount Judah Cemetery, Ridgewood, Queens) in order to see what the Hebrew on their gravestones is.

Based on my mother-in-law's memories, I believe Sheva died in the mid-1930s and Isaac died in the late 1930s, both in Romania. Although there is a story that Sheva came to America and was sent back to Romania for health reasons, I have not found any evidence of this.

Generation 2: Morris Goldstein was born on April 20, 1897, in Iasi, Romania. (See his WWI Draft Card here and an abstract of his WWI service here which both state the same birth date.)

Morris and Rose

As noted above, he arrived in New York City in August 1914, and lived with his brother, Max, working as a tailor. I don't believe he was enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census. (And believe me, I have looked!)

He briefly served in the U.S. army in WWI, and became a citizen in August 1918.

Morris married Rose Levitt on August 26, 1922, in Woodbine, Cape May, New Jersey. They lived in New York City for several years, where Rose gave birth to a son and a daughter. They returned to Woodbine by the time of the 1930 U.S. Census, where they remained for several decades, raising their children and working in the clothing factories there.

He died on October 11, 1965, leaving his wife, two children and six grandchildren. I shared his death certificate here. He is buried in Woodbine, New Jersey.

Generation 3: My mother-in-law.

Generation 4: My husband.