Wordless Wednesday ~ George Levitt, Wife and Mother-in-Law

According to my mother-in-law's handwriting on the back of this photo, this is "George, Betty + Mrs. Brodsky (Betty's mother)"

George Levitt was the oldest brother of my mother-in-law's mother, Rose. He lived in Philadelphia. I have written about his wife, Elizabeth Girfman, and his mother-in-law, Sarah Brodsky, who applied for naturalization in 1927. I have also shared some U.S. Census records for the family from 1920 and from 1930 and 1940.

George died in 1965 at 64 years old and Sarah died in 1968 in her 80s. Too bad I can't see the car that's behind George and Betty to help date this photo, but I'm guessing this was taken in the late 1940s or 1950s.

Mining Ancestry.com Hints by Specific Record Collection

Randy Seaver, author of Genea-Musings, has again shared a wonderful hint on Mining Ancestry.com Hints by Specific Record Collection. Do click through to his blog post to see his explanation on how to do it.

The example he used was for the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, where I have found some interesting facts for my family and my husband's family. (I shared one when this database was new on Ancestry.com.)

I want to share another interesting example in this database from my husband's family. Elizabeth (Girfanan or Girfanun or Girfman) Levitt was my mother-in-law's Aunt Betty.

This record, from the Social Security Application and Claims Index, 1936-2007, at Ancestry.com, shows that Sarah's maiden name was Brodsky and her father's name was Garson Girfanan (or Girfanan). Elizabeth's mother, Sarah Brodsky, immigrated from Russia as a young mother with her toddler daughter. I shared her naturalization papers here, one of which states that her husband is deceased.

George Levitt and Sarah Brodsky in 1920 Philadelphia

In the 1920 U.S. Census, Uncle George Levitt was living as a boarder in the John Cromley household at 2111 S. Hicks Street in Philadelphia.

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Roll: T625_1629; E.D.: 811; Page: 7A. Record for George Levitt.

He reported that he was 21 in the census, though he was only 19. (He also reported his age as two years older on his WWI Draft Registration Card.)

He was a retail merchant in the auto supplies business.

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Sarah Brodsky, age 37, lived with her daughter, Elizabeth, age 20, at 35 Cecil Street in Philadelphia.

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Roll: T625_1629; E.D.: 1763; Page: 11A. Record for Sarah and Elizabeth Brodsky.

She owned the home, and carried a mortgage on it. The census reports that Sarah is widowed and that they immigrated in 1905. The "Na" means that they reported that they were naturalized citizens, but they didn't become naturalized citizens until 1927.

Sarah's occupation was "Dressmaking at home" and Elizabeth's occupation was "Saleslady, Shoes."

I don't know how they met, but sometime in the 1920's (1923 according to the 1930 census), George Levitt married Elizabeth Brodsky. I shared their census record information in Uncle George in U.S. Census Records.

Sarah Brodsky's Naturalization

My mother-in-law's Uncle George Levitt (born in New Jersey) married Elizabeth Brodsky, who immigrated to the U.S. with her mother, Sarah Brodsky. I previously shared their 1930 and 1940 U.S. census information.

In 1924, Sarah Brodsky submitted her Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States to the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania, U.S. Naturalization Originals, 1795-1930, Ancestry.com.
Record for Sarah Brodsky: Declaration of Intention

This declaration has lots of great information about Sarah Brodsky. She was 41 years old, born on May 5, 1883, in Balto, Russia, and a dressmaker. Her physical description notes that she had a ruddy complexion, was 5'5" tall and 175 lbs in weight with brown hair and hazel eyes.

She arrived at the port of New York from Odessa, Russia, on June 26, 1906, but doesn't know the name of the ship. I haven't found the passenger list with Sarah and daughter Elizabeth on it. Her address at this time was 35 South Cecil Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (which is where I find her and daughter, Elizabeth, in the 1920 U.S. Census).

Note that the signature of the declarant is in Hebrew.

Uncle George Levitt in U.S. Census Records

Rose (Levitt) Goldstein's oldest brother George had been living in Philadelphia for more than two decades by the time of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census. I shared his 1918 WWI Draft Registration Card last week. See his 1920 U.S. Census record here.

In 1930, George Levitt owned his home at 2136 South Melvin Street in Philadelphia.

1930 U.S. Federal Census, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Roll: 2119; E.D.: 428; Page: 17A. Record for George Levitt.

The value of his home was $6,950, which was the value of each of the other row houses in this city neighborhood. The "R" in the next column indicates that there was a radio in the home.

The census reports that George was 30 years old and his wife, Elizabeth G. was 29 years old and they were married at the ages of 23 and 22, (about 1923). Also in this household is Sarah Brodsky, age 47, who is George's mother-in-law, and confirms Elizabeth's maiden name.

I don't show here, but New Jersey is noted as George's birth place, and Russia is the birth place for Elizabeth and Sarah, who immigrated in 1903. They are listed as naturalized citizens.

In 1930, George's occupation is Salesman for Automotive Supplies.

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In 1940, George and Elizabeth were living at 2136 Melvin Street, which I am assuming is the same house as above. The home is now worth $4,500, as are the other homes along this street.

1940 U.S. Federal Census, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Roll: T627_2324; E.D. 51-1152; Page: 19B. Line 43. Record for George Levitt.

The circled X by George's name means he was the one who answered the census taker's questions. He reported that he was 40 years old and his wife 38. He completed three years of high school, and his wife completed 8th grade. He was born in New Jersey and his wife in Russia. They now have two children, Ruth, age 8 and Mathew, age 4, both born in Pennsylvania. His widowed mother-in-law, Sarah Brodsky, age 55, is living with them. She is also noted as having eight years of schooling.

He is now a merchant for electric appliances. This and similar occupations tended to run in this family. See Uncle Morton in Woodbine in 1940 and see Uncle Eddie in Springfield in 1940.