Herman Handler ~ Draft Card WWI

The World War I Draft Card for Herman Handler confirms some information that I have previously found for him and adds to that information.

"World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 November 2018), Herman Handler, serial no. 3604, order no. A7187, Draft Board 5, Summit County, Ohio;
citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509; Family History Library Roll No. 1819623.

Herman Handler lived at 107 S. Portage Path, Akron, Ohio. He was 36 years old, born 10 February 1882 and is a naturalized citizen. His occupation is Saloon Business and he lists "none" for employer's name, suggesting he was the owner of a saloon, which was located at 1223 Sweitzer Ave., Akron. Herman's nearest relative was Sarah Handler at 107 S. Portage Path, Akron. The description of Herman notes that he was tall, with blue eyes and dark hair.

Herman's draft registration was part of the third registration, in September 1918, just a couple of months before the war ended.

Out of curiosity, I looked back at Joe Handler's World War I Draft Card. (He also lived in Akron at this time.)

Military Monday ~ Jacob Reisner World War I Draft Card

Ancestry.com, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005), www.ancestry.com, Database online.
Registration Location: Kings County, New York; Roll: 1754613; Draft Board: 80. Record for Jacob Reisner.

When I first found this record, I wasn't sure that it belonged to the Jacob Reisner who married into the Levitt family, whose origins in "Austria" have eluded me for years. However, I more recently found Jacob's 1965 obituary, which noted that he had worked for Asinof and Sons Co. for many years, in New York and in Springfield. The occupation for Jacob Reisner here is as a Tailor for Essenoff + Sons at 37 Broome St. N.Y.

He claims exemption from service because he needs to support his family, his wife and three children.

The back of his card indicates that he was tall, of medium build, with blue eyes and brown hair.

In June 1917, Jacob Reisner is living at 74 Louisiana Avenue in Brooklyn. He has declared his intention to become a citizen and this record tells me that he reports his birth as January 12, 1890, in Kolamayer, Bucave, Austria. (At least that's what it looks like to me.)

However, I am not having any luck finding this place in JewishGen's Community Search or the Gazetteer. Anyone have any ideas?

UPDATE: Thank you to the Tracing the Tribe Facebook Group members (several of them), who let me know that this is Kolomea or Kolomyya, in present-day Western Ukraine. In the late 1800s and very early 1900s, this community was considered part of Galicia, within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Military Monday ~ Stanley Goldstein

My husband's Uncle Stanley served in World War II. Several websites are offering free access to military records this Memorial Day weekend. On Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and MyHeritage.com, I found Uncle Stanley's U.S. World War II Army Enlistment record. (Original data from The National Archives.)

The information it provides is as follows:

Name: Stanley Goldstein
Birth: 1924, New York
Residence: Cape May [County], New Jersey
Enlistment: February 13, 1943 in Camden, New Jersey
Serial #: 32750962
Grade alpha: Pvt
Grade code: Private
Branch alpha: Bi
Branch code: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Term of enlistment: Enlistment For The Duration of The War or Other Emergency, Plus Six Months, Subject To The Discretion of The President or Otherwise According To Law
Army component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Race and citizenship: White, Citizen
Education: 4 Years of High School
Civil Occupation: Semiskilled Occupations In Fabrication of Textile Products, n.e.c.
Marital status: Single, Without Dependents
Source: Civil Life
Height: 67
Weight: 169
Box #: 0559
Reel #: 2.222

On Ancestry.com, I found a bit more information in the U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. This record included his birth date of April 13, 1924, death date of December 28, 1993, as well as:
Branch 1: A
Enlistment Date 1: February 20, 1943
Release Date 1: April 4, 1946

I don't have any photos of Uncle Stanley in his military uniform.

As I noted in an earlier blog post, I noted that Stanley Goldstein fought in World War II and when recovering from injuries suffered in battle, he met his wife, Betty Coleman, an English nurse and married her in England before returning home to New Jersey.

He is buried in the Woodbine Brotherhood Cemetery in Woodbine, New Jersey.

Military Monday ~ Dr. Matthew S. Levitas of Brooklyn

Matthew Samuel Levitas was a first cousin of my husband's grandmother, Rose (Levitt) Goldstein. According to his WWI and WWII Draft Cards, he was born in Newark, New Jersey, on April 14, 1892.

I shared his family in census records here (1895-1915) and here (1920-1940).

I'm not sure where he attended medical school, but by June 1917, according to his WWI Draft Card, he was working as a Physician at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, N.J.

Ancestry.com, U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.
Registration location: Kings County, N.Y.; Roll: 175449; Draft Board: 60; Record for Mathew Levitas

He did serve in the medical corps in World War I, initially serving at Base Hospital Camp Upton on Long Island, then as a surgeon in Hoboken, N.J. He was given an honorable discharge on September 4, 1919.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle can be found online at Brooklyn Newsstand. (Any issues not found there might be found at Fulton History.) I found several articles that mentioned Dr. Matthew S. Levitas in the 1940s and early 1950s. A select few follow.

Military Monday ~ Pineu Goldstein in Romania

I thank the volunteer Romanian translator at the JGSGB (Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Boston) "Annual Help Day" for the following translation.

The message on the left is translated as:
    On the occasion I
    was photographed for the military
    I send you this
    photo of mine
    as a memento.
    [Your] brother,
       Pineu
       Goldstein
    Yassy [Romania] 15/3/928  [15 March 1928]

At right, it is addressed:
    Honorable Family
    Moise Goldstein
    New York
    America

Now, I can't imagine that this was mailed like this - there were at least a couple dozen Morris Goldsteins in New York at this time. I'm guessing that this labeled photo was then placed in an envelope and mailed to my husband's grandfather.

The name Pineu Goldstein is not familiar to my mother-in-law. All she knew of this photo is that this was the the youngest brother of her father, Morris Goldstein, who "remained in Romania and became a Communist." And where we thought that only the brothers who emigrated to America (Max and Morris) changed their surname to Goldstein from Yancu, it appears that at least one of the brothers who remained in Romania had the Goldstein surname.

Military Monday ~ Morris Goldstein in WWI

I previously shared the World War I Draft Card for Morris Goldstein, my husband's grandfather, which was completed June 5, 1918.

The following is from Ancestry.com: New York; Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, Series B0808.

There are several men named Morris Goldstein in New York City in this time frame, but this abstract includes Morris Goldstein's address at 138 Forsyth Street in NYC, as well as his birth date (April 20, 1897) and birth place (Yassy (Iasi), Romania) which confirms this Morris Goldstein as my husband's grandfather.

It looks like he spent about two months (the last two months of the war) at Camp Jackson, the army training center outside of Columbia, South Carolina.

As I have noted before, I believe he became a naturalized citizen serving as a soldier, but he is not the Morris Goldstein in the Fold3.com Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers, 1918, who is a different Morris Goldstein who served at "Crane" not "Jackson."

The description of this Ancestry.com database indicates that records are held at the New York State Archives in Albany, New York. I contacted the Archives by email, but was informed that they do not have any additional information.

Military Monday ~ WWI Draft Card for Uncle George Levitt

Rose Levitt Goldstein's oldest brother, George, was living in Philadelphia by September 1918, when he was required to register for the draft for World War I.

He was living at 2421 N. 31st Street in Philadelphia. Although he claims his age as 19, he was not yet 17, based on his date of birth of November 10, 1900. He was working as a Machinist for the government at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia.

The reason I know this is Rose's oldest brother is that he lists his nearest relative as his father, Max Levitt, living in Woodbine, Cape May County, New Jersey.

Uncle George was of medium height and build with brown eyes and black hair. He registered on September 12, 1918 in Philadelphia.

I wonder what made him decide to move out of his home in small Woodbine, New Jersey, to the big city before he was even eighteen years old?

The above images are from Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.

Military Monday ~ Sam Handler's Draft Cards

Draft registration records at Ancestry.com are a wealth of information for those men born during certain years in the late 19th century. (I shared Joseph Handler's Draft Cards last week.) My husband's great uncle Sam Handler (Joseph's brother) is found in a World War I Registration Card dated June 5, 1917.

Ancestry.com, U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Provo, UT, USA,
The Generations Network, Inc., 2007), www.ancestry.com, Database online.
Roll: WWII_2246615; Local board: Cleveland, Ohio. Record for Sam Handler.

This record tells me that Sam Handler is 30 years old, living at 6304 Central [Avenue], Cleveland, Ohio. He was born December 27, 1887, in what looks like Hungar Austria (okay, that's a little vague, but borders were changing...). In answer to the question "Are you a natural-born citizen, a naturalized citizen, an alien, or have you declared your intention," he is "Declared." (He became a citizen in May 1920.) He considers himself a citizen of Austria.

His occupation is "confectionary" and he is employed "By himself" in Cleveland. He is supporting a wife and three children; he is married; and he considers himself caucasian. He has no military experience. He claims exemption from the draft due to wife and 3 children.

On the right hand side of the card, it is noted that he is tall and stout, with gray eyes, dark hair (and not bald - Handlers keep their head of hair!) "None" refers to the fact that he has no disability.

Military Monday ~ Joseph Handler's Draft Cards

In doing research on another Handler family member, I realized that I have not yet shared the Draft Cards for my husband's paternal grandfather.

Courtesy of Ancestry.com's World War I Draft Registration Cards description:

Registration
The World War I draft consisted of three separate registrations.

• First Registration. The registration on 5 June 1917, was for men aged twenty-one to thirty-one—men born between 6 June 1886 and 5 June 1896.
• Second Registration. The registration on 5 June 1918, was for men who had turned twenty-one years of age since the previous registration—men born between 6 June 1896 and 5 June 1897. Men who had not previously registered and were not already in the military also registered. In addition, a supplemental registration on 24 August 1918, was for men who turned twenty-one years of age since 5 June 1918.
• Third Registration. The registration on 12 Sept 1918, was for men aged eighteen to twenty-one and thirty-one to forty-five—men born between 11 Sept 1872 and 12 Sept 1900.

Registration Cards
Each of the three separate registrations used a slightly different version of the draft registration card. Because different cards were used, the information included in each varies.

I find 34-year-old Joe Handler in the World War I Draft Registration records in September 1918 (third registration).

Ancestry.com, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 2005), www.ancestry.com, Database online. Registration Location: Summit County, Ohio;
Roll: 1819623; Draft Board:  5. Record for Joseph Handler.

Joe Handler is living at 646 Bell [Street], Akron, Ohio. He was born August 24, 1884. He is a declared alien, which indicates that he has declared his intention to become a citizen. (Joseph Handler became a citizen in June 1920. See his naturalization here.)

This also indicates his occupation, but it's challenging to read. Does that look like "Bar Tender" and the employer is "Handler + Weinberg"? It's also hard to read the address: possibly 1223 Sweitzer, Akron, Summit, Ohio.

His nearest relative is his wife, Lena Handler, at 646 Bell [Street], Akron. The next page indicates that Joseph is of medium height, medium build, with brown eyes and black hair.

Military Monday ~ Morris Goldstein in WWI

Following is the (June 5, 1918) World War I Draft Registration Card for Morris Goldstein, my husband's grandfather. I know that this is "my" Morris Goldstein because the birthday (April 20, 1897) is what is remembered by family members; the birthplace is Yassy, Romania; his citizenship is of Romania; and his workplace (no. 8 below) and residence (no. 9 below) are with his brother, Max Goldstein at 138 Forsyth, NYC, NY. (See his passenger list for confirmation of some of this information.)

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [Ancestry.com database on-line]. Original data: World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Registration Location:  New York County, New York; Roll: 1765855; Draft Board: 108. Record for Morris Goldstein

This confirms what my mother-in-law remembers, which is that her father served in World War I, but only for a brief time. The draft card shows that he registered for the draft in June 1918. The "Great War" ended less than six months later, in November 1918. I have not been able to find "my" Morris Goldstein in naturalization indexes for New York, but it's possible that he was naturalized as a soldier. Another task for my genealogy "to-do" list.

January 2014 Update: I found a bit more about Morris Goldstein's World War I service.

Military Monday is a daily blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers, the genealogy community’s resource for blogging. It is used by many genealogy bloggers to help them tell stories of their ancestors.

Military Monday ~ WWII brothers die in action

World War II was a defining period in U.S. (and World) History. As a mother of boys, I can't imagine being a mother and sending three sons to fight!

Joseph and Lena Handler had six children, four boys and two girls. I am able to track the family from their immigration, to Joseph's naturalization in 1919, through the 1920 U.S. Federal Census to the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, in Akron, Summit County, Ohio. The three youngest sons enlisted in the U.S. Army and saw action in WWII.

Two of them did not return home.