Connecting with a Handler Cousin ~ Blog as Cousin Bait

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to discuss family and think about those family who are no longer with us. When I opened my email the day after Thanksgiving this year, I found an email from a second cousin of my husband's who did just that. Gary has been making video recordings of family members for almost 30 years, knowing that they would be interesting to family members. He wrote: "I figured that either someday I would have the time to start exploring our history based on these histories or perhaps my kids or grandkids would." After watching one of his older videos (which my husband and I have now watched - it's a treasure), he thought he would search on the Internet for some of the information mentioned by his aunts in the video.

Well, up comes my blog with a good bit of family information about Handler ancestors and relatives in Ohio. He and I started an email conversation and this past weekend, enjoyed a Google chat with our respective spouses.

Sisters Esther and Helen

Well, the treasure can be found at YouTube in a two and a half hour video called: "Mishpacha Tape Helen and Esther 1988." Gary's aunt Helen and aunt Esther are first cousins of my father-in-law; their brother, Gary's dad, Morton, died at age 44 in 1972. All these cousins were born in Ohio to Regina (Handler) and Jake Solomon.

Just mentioning these aunts to my mother-in-law reminded her that my father-in-law introduced Morton (who lived in Cleveland) to Gary's mother (who lived in Akron, in an apartment in the Handler home). Gary's mother is still living and was visiting for Thanksgiving. She was thrilled that we connected online!

Some of the information about the family that Helen and Esther talk about in this video is new to me (including several photographs shared near the end); some information reinforces what I already knew; and some is in error. For example, they say that their cousin Margaret Handler was born in Hungary, as well as her older brother Arthur. However, passenger lists show otherwise.

I will share some new findings about the Handlers that I found in this video in future blog posts. I thank Gary for taking this video almost 27 years ago and sharing it at YouTube. I especially thank him for contacting me and look forward to seeing photographs that I haven't seen before!

98 Years Ago ~ Wedding Wednesday

I have recently been writing about my husband's Great Aunt Regina and Great Uncle Jake Solomon. Not only have I found their marriage record, but a newspaper write up of their fiftieth anniversary celebration.

The following can be found at either Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records:

Jake Solomon, age 28 and a cook, and Regina Handler, age 22 and a seamstress, were married on [Sunday] the 13th day of December 1914 by Rabbi H. A. Liebovitz.

Interestingly, since this document asks for the bride's mother's maiden name, and it is given as Rozalia Handler, I think that this is where the story of Handler cousins marrying each other comes from: The parents of Regina, Joseph, and Sam were Adolf Handler and Rozalia (or Roza or Szoli or Sali or Sally) Handler.

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Fifty years later, in the December 13, 1964, issue of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, comes the following notice:

From December 13, 1964, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio,
found at www.genealogybank.com

A great find, as it confirms the names of the couple's children, as well as their addresses!

Mystery Monday ~ Finding A Jewish Great-Grandmother

When I wrote about Great Aunt Regina (Handler) Solomon, I noted that when I found the Jake Solomon family in the 1920 Federal Census, at 2721 East 62nd Street, included in their household was Rose Goodman, age 60 (born about 1860), and with a relationship to the head of household noted as "Mother."

Detail for household of Jacob Solomon in the 1920 U.S. Census, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

Just a couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post about the different names I had found for the mother of Regina, Sam and Joseph. Her name shows up as Rozalia, Roza, Szoli, Sali, or Sally in a variety of records.

Searching for an Ohio death for Rose Goodman, I found the following death certificate at Family Search:

Ohio Department of Health, Death Certificate, Ohio Deaths 1908-1953.
Record for Rosie Goodman, died 25 October 1932, found at FamilySearch.org

This is a death certificate for Rosie Goodman, who died in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on the evening of October 25, 1932. Additional facts from this death certificate:

1928 Cleveland City Directory: Solomon

Residence: 2166 E. 70 St.  [This happens to be where Jacob (a laborer) Solomon lived, based on the 1928 Cleveland City Directory, though I can't find this family in the 1930 Census.]

The deceased is Female, White, a Widow, with name of her husband listed as Aaron. Her date of birth is 1858, making her 74 years old.

Birthplace is Hungary. Name of father is Sam Goodman (born in Hungary) and name of mother (also born in Hungary) is Handel Handler.

1926 Cleveland City Directory: Handler

The name of the informant is [daughter-in-law,] Sadie Handler, of 6908 Hough Avenue, where I knew Sam and Sadie Handler were living at the time of the 1930 census. (They are also there in 1926.)

Rosie died of coronary thrombosis (a heart attack) due to arteriosclerosis. According to the death certificate, she was buried at Lansing Cemetery the following day, October 26, 1932. (As an aside - this was just before my father-in-law's tenth birthday. I need to follow up with him and see if he has any memory of "Rosie," his paternal grandmother.)

Sunday's Obituary ~ Jake and Regina Solomon

Great Uncle Jake Solomon died on March 13, 1965, at age 81 (or 82, depending on the source of his birth year).

March 14, 1965, p. 14AA. Obituary/Death notice for Jake Solomon.,
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, online database (http://www.genealogybank.com).

SOLOMON
Jake Solomon, dearly beloved husband of Regina, devoted father of Morton, Mrs. Esther Goldstein, Miss Helen Solomon and dear grandfather of four. Services at Berkowitz-Kumin, Inc., Memorial Chapel, 1985 S. Taylor Rd., Cleveland Heights, Sunday, March 14, at 11 a.m. Family will receive friends at the residence, 1263 Ranchland Rd., Mayfield Heights.

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Great Aunt Regina (Handler) Solomon died on March 29, 1989, at age 97 (or 98 or 99, depending on the source of her birth year).

March 30, 1989, p. 19D. Death notice for Regina (Handler) Solomon.,
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, online database (http://www.genealogybank.com).

SOLOMON
Regina Solomon, beloved wife of the late Jacob, devoted mother of Esther Goldstein (Mrs. William), Helen Solomon and the late Morton Solomon, loving grandmother of Gary Solomon, Steven Solomon, Lori B. Guiliani and Lori B. Solomon-Hess. great grandmother of Michael Solomon. Services Friday, March 31 [1989] at 11 a.m. at Miller-Deutsch Memorial Chapel Inc. 1985 S. Taylor Rd., Cleveland Hts. Family at the residence of Helen Solomon, 1263 Ranchland Rd., Mayfield Hts. Contributions may be made to Menorah Park. Interment Warrensville Cemetery.

Naturalization for Jake (1923) and Regina (1944) Solomon

Previously, I have shared the Naturalization records for brothers Josef Handler (oath of allegiance 1919) for Sam Handler (oath of allegiance 1920).

I have found naturalization records for my husband's great aunt Regina (Handler) Solomon and her husband, Jake (or Jacob) Solomon. Because great uncle Jake Solomon finalized his citizenship in 1923,  it doesn't look like Regina became a citizen at the same time because of changes in the naturalization laws.

The following documents can be found in "Naturalization Petition and Record Books for the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Cleveland, 1907-1946" at Fold3.

When Jake Solomon filed his Declaration of Intention on June 13, 1919, he was 36 years old and working as a cook. He reports that he is of dark complexion, 5'6" tall, weighing 170 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was born in Mamaros, Hungary, on 2 April 1883, and was living at 2721 E. 62nd Street in Cleveland. He arrived at the port of New York from Fiume, Hungary, on the ship Pannonia on or about December 25, 1908. (Yet I have not had luck finding that record; according to passenger list records at Ancestry.com, no ships arrived at the port of New York on Christmas Day in 1908.) He indicates that he is married to Regina, who was born in Serbia.

Note that at the signature line, the Deputy Clerk, Emil A. Bartunek, signed Jake Solomon and indicated that the "X" was his mark; Jake didn't sign his own name on this document.

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Three and a half years later, Jake Solomon signs his name on his Petition for Naturalization, at the time, the second step to becoming a U.S. citizen.

Matrilineal Monday ~ Great Aunt Regina Handler

I have written about brothers Sam Handler and Joseph Handler. Their younger sister, Regina Handler (pronounced Reh-GEE-nah, not Ri-JEE-nah), immigrated from Hungary with her mother and her sister-in-law in May 1911, and joined her brothers in Ohio. (See her immigration record here.)

In 1920, she and husband, Jacob Solomon, are living at 2721 East 62nd Street in Cleveland.

1920 U.S. Census, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, Roll T625_1369, E. D. 351,
page 9A, lines 15-19, household of Jacob Solomon

Detail of record of Solomon household in 1920

Jacob Solomon, age 36, immigrated in 1905 and has his papers (Pa); he is on his way to becoming a citizen. Further to the right, his occupation is listed as Cook in Restaurant. He and wife, "Ray" were both born in Hungary.

Ray (Regina) is 26 years old. Her year of immigration is unknown (though I know it as 1911) and she is listed as Al (an alien, not a U.S. citizen).

They have two young daughters: Esther, age 4, and Hellen, age 1 7/12, who were both born in Ohio.

Rose Goodman, age 60, is listed as Mother (of the Head of Household). I'm working on confirming who she is... Update: Here is more about Rose (Handler) Goodman, also known as Sally Handler - she is Regina's mother.

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I have not found the Solomon family in the 1930 U.S. Census, though I did find a few Jacob Solomons in Cleveland City Directories around this time.

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Wordless Wednesday ~ Jake and Regina Solomon

Another treasure of a photograph that I received after the death of my husband's Aunt Margaret. This is Uncle Jake Solomon and Aunt Regina (Handler) Solomon, taken possibly in the 1950's. Her name is pronounced with a hard 'g': Reh-GEE-nah, not Ri-JEE-nah.