Naturalization Record for Simche Siegel

My husband's second great grandfather, Simche Siegel, immigrated from Russia to New York City in 1891. He made his way to southern New Jersey and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1899. Following is his Declaration of Intention and his Petition for Naturalization, filed in Cape May County, New Jersey.

Declaration of Intention for Simche Siegel

The first page (of three) is the Declaration of Intention, made on November 1, 1892 before the Clerk of the Common Pleas Court of Cape May County, in the State of New Jersey. Simche Siegel, an alien, a native of Russia, aged about 46 (indicating that he was born about 1846), declares his "intention to become a citizen of the United States of America." He declares that he arrived in the United States on the "First day of August A.D. 1891." (However, the family's passenger list indicate that he left Hamburg, Germany in November, arriving in New York City on December 15, 1891 and that he was born about 1836.) It wasn't until 1906 that these kinds of things were more closely checked by immigration officials.

Mystery Monday ~ Where was Morris Goldstein in 1920?

Morris Goldstein immigrated from Romania to New York in July 1914. I have posted about Morris Goldstein's marriage in 1922 and that he is found in Woodbine, Cape May County, New Jersey in the 1930 Federal census.

For years I have tried to find "my" Morris Goldstein in the New York City 1920 Federal census in various census indexes, and using various census search strategies, but have had no luck. I know that he was born in 1897, lived in the lower East Side, and worked as a tailor. In fact, his World War I draft card indicates all this and that he was living with and working for his brother, Max Goldstein, at 138 Forsyth. However, it looks like they both had moved by the time of the 1920 U.S. Census.

One Goldstein Family in 1930

In 1930, Morris Goldstein's family had settled down in Woodbine, New Jersey, where his wife, Rose (Levitt) Goldstein had spent most of her youth. The following image is from the 1930 U.S. Federal Census.

1930 U.S. Federal Census, Woodbine, Cape May County, New Jersey; Roll: 1325; Page: 12A;
Enumeration District: 28; Record for Morris Goldstein.

The previous page of this census lists Rose's parents. In fact, they lived across Jackson Avenue from each other.

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.

Passenger List for Morris Goldstein and his sister

Morris Goldstein was my husband's maternal grandfather (his Pop-pop). He came to the United States from Romania in July 1914, leaving Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 25, 1914, and arriving in New York City on August 3, 1914, on the ship S.S. Rotterdam. Knowing his Hebrew name was Moische certainly helped me find him on this passenger list. Below, I have transcribed the information in the passenger list with the handwritten parts underlined.

Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Arrival Date:  August 3, 1914;
Microfilm Roll:  T715_2356; Page Number:  68; Line:  13. Record for Moische Goldstein.

Family Name: Goldstein
Given Name: Moische
Age: 17
Sex: "   [ditto from above: Male]
Married or Singer: S   [single]
Calling or Occupation: Taylor
Able to Read / Write: Yes
Nationality (Country of which citizen or subject): Rumania
Race or People: " [ditto from above: Hebrew]
Last Permanent Residence (Country / City or Town): Rumania / Yassy

The name and complete address of nearest relative or friend in country whence alien came:
Father Itzik Goldstein
Stradă Ruksanska Yassy  [I think]

The second part of page 68 of the passenger list has additional information.

Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Arrival Date:  August 3, 1914;
Microfilm Roll:  T715_2356; Page Number:  68; Line:  13. Record for Moische Goldstein.

Final Destination (State / City or Town): NY / New York
Whether holding a ticket to such final destination: -
By whom was passage paid? brother
Whether in possession of $50 and if less, how much? 0
Whether ever before in the United States: "   [ditto from above: No]
Whether going to join a relative or friend and if so, what relative or friend, and his name and complete address: brother: Max Goldstein, 130 Forsyth St., New York
Additional columns not shown above indicate that Moische was 5'6" tall, fair complexion, brown hair, grey eyes and no marks of identification.

His sister, Anna Goldstein, arrived on the same ship, but was listed on a different page.