John Zelig Jacob Karklinsky Broida and his second wife, Fannie Rubenstein Cohen Broida, in Tel Aviv, Palestine (now Israel), 1927. (Sorry for quality- this is an older photocopy.)
Broida Family
John Zelig Jacob Broida was born in Eišiškės, Lithuania, around March, 1857. He was the first of the Karklinsky family to immigrate to the United States, sometime during 1874-1875. We are not sure if he arrived in New York or Pennsylvania, but he changed the family name to “Broida.” (It was not changed at Ellis Island by officials- Ellis Island had not yet been built, he is not listed at its predecessor Castle Garden, and the family story is that John chose ‘Broida’ himself.) John may have lived in New York for a while and worked as a ‘rag picker,’ collecting and possibly processing the rags before selling them to a company. He moved on and settled in the Pittsburgh PA area. We don’t know if he married his first wife, Sarah Gitel Frank, in New York or in Pittsburgh, as we have not found any marriage license, but they married sometime probably in 1881. She too was born in Lithuania (around Nov 1859), and we do not know if the two knew each other in Lithuania, if it was an arranged marriage, or if John and Gitel met in New York or Pittsburgh. We think we have found Gitel’s immigration and arrival to the US on 13 July 1881 in New York, so the marriage would have been after this time, since she traveled under her maiden name, but before the birth of their first surviving son, Joseph Jacob Broida, who was born 15 May 1882 in Pittsburgh.
John’s ‘rag’ business was stepped up in Pittsburgh, because he became a “jobber of notions” and then dry goods. He eventually sold “men’s furnishings”- including fine men’s clothing, a profession followed by a number of his sons. John and Gitel had 7 sons who survived into adulthood, plus one son and two other children who did not survive their infancy or young childhood. (If the 1890 US Federal Census had survived, we might know more about these children.)
Gitel succumbed to tuberculosis in 1901, and the children went to live with relatives, some in other cities such as St. Louis, around the time of her death. On 14 April 1904, John applied for a marriage license in Jefferson County, Ohio, (about 45 miles west of Pittsburgh) to Fannie Robinstein/Rubenstein; she had previously been married to Jacob Cohen and they had a daughter, Ethel (1892-1973). Upon the marriage the Broida household finally added a girl, this daughter Ethel, to the household, and some of the sons may have come back to live with John and Fannie, since the youngest was just seven at the marriage.
John “Zelig” Broida and his second wife, Fannie (Rubenstein) Broida, 2 November 1924, possibly taken in Palestine.
John’s granddaughter, Gertrude Broida Cooper, stated that he always spoke with a thick accent. John yearned to be a part of the new state of Palestine, to be with his own people. The last record we have of John as a resident in the US is a St. Louis, Missouri City Directory for 1917. John and Fannie emigrated to Palestine in September of 1920. John was 63 that year, and starting over- again. Fannie was 46.
We recently ‘found’ the above wonderful image of John and “Auntie”- most probably Fannie Rubenstein Cohen Broida- taken in 1927 in Tel Aviv. It suggests that she was called “Auntie” by John’s sons, although we do not know who labeled the photograph. This is a poor, older photocopy of the actual photo, so we would be very interested in getting a good scan of this photo if anyone out there reading has an actual photo, or a better photocopy. (Please contact us!)
John returned for a visit to the US on 10 June 1930, arriving from Jaffa, Palestine, on the ship Alesia. He appeared to be traveling alone, as we find no mention of Fannie on that passenger list. (Maybe they could not afford passage for two? Or was she ill so stayed in Palestine? She died on 14 Jan 1933.) The famous-within-the-family ‘seven brothers’ photo was taken on John’s U.S. visit.
John Jacob/Zelig Broida and his seven surviving sons. From left- front sitting- Max Broida, standing- Phillip Broida, Joseph J. Broida, Morris Broida, Louis Broida, Theodore “Dave” Broida, Harold Broida. Sitting on right, with beard- John J. “Zelig” Broida.
John returned to Palestine and Fannie. She died in 1933, and he on 9 Nov 1938. Both are buried in Israel’s Mount of Olives Cemetery, not far from each other.
Notes, Sources, and References:
Thank you to the dear aunt who shared this treasure of an image after her pandemic cleaning unearthed it!
Many other Heritage Ramblings posts tell the stories of John, Gitel, and Fannie Broida and their children. You can use the search box on the left side of the website to learn more. Also, please keep in mind that older posts have not always been updated, so use the more recent posts as the most current data if some is conflicting.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2020 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Sorting through emails can be a pain, but sometimes there can be wonderful benefits. Today was one of those times, as an email from Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN.com) mentioned that Find My Past had new US marriage certificates. I randomly plugged in the surname “Broida” and the first result was John Broida, born 1857 in Russia. That was our guy! I have long searched for a marriage certificate for John and both of his wives, Sarah Gittel (Frank) Broida, and Fannie Rubinstein. The marriage certificate of interest was for Fannie and John, and as a plus, there were quite a lot of other Broida marriages listed.
Things we learn from this marriage license application:
John was living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1904.
Fannie was living in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1904, which is likely why the marriage took place there. (I would not have thought to search in Ohio!)
John listed his father as Joseph Broida, which we knew, but states his mother Jennie’s maiden name was “Corklinsky.” We do know the family used the surname ‘Karklinsky’ in Lithuania, but it is curious that John used that name for his mother but not his father. I do not know whether or not Joseph Broida came to the US. If he did, that may explain the Broida name for him, and possibly Jennie had passed away in Europe, so John used the name she was known by there. Hopefully someone will know the answer to this.
Fannie’s middle initial was “D.”
John was 46, Fannie 30 when they married.
Fannie was born in Russian Poland, not in Pennsylvania as previously thought.
The license application gives the names of Fannie’s parents, and her name as well as her father’s is spelled “Robinstein,” not “Rubenstein” as others has recorded it, and spell check likes to change it.
The license notes that John had been married previously, to “Gussie Frank, now dead.” We have seen Gittel’s name as “Gussie” in a number of documents, so this verifies they are one and the same.
Although it seemed this document would help us understand the puzzle of this couple, there is no previous marriage noted for Fannie. This will now require more research, as we had thought she married Jacob Cohen before 1892, when Ethel Broida was born. Ethel’s marriage certificate states her father was Jacob Cohen (and mother was Fannie). Ethel lived with John and Fannie after their marriage, as she was only 12 in 1904. John treated her like a beloved daughter, and she was the ‘mystery’ daughter whispered about in the family, which we recently identified through deep research. This puzzle of a previous marriage or not is another case where having a census return from 1890 might help, but those have been lost to us. We cannot find a 1900 census with her listed, or cannot tell if she is the same person- there were a lot of women named “Fannie Cohen,” and a lot named “Fannie Rubinstein” (or “Rubinstein”) in 1900. Perhaps it just wasn’t polite to mention that she had been married before, especially if it ended in divorce? So this omission on the marriage license will make us revisit our previous research and do a little more.
The application states they were to be married by a Rabbi, but actually they were married by a Justice of the Peace on that same day, per the Marriage Certificate at the bottom.Typical of genealogy, this document solves a number of puzzles but actually gives us one more big one. That is why, when someone tells me, “I’ve finished my family tree,” my mind thinks, “Then you haven’t analyzed enough materials thoroughly enough!” But I never say that…
Notes, Sources, and References:
“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-S59N-F6?cc=1614804&wc=Q6SP-W37%3A121346401%2C121652701 : 15 July 2014), Jefferson > Marriage index and records 1903-1905 vol 18 > image 116 of 458; county courthouses, Ohio.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2018 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Sadly we have no image of the tombstone for John/ Zelig Broida who is buried in Mount of Olives Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel, but we do know that he is buried there. The cemetery is now online, but they do not have a record of John or Fannie Broida being buried there, per their staff. We have a photo request out for an image for his Find A Grave memorial, and that of his second wife, Fannie (Rubinstein?) (Cohen?) Broida, and are hoping some persistent cemetery walker will find their final resting places.
We do, however, have an account of his death, which is maybe even better than just a tombstone. It is very hard to read as it is a copy of a carbon copy, so we have transcribed the translation of this original letter.
13 Nov 1938 Letter from the brother of John Broida to his family concerning his death in Israel, part 1.
The letter is from Abraham Avi Pinchoe/Pincus, the brother of Jacob Mordechai Pincus. Mordechai was married to Ethel Broida who was discussed in yesterday’s post. Mordechai and Ethel were in the United States, where John’s sons and grandchildren lived. Ethel is the 8th ‘child’ John mentions, and the mystery ‘daughter’; they were to help distribute his estate.
It is obvious that the Broida family was close to the Pincus family, if John Broida trusted them enough to have Abraham be by his side while dying, and to write this letter to his family back in the states.
The nephew of John’s first wife is also mentioned, although not by name; research has not yet provided that name. John’s first wife was Gitel Frank Broida, and she died in 1901. John remarried, to Fannie ___ (likely Rubenstein), and we have a picture of her with John that is dated 05 July 1929. Fannie apparently died before John as she is not listed in his obituary, and the letter notes that John had purchased a plot near to hers [at Mount Olive Cemetery]. John died 10 Nov 1938.
13 Nov 1938 Translated letter from the brother of Mordechai Pincus concerning the death of John Broida in Israel, part 2. (Click to enlarge.)
Transcription of Translation:
Tel Aviv 19th Heshvan, 5699
(November 13, 1938)
To my dear brother Mordecai-Jacob, his wife and their dear children–
May they live and prosper!
I
It is a great privilege to bring good news, but we may quote our
Rabbis’ interpretation of the Biblical verse:
“And God saw….and behold it is very good” — “very good” refers
to the Day of deathe; then & only all is perfect, for–quotoin again
the Bible –“then the tired ones will rest.” During our life time
we go through many events, but nothing is perfect. And when the
Eternal-blessed be His Name-says: “Very Good” one has to understand,
that perfection exists only on the Day of Death. Particularly, this
can be said concerning one who has lived a long life, and whose
conscience was clear, while his balance-sheet showed no liabilities
neither to men nor to God. Such a man is an anger, a happy one.
Such was the case of the Late Mr. Zelig Broida. Three weeks ago he
came to Tel Aviv, and while visiting me he said: “I wish to leave
for America.” He knew that I would not give my consent. I saw
a great change in him. Next day, his nephew-of his first wife-
came and told me: “Mr. Broida wishes you to come to the Hospital
Assuta; he is critically ill.” Naturally, I went immediately –
to grant his wish. When I came, he told me, that he had a very
bad night, but now he feels better and wishes to tell me some
Important matter concerning a will, the second, previously made
when he had his house.
Now about the money. He told me that he made a will, and gave all
the details to the Consul in Jerusalem, instructing how to deal
with his capital. “I wish you to take notes, “ he told me,”and I
will send you later a copy. I have in the Bank ‘Kupat-Am” LP 3,000
not including the accrued 5% interest–since I deal with them a long
time and in addition to this there is a sum of LP 135 current money.
These LP 3,000 should be divided thus: First, the grandchildren and
the Great grandchildren–each one should be given $100. Second,
LP 50 approximately to be given to Jerusalem Institutions–which
ones, exactly, I don’t know. He did not send me the above
mentioned copy. But the Consul and his brother have the list of the
recipients from LP 30 to LP 50. Among the grandchildren he definitely
stated, that your children are to be considered as his grandchildren
because of their mother, namely your wife, whom he considered as
his own daughter; in addition to his seven sons she is his 8th
daughter because of her good deeds towards him, and therefore she
is to receive an equal part. Also your children whom he considers
as his grandchildren each one should receive his share and buy
something in memory of grandfather, thus he writes in his first will.
Who can tell whether one’s Hands are clean in dealings with his
fellow-men; it is quite possible that one did not resist the
temptation of embezzlement, cheating, [?], etc.–no one knows how
such, and who is the person involved, therefore, there is only one
remedy: giving back to the community, taking a part equal to the one
assigned to each of the heirs, since other people’s money
cannot be given to your children. And so he asked to take one
part which at that time was $280, deposit the sum in a reliable
bank as a permanent fund on hisname, and every year on the day
-2-
of his departure (he departed on Firday, 18th of Heshvan 5699 at
3:30 P. M.) to take out the interest, and give the money to the
Home for the Aged and talmud Torah of Pittsburgh in equal shares. It
is quite possible, that now this share is larger.
In such a case, it is possible to add the difference to the the
amount he left for the Institutions in Jerusalem, LP 30 or LP 50.
Surely, I know, my dear brother, that you will bring everything
in best order.
He mentioned another thing as a certain matter. But he told me:
“All is known to my dear beloved Mordechai-Jacob”–I am confidnet,
that he has written to you. Now let me tell you the way he died,
while in his clear mind. “Iwonder how a man travels from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem”; these were his last words: “I am not afraid of
my death. I do not pretend to live fore ever. The years granted to
me are 82. I made a full account of what I owe, as well as the
expenses in the Hospital and the funeral “–At this moment he
raised his hands and continued: “I think, I am going to die without
any debt.” He took leave and departed. Previously, he repeated
the confessional prayer after me, rather[?] understood every word.
He had a burial lot in the cemetery in Jerusalem near his wife–
may she rest in Peace!– and so when they came to ask me what shall
be don in this case, since it is quite dangerous to travel–I
answered: while alive he came safely from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, so
now also he will be taken safely to his place in Jerusalem. And so
they did. His nephew has a position in the Government and a
special permit to carry [?], so he left today, Sunday morning
at 10:00 A. M.
My son, Rabbi J. L. went to the Chevra Kaddishah and brought
everything in best order with full respect to the departed and
his family. He also wired to Jerusalem to prepare everything
through Mr. Hershell Kurliansky, the step-brother of his mother-
in-law. He is a member in the Chevran Kaddishah in Jerusalem.
He will attend to everything. I believe, that they will give a
full account either to me or to Rashe-Leah. Be in good healthe
and hope to hear good news. It is high time! The Dark Ages are
back! Conditions of our people are terrible. There is no man
who could describe the troubles of Israel. May the Eternal put
an end to all our troubles!
Your brother faithfully,
Abraham Avi Pinchoe
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Family treasure chest.
2) Find A Grave Memorial- no image of grave yet, but request is pending.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.
John Jacob/Zelig Broida and his seven sons. From left- front sitting- Max; standing- Phillip, Joseph J., Morris, Louis, Theodore, Harold. Sitting on right- John J. “Zelig” Broida. Taken 25 July 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Click to enlarge.)
One of the first Broida artifacts shown to a new married-in is the July 1930 picture of John Jacob “Zelig” Broida with his seven sons. It is a wonderful picture of them all, taken on a visit John made back to the US from Palestine, where he had immigrated in 1920. (Note all the nice suits!)
Gertrude Broida Cooper, John’s granddaughter through his son Phillip Broida, mentioned a couple of times that there was talk of a sister, in addition to the seven sons, but no one knew anything about her. She obviously was not important enough be in the family picture (but sons were the most important in a Jewish family of that time), and the sister is in no other images known to the immediate family, so that was Mystery #1.
We recently found a death notice for an infant named Samuel Broida, and he was listed as a son of John and Gitel Broida. The 1900 US Federal census states that Gitel had borne 10 children, 7 of which were still alive, so could one of the other 2 children who likely died young have been the mystery daughter? (Mystery #2)
Mystery #3 is that searches for the name “Broida” often bring up a woman by the name of Ethel Broida Pincus, but no one in the immediate family knew exactly who she was or how she was related.
Mystery #4: A 1910 US Federal Census entry for 206 Hull Alley in East Pittsburgh (Ward 3), Pennsylvania, listed a ‘Jacob Broida’ as head of household, age 54, and proprietor of a clothing store. As we have seen John listed before with the name Jacob and the occupation is correct, we can assume this is the same man. A wife named Fannie, age 35, to whom he had been married 6 years seemed correct, as John’ s first wife Gitel Frank Broida died in 1901, and we knew Fannie was the name of wife #2. Fanny was 19 years younger than John if the census is correct, and pictures of them together do suggest that she was quite a bit younger. So this is consistent with known facts.The census notes this marriage as John’s second-again, consistent- and Fannie’s first, BUT- it states Fannie had 2 children, both still living in 1910. So was John her first husband, or second? Family oral history states they had no children together since they married later in life. Who are the 2 children she had per the census? New Broida researchers might think that the youngest child on the census list could possibly be Fannie’s- Theodore, at age 17 would have been born when Fannie was 18, which is plausible, but she would have been just 13 when Phillip was born.
These aren’t her children though. Many of us already knew that.
This census also included in the household five of the eight (or more) sons born to John and Gitel Frank Broida: Joseph, age 27; Louis, 25; Max, 24; Philip, 22, and Theodore, 17. Yes, this had to be ‘our’ John Broida. (See notes for the other 2 ‘missing’ surviving sons.)
But wait- here is MYSTERY #5 (capitalized because this is a biggie)- there is an “Ethel Broida” listed as a sister (which would be to John as head of household, theoretically) on this enumeration, age 49, single, and born in Pennsylvania. So if the census is correct, Ethel Broida was John Broida’s sister. Indeed, many online family trees list Ethel Broida as John Broida’s sister, probably because of this census; some instead list her as his daughter. (We’ll explain where that may have come from in a minute.)
1910 US Federal Census excerpt for ‘Jacob’ (John) Broida and family. (Click to enlarge.)
The 1910 census states that John, Fannie, and Ethel were all born in Pennsylvania. The age listed for Ethel, 49, could work if she was John’s sister, since he was 54. It could also work if she was a sister to Fannie- a 14 year age span did happen with large families, BUT the census suggest Ethel’s surname was Broida, not Fannie’s maiden name (whatever that may be). Ethel, however, could NOT be John’s daughter or even Fannie’s daughter if the listed ages are correct.
The age of 49 in 1910 would place Ethel’s birth in 1861. Does the woman below look like she could have been born in 1861? Does the photo look of that era? (approx. 1900s) Doesn’t seem to be, to me.
Ethel Broida Pincus (Click to enlarge.)
Mystery #6- John Broida’s obituary after his death on 12 November 1938 lists his seven sons as surviving him, 2 brothers, and one sister, Mrs. Rachael (Broida) Goldstein (wife of Morris I. Goldstein) of Pittsburgh. No Ethel Broida is listed as a sister or a daughter, but Ethel was still alive in 1938.
Mystery #7- The obituary for John Broida’s son Joseph J. Broida on 26 Dec 1958 lists his brothers Theodore and Morris as surviving him, and along with those siblings, “Mrs. Ethel Pincus of Miami.” So this is why some researchers list Ethel as a daughter of John Broida, instead of a sister.
Confused yet? (Yep.) Maybe a bit crazy? (Definitely.)
So what is the solution to these mysteries? Is there another sister to John Broida, or a daughter?
Research over the years has only found a few pieces of information about who we believe is this same Ethel Broida. She does have an entry on the MyHeritage website, and it and other research indicates she married a Jacob Mordechai Pincus (1880-1956).
February 1920 passport picture of Jacob M. Pincus. via Ancestry.com.
It is highly unlikely that Jacob would have married a woman born in 1861- she would have been 19 years older- and that they would have had three sons, beginning when she was age 51. Again, the age on the 1910 census has to be wrong if they are the same person.
Jacob and Ethel Pincus had three sons:
Irwin Jacob Pincus, 1912-2000, married Lena L. Magaziner; he was a physician in Beverly Hills, California;
Bernard B. (or E.) Pincus, 1914-2001, born Pennsylvania, died in Southfield, Michigan;
Max J. Pincus- possibly born as Jacob M. Pincus Jr.? Born about 1923, died 1987 in Detroit, Michigan. May have married Lois Padover per Ancestry.com members.
In his obituary, Jacob Pincus is noted as having married “the former Ethel Broida.”
11 Apr 1956 Obituary of Jacob M. Pincus, Philadelphia Inquirer, page 23, columns 1-2. Posted with kind permission of fultonhistory.com. (Click to enlarge.)
The Social Security Death Index listed Ethel Pincus as being born 26 December 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She died 13 Sep 1973 in Beverly Hills, California, per the SSDI.
The naturalization papers of Ethel’s husband Jacob Pincus state that she was born in Ostrow, Russia but other records, such as census, state Pennsylvania; Jacob Pincus was also born in Russia. If this is the same Ethel Broida as in the 1910 census with John Broida’s family, she would have actually been 18 at the 1910 census, using the SSDI birth date. She could still be Fannie Broida’s sister, but questionable as to John’s since he was 54, unless Ethel was from a second marriage of his father to a much younger woman. (Such a marriage is not known for John’s father, Joseph Broida.) Additionally, for Ethel to bear two children that were still living in 1910 when Ethel was just 18 does not seem likely, though it was possible, so again, most probably some of the 1910 census information is in error.
The obituary for Mrs. Jacob Pincus, of Beverly Hills, California (where her son Dr. Irwin J. Pincus lived) stated that she was the “former Ethel Broida,” and listed their three sons by name.
So more data was needed. A marriage license has not been found for John and Fannie Broida, and we still do not know her maiden name, nor very much about her at all. We now think they were in Pittsburgh when they decided to marry, rather than when they lived in Florida; neither place has a marriage record that we have been able to find online. Dead end there after a lot of searching over the years- for now, anyway.
OK, how about a marriage record for Ethel Broida and Jacob Mordecai Pincus? Not an easy find there, either, but if it listed her parents, it would be a winner. The search continued…
MyHeritage.com was helpful in having the 15 Aug 1911 engagement notice of ” Miss Ethel Broida of East Pittsburgh and Mr. Jacob Pincus of Monessen…” The article continues: “Miss Broida is the daughter of Mrs. J. Broida….The marriage will be an event of the early fall.”
Oh my- this Ethel is the daughter of the wife of a J. Broida, and from East Pittsburgh. There were a number of J. Broidas in Pittsburgh during these years, but could it be our John/Jacob/Zelig Broida? Ethel was living with John & Fannie Broida in East Pittsburgh for the 1910 census one year earlier- could this be our solution?
Then, of course, the great research find happens in the wee hours when there is no one around to proclaim the exhilaration to, and do the happy dance, with, (note second line below):
Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 1, via Ancestry.com. (Click to enlarge.)Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 2, via Ancestry.com. (Click to enlarge.)Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 3, via Ancestry.com. (Click to enlarge.)
So Jacob M. Pincus, age 30, born in Russia and a merchant in Monessen, Pennsylvania, married Ethel Rubenstein, age 20, born in Russia but residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The record gives Jacob’s parents as Isaac Pincus and L. Freeman, and other research verified that. Thus this has to be the Jacob we are seeking, and the wedding date was confirmed by other researchers (though the license has not been shown on any family group records I have seen).
Did you notice the interesting part- the Happy Dance inspiration?
The bride’s name was Ethel Rubenstein.
The bride’s parents were Jacob Cohen and Fanne Robenstein.
Lightbulb moment- Is Fanne Robestein/Rubenstein the second wife of John Broida?
And how did those names work out? Was Fannie first married to Jacob Cohen, and then he died (or they divorced, etc.), and Fannie married a Rubinstein (marriage #2), then Ethel took that name? Or was Mr. Cohen a bad memory and Fannie reverted to her maiden name of Rubinstein, giving that to Ethel as they started a new life?
Is there a sibling somewhere for Ethel, since the 1910 census noted that Fannie had two children who were still living of the two born to her?
And then, when Fannie married John Broida, she became the “Mrs. J. Broida” listed as Ethel’s mother in the engagement announcement. Note that there is no father of the bride listed- his absence is suspicious; even if Fannie had remarried he might have been mentioned if he had taken an active role in his daughter’s life.
So here is a solution hypothesis for your consideration:
Ethel Cohen was born to Jack Cohen and Fannie Rubinstein (maiden name or a second marriage name?) 26 December 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ethel Cohen’s name was changed at some point to Rubinstein- whether by her mother’s next marriage or if her mother reverted to her maiden name at some point. (There is also the possibility that Jack and Fannie were not married thus the child took the mother’s name, but highly doubtful in that era/ group of people.)
Ethel’s mother Fannie married John Jacob Zelig Broida after his first wife died, and when she assumed his surname, so did her daughter, who became Ethel Broida. She would have been the step-sister to all seven living sons. Because Ethel lived with the family at least in 1910, she was probably treated like a sister in the household.
15 Aug 1911- engagement to Jacob Mordechai Pincus announced; fall ‘event’ planned.
Ethel and Jacob decided to elope and marry in Delaware. (There is no date of registration prior to the marriage, so it may have been a spur-of-the-moment event.)
07 Sep 1911- Ethel Broida and Jacob Mordechai Pincus marry in Delaware.
For a marriage license, however, Ethel likely needed to use her legal name, Rubenstein. Perhaps that is why they traveled to Delaware to marry- so announcements would not mention her real name or biological father?
Son Irwin J. Pincus born in 1912.
Son Bernard B (or E.) Pincus born in 1914.
Son Jacob M. Pincus, Jr/ Max J. Pincus born about 1923.
He husband Jacob was the founder and President of Pincus Brothers, a clothing manufacturer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jacob belonged to Temple Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh. (We might be able to gather more information from them about Ethel as she likely was a member as well.)
Jacob M. died 08 Apr 1956 in Miami, where they had a second home.
Ethel moved to Beverly Hills, California to be near her son Irwin.
Ethel Cohen Rubinstein Broida Pincus died 13 Sep 1973 in Beverly Hills, California.
What do you think?
Next time: a most interesting document that more clearly delineates the relationship of Ethel Broida to John Broida. Of course, it has been in my possession for a while… Just have to wait until the genealogical muses sing before one can see the connections, sometimes.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) 1910 US Federal Census for John Broida, listed as ‘Jacob Broida’-
Year: 1910; Census Place: East Pittsburgh Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1293; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1375306
2) Morris Broida, in 1910, at age 14, was still living with his father’s cousin Jacob Broida in St. Louis, where he had gone at age 4 when his mother became ill and moved to Denver, where she died of tuberculosis. Harold, who had gone to Denver as the baby of the family, was 13 in 1910, and apparently was sent to live with their St. Louis relatives after the death of Gitel- he was only 4 when she died in 1901. They are listed as ‘nephews’ to Jacob Broida and his wife Anna, but Jacob was actually a cousin to John Broida. See 1910 US Federal Census- Year: 1910; Census Place: St Louis Ward 4, Saint Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T624_812; Page: 23A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1374825.
3) 1910 US Federal Census for Jacob Broida (a cousin of John Broida) in St. Louis, Missouri-
Year: 1910; Census Place: St Louis Ward 4, Saint Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T624_812; Page: 23A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1374825
4) 1900 US Federal Census for John Broida and family-
5) “Engagement of Local Man” in the Daily Independent, Monessen, Pennsylvania, 15 Aug 1911, Vol. 10, No. 59, Page 1, Column 6, via MyHeritage.com.
6) Delaware marriage record for Ethel Rubinstein and Jacob M. Pincus-
Ancestry.com. Delaware Marriage Records, 1806-1933 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Delaware. Delaware Vital Records. Microfilm. Delaware Public Archives, Dover.
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