Tag: Pittsburgh - Heritage Ramblings

*John & Fannie Broida at the Beach, probably after 1904. (Click to enlarge.)*

Our last post with silly swimsuits was such a hit ( See Silly Sunday- Joseph Cooper Family in Swimsuits c1912) that we thought we would share yet another high-fashion image to whet your appetite for the coming swimsuit season. At least with these swimsuits, one didn’t have to diet quite as much before the season started!

This image is of John Zelig Broida (1857-1938) and his second wife, Fannie. Her maiden name is unknown, but they married in 1904, when Fannie was 29 and John 47 years old. They lived in Pittsburgh, PA, and St. Louis, Missouri until their emigration to Palestine in September, 1920. John/Zelig died in Palestine, but we still don’t know much about Fannie and what happened to her.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Broida family photos

2) Family oral history

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John Broida Family at Frank & Seder Picnic

Thanksgiving was not a holiday when our ancestors took photos- at least, not until small personal cameras were readily available and film and developing it inexpensive. So despite having a large family photo collection, I have no Thanksgiving photos from days long past. This photo, originally thought to be a family reunion, is like a Thanksgiving get-together: lots of loved ones, lots of food, lots of fun, lots of laughter. Stories are exchanged, children run and play with cousins, and all feel the same fullness of belly and soul after a big day together. Family reunions, like holiday get-togethers, help us to know our place within the family tree, and within time and place.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Frank & Seder picnic in the Frank’s yard. Frank & Seder was a clothing store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, plus they had branches in other cities. Many Broidas worked at the Pittsburgh store, and Mr. Seder was a cousin, so their get-togethers had some hints of a family reunion. The man standing in the back in the suit, looking at the camera is John Broida. His oldest son Joseph Broida is on his right, with Joseph’s elbow resting on his brother Philip Broida’s shoulder. The second woman to John’s left, in the dark dress, is Bess Dorothy (Green) Broida (Philip’s wife). Fanny Broida is on Bessie’s left- we think she is John’s second wife, but there are a lot of women named Fanny in the family. The time period may have been the late 1920s or early 1930s.

2) Frank & Seder store information, plus photographs: Seder Family Photographs, c. 1900-1940, PSS#31, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center. http://digital.library.pitt.edu/images/pittsburgh/seder.html. Accessed 11-27-2013.

3) Family oral and written history notes.

Click photo for larger image. Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.

Silly Sunday- Broida Family in Swimsuits c1910?

Thankful for Family