ROOTS
30/11/2012

Lorin's mother didn't know she was Jewish

LORIN SINGER-MACKEY, of California, is looking for relatives on her grandfather's side of the family.

The family were from Russia, but emigrated to Whitechapel, London.

Her great grandfather Moses/Morris Cohen was born in 1857 and is listed as a bread baker on the census.

Her grandfather, Charles Cohen, born in 1887 in Russia, is listed as a gents tailor.

Their address on the census was 45 Oxford Street.

Lorin's great grandmothers, born in 1861, was named Jane.

Charles had two brothers - Samuel, born in 1889 and listed as a boot maker, and tailor Hyman, born in 1893 - and two sisters - Milly, born in 1895 and listed as a fur machinist, and student Betsy, born in 1898.

There was also a boarder, Aby Solomon, born in 1892 and listed as a fur cutter.

Lorin's mother was born in Hackney and they lived on London Fields in 1926 on Eleanor Road.

Her maternal grandmother was Ellen Lewis Cohen in Manchester.

Ellen's uncle, Solomon Franks, was murdered by one of his workers in Manchester.

Lorin's great great great grandfather was Colonel Hershel Frankoski/Franks when he migrated to Manchester from Russia.

He was the adopted brother of Modest Mussgorsky, the famous composer.

He brought over his wife Ganesha and her sister Sarah Rutstein along with Lorin's great grandmother Esther.

"Apparently, my mother grew up with no knowledge of any of her heritage, aunts or uncles, grandmothers, grandfathers," Lorin said.

"She explains it that her mum and dad had a lot to hide. She didn't even know she was Jewish until I let her know a few months ago."

Morris' first marriage was to Lithuanian Annie Levinson.

Email lorin.singer.mackey@me.com


Artist's friends

LYNNE BRANDON, of Massachusetts, is looking for descendants of her great grandparents, Louis and Golda Abrahams, who lived in Australia.

Christie's sold the painting Sawing Timber about five years ago which referred to the descendants.

Louis (1852-1903) was a friend of Frederick McCubbin, who painted Sawing Timber, while Golda was born in 1858 and died in 1945.

Lynne's grandmother Ruby lived in New York.

Ruby's sister Julie lived in London and was the mother of Denys Lasdun, the architect of the National Theatre.

Write to 17 Appleton St, Watertown, MA 02472, USA or email lsbrandon@igc.org


Dublin family

WALTER SCOTT, of Carlisle, wants to contact anyone connected with the family of Jacob Samuel Davis and his wife Bessie (nee Goldberg).

Jacob was a glazier in Dublin. His children were David (born 1885), Rebecca (1887), Annie (1889), Barney/Bernard (1891), Fanny (1893), Sammie (1895), Moses/Morris (1897), Dora (1899) and Harry (1903).

They lived at 23 Wynnefield Rd, Rathmines, Dublin in 1901, while 10 years later, they were listed as living at 8 Wynnefield Rd.

The last address Walter has for Bessie is 14 Bloomfield Ave, Dublin, in 1933.

Telephone 01697-472215 or email walter@alvis1234.plus.com


Suzie's search

SUZIE JACOBSON, of Israel, is looking for descendants of Mendel Margolis, who was born in Akerman, near the River Dniester, Odessa.

His parents were Morris (Moshe) and Fanny (Fruma) Margolis, who moved to the East End of London. Morris died in 1903, while Fanny died in 1924.

Mendel's siblings were Sarah (born 1881), Davis (1882), Benjamin (1888), Annie (1890), Golda, Alec (1897) and Furval, who drowned at the age of eight.

Write to 15/13 David Shimoni Street, Tel Aviv 6902608, Israel, telephone 0097254-8044336 or email suziefelixejacobson@yahoo.com


Died at 25

BRIAN GRANT, of Montreal, wants to find descendants of his grandmother Leah Goldenberg.

She was was born in Romania in 1899.

The daughter of David and Leah Goldenberg, she married Morris Lobinsky/Lobell in 1920 in Manchester, but died four years later.

Leah had two children - Sadie, born 1921, died 1968 and Laurence, born 1923, died in action in 1943.

She had four brothers - Tobias (born 1889), Bernard (1894), Samuel (1897), Marcus (1908) - and two sisters, Jane (1904), Ada (1905).

Telephone 001514-2491500 or email vigarus@sympatico.ca


School Mates

PEARL GRUNHUT, nee Rosenbaum, is searching for schoolfriend Natalie Caplan and her sister Hilary.

They attended Withington Girls school in the late-1950s to early 1960s.

Pearl, who now lives in Stamford Hill, at the time lived in Crumpsall and walked home from school with Natalie, of Blackley.

Natalie and Hilary's father had a butcher's shop.

Telephone 07811-190095 or email hgreen@supremepropltd.co.uk


Edith's fate

GERMAN historian Stefan Kahlem is researching the history and fate of Edith Rubens-Waugh.

She was born on August 15, 1919 in Herzogenrath, Germany.

Edith, who was a nurse, emigrated to England in July 1939.

In 1957 she married a Mr Waugh and lived in West London.

Write to Binnenfeld 9, 33829 Borgholzhausen, Germany, telephone 00495425-5785 or email ccalen@web.de


Any siblings?

JUDITH HARRIS, of Leeds, wants to know if her great grandfather Jacob Bunchevsky had any siblings.

Jacob, who was born in 1874, lived in Nottingham before moving to Leeds.

The dairyman had three sons - Abraham, Marcus and Louis - and a daughter - Annie.

Email j.harris258@btinternet.com


Primary query

ESTELLE SILVER wants to discover where she went to primary school.

She was moved from Liverpool to Hoylake, on the Wirral, when she was four in 1941.

She recalls going to West Kirby Grammar School for Girls, but does not know which school she went to before that.

Her late father, Rabbi Avram Silver, was a schochet.

Email joni_a2@lavi.co.il


Polish name

MALCOLM THWAITE, of Glasgow, wants to know if Skitten is an anglicisation of a Polish Jewish name.

It was the name of his maternal grandfather Joseph Skitten, of Liverpool.

Telephone 0141-576 7184 or email m.thwaite1@ntlworld.com


Cheder mates

SHEFFIELD-born Chaim (Melvin) Yaffe would like to hear from old friends and relatives who grew up with him and may have attended cheder together.

Chaim, who currently lives in New York, is the son of Abraham and Bessie Yaffe.

He can be contacted via sarahalevsky@gmail.com


English family?

LOUIS ZETLER, of Israel, has been sent a photograph of a billboard in pre-war London referring to S Goronofsky. His paternal late grandmother was a Goronovsky from Slonim, now in Belarus.

He has no knowledge of any family members in England.

Email arlene@012.net.il


CAR OUTING

Derek Stavrou, of Israel, would like to know if anyone recognises this picture. He believes it was taken in the mid-1920s and that Rachel Lazarus, nee Cohen (1876-1949) may have been one of the passengers in the back. Email Derek at dsandsue@gmail.com


To make an appeal, email MIKE COHEN at roots@jewishtelegraph.com
Please include your home address and contact telephone number.

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