The Curious Case of Benjamin Becker
It is likely that every family tree has more than one person of the same name. The practice of naming a son after the father results in many Johns, John Jr.s, John IIIs and so on. It wasn’t as often that daughters got named after their mothers but I grew up next door to a family whose parents were William and Mary and their two children were also William and Mary. My family tree consists of 100% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry on both, my side and my wife, Arlene’s side. The tradition among these eastern European Jewish families was to name children after a respected ancestor who had passed away. I was named after Simon Muckler, my grandfather’s uncle and Arlene was named after her uncle Arthur Cohen/Carlton, her father’s brother. No duplicates there.
Looking at my tree I found several duplicate names. There are five Reuben Kaganovich’s, four Moishe Kaganovich’s, and 4 named Chaim with the same last name. I have two Rose Boxinbaums one of them being my mother’s sister and two Avram Pasternaks. My great grandfather, Beryl Levine died on or about the day his daughter Bertha was born. She may have been named after him and there are also two Benjamins that I know are related and one other who I am pretty sure was a first cousin to my grandfather and they all may very well have been named after him. I’m not sure but my Uncle Bernie may also have been named after Beryl.
My mother in law was Gertrude Snyder and she had a sister named Francis Snyder. They had a pair of first cousins who were sisters named Gertrude Snyder and Francis Snyder. The two Gerts were very close friends as well as being cousins.
Lastly there are two Benjamin Beckers in my family tree. The difference here is that they are from opposite sides of the tree. One is Arlene’s first cousin once removed. He was the son of Rachel Becker’s (Arlene’s grandmother) brother, Emil. Benjamin died in 1975. His grandson told me that he had become a butcher after WWII. His wife died at age 26 during childbirth and he remarried and had another daughter who is still alive today. Ben’s grandson also said that he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, gleefully enjoying visits from his family. Here is a picture of Benjamin.
The other Benjamin Becker is my 6 year old grand nephew, son of my niece Becky and her husband Matt. Ben is a wonderful, bright, funny kid with a huge upside. We spent a couple of days with them in Chicago last summer and I came away saying that “Ben is an absolute riot.” I think that he will excel in any endeavor he pursues despite some challenges he may face, that is, of course he survives the usual battles with his older brother Henry. Here is a picture of Benjamin with Henry.
Our son Philip is named after Arlene’s grandfather, Philip Snyder. Our daughter Molly is named after my mother, Minnie Levine nee Boxinbaum. Philip and Molly have completely different personalities. They don’t have much in common but are good friends. That being said there is one thing that they share. Philip and Molly are the only two people in the history of the world who are so closely genetically related to both Benjamin Beckers.
Looking at my tree I found several duplicate names. There are five Reuben Kaganovich’s, four Moishe Kaganovich’s, and 4 named Chaim with the same last name. I have two Rose Boxinbaums one of them being my mother’s sister and two Avram Pasternaks. My great grandfather, Beryl Levine died on or about the day his daughter Bertha was born. She may have been named after him and there are also two Benjamins that I know are related and one other who I am pretty sure was a first cousin to my grandfather and they all may very well have been named after him. I’m not sure but my Uncle Bernie may also have been named after Beryl.
My mother in law was Gertrude Snyder and she had a sister named Francis Snyder. They had a pair of first cousins who were sisters named Gertrude Snyder and Francis Snyder. The two Gerts were very close friends as well as being cousins.
Lastly there are two Benjamin Beckers in my family tree. The difference here is that they are from opposite sides of the tree. One is Arlene’s first cousin once removed. He was the son of Rachel Becker’s (Arlene’s grandmother) brother, Emil. Benjamin died in 1975. His grandson told me that he had become a butcher after WWII. His wife died at age 26 during childbirth and he remarried and had another daughter who is still alive today. Ben’s grandson also said that he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, gleefully enjoying visits from his family. Here is a picture of Benjamin.
The other Benjamin Becker is my 6 year old grand nephew, son of my niece Becky and her husband Matt. Ben is a wonderful, bright, funny kid with a huge upside. We spent a couple of days with them in Chicago last summer and I came away saying that “Ben is an absolute riot.” I think that he will excel in any endeavor he pursues despite some challenges he may face, that is, of course he survives the usual battles with his older brother Henry. Here is a picture of Benjamin with Henry.
Our son Philip is named after Arlene’s grandfather, Philip Snyder. Our daughter Molly is named after my mother, Minnie Levine nee Boxinbaum. Philip and Molly have completely different personalities. They don’t have much in common but are good friends. That being said there is one thing that they share. Philip and Molly are the only two people in the history of the world who are so closely genetically related to both Benjamin Beckers.
It is so interesting that we connect 2 different Benjamin Beckers!!!
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