Family History by Sid

       Researching your family history often times surprises you. Family lore and word of mouth narratives make you think that you know the whole story but then a document appears that lets you know that you didn’t really know. Most of the time it is just a small actuality like a person’s middle name or the apartment they lived in. Sometimes it is much bigger than that and can confuse the hell out of you just when you think everything is concrete.  Tillie Cohen 1910 census 216 Henry Street   Simon Muckler 1910 census 214 Henry Street       I knew that my grandfather, Louis Levine was met at Ellis Island by his Uncle Simon Muckler. I also knew that my grandmother, Tillie Cohen lived in New York and was a machine operator in the garment industry. What I didn’t know was that Simon and Tillie lived next door to each other on Henry Street on the lower east side. I discovered this when searching for Tillie in the 1910 census. I found a T...

    Carl Akiva Pasternak        Carl Akiva Pasternak was born December 27, 1902 in Vierzbin, Poland. He was the ninth out of twelve children born to Moishe and Bailah Pasternak. Life was tenuous in Poland in the early 20th century. Russia had invaded Poland and the Jews were subject to mistreatment and beatings. Carl’s parents knew that at some time they may need to leave their home quickly and they practiced how and where they would flee to. Once, when Carl was around five years old they had to run into the woods to escape the Russian soldiers. Carl tripped on a root and sprawled forward. He had been taught to play dead if he fell and that training saved his life. A soldier saw him lying in the weeds and prodded Carl with his bayonet. Remaining motionless and not breathing made the soldier believe the lad was dead and he moved on. When the coast was clear his family came and rescued him.       As a young boy, Carl attended th...