The Women In My Life

 

    The genealogy club in my community is presenting a program on Monday about how to find female ancestors. It seems that through the centuries the focus was always on men. They were the ones that could own land, vote, serve in the military and so on and so on. Women were generally only referred to as wives or mothers or daughters. That makes it difficult to search for the women who preceded us. Convention says that women in a family tree should be listed by their maiden name but many trees only have their married name because that might be the only record we have of them. In the early 20th century women automatically became citizens when their husbands were naturalized. The amount of documents referring to the women in our lives is substantially lower than that of our fathers and brothers. If you look at a headstone in a Jewish cemetery it will give the name of the person and their father’s name. Lately, however, some people are adding the mother’s name as well. I’ve been inspired by this upcoming program and the state of genealogical research to rectify this situation at least for my personal tree and family history. Here are some of the incredible women that populate the current and past generations of my heritage. I’ll start with my daughter.

 

 Molly J Levine: Molly was born in 1990 and is one of my favorite people that I have ever met. Not because she is my daughter but because of her persona. She is smart, compassionate, charitable, and creative. I could go on but the adjectives would fill out the rest of the page. She works as a Senior Media Strategist for a marketing company in Philadelphia, where she lives. 

 

 Arlene J. Carlton: Molly’s mother was born in 1954 in Philadelphia. Arlene and I met at the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. We got married in 1978 and are still going strong 43 years later. Arlene has a Masters in Human Genetics and has worked in several cytogenetic labs in the Delaware Valley. She retired two years ago and we now live in Florida.

 

 Gertrude Carlton nee Snyder: Arlene’s mother was born in 1919 in Philadelphia. Gert was a natural salesperson. She started working as a bookkeeper at a fabric company but had to fill in on the sales floor one day and did so well the boss told her to stay on the floor selling and take the books home at night. She worked from home before it was fashionable. Music and dance were Gert’s passion. She played the violin as a high schooler and loved the orchestra and theater. She made sure that all of her grandchildren saw Le Mis. 

 

 Bessie Snyder nee Rodman: Gertrude’s mother was born in 1894 in Russia. I think she was born in the Ukraine but I haven’t done that research yet. Bessie ran her own small grocery store in Philadelphia. When she retired she and her husband lived in an apartment building on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. I met Bessie the day she had fallen and broken her hip. She became the model citizen of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center because of her spirit and her willingness to be involved in the activities there. Bessie died at age 101. 

 

  Rose Rodman nee Kipness: Bessie’s mother was born in or around 1873 in Russia. Probably in the Ukraine. She arrived as a widow in the USA in 1912 and eventually remarried. Rose’s daughter, Anna married the new husband;s son. 

 

 Minnie Levine nee Boxinbaum: Molly’s paternal grandmother was born in 1921 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She lived in Canada until 1948 when she got married and came to the USA as a war bride. Minnie worked as a bookkeeper in their family business and was very active in the Jewish Community in Erie, PA. She also volunteered with an organization that tutored people who were having difficulty reading and writing. She was a warm, loving, charitable, and compassionate woman and we miss her to this day. 

 

 Rachel Boxinbaum nee Pasternak: Minnie’s mother was born in Poland in 1889. She was the oldest of twelve children and emigrated to Canada. Rachel owned and operated a small grocery store/restaurant in either Hamilton or Toronto or perhaps both cities. 

 

 Bailah Pasternak (not sure of maiden name): Rachel’s mother was born in 1869 in the town of Dolishits, Poland. She passed away in 1939 in that same town. I’m not sure of the circumstances of her death but I do know that a couple of years later members of her family were victims of the Nazis and died in Treblinka. 

 

Rachel Cohen nee Becker: Arlene’s paternal grandmother was born in 1880 in New York City. Her family had come from Germany in the early 1870’s. It was earlier than when most European Jews entered the United States. 

 

 Anna Becker nee Elias: Rachel’s mother was born in 1848 in Germany or Prussia as it is listed in the 1880 census. I don’t know anything about her. 

 

 Leba Cohen nee Slobadofsky: Rachel Cohen’s mother in law was born in Russia in 1855. I know nothing else about her. 

 

 Tillie Levine nee Kaganovich: Minnie’s Mother in Law was born in 1885 in Eishoshok, Lithuania. She came to the United States by herself in 1904 and worked in the garment district in NYC. She changed her last name to Cohen when she arrived in America. She was my grandmother and she was the prototypical Jewish Grandmother. A beautiful soul if there ever was one. She and her husband had a used clothing store in Erie, PA. 

 

Tsiril Kaganovitch nee Kantrovitz: Tillie’s mother was born around 1865 in Russia (probably Lithuania) . I don’t know much about her but I do know that she came to the United States in 1923 with her daughter Helen. At some point she went back to Europe much to the chagrin of her family here. 

 

Tiba Levine nee Weiner: Tillie’s mother in law was born in Russia (probably in what is now Belarus). I’m not sure what year but probably around 1860. She was widowed in 1889 and saddled with a newborn. She had a rough life but eventually remarried and had a daughter with her second husband.

     I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my two sisters and my sister in Law. 

 

 Marian Setzman nee Levine: Born in Erie, PA.  Marian is an artist with a degree in graphic design from Kent State University. She did work in that field in New York and Philadelphia until she got married and then managed their real estate office. She now splits time between New Jersey and Florida. 

 

 Cheryl Snyderman nee Levine: Cheryl was also born in Erie. She has a degree in Textiles from Philadelphia Textile and worked in the textile industry for many years. She currently works for a synagogue in Pikesville, MD where she also lives.

 

 Rochelle Carlton: Rochelle was born in 1951 in Philadelphia. She attended Penn State University and eventually received her Masters in Art Therapy from Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. Rochelle worked as a social worker in the city of Philadelphia but was an artist and eventually retired from the city and concentrated on her artwork. She also taught art classes for children. 

     Besides the women I’ve listed here there are countless aunts, cousins, and nieces that have added gusto to my family tree with their accomplishments, courage, and determination. 

      I have purposely left out the names of all of the men associated with these women because I wanted to illustrate how difficult it is to make sense of the data without full context. I’m sure many of you were confused as to who was who but that’s the way things are when trying to research the females in our legacy. The future looks a little brighter for the genealogists in waiting but I am trying to do my part in making sure that the people who are recipients of my hard work realize the importance of recognizing women.