Women's History Month: Give Their Face A Place

The word prompt for the 21st Edition of Smile For The Camera is "Give Their Face A Place." March is Women's History month and you are asked to picture women back into history. The unknown, known and unsung women who are often the foundation of our family history. Give their face a place.

(click to enlarge)

From left to right:
Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch - 1900-1951 (my mother's mother)
Margaret (Denyer) Van Every - 1868-1923 (my mother's mother's mother)
Helen (Lichtman) Deutsch - 1881-1958 (my mother's father's mother)
Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark - 1886-1978 (my father's father's mother)
Minnie (Mojsabovski) Cruvant - 1863-1924 (my father's father's mother's mother)
Rose (Cantkert) Newmark - 1865-1943 (my father's father's father's mother)
Annie (Blatt) Feinstein - 1889-1965 (my father's mother's mother)
Sissie (Feinstein) Newmark - 1914-2002 (my father's mother)

These are the eight female ancestors for whom I currently have photographs.

The Meaning of Khanike

This is the first of what may become a somewhat regular weekly post on the intersection of religion and my family history research. No guarantee that it will be every week, though it is on a topic that interests me, and intersects often with my family history research, so there's a good chance I will be able to come up with something to say. I will try to time the posts for early afternoon on Friday. The Jewish sabbath (Hebrew: 'shabbat') lasts from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.

Khanike is a week away. It begins next Friday night, December 11. I suspect some readers are a little puzzled. You've probably seen the holiday spelled many ways, but I deliberately chose one of the least common. However, paradoxically, it may have more scholarship behind it than the more common spellings.

Hebrew word: חנוכה

Hebrew uses a completely different alphabet from English, so any English spelling is a phonetic approximation. Arguably, as long as the spelling suggests the correct pronunciation, it's legitimate -- though some spellings may become more common than others through use.

There's a problem with this. Biblical Hebrew doesn't use vowels, and Modern Hebrew rarely uses them. If there were vowels, they would appear as dots and dashes below the letters. So sometimes there is debate over the proper pronunciation of the Hebrew words.

Khanike is the spelling that was determined by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research as the closest approximation of the Yiddish or Ashkenazic pronunciation of the Hebrew word. It differs slightly from more common pronunciations. But besides liking it for being slightly unusual, and for having scholastic research behind it, I also like it because there is no way for anyone to confuse the opening 'Kh' with the soft 'Ch' in 'Chair.' And I cringe whenever anyone pronounces it that way. (How a phonetic spelling that is so easily misunderstood became so common I will never know.)

One of the traditions associated with the holiday is lighting the 9-branched candelabra and setting it in the window of your home. (It's either called a 'Hanukiah' or a 'Hanuka menorah.' Often the latter is shortened to just 'menorah', but there is also a 7-branch Shabbat menorah.) Why is the Hanukiah set in the window? Some say to publicize the miracle of the holiday. Though I was taught it was also a display of one's religious identity, as one of the main themes behind the holiday is to stand against forced assimilation. The holiday celebrates the victory of the Maccabees and their followers over King Antiochus' attempts to force them to bow down to a Greek idol, as well as other attempts to eradicate the religion. And I was taught that hiding who we are is one step closer to forgetting who we are.

I believe I was given a gift either in December of 1976 or January of 1977. I'm not sure, because my birthday falls in January. However, there is a photo of me with the gift, and the writing on the back says 'Age 8'. I turned 8 on January 21, 1977.

Regardless of when I received the gift, I feel the photograph can be used as an illustration of the meaning of Khanike.

The thoughts of the 8 year old child are clear 33 years later. I know I'm 'supposed' to wear this underneath my sweater, but I want everyone to see! I'm sure that excitement wore off after a few days. My older siblings would have exerted enough peer pressure and ridicule otherwise to get me to conform to fashion. So the photograph was likely taken the day I received it, or shortly thereafter. Because of this, and because it's clearly (from the background) a professional photo, I suspect it's a birthday photo, and a birthday gift.

The symbol at the end of the chain is the Hebrew word 'Chai.' It means 'Life. (Those familiar with the musical Fiddler on the Roof may recall the song lyrics, "Li Chaim, Li Chaim, To Life, To Life, Li Chaim." You may not have realized it was a mini-language lesson.) 33 years later there is still a chain around my neck. The chai has been replaced with a mezuzah. I've told many friends that I've worn a necklace since age 13. It's not too surprising that I would recall the gift as one I got for my Bar Mitzvah, but this is further evidence that personal narrative isn't always an accurate source of information.

This entry was also written as a submission for the 19th edition of the Smile for the Camera Carnival - theme: Gifts.

18th Edition of Smile for the Camera is Posted

The 18th Edition of Smile for the Camera is Posted.

This was the edition on the theme of Travel where I collected images of several ships my ancestors traveled on to arrive in America. There were 23 submissions, all worth reading.

The word prompt for the 19th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "Gift." It is the holiday season and a time for giving. So give Smile readers the gift of sharing, sharing a family photograph. It can be a gift given or received, it can be the gift of talent, it can be the gift of having the photograph itself. The interpretation of gift is yours. Admission is free with every photograph!

More information here

I already have the photograph selected, but I'm going to wait a bit to publish the post.

Smile for the Camera: Travel by Ship

The word prompt for the 18th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "Travel." Planes, trains and automobiles. Horses, mules, carts, and wagons. Bikes or on foot. Show us your family and how they traveled.

This edition of the carnival was originally scheduled for October 10, but was delayed a month, so I've had a while to prepare. Readers may have noticed that for the past several weeks for "Wordless Wednesday" I've been posting photographs of passenger ships. If you've read the 'mouseover text' (by positioning the mouse cursor over the picture) you've read that these were the passenger ships on which several of my ancestors traveled to America


1) My great grandfather, Samuel Deutsch, and his children Jean, Ted, Ed, Martin, Jerry, and Bert came over on the SS Rhein in 1913.

[My great grandmother, Helen (Lichtmann) Deutsch came over in 1912. Unfortunately, several years ago my mother was told while at the Library of Congress that the 1912 records from the Baltimore port were destroyed by fire. And I've learned the records on the other end in Bremen were destroyed during WW2. So I'm not sure what ship she came over on.]

2) My great great grandfather, Selig Dudelsack, came over on the SS Spain in 1890. His mother, Gitel (Slupsky), his wife, Annie (Perlik), and their children Harry, Herman, Benjamin and Pearl came over on the SS New Amsterdam in 1891.

3) My great great grandfather, Samuel Newmark, and great grandfather, Barney Newmark, came over in 1907 on the RMS Tunisian. They returned to England in 1908. Samuel, Barney, and another son, Sol, returned to America in 1908 on the SS Oceanic. In 1909 Samuel's wife Rose (Cantkert), with children Nellie, Bella, Max, Katie, Cissie, and Israel, and Sol's wife, Sarah (Nathan), with children Minnie, Israel and Morris, came over on the RMS Campania. (Sarah was also pregnant with a child, Esther, who was born in St. Louis in April of 1909, and died prior to the 1910 census.)

I am unsure of the ships or exact years of travel for my Cruvant or Blatt paternal ancestors. The rest of my maternal ancestors arrived in America before the age of photography.

Is that it?

No. You may have noticed I glossed over a leg of the trip for my Newmark ancestors. You may have also noticed a ship in the group image at the top that hasn't been mentioned yet.

All the ships above are from my ancestors' arrivals in American ports. However, Samuel and Barney Newmark returned to England in 1908 from their initial exploratory expedition on the SS City of New York (aka SS New York).

There's a bit of notable trivia about the SS New York. Four years after Barney and Samuel's voyage, on April 10, 1912, the SS New York was berthed at Southampton, England, when a larger ship passing through the harbor narrowly avoided hitting her. The New York was actually torn from her moorings, but otherwise escaped injury.

However, four days later, on April 14, 1912, the larger ship, the Titanic was unable to avoid another collision, this time with an iceberg.

April 10, 1912: Titanic on the right, New York on the left.

Smile for the Camera: School Days

The word prompt for the 16th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "School Days." It is September, historically the month when a new school year begins. We all have images of the days spent in school. The barefoot children gathered together with their teacher in front of the rural school your ancestors attended. Children at their desks, children at play in the school yard, and those obligatory school photographs - one for every year. Show us your family memories of school days. Admission is free with every photograph!

I've always been amazed at what my maternal grandparents, Martin and Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch saved.

High School Report Cards of my grandfather, Martin Deutsch:

Law School report cards

Above I show two semesters of high school (front and back), and three semesters of law school, though my grandfather saved all of them. I like seeing my great grandfather's signature. They also indicate when the Deutsch family moved from Campbell to Mozart street in Chicago.

Here's a photo from one of his two graduations. I don't have a date on it, so I'm not certain which one. [Aug 2019: Thanks to Ancestry's Yearbook archive I now know this is from 1931 and is his law school graduation photo]
I'll finish with a class photograph including my paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark, from 1926, when he was 14 years old. It was his Confirmation Class from Bnai El in St. Louis. I've drawn a box around my grandfather.

Smile for the Camera: They Worked Hard for a Living

The word prompt for the 15th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "they WORKED hard for the family." The professions of our ancestors are almost as interesting as the people themselves. Some of our ancestors worked very hard; they took in laundry, worked the land, raised many children, or went to school and became professionals. Photographs of them working are called occupational photographs and are rather hard to find.

I agree, they definitely aren't easy to find. However, I have found a few. I'll start with my maternal grandparents Martin Deutsch (1907-1991) and Myrtle Van Every (1900-1951) who worked at the St. Louis Post Office together in 1935 when this photo was taken, less than a year before they were married. I've drawn a box around my grandparents.
The below photograph of my paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark (1914-1992), shows him with gavel in hand as a City Judge. I like how the nameplate reflects in the photo.
Here's a photograph of my great grandmother, Margaret (Denyer) Van Every (1868-1923) at work on the farm. The photograph was likely taken after 1920, as the writing on the back suggests my grandmother, the recipient of the photograph, had already moved to St. Louis. The writing also indicates that El Paso had received some snow. Which isn't completely unheard of.
Finally, I have a photograph - circa 1935 - of the Lichtmann Leatherworks shop in Margitta, Hungary - Address: 43 December Street - birthplace of my maternal great grandmother, Helen (Lichtmann) Deutsch (1881-1958). The people in the photo are my grandfather's first cousins, Andre and Sanyi Lichtmann, sons of Helen's brother, Frank (Fere).

Barney Newmark and Bertha Cruvant - August 27, 1911

The theme for the 14th edition of the Smile for the Camera Carnival is: Wedding Belles.

Historically, couples married in the month of June to honor Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Others did it to time conception so births wouldn't interfere with harvest work. And brides in the 15th century chose to marry in June because it coincided with their "annual bath" - that's right - ensuring a relatively sweet-smelling honeymoon. Show us a photograph of a wedding, a wedding party, a bride, a groom, the reception, or even the honeymoon.

I'd like to share two photos from the wedding of my paternal Great Grandparents Barney Newmark and Bertha Cruvant - on August 27, 1911



I haven't yet obtained the marriage certificate, but the date of the wedding is written on the back of the photo, and their son Mandell wrote August 27th down as their anniversary in his war diary. I haven't found their marriage in either St. Louis City or St. Louis County records; It is likely they were married in East St. Louis, Illinois, where the Cruvants were living at the time.

The date is significant in that it means that Bertha's 'gift' to Barney on their first wedding anniversary was my grandfather, Melvin Newmark, who was born on August 27, 1912.

Smile for the Camera:Brothers and Sisters

The word prompt for the 11th Edition of Smile For The Camera is brothers & sisters? Were they battling brothers, shy little sisters, or was it brother & sister against the world? Our ancestors often had only their siblings for company. Were they best friends or not? Show us that picture that you found with your family photographs or in your collection that shows your rendition of brothers & sisters.

First up: Brothers - Melvin, Harold, and Mandell Newmark

There was a significant difference in ages. Melvin was born in 1912, Harold in 1915, and Mandell in 1923. Here we see them, along with their parents, when Mandell was likely in his early teens.

When Mandell was in his late teens, his brothers would invite Mandell to bring his girlfriend to their homes for dinner. Then the war came. Mandell was 20 years old when he enlisted in 1943. He was killed in action on April 15, 1945. In October of 1944 he spent a month in the hospital due to jaundice, and November and December he was allowed to spend in reduced service with his brother, Mel, who was stationed nearby. He wrote in his war diary about how grateful he was for that month, and how he was disappointed to see it end. Below is a photo of Mandell and Mel taken in December of 1944 on the island of Biak off the coast of New Guinea.


Next up: Sisters - Minnie, Evva, and Myrtle Van Every

This is another situation where age divided the siblings. Minnie was born in 1886, Evva in 1892, and Myrtle in 1900. Geography divided them as well. At age 20, Myrtle left most of her family in Texas and moved to St. Louis. (Her brother, Samuel, was also in St. Louis at the time; I believe he was attending college, getting a degree in Optometry.)

Fate took the lives of their parents and five other siblings, leaving them with each other. The photograph below was taken in 1947, when Myrtle took her two daughters to Texas to visit their aunts and cousins.

What we used to wear

The word prompt for the 10th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Costume? No, not as in Halloween. Costume as in dress in general; especially the distinctive style of dress of a people, class, or period. Show us that picture that you found with your family collection or purchased that shows the costumes of the rich to the not so rich, from the civil war to the psychedelic sixties. I know you have them, so share. Admission is free with every photograph!

I'm going to share two photos. I'm going to start with the psychedelic 60s, and the year of my birth, 1969. Though the representative I am going to choose for that era is a surprising one to even me. My paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark, who was 57 years old in 1969, according to the writing on the back of a Polaroid, attended a 'Chod Party.' What is Chod? According to Wikipedia:

Chöd (Sanskrit: ccheda-sadhana, Tibetan: gChod sgrub thabs)is a tantric ritual practice primarily found in Tibetan Buddhism. A form of Chod that combined the philosophy of the Prajnaparamita (see also Diamond Sutra), with specific meditation methods and application to the practitioner's daily activities was practiced in India by the Buddhist Mahasiddha, prior to the 10th Century. Chod as it is practiced today belongs to the entwined traditions of certain Indian Tantric sects and the sadhana of Mahasiddha, Bonpo and Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana lineages.

I think this is an excellent photo of what I will call the "Dedicated Parent" as I suspect he was trying hard to understand the interests of his youngest child, an uncle of mine. Back in August I posted a picture of my grandfather two years later in definite era garb, but without the wig, and sporting some plaid pants.

Next up, we will travel further back in time, and head a little south:


Above is a photo of a second great aunt, Pearl Van Every. Sister to my great grandfather, Melvin Van Every, she was born in 1873, and it's possible she had married Albert Sidney Mooney in 1898 by the time of this picture. It's probably prior to her marriage to George Ward in 1913. But I am only judging by how old she looks. (years retrieved from unsourced Ancestry Family Tree)

Correction: Biographies of Western Photographers, p. 410 states that Bolton & Mitchell was active in San Antonio, Texas from 1894-1897, so that narrows down considerably the date range of the above photo, predating her first marriage, and putting Pearl between 21 and 24 years old.

Do you know Jack?

The word prompt for the 9th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Who Are You - I Really Want To Know? Show us that picture that you found with your family collection or purchased, but have no idea who they might be.

I have an idea who the man below is, but if I am correct, I only know his first name, which isn't much, and I'd like to know more.

(click to enlarge)

My maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every (1900-1951), received letters from both of her parents circa 1919-1920 consoling her on a divorce from a guy named Jack. This would have likely been her first of three marriages. I know she was married again in 1927 for about 2 months. She married my grandfather in 1936, and the third time was the charm. She was 38 years old when her first child was born.

Unfortunately, her parents didn't include Jack's surname in the consolation letters. The photographs above come from my grandmother's photo album, and while it's definitely not certain, I feel there is a strong possibility the man in the photographs is Jack. It's clear he is a 'beau' from the picture on the left, and a few others. And the date is right.

In 1919 the Van Every family lived in El Paso, TX, which borders both New and Old Mexico. They had a farm in Fort Hancock, TX. My grandmother's oldest sister, Minnie, had a farm in Old Mexico. So there are a variety of places my grandmother and Jack could easily have gotten married/divorced making the search for those records more complicated.

Smile for the Camera: Oh Baby!

The word prompt for the 7th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Oh, Baby! Show us those wonderful family photographs of babies, or those you've collected. Share the ones that are too cute for words, or those only a mother could love. Your favorite of grandma or grandmas' favorite. Grandpa on a bear skin rug or grandpas' little love. Everyone has a baby photo, so let's see it!

Above are baby photographs of three of my four grandparents. My maternal grandfather was born in rural Transylvania, and I suspect they didn't have a camera. The top two photos of my paternal grandparents were taken in St. Louis. (Most likely Missouri, though my grandfather's maternal grandparents were living in East St. Louis, Illinois at the time.) My maternal grandmother's baby picture was most likely taken near San Marcos, Texas, which is between Austin and San Antonio.

Smile For the Camera: Funny Bone

The word prompt for the 6th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Funny Bone. Show us that picture that never fails to bring a smile to your face! An amusing incident, a funny face, an unusual situation.

I love candid photographs of my grandparents when they were children or young adults. This photograph is of my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every, and I find the smoked glasses she is wearing humorous (as did I think she, from the caption). If she was 'looking for stars' I assume she was in the vicinity of Hollywood. I don't know who is with her in the photograph. They could be friends, however equally possible is that they are relatives, as one of the letters her father wrote to her around this time indicates she had visited unspecified cousins in California. (And since her father had over a dozen siblings, that doesn't narrow it down much.)



This photograph is of my paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark. It was taken approximately 1930 just at the right moment before he dived off what looks like a lake dock. There's a good chance he was in the "Lake of the Ozarks" area of Missouri. I believe the photographer was "Sissie" Feinstein, who would ultimately become my grandmother. The photograph was in her scrapbook. I don't know who his friends are. They appear to be having a lot of fun.

Home is Where You Hang Your Hat

The word prompt for the 5th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Crowning Glory. Show us those wonderful photographs of hairdos and maybe even a few don'ts. Don't limit yourself to just hair fashion through the ages, got a great photograph of a hat, helmet, bonnet, or some other interesting headgear? Share!

I start with my great grandparents Herman and Annie (Blatt) Feinstein. The year is 1928, and the location is Cuba. My great-grandfather is wearing a fez with the word "Moolah" on it. As in the Moolah Shriners of the Moolah Shrine Temple. The Shriners is a masonic organization composed solely of master masons. My great grandfather submitted his petition to join the Shriners in December of 1927, so in this photograph he hadn't been a member for very long. He was born in 1886, so he was 42 years old. I don't know how to describe the hat my great grandmother is wearing.

Next up are my paternal grandparents, Melvin and Sissie (Feinstein) Newmark. Neither are wearing hats in this picture, nor can you see their hair. That's because both are wearing wigs. (Note: I'm not sure, but a toupee is officially only a partial wig, and I don't think there's anything partial about what my grandfather is wearing.) The year is 1975, and my grandmother is 61, and my grandfather 63.

Third up is a photograph of my Great-Grandfather Melvin Van Every and a niece, most likely Mabel Ruth Van Every Creamer. The photograph was taken in 1909. My great grandfather would have been 46, and Mabel would have been 28. My great grandfather has removed his hat, and it sits on the table. Mabel's hat is impressive.

I finish with my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, in a photograph most likely taken in 1931 when he graduated from DePaul University Law School. He would have been 24. It's possible this is his high school graduation, but it is less likely.

My Favorite?

This is my first time participating in the Smile for the Camera carnival. The theme this edition is Your Favorite Photo. As I've read other participants comment, I agree, this is a very unfair challenge. I have favorite photographs of particular ancestors, but choosing among them puts me in an uncomfortable position.

My favorite photos are probably of those for whom I have the fewest photographs. The less photographs I have, the more I treasure those that I do. This narrows down the options, but certainly not far enough.

I have a large number of photographs of my four grandparents, and while rarer on my mother's side, I have a good selection of photographs of my eight great grandparents. It wasn't too difficult to create this tree:


My grandparents are on their respective honeymoons - both in 1937. As children, they were each in the photographs from which I took the faces of their parents, so the eight great-grandparents are roughly similar ages. (Except Samuel Deutsch on the far right, who was twenty years older than his wife, Helen.)

For truly rare photographs I have to go back one more generation, and I can only do this on one branch. I have photographs of all four of Melvin Newmark's grandparents: Moshe Leyb and Minnie Cruvant, and Samuel and Rose Newmark.

Narrowing my selection down to these photographs, the choice isn't difficult. My favorite was taken shortly after my father was born. (And I believe this is the first time I am violating an earlier decision not to post photographs of living relatives, but I don't think he'll mind.)

This photograph is special for several reasons. It is one of about 5 photos that were taken at about the same time - probably the same day or weekend - clearly for the same purpose – to celebrate four generations of Newmarks. Samuel died 3 years later.

On the far left is My father's grandfather, Barney Newmark, and grandmother Bertha (nee Cruvant). My middle name was in her honor, and my Hebrew name, Baruch, was in honor of Barney. In the middle is Samuel Newmark and Rose (nee Sandgart). Samuel appears in the other photographs that were taken on the same day or days as this one, Rose doesn't. This is the only photograph I currently know of that contains Rose. I assume it is her from her position – who else would it be? – but there are no other photographs to compare it to. The two people on the right aren't Newmarks. They're my father's other two grandparents, Herman and Annie Feinstein. The two couples knew each other as friends before their children married, and I have some wonderful pictures of the four of them vacationing together I will likely share at some time. So this photograph contains all four of my father's grandparents, and two of his great grandparents. It's hard to beat that combination.

But is this my favorite photograph of all of my family photographs? Of course not. No such photograph exists. But it's certainly 'one of my favorites'. And if I am asked this question again, I will choose another one of them.