Anne Smulian (1897 - ?)

Annie Smulian, also known as Annie, married  Michael Bryer, a nephew of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Bryer family HERE

Parents: Solomon Smulian (1856 - 1933) and Hilda Segal (1861 - 1927)

Born: 1897 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa according to her nephew Jonathan Smulian, but travel documents have her being born around 1900, with one giving her place of birth as Cape Town

Siblings

• Samuel Smulian (1878 - 1938) married Florence Alexander (1875 - 1966)
• Adolph A Smulian (1881 - 1951) married Sara Porten (1885 - 1961) at Stroud Creek, Oklahoma, USA on 4 February 1906
• Rachel (Ray) Smulian (1881 - 1965) married Abraham Jacob (Abe) Katzenellenbogen (1871 - 1938) in Cape Town, South Africa on 30 January 1900
• Millie Smulian (1888 - 1959) married Jack Gavron (1879 - 1959) in Pretoria, South Africa
• Minnie Smulian (1890 - 1977) married Abraham Chodos (1890 - 1948) in Boksburg, South Africa on 5 September 1915
• Horace Robert Smulian (1890 - 1961) married Freda Ellen Panovka (1894 - 1982) in Johannesburg, South Africa on 26 November 1916
• Barend (Ben) Smulian (1895 - 1987) married Sylvia Stern (1898 - 1995) in Johannesburg, South Africa on 30 December 1923

Occupation: School teacher

Travel

1926

Annie travelling from Cape Town to London arriving 11 May 1926 aboard the Ballarat. Her age is 25 and she is a teacher. Her address is given as 329 Seven Sisters Rd, ? Hill

Married: 1) Michael Bryer on 14 April 1927 in London, England

Marriage certificate for Anne and Michael. She is age 25 and he is age 23. Her address is given as 41 Devonport Street, Paddington, London

Thye marriage did not last and in the inquest following her husband's death in 1934 she is not mentioned at all!

Married: 2) ? Banker before 1933. On her father's death certificate in October 1933 and in his will she is listed as Annie Banker. I don't know her husband's first name and I have been unable to find any record of a marriage. According to her nephew Jonathan Smulian she married an "American oilman" and disappeared in the USA

Her father's death certificate dated 21 October 1933 where she is listed as Annie Banker

An extract from "Random notes on the life of my father, Barend "Ben" Smulian  by Jonathan Smulian in the SA-SIG Newsletter, March 2004, p. 10. In it he says: "The rest of the children, all female, married and remained in South Africa with the exception of a younger sister Annie, a schoolteacher, who also went to the States, married an "oilman" and "disappeared"."

Here is a manifest for a Mrs Anne Banker entering the United States from Canada on 22 August 1930. It says she was born in Cape Town, South Africa, is 30 years of age and is married to an American citizen. This may or may not be Anne.

The last mention I have of Anne is in an obituary for her brother Adolph in the Fort Worth Star, Texas, USA on 2 April 1951. It mentions that a surviving sister, Ann, is living in Caracas, Venezuela. After that I can't find anything more about her

Leon Bryer (1919 - 1994)

Leon Bryer is a nephew of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Morris family HERE. Bryer family HERE

Parents: Barnett  Bryer (1878 - 1958) and Dinah Rachel Morris (1879 - 1969)

Tombstone for Leon's mother Dinah who is buried in the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg, grave block M, grave no 358. His father Barnett is buried in the Bloemfontein memorial cemetery, plot no 10:601

Born: 25 March 1919 in Bloemfontein, South Africa

Hebrew name: Leib son of Baruch

Siblings

• Michael Bryer (1904 - 1933) married Anne Smulian (1897 - ?) in April 1927 in London, England
• Nathan Bryer (1908 - 1990) married Rose Frankel (1908 - 1984) on 31 December 1933 in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Maurice Bryer (1911 - 1986) married 1) Phyllis Salkinder (1915 - 1973) around 1945/6 probably in Bloemfontein, South Africa; 2) Dorothy Kollenberg (1918 - 2010) on 11 January 1951 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia

Occupation: Medical practitioner

Leon was registered as a doctor in December 1941

The Bryer family in 1922. Back row Maurice (age 11) and his mother Dinah. Front, Barney and their children Leon (age 3) and Nathan (seated) (age 12)

Leon in army uniform

Travel

1952

Leon departing Southampton aboard the Edinburgh Castle on 4 December 1952 bound for Cape Town. His address in England is given as Crumpsall Hospital, Manchester

1956

Leon departing from Durbam South Africa and travelling to Southampton, England where he arrived on 28 December 1956 aboard the Athlone Castle

1959

Leon departing Southampton aboard the Pretoria Castle on 6 August 1959 bound for Cape Town. His address in England is given as the Orthopaedic Hospital and his occupation is listed as surgeon

Notes

Leon served in World War 2. He lived in Johannesburg from 1952 onwards, mainly in Hillbrow and worked at the Johannesburg General Hospital as an orthopaedic surgeon. But his main work place was the at the Crowns Mines hospital. He had a lifelong partner, Nancy, a theatre sister who was the widow of his best friend. They never married (Information supplied by his niece Lee)

Death

3 January 1994 (20 Tevet 5754) age 74 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was buried in the Westpark Cemetery there on 4 January 1994, Grave block VE, no 220

Tombstone

"Leon Bryer 25 March 1919 - 3 Jan 1994. Lovingly remembered by his family and friends. Rest in Peace"

Hebrew translation: "Here lies Leib son of Baruch, departed 20 Tevet 5754. May his soul be bound up in the bond of life."

Jewishgen cemetery record for Leon Bryer

Westpark cemetery record for Leon 

Residences

When Leon qualified as a doctor in December 1941 his address was given as 15 Waverley Road, Bloemfontein, South Africa

By August 1946 he had moved to Johannesburg, where his address was given as 101 Roxdale, Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa

Dorothy Kollenberg (1918 - 2010)

Dorothy Kollenberg, known as Doris, is the wife of Maurice Bryer, a nephew of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Morris family HERE. Bryer family HERE

Parents: Isadore Kollenberg (1888 - 1971) and Johanna Dublitsky (1889 - 1980)

Tombstones for Doris's parents. Isadore is buried in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and Johanna in Westpark Cemetery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Born: 20 October 1918 in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia

Hebrew name: Devorah daughter of Yitzhak

Siblings

• Esther Kollenberg (1913 - 2001) married Michael Gelfand (1913 - 1985) in Johannesburg, South Africa on 26 January 1937
• Eileen Kollenberg (1915 - 1991)
• Nina Kollenberg (1922 - 1996) married Leonard Pinshow (1916 - 2004) in January 1945
• Gerald Kollenberg (1931 - 2021) married Adrienne Rubinstein

L-R: Isadore, Eileen, Johanna, Esther, Nina (in front), Edward, Doris, Glicka Kollenberg. Edward and Glicka were her grandparents.

Occupation: Radiographer

Married: Maurice Bryer on 31 January 1951 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. Maurice was 39 and Doris 32

Maurice and Doris on their wedding day

Children

• Lesley Beryl Bryer 1952 -
• Beverly Ann Bryer 1956 -

Travel

1923

In 1923 the family (Johanna, Esther, Eileen, Doris and Nina) went to Canada to visit their maternal grandfather, the Reverend Samuel Dubitsky who resided at 13 Evans Street, Montreal, Canada. Doris was age 4. They departed Durban, South Africa aboard the Briton and arrived in Southampton, England on 7 May 1923 on their way to Montreal, Canada

The Canadian arrival card for Doris. They arrived in Quebec aboard the Malta on 20 May 1923

The family departing Montreal and arriving in Liverpool on 17 May 1924 aboard the Montcalm

1938

Doris travelled from Durban, South Africa to England arriving in Southampton on 24 March 1938 aboard the Edinburgh Castle. She is listed as a student from Rhodesia, age 19.

1939

Doris travelled aboard the Empress of Britain from London to New York departing on 29 July 1939 and arriving there on 10 August 1939. The purpose of her visit was study. Here age is given as 20, she is a student and she is 5 foot 6 inches tall with a medium complexion. 

The image is blurred and hard to read. AI reads it as follows:

This image is a U.S. Department of Labor Manifest for Dorothy Kollerberg, , a 20-year-old student from Southern Rhodesia who entered the United States at Rouses Point, N.Y. on November 1, 1939.

Based on the manifest and historical context, here are the key details of her journey:

Personal Information

• Name:  Dorothy Kollerberg
• Age & Sex: 20 years old, Female
• Occupation: Student
• Nationality: S. Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe)
• Race: Hebrew
• Place of Birth: Bulawayo, S. Rhodesia 

Travel Details

• Passport: Southern Rhodesia Passport No. 26100, valid until December 19, 1943.
• Arrival in U.S.: She arrived via the steamship "Empress of Britain" on August 1o, 1939.
• Destination: She was headed to the Jewish Hospital, 10 No. Morris Pk. West, NYC.
• Purpose of Visit: A temporary stay of one year for study. 

Physical Description. The document includes a detailed physical record used for identification at the time:

• Height: 5 ft. 6 in.
• Complexion: Medium
• Hair: Brown
• Eyes: Brown

Doris initially went to study at Guys Hospital in London.  But once the war broke out in September 1939 she could not go back to Rhodesia so she then went to complete her radiography course in New York. On her return to Southern Africa she worked at the Edenvale hospital in Johannesburg. It was there in Johannesburg that she met her future husband Maurice

1940 USA Census

Doris was living and studying in New York when the 1940 census was conducted. She is a student age 21 with 3 years of college education and residing at the Peter Stuyvesant Hotel

Death

13 July 2010 (2nd Av 5770), age 91, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is buried in the Lyndhurst Cemetery there, section 3, row R, grave no 56

Tombstone inscription: "Doris Bryer 23.10.1918 - 13.7.2010 Lovingly remembered by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren"

Hebrew translation: "[abbreviation] Here is buried/ Devorah daughter of Yitzchak and Chaya/ passed away 2 Menachem Av 5770/ [abbreviation] May her soul be bound in the bond of life."

Jewishgen cemetery record for Doris

Australian Jewish Historical Society record for Doris 

Residence

In 1976 the family were living at 4 Bevan Avenue, Kumalo, Bulawayo, Rhodesia