Jacob Dobrofsky, known as Jake, is the brother-in-law of Sarah Ann Levin, my 2x great aunt. Helfet family HERE. Dobrofsky family HERE
Parents: Nachum Benzion Dubrowski (1845 - 1902) and Rosa Tander (1844 - 1918)
Tombstones for his parents Nachum Benzion Dubrowski and Rosa Hinda Dubrofsky. Nachum is buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England and Rosa in the Mount Carmel Cemetery, Sioux City, Iowa, USA
Born: 22 September 1883 in Mena, Sosnitsa, Chernigov in the Russian Empire, nowadays Mina, Chernihiv, Ukraine. However his date of birth on his World War 1 and 2 draft cards is given as 22 May 1883 and in a 1930 article his date of birth as given as 16 September 1882
Born: 22 September 1883 in Mena, Sosnitsa, Chernigov in the Russian Empire, nowadays Mina, Chernihiv, Ukraine. However his date of birth on his World War 1 and 2 draft cards is given as 22 May 1883 and in a 1930 article his date of birth as given as 16 September 1882
Siblings
- Sarah Dobrofsky (1869 - 1951) married Barnett Charles (Boruch) Shubb (1891 - 1918) before 1891
- Hyman Dobrofsky (1872 - 1916) married Sarah Nepomnickcha (1872 - 1948) before 1898
- Nathan Dobrofsky (1873 - 1950) married Mary Helfet (1879 - 1948) in 1899
- Katherine (Kalia) Dobrofsky (1877 - 1963) married Charles (Hatskel) Shubb (1879 - 1920) in 1901
- Rachel (Broche) Dobrofsky (1882 - 1961) married Barnett Ginsburg (1882 - 1960) in 1903
Charles and Bennett Shubb were brothers and Esther and Mary Helfet were sisters
Occupation: shopkeeper
Migration: Jake to Liverpool, England in March 1897 age 13 and then migrated to the USA in May 1902, age 19
Married: Esther Helfet in Chicago, USA on 6 September 1904 when Jake was 21 and Esther 18
Jake Dobrofsky
Children
Their first child was born in 1905 when Jake was 22 and Esther 19. Their last child was born in 1919 when Jake was 36 and Esther 33
- Lilian Dobrofsky (1905 - 1979) married George Greenspan (1903 - 1968) on 14 May 1932
- Katherine Dobrofsky (2 March - 27 December 1909)
- Tola Dobrofsky (1911 - 2010) married Milton Apel (1902 - 1994) on 16 June 1935
- Ruth Dobrofsky (1919 - 2005) married Jerry Adler (1920 - 2018) on 25 October 1943
- Naomi Dobrofsky (1919 - 2005) married Edward Zinkow (1921 - 2015) on 9 June 1946
Census details
1901
Jake is living with his family at 52 Warren Street, Liverpool, England. He is 19 and a general dealer. The family are his parents Benzion age 54 and Basi age 53 and his siblings Kate age 24, Rachel age 21. Hyman (Barnet), age 29, his wife Sarah age 27 and their children Rose age 3 and Nathan, an infant
.jpg)
1910
In 1910 Jake and Esther are living at 2a Main Street, Newcastle, Nebraska, USA. Jacob is age 27 and a store owner, Esther is age 26 and their child Lily is age 4
.jpg)
1920
In 1920 the family are living in Hinton, Plymouth, Iowa, USA. Jake is 37 and a store owner and Esther is age 35. The children are Lilian age 14, Tola (Sarah) age 8, and Ruth and Naomi (Mary L), the twins, are infants
.jpg)
1930
In 1930 the family are living at 211 South Central Avenue, Chino, San Bernardino, California, USA. Jake is 46 and a merchant and Esther is age 45. The children are Lilian age 23, Tola age 19, and Ruth and Naomi both age 10. There is also a servant, Lean Sutton, age 41
.jpg)
1940
The family are living at 341 South Euclid Avenue, Upland, California, USA. Jacob is 57 and an owner operator of a retail enterprise and Esther is 55. The two children still at home are Ruth and Naomi, both age 20
World War 1 Registration
.jpg)
World War 2 Registration
Biographical information
Jake wrote a detailed autobiography entitled "This is my Life", which is available HERE
And here is an account of his life written in 1930
Getting Acquainted With Chino Business Men
J. DOBROFSKY Merchant
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That adage which has long been impressed upon us is well adapted to the subject of our sketch. this week. To us, who might not have been similarly situated, the life of this Chino merchant affords cause for some merriment and yet, pondering well the problems he has faced, one can readily realize the seriousness of the situations.
Picture in your mind a small village in Southern Russia where Jacob Dobrofsky was born on September 16, 1882, to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Dobrofsky, who were engaged in the wholesale fishery business. He was the youngest of seven children, three sisters and three brothers being older. In this environment young Dobrofsky lived for sixteen years of his life when finally persecution of his race caused the father to take his family to Liverpool, England, sacrificing practically all of his life's earnings to escape to a country where he could rear his family and live in peace and happiness. Something of the dogged determination which has ever characterized the people of Jewish descent bad been transmitted to this young man, today one of the leading merchants of Chino.
At the age of 20 young Dobrofsky decided to try his fortune in South Africa and purchased his ticket for that promised land. In doing so he spent 35 of of the 50 pounds sterling he had as his worldly wealth only to discover that a law required that he have considerably more finances before he could land in South Africa. So he traded his ticket for one to America and landed at Philadelphia in May of 1902. After three months he went to Sioux City, lowa, and for eleven months worked in grocery store.
Fortune favored the immigrant and he decided to try life in Chicago. There in 1904 he met and married Miss Esther Helfet. Sioux City still held its attractions and in 1907 the family returned to the city on the banks of the Missouri river. He remained there for a year and three months before chasing a general store at Newcastle, Nebraska. In this business the Dobrofskys prospered in spite of the small size of the village. But misfortune stood around the corner and on July 4, 1911, while most of the townspeople were elsewhere on celebration, a carelessly thrown fire cracker set fire to a nearby building and before help could reach the little town, the business district was wiped from the face of the earth. The Dobrofskys arrived back in Newcastle just in time to see the roof of their store fall. With that fire went all the possessions of the family and relatives in Sioux City had to help them return to that city.
Mr. Dobrofsky borrowed finance enough to start himself again in the grocery business and for four yours enjoyed prosperity again. In 1915 he sold his business in Sioux City and went to Hinton, lowa, where he purchased a general store which he operated successfully for seven years. Fortune had been too good and he sold out to enter the cleaning and dyeing business in Sioux City. That enterprise spelled another ruin and only enough was saved from a good-sized bankroll to bring the family to Los Angeles in 1924.
He entered the wholesale grocery business in that year and then in 1926, in partnership with Herman Cohen, bought the Chino Mercantile Co. from I Cline. A year later Mr. Dobrofsky purchased the interest of his partner and has since continued the sole owner of the business.
During the years that fortune fluctuated, Mr. Dobrofsky retained a cheerfulness which carried him over the humps. His happy situation today is probably due to this optimistic outlook on life. He and Mrs. Dobrofsky have four lovely daughters, the two youngest being twins about nine years of age who provide enough diversion for any person, according to Mr. Dobrofsky.
During his residence in Chino Mr. Dobrofsky has taken part in the civic and social life of the community. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Chino Business Men's association and is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities. Chino Champion Fri, Sep 12, 1930
Death
Jake was born in in Mena, Sosnitsa, Chernigov in the Russian Empire, nowadays Mina, Chernihiv, Ukraine
27 May 1967 in Upland, California age 83. Jake was cremated and his remains interred in the Home of Peace Memorial Park, Los Angeles, Mausoleum, Corridor of Remembrance, Crypt 206 SW
Place of Birth
Mena is a historic town located in Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, center of Mena district. Records from the early 19th century describe the general population in Mena at around 6,000 people. The Jewish population of this time is not mentioned but reference is made to the existence of a synagogue and another Jewish house of worship. Jews began to settle actively in Mena after the construction of the Liubavo-Romenska railway in 1873, which passed through Mena. The Liubavo-Romenska railway was one of the main routes for exporting grain from the Russian Empire. The Jews mostly lived on Shevchenko Street, which stretched from the centre of the town to the railway station.
According to the 1897 census, 6,277 people lived in Mena, more than a quarter of whom were Jews. The main activities of the Jewish population in the 19th and early 20th centuries were in trade and crafts. In 1902, the rabbi in Mena was Itshok- Isaac Lurvin (1865 -?) and in 1904-06, Shneur-Zalman Ginzburg (1876 -?).
Many Jews were involved in the purchase and resale of tobacco. Tobacco cultivation has been widespread since the 18th century, so Mena was called the capital of tobacco. This activity was pursued by small traders and merchants of the first guild, who had large warehouses in Mena. Jews would come from Mogilev, Shklov, and Gomel to buy tobacco. Before the Revolution of 1917, there were two synagogues in the town.
Holocaust
At the war’s outbreak, many Jewish families found a way to evacuate to the east of the country. The main evacuation routes were railroads and water transport by the river Desna towards Bryansk. Those who remained in the city either had not been able to take a long journey or had been convinced of the “civilized” behavior of German soldiers. Many older adults remembered the Germans who occupied Mena in 1918 and did not want to evacuate. Also, for evacuation, money was needed, and most Jews in Mena were poor.
The Nazis occupied Mena in September 8, 1941.
The German commandant’s office listed all the Jews and forced them to wear yellow circles on their clothing. After that, policemen and Germans began systematically abusing Jews, forcing them to work, beating and robbing them, and raping many Jewish women. Local non-Jews threw a gun clip into the house of a tailor named Shmerlin and reported to the Germans that he was hiding weapons. The Germans came to his home and shot the entire family.
On October 15, 1941, the Nazi units and local policemen shot 124 Jews (according to other sources, 31 Jews) at the local Jewish cemetery. The mass killing continued throughout November and December. From the night of November 30th to December 1st, 1941, the Germans began to go to Jewish homes and shoot everyone they found there. The Pergament family and many other families perished this way. Among the killed was Mones the Butcher, who was 104 years old. The local residents pointed out the Jewish homes. Part of the Jews were taken to the Jewish cemetery and shot there. There are two fraternal graves at the cemetery, one smaller and the other larger. The victims of the second, largest shooting are buried in the larger one.
On November 29, 1941 near railway bridge on the Desna River in Makoshino 50 local Jews were killed. On December 15, 1941 on the territory of the monastery in village Dominitsy of Menskiy district The Germans shot and killed 34 children from the local orphanage. Among the dead were five Jewish boys and girls. The last mass shooting that occurred in Mena was held February 2, 1942 in an open field near the road to the village, Kukuvichi.
Residences
In 1930 the family are living at 211 South Central Avenue, Chino, San Bernardino, California. Where the property was has been replaced with a car park
