Joseph Michael Cohen (1881 - ?)

Joseph Michael Cohen, known as Joe, is the brother-in-law of Sarah Ann Levin, my 2x great aunt. Helfet family HERE

Born: 9 February 1881 in Minsk, now the capital of Belarus, according to his World War 2 draft registration form, but 9 February 1880 according to his World War 1 draft registration form

Migration: Joseph came to the USA around 1899

Occupation: Peddler, driver and furniture remover

Married: Minnie Helfet in Chicago, USA in 1906 when Minnie was 18 and Joseph 25

Children

Their first child was born in 1908 when Joseph was 27 and Minnie 20. Their last child was born in 1922 when Joseph was 41 and Minnie 34

• Leona Cohen (1908 - 1991) married Isadore Goffen  (1913 - 1988)) on 28 June 1950
• Rea Cohen (1913 - ?) 
• Jerome Cohen (1915 - 1916)
• Bernard Cohen (1918 - 1920)
• Eugene Cohen (1922 - 1992)

Census details

1910

In 1910 Joseph and his wife Minnie are living at 10a Oto Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Joseph is 28 and a self-employed peddler. Minnie is 21 and their daughter Leona is age 1

1920

In 1920 the family is living at 311 West 15th Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Joseph is 39 and a fruit peddler, Minnie is 32 and the children are Leona age 11, Rhea age 6 and Bernard age 2

1930

In 1930 the family is living at Unit 113, 4942 Spaulding Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Joseph is 49 and a chauffeur in the furniture moving industry. Minnie is 41 and the children are Leona age 21, Rhea age 17 and Eugene age 7

1940

In 1940 the family is living at 3747 Giddings Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Joseph is 58 and a driver for a storage warehouse. The children are Leona age 29, Rhea age 26 and Eugene age 17. His wife Minnie is in a psychiatric hospital

1950

In 1950 the family is still living at 3747 Giddings Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Joseph is 68 and a furniture mover. The children still at home are Leona age 41 and Eugene age 27

World War 1

Joseph's World War 1 registration card

World War 2

Joseph's World War 2 registration card

Biographical information

Joseph's brother-in law, Jacob Dobrofsky, wrote a detailed autobiography entitled "This is my Life", which includes information on Joseph and his family and which is available HERE

Here is a personal reminiscence from George Kroloff: 

"When I was a kid my mom, dad and sister Susan occasionally…better word might be rarely…visited Aunt Minnie/Minnah/Mushie.  I remember a long streetcar ride to the famous city transit “L”, changing trains to an extension and somehow walking or catching a bus to their house.  House.  That was a big deal.  It probably was the first time I had been in a single family dwelling in my hometown.  Everyone we knew, including schoolmates, lived in apartments. 

I don’t remember much about Minnie.  The info on her eye caught my eye,   While reading an Ellis Island document reporting that she had, what I recall, was a “low” eye.  And thinking about how nervous she would have been.  People deemed to be undesirable for one reason or another would be sent back to their embarkation port.   Minnie was with her sisters Sarah and Esther getting off a rather posh, for its time, Cunard Line cruise ship with a large number of last class passengers.  The promotional literature for the ship indicated that they could be sailing with their own cabin in steerage with a sink and running water 

So I remember Minnie was small.  Uncle Joe was a large man.  I remember little more, other than he didn’t seem to be of the type who would take advantage of people.  BUT, one thing I do remember is learning that he was the driver of a lumbering moving van.  Probably, mostly peoples’ furniture.  Also, I was told he was getting on in age and the the lifting and carrying of heavy items was a bit difficult, so he had been promoted, or however it was explained, to the easier job of driving. 

I also think I told my parents on the trip home that I was fascinated by Joe’s extremely thick glasses, thicker than I thought existed, and wondered if they had any way of forecasting when he might be in our neighborhood so I could warn my friends to keep off the street for safety’s sake.  

Meanwhile, their son Eugene was a really nice, soft-spoken chap.  My recollection was that he had a typical Chicago/Midwest accent.  After the end of WWII Eugene was working in a shop that sold leather goods.  My prize Bar Mitzvah present came from Eugene.  It was a very professional looking leather briefcase that I used until it just fell apart twenty or so years later. 

All this leads up to the most interesting “thing” about Eugene. Soft spoken, Midwest accent, US Army, Battle of the Bulge near the end of the War … Eugene was captured by the Canadians and held for several days before the-powers-that-be agreed that he really was an American and not a Nazi infiltrator. "

Death

Some time after 1950

Residences

According to the 1920 census the family lived at 311 West 15th Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. The property no longer exists

In the 1930 census the family is living at Unit 113, 4942 Spaulding Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA

In the 1940 census Joseph and his family are living at 3747 Giddings Street, Chicago, Illinois

Helfet, Harry (1881 - 1946)

Harry Helfet, born as Isaac but known as Harry all his life, is the brother-in-law of Sarah Ann Levin, my 2x great aunt. Helfet family HERE

Parents: Jacob Helfet (1849 - 1899) and Leah Cohen (1852 - 1898)

Tombstones for her parents Jacob Helfet and Leah Cohen. They are both buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England

Born: 25 March 1881 in Chernuch, Russian Empire, nowadays Chornukhy (Ukrainian: Чорнýхи; Russian: Чернýхи), a rural settlement in Lubny Raion, Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine

Migration: The family came to Liverpool, England in 1892 when Harry was 11 years old. Harry then migrated to the USA in December 1902, age 21

Harry migrating to the USA, departing Liverpool, England aboard the Lucania and arriving in New York on 6 December 1902

Occupation: Draper in the 1901 census. In the USA he was a grocery store supplier / owner then a real estate agent

Married: Anna Cohen in Chicago, USA on 3 December 1905 when Harry was 24 and Anna 22

Children

Their first child was born in 1908 when Harry was 28 and Anna 26. Their last child was born in 1913 when Harry was 32 and Anna 30

• Leah Mae Helfet (1908 - 1971) married 1) Harry A Wasserkrug (1906 - 1937) on 12 June 1932,  2) Theodore T Reisch (1914 - 1982) on 27 June 1938
• Jeanette (Gene) Helfet (1913 - 1998) married Melvin Salmon Sussman (1912 - 1986) on 11 July 1932

Census details

1901

The younger members of the Helfet family are, following the death of their parents, living at 23 Warren Street, Liverpool, England. Harry is age 20 and a draper working on his own account. He is living with his sisters Esther age 19, Sarah age 16 and Minnie age 14. Also at the house is his married sister Mary, her husband Nathan Dobrofsky and their infant child Jacob

1910

In 1910 Harry is married and living in Chicago, USA. He is age 29 and and owns a shop. He also owns his house. Anne, his wife, is age 28 and their daughter Leah is age 2

1920

In 1920 the family are still in Chicago. Harry is 39 and a store owner. Anna is age 38 and their children are Leah age 12 and Jeanette age 6

1930

In 1930 the family are still in Chicago, at 7027 Sheridan Road. Harry is 48 and is now a real estate agent. Anna is age 46 and their children are Lea Mae age 21 and Gene age 16

1940

In 1940 the family in a rented home at 6810 North Greenview Avenue, Chicago. Harry is 56 and a manager in a real estate office. Anna is age 54. Living with them is their daughter Lea Mae age 30, her husband Theodore Reisch age 27 and their infant son Stanley age a month

World War 1 draft registration

Harry's World War 1 registration card completed in 1918. His occupation is a tea, coffee and grovery supplier. His address is 3827 Washington Street, Chicago. He is short (5 foot 1 and a half inches), of medium build (141 pounds) with brown eyes and black hair

Naturalisation

Harry and Anna applied for naturalisation in February 1917 and were naturalised on 2 January 1920

Biographical information

Harry's brother-in-law, Jake Dobrofsky wrote a detailed autobiography entitled "This is my Life", which is available HERE and which contains a fair bit of information about Harry in Liverpool and his early years establishing himself in Chicago

Text supplied by George Kroloff

Death

10 August 1946 in Chicago age 65. On his death certificate his date of birth is incorrectly given as 25 February 1883. He was buried on 12 August 1946 in Rosemont Park Cemetery, now known as Zion Gardens, Chicago

Death details for Harry

HELFET-Harry Helfet, beloved husband of the late Anna, nee Cohen, dear father of Jeanne Sussman and Lea Reisch. Services Monday, 2 p. m., at chapel, 5206 Broadway

Place of Birth

Harry Helfet was born in Chernuch, Russian Empire, nowadays Chornukhy (Ukrainian: Чорнýхи; Russian: Чернýхи), Chernich (Yiddish) and Chernuchi (German), a rural settlement in Lubny Raion, Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine.

Chornukhy

The earliest known Jewish community was by the end of the 18th century. In 1900 the Jewish population was 275 and in 1926 it was 366. Chornukhy was occupied by the Germans on September 17, 1941. During that month 132 Jews were shot by local police in the Chornukhy County park. The village was liberated by the Red Army on September 17, 1943. The present town population is 1,000-5,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.

Poltava Region
Jews began to settle in the region during the early 17th century in the process of Jewish participation in the colonization of Ukraine. By 1610 there was a Jewish community in Berezan (to the north of Pereyaslav), and within a few decades about a dozen Jewish communities were established in the districts of *Pereyaslav and Mirgorod, of which the largest were in Pereyaslav and *Lubny. Jews engaged in commerce and the leasing of estates, flour mills, liquor distilleries, breweries, and inns. There was strong competition from Christian towns-men, and during the *Chmielnicki massacres of 1648 these communities were among the first to be destroyed. After the region came under Russian rule Jews were not permitted to live there until the first partition of Poland in 1772. Individual Jewish families, however, settled in various estates under the protection of their owners despite frequent expulsions by the authorities.

After the first partition of Poland in 1772, Jewish settlement on the eastern bank of the river Dnieper was renewed, and by 1792 there were over 700 Jews in the region, most of whom lived on estates or in villages. In 1794 this region, which then formed part of the province of Yekaterinoslav, was incorporated within the *Pale of Settlement. In 1803 there were 82 Jewish merchants and 2,030 Jews classed as townsmen living in the province of Poltava, which was formed in 1802. The community of *Kremenchug was the largest in the district, and developed in particular owing to its position on the Dnieper, the main waterway from Lithuania to the south. It accounted in 1897 for 30% of the Jews in the province. In 1847, 15,572 Jews were counted in the 18 communities of the province (which also included the Jews in the small settlements and their environs). Their numbers increased as a result of a large emigration from Lithuania and Belorussia, and were estimated at 84,000 in 1881. The census of 1897 recorded 111,417 Jews (4% of the total population) in Poltava province (the lowest percentage of Jews in all the provinces of the Pale). The Russian-Ukrainian majority had a strong assimilationist influence on the Jews in the province, who were a minority in all the towns; it was only in Kremenchug that their numbers approached half the population. On the other hand, *Chabad Ḥasidism, which penetrated from the north, was an important spiritual influence (the tomb of *Shneur Zalman of Lyady, the founder of Chabad Ḥasidism, is in *Gadyach in Poltava province).

About one half of the Jews of the province of Poltava earned their livelihood from commerce (in contrast to 38.5% in the whole of Russia), and about 30 percent were engaged in crafts and industry. Commerce was principally conducted in grain and other agricultural produce. Although some Jews owned sawmills, brick-kilns, flour mills, alcohol distilleries, and other enterprises, the overwhelming majority of the workers in them were non-Jews. During the spring of 1881 pogroms occurred in the north of the province of Poltava. In 1905 a wave of pogroms swept across 52 settlements of the province. The most severely affected were Gadyach, Kremenchug, Romny, and Zolotonosha.

During World War I thousands of refugees and Jews expelled from the battle zone arrived in the province of Poltava and found refuge in the Jewish communities. During the Civil War, the communities of the western section of the province suffered especially from pogroms by bands of Ukrainians and the "volunteer army" of A.I. *Denikin. In 1926 there were approximately 93,000 Jews in the five districts (Kremenchug, Lubny, Poltava, Priluki, Romny) of the former territory of the province of Poltava.

Residences

In 1911 Harry and Ann purchased no 748 South Oakley Boulevard in Chicago. Chicago Examiner 3 February 1911, p. 14

In 1930 the family are living at 7027 Sheridan Street, Chicago

In 1940 the family are living at 6810 North Greenview Avenue, Chicago

Rachel (Ettie) Joseph (1881 - 1951)

Rachel Joseph, known as Ettie, is the mother of Dorothy Sophia Abrahamson, the 2nd wife of my maternal grandfather Marcus Levin. Abrahamson family HERE

Parents: Samuel Aaron Joseph (1851 - 1935) and Sarah Davis (1859 - 1935)

Born: 11 March 1881 in Dublin, Ireland

Birth certificate for Rachel Joseph

Married: Louis Abrahamson on 31 March 1903 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Louis was age 25 and Ettie was 22. On their marriage certificate their ages are given as 23 and 21 respectively, but this does not match other information I have on them

Marriage certificate for Louis Abrahamson and Ettie Joseph who were married in the Hope Place Synagogue in Liverpool on 31 March 1903. Louis was a minister age 23 and Ettie was age 21. Their address was given as 229 Wavertree Road, West Derby, Liverpool. Louis's father is Abraham Daniel Abrahamson, a teacher, deceased, and Ettie's father is given as Samuel Aaron Joseph, a picture dealer

Children

Their first child was born in 1904 when Louis was 26 and Ettie 23. Their last child was born in 1923 when Louis was 45 and Ettie was 42

• Adeline Abrahamson 1904 - 1991
• Anne Abrahamson 1905 - 1988
• Dorothy Sophia Abrahamson 1908 - 1999
• Daniel Joseph Abrahamson 1909 - 1997
• Freda Leah Abrahamson 1911 - 2009
• Bella Miriam Abrahamson 1913 - 2018
• Eva Abrahamson 1916 - 2001
• Sylvia Abrahamson 1923 - 2025

Census details

1891

In 1891 the family are living at 1 Greenbank Avenue, Wigan, Lancashire, England. Rachel's father, Samuel Joseph ia age 40 and a photographer. Her mother Sarah is age 32. The children are David age 11, Rachel age 10, Fanny age 6, Esther age 4, Roza age 2 and Bella age 10 months. Living with them is Nathaniel Joseph, Samuel's brother and age 33. He is a hawker.

1901

In 1901 the family are living in Liverpool, England. Rachel's father, Samuel Joseph ia age 52 and a picture framer Her mother Sarah is age 43. The children are David age 21, Ettie (Rachel) age 20, Fanny age 16, Esther age 14, Roza age 12, Bella age 10, Annie age 8, Lily age 6, Isaac age 5 and Eve age 2

1911
Rachel and Louis are living at 17 Bloom street Liverpool in a 7 room house. In the household, there are six members. Louis Abrahamson, is 33 years old and a shochet (Jewish butcher), and his wife is Etti Abrahamson, who is 30 years old. The children are Adaline, who is 6 years old, Annie, who is 5 years old, Dorothy who is 3 years old and Daniel, who is 2 years old



1921 Census
The family are living at 14 Jessel Street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Lancashire, England in a 6 roomed dwelling. Louis Abrahamson is age 44 years old and a shochet (Jewish butcher) for the Manchester Shechita Board, his wife, Ettie Abrahamson is age 40 years old. The children are Adaline, who is 17 years old, Annie, who is 15 years old, Dorothy who is 13, Daniel, who is 12 years old, Freda who is 10, Miriam who is 7 and Eva who is 5





1939 Register
In the 1939 register the family are living at 238 Great Cheetham Street, Manchester, England. Louis is a shochet (butcher). Living with him is his wife Ettie and her children Eva, Anne, Dorothy and Adeline



Death
16 February 1951 in Manchester at 69 years of age. Buried in the Rainsough Jewish Cemetery, Manchester, England

Tombstone inscription: In cherished and revered memory of mother Ettie Rachel Abrahamson who departed this life on Feb 16th 1951 in her 70th year. Deeply mourned by her husband, children, grand children, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister and brothers. M.H.D.S.R.I.P.

Photos

Ettie Abrahamson

Ettie Abrahamson

Ettie Abrahamson

Ettie Abrahamson

Ettie Abrahamson

Louis and Ettie Abrahamson with their daughters Eva and Miriam and presumably grandchildren

Louis and Ettie Abrahamson in later life

Residences

In the 1891 census Ettie and her family are living at 1 Greenbank Avenue, Wigan, England

In the 1939 register the family is living at 238 Great Cheetham Street, Manchester, England. The property appears to no longer exist, having been demolished and replaced by a block of units