Fannie Yaffe (1888 - 1985)

Fannie Yaffe, also spelt Fanny, is the second wife of Simon Bernard Glynn, born Simon Bernard Glembovsky, whose first wife, Esther Reizel Levin, is my maternal 2x great aunt. Simon could also be my 1st cousin 3x removed. Glynn family HERE

Parents: Kolman Yaffe (1843 - 1918) and Jane Mariassa (1860 - 1928)

Tombstones for Kolman and Jane Yaffe. They are buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England

Born: 21 June 1888 in Vitupsk, also known as Vitebsk, Russian Empire nowadays Vitsyebsk, Belarus

Hebrew name: Tziviah Feiga daughter of Kalman

Siblings:

• Rose Yaffe (1884 - 1932) married Abraham Zatz (1883 - 1951) in (July - September) 1905 in Manchester, England
• Edith Yaffe (1891 - 1976) married Sidney Joel Green (1895 - 1974) in (April - May) 1919 in Liverpool, England
• Simon Yaffe (1891 - 1918)
• Abram Yaffe (1895 - 1990) married Esther Nancy Franks (1900 - 1990) in (April to June) 1920 in Liverpool, England
• Gertrude Yaffe (1899 - 1985) she married Barney Deutch, later Dutch (1888 - 1972) in (January - March) 1921 in Liverpool, England

Migration: Fannie came to England with her family as a teenager sometime between 1901 and 1911

Married: 

1) Mr Gould possibly before 1911 as she is not listed as living with her parents and siblings in the 1911 census. They lived in Canada. He died sometime before 1928 and Fanny returned to Liverpool, England

2) Simon Bernard Glynn in Liverpool, England on 3 February 1928. Simon was 51 and Fanny was 39

Marriage certificate for Simon Glynn and Fannie Yaffe. They were both widows and were married on 3 February 1928 in the Princes Road synagogue in Liverpool, England

SILVER WEDDINGS. GLYNN. Mr. and Mr. Simon Glynn (Fanny Yaffe) announce the 15th anniversary of their wedding, solemnised on February 1, 1928. 33. Blundell Drive, Hillside, Southport. (Jewish Chronicle 1943)

Census details

1939 Register

In the 1939 register the family are living at 33 Blundell Drive, Southport, England. Simon, born on 15 May 1874, is a wool merchant and Fannie, born on 21 June 1888 is a housewife

Travel

Fannie travelling from Southampton, England to Madeira, Portugal on 6 March 1959 aboard the New York

Death

14 July 1985 (25 Tamuz 5745) in Liverpool, England at age 97. She is buried in the Long Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England, plot D-A-17

Tombstone: In loving memory of Fannie Glynn who passed away 14 July 1985 aged 97 years. Deeply mourned by her devoted brother, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends

Hebrew translation: A woman of Valor. Tzivia Feiga daughter of Kalman passed away on 25 Tamuz 5745

Probate

GLYNN, Fannie or GLYN, Fannie of Stapely Hosp North Mossley Hill Rd Liverpool died 14 July 1985 Probate Liverpool 9 January £252302

Place of Birth

Fanny Yaffe was born in Vitupsk, also known as Vitebsk, Russian Empire nowadays Vitsyebsk, Belarus

VITEBSK, capital of Vitebsk district, Belarus. The first Jewish settlement appears to have been established in Vitebsk at the end of the 16th century. The charter given to the residents of Vitebsk in 1597 by Sigismund III Vasa forbids Jews "in accordance with long-held practice" to dwell within the city. Still, it appears that some Jews did live there, under the protection of the local nobility, both before and after 1597. The Jewish community developed, though not without conflict with the Christian population of the city over Jewish rights and privileges. In 1627 the local ruler S. Sangushko granted permission for the construction of a synagogue in the city. A document from the 17th century takes note of "the Jew's gate."

During the war between Poland and the government of Moscow in 1654, Jews fought in the defense of the city. When it fell to the Russians, their property was confiscated and they were taken captive, not being released until peace was achieved with Poland (1667). Upon the Jews' return they had to enter into litigation with their neighbors who had appropriated their property. In 1679 King John III Sobieski granted a charter to the Jews, restoring their former privileges and promising them freedom of religion and commercial rights. This charter was renewed and confirmed by the kings of Poland in 1729 and 1759. In 1708, during the war with Sweden, the Jewish quarter of Vitebsk was destroyed by fire. The local residents then occupied the plot where the synagogue had been and built a church upon it. The Lithuanian supreme court ordered them to return the land to the Jews and pay damages of 13,500 gold pieces. The Jewish community of Vitebsk was part of the Council of the *Lands. It was under the jurisdiction of the Brest-Litovsk community and through it was subject to the Lithuanian Council. The Vitebsk Jewish community kept a pinkas (minute-book) from 1706.

With the first partition of Poland in 1772 Vitebsk was annexed to Russia. At that time the community numbered 1,227 persons, or about a quarter of the town's population. Most of Vitebsk's trade in flax and tobacco was conducted with Riga by way of the Dvina River. With the completion of the Orel-Vitebsk-Dvinsk railroad during the 1860s the commerce of Vitebsk with regional towns and villages increased and the Jewish community grew accordingly. After their expulsion from Moscow in 1891 some of the Jews transferred their businesses to Vitebsk. In 1897 the city had 34,420 Jews (52.4% of the total population).

Vitebsk was a stronghold of Orthodox Judaism, containing elements of Lithuanian Jewish scholarship, and even stronger ḥasidic influences. At the end of the 18th century the founders of Lithuanian Ḥasidism, Menahem *Mendel of Vitebsk and Shneur Zalman of Lyady, were active in the city. Strong *Ḥabad ḥasidic influences were present. The rabbi of the city from 1803 to 1860 was Yiẓḥak Isaac Behard, who was both kazyonny ravvin (government-appointed rabbi) and the choice of the admor. Jekuthiel Zalman Landau succeeded him in the rabbinate serving also as head of the yeshivah of Vitebsk. After Landau moved to St. Petersburg the community did not select a new chief rabbi, as a result of a dispute between the Ḥasidim and Mitnaggedim. During the last years of the 19th century 72% of the school-age children studied in the ḥeder and talmud torah schools of Vitebsk.

The settlement of Jews in Vitebsk who had been expelled from Moscow strengthened the Haskalah elements in the city. The Ḥibbat Zion movement began to develop, as did the Socialist movement at a later date. Vitebsk was one of the first centers of the Bund. In 1901 the Zionist leader Grigori (Ẓevi Hirsch) Bruck was selected as kazyonny ravvin of Vitebsk. He had great influence upon the life of the community, even after he was deposed by the authorities. This occurred as a result of his position as a delegate to the Duma, in which he signed the Wyborg Proclamation. The Zionist and Po'alei Zion movements flourished, causing the talmud torah to be converted into a Hebrew school. After 1905 several private gymnasia opened in the city, most of the students being Jewish. The artist Y. Pen opened an art school which trained hundreds of young people, including Marc Chagall and S. Yudovin. S. An-Ski and C. Zhitlovsky were both from Vitebsk. During World War I Vitebsk served as a way station for tens of thousands of Jews who had been expelled from Lithuania. Several thousands of them settled there permanently.

With the advent of Soviet rule the Vitebsk Jewish community began to decline. Thousands of residents who had come from Lithuania and Latvia used their rights of relocation and emigrated from the Soviet Union. The Yevsektsiya established one of its centers in Belorussia in Vitebsk, publishing the paper Der Royter Shtern ("The Red Star") until 1923. In 1921 a public trial "over the ḥeder" was conducted in Vitebsk and several synagogues in the city were confiscated. The Vitebsk He-Ḥalutz movement was harassed and came to an end during the middle of the 1920s. Vitebsk had a semi-legal Ḥabad yeshivah until 1930. In 1923 there were 39,714 Jews (43.7% of the total population). In 1926 there were 37,013 (37.5%).

With the Nazi conquest of the city in July 1941 part of the Jewish population fled into the interior of Russia. The city was destroyed in a fire started by the retreating Red Army. The 16,000 Jews who remained behind were imprisoned in a ghetto. On October 8, 1941, their systematic liquidation began. After the liberation of the city from the Germans Jews began to return. In the later 1960s the Jewish population was estimated at about 20,000 but there was no synagogue. Most left during the large-scale emigration of the 1990s.

Residence

In the 1939 register Simon and Fanny Glynn are listed as living at 33 Blundell Drive, Southport, England. Simon lived there until his death in 1955. In 1939 my mom and her family moved to Southport from Liverpool. They lived for several months with Simon and Fanny at no 33 while her father Marcus looked for a new home. Eventually they moved almost diagonally opposite the Glynn family to 50 Blundell Drive which is at bottom left of the photo

Minnie Helfet (1888 - 1941)

Minnie Helfet is the sister-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: 1 April 1888 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 Minnie was 4 years old. Minnie then migrated to the USA arriving on 11 February 1903, age 14

Minnie sailing to the USA on the SS Ivernia departing Liverpool on 31 January 1903. She travelled with her sisters Sarah and Esther

Married: Joseph Michael Cohen 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

1901

The younger members of the Helfet family are, following the death of their parents, living at 23 Warren Street, Liverpool, England. Minnie is age 13 and she is living with her siblings; Harry age 20, Esther age 18 and Sarah age 16. Also at the house is her married sister Mary, her husband Nathan Dobrofsky and their infant child Jacob

1910

In 1910 Minnie and her husband Joseph 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

Minnie is age 51 and an inmate at Manteno State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Manteno, Kankakee, Illinois, USA

Biographical information

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

Here is an excerpt: Aunt Minnie was the baby of the family and when a little girl in England she had had an accident and lost an eye. So everyone babied and petted her and she became spoiled and also very nervous. Because of her affliction everyone gave in to her and, as time went on, she became more and more nervous and more and more difficult to control. She could not stay in any one place any length of time and she kept going from one place to another. One day, while making her home with us (in Chicago), she decided she would like to go back to Sioux City. Though we all worried about her and felt responsible for her, we were very glad to see her go and she returned to Sioux City where she met a young man named Joe Cohen.

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

2 June 1941 in Manteno Township , Kankakee County, Illinois, USA, age 53. Minnie was buried in the Westlawn Jewish Cemetery in Chicago, USA on 4 June 1941

Obituary

COHEN - Minnie Cohen, nee Helfet, beloved wife of Joseph, fond mother of Leona, Rhea, Eugene. Funeral Wednesday, 10 a.m. at funeral chapel, 5145 Broadway. Interment Westlawn. Family at 3747 Giddings. Chicago Tribune, Wed, 4 June 1941, p. 14

Place of Birth

Minnie 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

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

Regina Blaser (1888 - 1972)

Regina Blaser is the mother of Harry Freedman, who was married to Gertrude Esther Levin, my maternal great aunt. Levin family HERE. Freedman family HERE

Parents: Noah Blaser (1858 - 1940) and Henrietta Bleicher (1859 - 1936)

Rev. Noah Blaser and his wife Yetta.  The children are Rosa and Max. Noah was the first Minister of the Southport Hebrew Congregation, serving in this capacity for some 35 years

Born: 14 September 1888 in North Shields, Northumberland, England

Hebrew name: Rachel Bat Noach

Occupation: Milliner

Married: Solomon Freedman in (June to September) 1918 in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. Solomon was 26 years old and Regina was 29 years old

Children

Their first child, Harry, was born when Solomon was 26 and Regina 30. Their 2nd child was born when when Solomon was 35 and Regina 39

• Harry Freedman 1918 - 1970 
• Melville Freedman 1927 - ?

Naturalization

Regina along with her family was naturalised in March 1902. The family was living at 3 York Terrace, Manchester Road, Southport, England and the family comprised her father Noah (a minister of religion), born in Krakow, Austria and eight children residing with him - Rosa age 19, Max age 17, Sophie age 15, Regina age 13, Julius age 11, Leah age 10, Miriam age 7 and Evelyn age 4. Regina's grandparents are also listed; Mendel and Brocha Blaser

Census details

1891

Regina and her family are living in North Shields, Northumberland. Her father Noah, age 32, is a Jewish minister and her mother Henrietta is age 31. The children are Rosa age 8, Max age 6, Sophie age 4, Regina age 2 and Julius age 1

1901

Regina and her family are now living 3 York Terrace, Manchester Road, Southport. Her father Noah, age 42, is still a Jewish minister and her mother Henrietta is age 41. The children are Rosa age 18, Max age 16, Sophie age 14, Regina age 12, Leah age 9, Miriam age 6 and Evelyn age 3

1911

Regina and her family are now living 61 Windsor Road, Southport. Her father Noah, age 52, is still a Jewish minister and her mother Henrietta is age 51. The children are Rosa age 28 with her husband Abraham Isaac Friedlander age 30 and their infant son Moses Myer Friedlander; Regina age 22, Leah age 19, Miriam age 16 and Evelyn age 13

1921

Regina is now married to Solomon Freedman and living at 6 Guelph Street, Liverpool, a 4 bedroom house. Solomon, is age 29, a cabinet maker working on his own account at 96 Islington. Regina is age 32 and their child Harry is 2 years and 9 months old

1939 Register

In the 1939 register Solomon, Regina and their family are living at 66 Heathfield Road, Liverpool, England. Solomon is a furniture dealer and their son Harry is articled to a firm of estate agents. The redacted line under Harry is that of his brother, Melville Freedman who was born in 1927 and was an actor in the theatre

Travel to the USA (1914 - 1915)

Name	Regina Blaser
Gender	Female
Ethnicity/ Nationality	Hebrew
Marital Status	Single
Age	25
Birth Date	abt 1889
Birth Place	England
Other Birth Place	N Shields
Last Known Residence	Southport, England
Departure Port	Liverpool, England
Arrival Date	16 Oct. 1914
Arrival Port	New York, New York, USA
Residence Place	England
Final Destination	Washington, District of Columbia
Height	5 Feet, 1 Inches
Hair Color	Dark Brown
Eye Color	Gray
Complexion	Sallow
Money in Possession	$1200
Person in Old Country	Noel Blaser
Person in Old Country Relationship	Father
Person in Old Country Residence	Southport
Person in US	E [Eva] Friedenberg
Person in US Relationship	Aunt
Father	Noel Blaser
Ship Name	Baltic

Travelling with her brother Julius and sister Sophia, from Liverpool, England, to New York, USA arriving on 16 October 1914, for Sophia's wedding to Nathan Friedenberg. They were married in Washington DC on 16 December 1914. Sophia tragically passed away on 5 October 1915

Death of Sophia Friedenberg on 5 October 1915 in Washington DC, USA

Name	Regina Blaser
Arrival Age	27
Birth Date	abt 1888
Port of Departure	New York, New York, USA
Arrival Date	20 Oct. 1915
Port of Arrival	Glasgow, Scotland
Ports of Voyage	Liverpool
Ship Name	Cameronia
Shipping Line	Anchor Line

Regina returned to Liverpool, England via Glasgow on 20 October 1915. It appeared that she intended to return to the USA to live but this didn't eventuate

Death
3 March 1972 in Liverpool, England at 83 years of age. Buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England, plot no C5a.32 

Liverpool Jewish Burial Record for Regina Freedman

Tombstone inscription: In loving memory of Regina Freedman who passed away 3rd march 1972 aged 83 years. Deeply mourned by her devoted son, sisters ... daughter-in-law, relatives and friends. May her dear soul rest in eternal peace

Hebrew translation: "Here is buried a woman of valour and a beloved mother, Mrs. Rachel daughter of Mr. No’ach, passed away 17 Adar 5733. May her soul be bound up in the bond of life"

Probate

Regina Freedman Probate dated 5 May 1972. Her address is given as 53 Preston New road, Southport. The value of her estate was £7,263

Wedding of Solomon and Regina's son Harry Freedman to Gertrude Levin in Liverpool on 27 July 1947. Front row, L-R: Marcus Levin, Zella Levin, Harry Freedman, Gertrude Freedman (Nee Levin), Regina Freedman (Nee Blaser), Ruth Levin, unknown. Back row L-R: Harry’s brother Melville Freedman, Peggy Levin, Simon Bernard Levin, Solomon Freedman

Letter

Letter from Regina to her niece Lynn dated 17 September 1934

Residences

In 1902 Regina and her family were living at 3 York Terrace, Manchester Road, Southport, England 

In 1911 the family were living at 61 Windsor Road, Southport, England

In the 1921 census the family were living at 6 Guelph Street, Liverpool

In the 1939 register the family were at 66 Heathfield Road, Liverpool, England

At the time of Regina's death her address was given as 53 Preston New road, Southport, England