Esther Henig and Joseph Kedofsky

Joseph Kedofsky was born in 1887-1888, the second son of Sarah Rabinowitz and Eli "Louis" Kedofsky. Eli's naturalization petitions say he was born in March 7 or 11, 1887. the 1900 US Census says May 1887, and his WWI and WWII draft registrations say March 29, 1888. Eli's naturalization petitions also say that Joseph was born in his father's birthplace, Radomansky. This may be either Radomsko or Radomysl'. Joseph's WWI draft registration says that he was born in Kiev, which is a point in favour of the Radomysl' theory, as Radomysl' was in the Kiev gubernia.

Joseph immigrated to New York with his mother and two brothers sometime between 1891 and 1893 to join his father. In the 1905 New York State Census, he's listed as working as a peddler like his brother Abraham. In the 1910 US Census, he's gone up a bit in the world - he's working as a merchant of woolens, like his father.

On March 1914, Joseph married Esther Henig (or Hemig or Honig). Esther was born in New York in 1893-1895, the oldest daughter of Austrian immigrants Solomon Henig and Sarah Setzman.

Joseph had declared his intention to become a US citizen to a county court sometime in 1915. On the 1920 US Census, he reported that he had been naturalized, although the year he gave - 1906 - was obviously untrue. Perhaps he told the census taker 1916 and it was written down incorrectly?

The 1915 New York Census reports that Joseph and Esther were living in Brooklyn. However, when Joseph registered for the WWI draft on June 5, 1917, he gave his parents' address in Manhattan as both his home address and his place of employment. He reported that he had both a wife and a child. His and Esther's son Seymour had been born in or about September 1916.

Joseph was also involved in his parents' real estate activities. On July 19, 1917, Jacob Levine filed a "mechanic's lien" for $448 against Joseph's mother Sarah for work done on 77 Columbia Street, which she had purchased four months earlier. While Sarah was listed as the owner, Louis and Joseph Kedofsky were listed as contractors.

By 1920, Joseph, Esther and Seymour were living at 175 Hewes Street in Brooklyn. Joseph was working as a woolens jobber. Joseph and Esther's second son, Harold, was born in or about 1923.

At some earlier point, Joseph had purchased the building at 45-47 Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, a five and a half story apartment building with stores on the ground floor eight blocks away from 175 Hewes. On March 10, 1924, both the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the New York Sun reported the sale of the building "to I Silver for investment." On the 1930 US Census, Joseph reported his occupation as real estate salesman.

According to the issue of the New York Sun published January 25, 1939, Joseph's mother Sarah deeded properties she owned on Willett Street in Manhattan over to Joseph. 10-12 Willett, assessed at $12,000-$29,000, was deeded over for $2, while 14 Willett, assessed at $5,000-$13,000, went for $1. Louis Kedofsky had passed away on February 25, 1937. Six months before Louis' death, Sarah had had to sell another property at auction, presumably to pay off a debt. The transfer of the Willett Street properties thus might have been done as part of Joseph's inheritance, or Sarah might have been trying to protect the properties from creditors. A bit more than four months after the transfer, on June 9, 1939, the Sun reported that 12 Willett had been sold at auction to satisfy the suit of Rose Blitz vs Joseph Kedofsky et al. The amounts owing were $4,173.63 plus $352.38 for costs and $1,946.90 for taxes. The property was assessed by the referee as being worth $6,000-$14,500. It was sold to Ms Blitz for $1,000.

By the time the 1940 US Census was taken, Joseph was working as a store fixtures salesman. When he registered for the draft in 1942, he gave his employer's name as Jacob Bros Co.

Meanwhile, Joseph and Esther's sons were growing up. Seymour Kedofsky graduated Boys High School on February 1, 1933. He continued on to City College. The November 1, 1936, issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that he had been appointed to the rank of cadet captain in his ROTC unit. At that time the Kedofskys were still at 175 Hewes. By 1940, however, they had moved to 800 Avenue H in Brooklyn. The 1940 US census reported highest levels of education completed. Joseph had completed Grade 8 and Esther, four years of high schoool. Both Seymour and Harold were still attending school after March 1, 1940. By the time the census was taken a month later, Seymour had completed four years of college and Harold, four years of high school.

On August 17, 1942, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Seymour S Kayne of 800 Avenue H had been awarded a dental license. Two years later, on October 27, 1944, the paper reported that "First Lt Seymour S Kayne of 800 Avenue H has been assigned to the dental staff at the station hospital. Camp Reynolds, Pa."

Esther Henig Kedofsky passed away on April 28, 1954. She's buried at Mount Judah Cemetery in Queens, in the section owned by the Kiever Independent Untershtitsung Verein (Aid Society). Joseph passed away in Florida on November 11, 1969, and was buried next to her.

Harold Kedofsky may or may not be the Harold Kayne, born October 21, 1922, who died on November 7, 1969, and was buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens, in the Machpelah Plots.

Seymour Kedofsky/Kayne may or may not be the the Seymour Kayne, born October 12, 1916, who lived in Brooklyn and died there in March 1971.