Sarah Rabinowitz and Eli "Louis" Kedofsky

"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

According to his naturalization petitions - there were two - Eli Kedofsky was born on May 5, 1864, in Radomansky in the Russian Empire. (The 1900 US Census says May 1862.) Radomansky may be either Radomsko in what's now Poland or Radomysl' in what's now the Ukraine - there's some evidence for both. The Anglicised versions of his parents' names were Morris and Sarah.

In or about 1884, Eli married Sarah Rabinowitz. Sarah was born 1865-1870. The 1900 US Census says April 1877, but also says that she was 33 years old at the time the census was taken, suggesting that the census taker made an error in subtraction and was aiming for 1867. Sarah was the daughter of Feige Rabinowitz, whose 1906 passenger manifest says she was born in and immigrated from Makarov in what's now the Ukraine. Sarah may therefore have been born in Makarov as well. (This is one of the two pieces of evidence for Radomansky being Radomysl', as Radomysl' is only 47 km away from Makarov.)

The couple had three sons prior to immigration. We have only their Anglicized names:

Eli's naturalization petitions say that Joseph was born in Radomansky, so presumably all three boys were born there. Morris' marriage record says that he was born in "Polski, Russia," but this may be due to confusion over whether he was born in Poland or Russia. Historically, Radomsko was located in Poland. Thus, this suggests that Radomansky was Radomsko. However, Joseph's WWI draft registration card says he was born in Kiev, and Radomysl' was in the Kiev gubernia prior to the Russian Revolution.

According to Eli's naturalization petition, he immigrated to the United States in 1890, departing from the port of Stettin (Szczecin) aboard the Hamburg line's Italia and arriving in New York on July 11, 1890. However, he doesn't seem to be present on the Italia's passenger manifest for that trip.

Sarah and the boys immigrated sometime between 1891 and 1893. Sarah and Eli's fourth son, David, was born in New York in March 28, 1894 (per Eli's naturalization petitions and David's WWI and WWII draft registration cards). (The 1900 US Census says January 1895.)

In New York, Eli took the name Louis. He's referred to as Louis Kedofsky on all US documents except for Morris' marriage record, which identifies him as "Tsuk," which means "cliff" in Hebrew. This may have been a joking nickname, based either on the fact that "Eli" means "ascent" in Hebrew or that, according to Eli's naturalization petition, he was only 5'3".

By 1900, the Kedofsky family was living at 79 Columbia Street in Manhattan, where Louis and Sarah were to live for the next several decades. Louis was working as an "operator" and 15-year-old Morris as a salesman. The family was doing well enough to keep a servant, an 18-year-old Austrian immigrant named Mollie Fisher.

The list of "Recorded Leases" published in the New York Times on February 4, 1904, includes the rental of 97 and 99 Mangin Street by David Schiff "and others" to Louis Kedofsky for three years at cost of $4,622. This address was a few blocks east of 79 Columbia.

In the 1905 New York State Census, Louis gave his occupation as "real estate." Morris was by now working as a machinist, while "Joe" and "Abie" were peddlers. (The 1940 US Census reported that Joseph finished Grade 8 in school.) Although the census date was June 1, 1905, there's no mention of Morris' marriage to Yetta Klein on January 30, 1905. Yetta was born 1884-1886 in Galizie (Galicia), Austria, the daughter of Markus Klein and Sarah Lerch (possibly Lehrer or Perch). Her later census records indicate that she immigrated to the States in 1900-1904. She may or may not be the Yetta Klein listed in the 1905 New York State Census as being employed as a servant for Simion and Hannah Wilhelm. Perhaps Morris' parents didn't approve of - or didn't know about - the marriage? Morris' marriage record is the only document on which Louis is referred to as "Tsuk" Kedofsky. Was Morris trying to hide his father's identity to keep him from finding out?

Another event of 1905 was that Louis filed his declaration of intention to become a US citizen on July 11, 1905, 15 years almost to the day of his arrival in New York.

A few interesting things happened in 1906. Morris' and Yetta's daughter Rosaline was born in Manhattan on February 7, 1906. (For some reason, Yetta is listed in the birth record as "Lena" Klein.)

Then on April 12, 1906, a young man who gave his name as Abraham Kedofsky was arrested in Buffalo for attempting to sell ten cents' worth of shoe strings to a detective. The problem was that he hadn't previously obtained the necessary license. He spent the night in jail and was brought before a judge the next day. According to the coverage in the Buffalo Courier and the Buffalo Express, Abraham told the judge he was 18 years old, that his parents were dead and that he'd just arrived in Buffalo. He was not impressed with Buffalo.

"I am going to get out of this town just as soon as I can... What kind of a town is this, anyway, where they won't let a fellow earn a living without making him pay $25 for the privilege? I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was trying to sell enough shoestrings to buy something to eat, and this cop pinched me."

Assured that Abraham intended to leave town, the judge let him go. There's no conclusive way to tell whether this was "our" Abraham Kedofsky, but Kedofsky wasn't a common name in the US, not even in New York. "Our" Abraham would have just turned or been about to turn 17 in April 1906, but a young man who wanted to maintain his independence might well inflate his age by a year or two.

The end of 1906 brought the arrival of Sarah's mother Feige Rabinowitz in New York on December 26. Feige arrived on the SS Potsdam, which had sailed from Rotterdam on December 15. Her passenger manifest describes her as a 58-year-old widow, born and living in Makarov. Louis paid for her passage.

1907 brought a sad event: Morris Kedofsky died in the Bronx on January 12, 1907. His death certificate lists his parents' names as Louis "Kedofotly" and Sarah Rubin (a common variation of Rabinowitz) and his marital status as "unknown." Yetta remarried in 1908 and Rosaline was raised under her stepfather's last name, Ringler.

The 1910 US Census data collected on April 21, 1910, recorded Louis' and Joseph's occupations as woolens merchants. Abraham is described as a notions saleman. (Notions presumably includes shoelaces.) Sarah is listed as having borne four children, only three of whom are still living, which reflects Morris' death. Feige's name is given as "Fanny" and her age as 60 years old. In conjunction with her passenger manifest, this suggests that she was born in 1848-1850. The family also has a servant, a 20-year-old Russian immigrant named Gussie Zweig. Interestingly, Gussie's occupation is given as "student." Was she working as a servant while she also attended classes? 16-year-old David Kedofsky's occupation is given as "none." (The 1940 US Census reported that he completed two years of college.)

A month later, something startling happens in the data. On May 23, 1910, Louis filed his petition for naturalization. The form requests, among other information, the number of his children and their names, dates and places of birth and places of residence. Louis provided the information that he had two children: Joseph born in Radomansky, Russia, on March 11, 1887, and David born in New York City, New York, on March 28, 1894. Abraham is simply not mentioned at all. What happened? The obvious possibility is that he may have died, but I can't find a death record for him. In fact, I can't find any subsequent records for him at all. The other possibility, therefore, is that he either was disowned and changed his name or vice versa.

The civil case of Gross vs Kedofsky that was scheduled to be heard before the New York State Supreme Court on January 5, 1911, may or may not be related to Abraham, but it might also be related to Louis' or Sarah's business activities. Someone at the New York State Office of Court Administration kindly responded to my e-mailed query with a list of cases in and around 1911 with a party name of Gross. However, they could not find any with a party name of Kedofsky.

Louis' first naturalization petition was turned down. It was ruled on August 23, 1910, that the "petitioner lacks intelligence requisite for citizenship." This doesn't seem to fit with Louis' post-immigration history: he managed to bring first his wife and children and then his mother-in-law over to the US. He ran a business. His family was well off enough to keep a servant and to deal in real estate. I have to suspect that the real issue was more likely a non-American accent, an impatient judge and a strong dose of bigotry.

Louis persevered, submitting a second petition - almost identical to the first - on November 1, 1910. This one was approved, and Louis took an oath of allegiance to the US on February 7, 1911.

Louis and Sarah went from living with three sons and a mother/-in-law in 1910 to being recorded as living on their own in the 1915 New York State Census. What happened? Fanny almost certainly passed away. She may or may not be Fanny "Rabinowitch," a 62-year-old widow born in Russia who died on April 12, 1911, and was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery. If this is "our" Fanny, then her parents' Anglicized names were Moses Schwartz and Annie Rosen. However, Fanny Schwartz Rabinowitch's burial took place in the section of Mount Zion Cemetery owned by the United Mazirer Friends. Mazirer refers to Mozyr in the Minsk gubernia in what's now Belarus, but "our" Fanny's 1906 passenger manifest said that she was born and lived in Makarov in what's now the Ukraine. It's possible that Fanny misunderstood when asked for her place of birth - vs place of residence - for her passenger manifest. It's also possible that she was "adopted" by the United Mazirer Friends on the basis of other family ties, for example, her parents' birthplaces.

Joseph and David may have moved out of 79 Columbia by 1915, but they didn't go too far.

Joseph married on March 25, 1914. His wife was Esther Henig (or Hemig or Honig), who was born in New York in 1893-1895 to Austrian immigrants Solomon Henig and Sarah Setzman. The couple was recorded as living in Manhattan at a separate address from Louis and Sarah in the 1915 New York State Census. However, when Joseph registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, he gave 79 Columbia Street as his home address and also said that he worked there as a self-employed merchant.

David, who didn't marry until 1917, simply vanishes from the 1915 New York State Census. However, when he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 - in a different precinct from his brother - he too gave 79 Columbia Street as his home address and said that he worked there as a self-employed salesman.

The years 1911-1915 also show evidence of Sarah either becoming involved in or having her name used in business activities. She appears to have been fined either by the State or the City of New York. The New York Herald published a list of "Satisfied Judgments" on July 24, 1912. The list included the information that a judgement filed June 24, 1912 requiring Sarah Kedofsky and Sam Osborn to pay $500 to the People, etc. (i.e, the People of the State or City of New York) had been vacated (declared void). However, the same day the Herald also published a list of judgements including one that required Alice Mayer and Sarah Kedofsky to pay $500 to the People, etc. This second judgement was filed July 23, 1912, suggesting that it may have replaced the earlier judgement, attributing responsibility to Mayer instead of Osborn. It too was eventually vacated, per the list of "Satisfied Judgments" published by the Herald January 9, 1913.

For the genealogist, one of the most interesting features of this period was that between 1911 and 1913, six different immigrants named Eli Kedofsky at 79 Columbia Street, New York, on their passenger manifests as the "relative or friend" they were going to join:

I haven't been able to find anyone else immigrating from either Makarov or Chopovichi who named Eli as the person they were going to join, which suggests that there wasn't a general effort on Eli's part to assist people from those towns in immigrating. Rather, he seems to have specifically been assisting members of his wife's family. This in turn implies a familial connection between the Rabinowitz and Fuchs families in Chopovichi and the Rabinowitz family in Makarov.

All of this points to Louis' position as an established man of substance, someone to whom younger family family members could and did apply to when they needed assistance.

As mentioned above, both Joseph and David Kedofsky registered for the WWI draft on June 5, 1917. Both gave 79 Columbia Street as both their home address and place of employment. Joseph described himself as a self-employed merchant, and David as a self-employed salesman.

Eighteen days later, on June 23, 1917, David married Mollie Appelbaum. Like David himself, Mollie was a first-generation New Yorker, born in 1893 to Louis Appelbaum and Fannie Axelrad.

Sarah Kedofsky wasn't sitting around doing nothing while her sons flew the nest. On March 15, 1917, she purchased the "five-story tenement" at 77 Columbia Street from Schindler & Liebler, taking out a $7,500 mortgage from Lawyers Mortage Co to do so. On July 19, 1917, Jacob Levine filed a "mechanic's lien" for $448 against Sarah for work done on 77 Columbia. While Sarah was listed as the owner, Louis and Joseph Kedofsky were listed as contractors.

Sarah's purchase of 77 Columbia raises the question: did the Kedofskys own 79 Columbia? The answer seems to be a qualified "no." On August 15, 1902, a real estate broker named Israel L Prager acquired 79 Columbia from Joseph Horowitz vs a mortgage of $26,000. Prager died on June 28, 1909. The following April, Louis Kedofsky reported on the 1910 US Census that he owned his own home (i.e. 70 Columbia) and had taken out a mortgage on it. However, on October 27, 1910, an auction was held to dispose of three properties belonging to the estate of Israel L Prager at the request of his executors, John, William and Arthur Prager. 79 Columbia, described as a "six story tenement with two stores," was one of these properties. Louis may have been planning to buy the property. He may even have made an offer on it and made arrangements for a mortgage. But it does not look as if his offer was accepted.

The only other evidence that Louis may have owned 79 Columbia comes from a report of "Yesterday's Fires" published in the New York Herald on September 3, 1915. Louis "Kedosky" is listed as the owner of 79 Columbia Street, where a "trifling" fire took place at 7:05 PM. I'm fairly sure, however, that neither the fire fighters nor the reporter bothered to check deeds to confirm the building's ownership. If Louis owned the building in 1915, he had disposed of it by 1920. The US Censuses for 1920, 1930 and 1940 all list Louis and Sarah as renting their home. Per the 1920 US Census, Louis and Sarah were living on their own. Louis was the proprietor of a dress goods store.

The failure to obtain 79 Columbia did not stop Sarah from acquiring other properties. The New York Tribune reported on February 19, 1921, that she had purchased 303 Rivington Street "recently." This property was approximately a block away from 79 Columbia. At some point she also acquired 10, 12 and 14 Willett Street, approximately four blocks away from 79 Columbia. (Willett Street is now called Bialystoker Place after the synagogue at numbers 7-11.)

By the time of the 1930 US Census, both Louis and Sarah were retired. (Although when serving as a witness on Abraham Rubin's citizenship petition on January 25, 1929, Louis gave his occupation as realtor.) The Depression does not seem to have been kind to them. I'm also not sure of the state of Louis' health and related costs. The New York Sun reported on August 17, 1936, that the property at 303 Rivington had been sold at auction to satisfy the suit of Martha Josephthal vs Louis Kedofsky et al. The amounts owing were $9,100 plus $323.65 for costs and $826 for taxes. The property was assessed by the referee as being worth $6,000-$11,000. It was sold to Ms Josephthal for $500.

Louis passed away on February 25, 1937, at the age of 73. He was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in the section owned by the Nowo Radomsker society, another piece of evidence that Radomansky was in fact Radomsko.

According to the issue of the New York Sun published January 25, 1939, Sarah deeded her Willett Street properties over to her son 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. This 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 later, 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 1940 Sarah, now 73 years old, had taken on a boarder, Abe Abramson, a 65-year-old fruit peddler who had immigrated from Austria.

The issue of the ever-informative New York Sun published August 3, 1943, reported that 77 Columbia Street had been sold at auction to satisfy the suit of Belle Zweibel vs Sarah Kedofsky et al. The amounts owing were $3,850 plus $765 for taxes. The property was assessed by the referee as being worth $3,000-$8,000. It was sold to Ms Zweibel for $1,000. As far as I know, this was the last of Sarah's properties.

The Sun also reported that 79 Columbia Street, where Sarah lived, was one of 17 Manhattan tenements to be sold at auction scheduled for April 24, 1946. (The buildings currently at 79 Columbia Street weren't built until 1966.)

Sarah passed away in April 1957 at about 90 years old. She was buried with Louis in the Radomsker section of Mount Zion Cemetery.

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In memory of Janet A Werner, 1931-2015