The River Running
"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
The Teilhabers of Czernowitz
Tracing the records for the Teilhabers of Czernowitz provided me with some interesting examples of how names can change during immigration, as well as on the role of Canada in immigration to the States. So many of my ancestors went directly from Europe to New York City that I sometimes forget that's not what everyone did.
Let's start with Sprintse. Pretty name, eh? It's derived from Esperanza, meaning "Hope." On Sprintse's North American documents, it got spelled Sprince, Sprincy, Sprenze and Springle. It was anglicized as Sophie, Sarah and Lottie. But I'm fairly sure it started as Sprintse. She was born in Czernowitz, in the Bucovina region, in 1860-1863, the daughter of Benjamin Tresser. Or maybe Tresse or Traeler or Fracer or something starting with Tre and ending in an n. She had a brother named Moshe or Moses.
Sometime before 1880-1881 - possibly in or about 1877 - Sprintse married a man whose last name was Teilhaber or Theilhaber. His first name was later anglicized to Simon, Cecil and Sam. He may or may not have been Süsse Theilhaber, the son of Chaim Tzvi, who passed away on September 24, 1907, and is buried in Czernowitz.
The couple had seven children, of whom I know the names of four children:
Keep in mind that until WWI, Czernowitz lay within the Austrian Empire. The Teilhabers almost always identified themselves as Austrian on various North American records. Czernowitz is now Chernivtsi, in the Ukraine.
According to Gabriel's Declaration of Intention and Petition for Naturalization, he arrived in NYC in late June or early July 1903. On July 8, 1906, he married Lena Zuckerkandel in Manhattan. Thirteen days later, he filed his Declaration of Intention (to become a US citizen). According to the obituary of Gabriel and Lena's youngest son, Morris/Murray, 1906 was also the year that Gabriel founded Cathedral Furniture House in Manhattan. I haven't been able to confirm this, but certainly Gabriel was working as a store keeper on July 7, 1909, when he filed his Petition for Naturalization. At the time the data for the 1910 US Census was collected, Gabriel was working as furniture dealer on his "own account."
In short, by 1906 Gabriel had gotten himself established in the States and was in a position to assist family members who wanted to immigrate. If his father was the Süsse Theilhaber who passed away on September 24, 1907, that might have provided additional incentive for migration.
Sofie Teilhaber arrived in New York City on April 4, 1907, aboard the SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria out of Hamburg. Her profession was given as dressmaker. She left behind her mother, Sprince Teilhaber, at Brücherstrasse 634 in Czernowitz and was going to meet her brother, Gabriel Teilhaber, who lived at 364-6 East 10th Street in NYC. Gabriel had paid her passage.
Karl Theilhaber, 16 years old, arrived in NYC on December 5, 1907, aboard the SS Rhein out of Bremen. He had no profession. His home contact was his mother, Sofie Theilhaber, who lived on Bruckstrasse in Czernowitz. He was going to meet his brother "E Theilhaber," who lived at 231 East 23rd Street in NYC. (This was probably 331 East 23rd Street, where Gabriel and his family were living as of July 7, 1909.) Gabriel paid Karl's passage.
Then something interesting happens: people start travelling between NYC and Montreal. Sofie - now Sophie or Sophia - is the first. She apparently left NYC for Montreal in January 1908. She crossed the border back into the States at St Albans, Vermont, on May 5, 1908. She described herself as a seamstress born in "Chernovisky" whose home contact was her mother, Springle Teilhaber, in "Charnovitz. She said she'd arrived from Europe in NYC in October 1907 (it was actually April) aboard the "Aug Vic." She was going back to NYC to meet her brother, Gavriel Teilhaber, who lived at 331 East 23rd Street.
On July 5, 1908, Sophie married Max Spitzer in Manhattan. Max was born in or about 1882, the son of Aaron Spitzer and "Fany Hook." Like Sophie, he had immigrated from Austria in or about 1907. Sophie gave her own parents' names as Simon Teilhaber and Sprenze Tresse.
Sophie's sister Minnie also crossed the border at St Albans, on November 2, 1909. She too was a seamstress. Unlike Sophie a year and a half earlier, Minnie stated that she had no relatives left in Europe, implying that Sprintse was no longer there. And unlike Sophie, Minnie had arrived from Europe not in NYC but in Quebec (i.e. the city of Quebec rather than the province). She said she'd arrived in April 1907 on a ship whose name started with P. She'd been living in Montreal and was now going to meet her brother Gabriel at 331 East 23rd Street.
Minnie's story doesn't quite add up. April was the beginning of the shipping season in Quebec. The 1907 season got off to a bit of a late start: only one ship arrived, the SS Marina, out of Glasgow. Of course, Minnie could have meant that she left Europe in April, even if the ship didn't arrive until May. For whatever reason, I've been unable to find Minnie in the Canadian passenger records.
Almost three months after Minnie's crossing, Sprincy Theilhaber crossed the border at St Albans, on January 29, 1910. She gave her occupation as "domestic." She gave her home contact as her brother Moshe in Chernowitz but said that she'd been living in Montreal, having arrived from Europe in Quebec in May 1907. But remember that on May 5, 1908, Sophie said that her mother was still back in Czernowitz. I have to wonder if Sprintse misremembered the year. The story would make more sense if Sprintse had immigrated to Montreal in the spring of 1908. This might also explain why Sophie went up to Montreal from NYC at about that time. Of course, my ancestors have never had any obligation to make sense to me.
Whenever she got to Montreal, in January 1910 Sprintse was now headed to meet her son Gabriel Theilhaber at 31 East 23rd Street. No, that's not a typo. The record card written in 1910 actually says 31.
By April 19, 1910, the census taker found "Lottie Thalhaber" ensconced at 66-68 East 3rd Street as the head of household. She was widowed, but said she'd been married for thirty years and had seven children, all living. Lottie's family included her son, "Hyman," who'd been born in 1892 and immigrated to the States in 1908. I'm guessing that Karl and Hyman are the same person. Both names are possible anglicizations of Chaim or, less commonly, Chatzkel. Hyman worked as a carpenter in a furniture sweatshop. (The census taker carefully added the word "sweat" after writing "furniture shop.") I don't know if it was the shop owned by his brother Gabriel.
Lottie's daughter Minnie worked as an "operative" in a waist sweatshop, as did Minnie's sister Sophie Spitzer. Sophie's husband Max was a barber who had his own shop. The couple had no children.
In July 1912, Minnie went back up to Montreal, returning to the States on April 23, 1913. Her record card from St Albans refers to her as Minnie "Teibhaber." This time she gave her contact in Austria as her uncle, Moses Tresser, at 841 "Procken St" in Czernowitz. (This may or may not be a reference to Brücherstrasse.) Again she said that she'd arrived from Europe in Quebec in April 1907. She was headed to NYC to meet her mother Sprincy at 341 East 23rd Street.
Five months later, on September 24, 1913, Sophie passed away. At the time she and Max were living in Manhattan at 27 "St Mash's Place," probably St Mark's Place. According to her death record, she was buried the next day in the Baron Hirsch Cemetery on Staten Island. Her death record gives her parents' names as "Cecil Therlhaber" and "Sarah Fracer."
On June 5, 1917, Hyman registered for the draft. At the time he was living at 328 East 9th Street and working as a case maker for Mr Courtage at 514-520 West 24th Street. He gave his date of birth as April 15, 1892. He'd declared his intentions to become a US citizen. He says that he's responsible for his mother's support. This is the last record I have for Hyman, either as Hyman or Karl. It's possible he may have changed his last name after 1917.
Ten days later, on June 10, 1917, Minnie "Haber" married Abraham Rubin. She gave her place of birth as "Gelszia, Austria", possibly referring to Galicia, a province adjacent to Bucovina. She also gave her parents' names as Sam Haber and Sophia Tre...n (i.e., the middle of her mother's last name can't be made out on the marriage record).
Sprintse apparently lived with Abraham and Minnie until her death. She's recorded in the 1920 US Census as "Lottie Harba" born 1866 and in the 1930 US Census as "Lottie Pilehaber" born 1866. She passed away in Manhattan on May 18, 1934. Her death and burial records managed to get her name reasonably correctly. Her death record refers to her as Sprince Teilhaber, born 1863, the daughter of Benjamin Traeler. She was buried in the Baron Hirsch Cemetery as Sprintze Teilhaber.