According to his naturalization papers, Isadore Meyer Rothman was born in Bialek, Poland, circa 1876. We do not know anything about his childhood or parents at this time.
In 1897, he married Chana Lewin in Tuszyn, Poland. [1]
They had 4 children in Poland: Otto, Fredia, Sadie, and Pinkos. Isador worked as a weaver according to his ship manifest.
Ads like the one on the right were popular and hoped to lure people to the New World to increase their business. [2]
In 1904, Isador he left his family behind, and sailed to the United States aboard the steamship, Philadelphia. He sailed from Southhampton, on the southern coast of England to Ellis Island using the name Mayer Rothman. [3]
He was detained at Ellis Island waiting for his brother-in-law, Max Lewin. While waiting for Max, he was served one dinner. [4]
On the left below is the steamship Isador (Mayer) sailed on. [5]
The picture on the right below is the steamship leaving New York. Note how the people were dressed to see the steamship off. [6]
His wife Chana emigrated in 1907 with his 4 children. Where did they live when the family was first together? We do not yet know. However, by 1910, they were in Paterson, New Jersey, where Issie continued to work as a weaver. [7]
In the 1910 Paterson Directory, Issie was listed with an Abraham Rothman who was also a weaver. Were they related? At this point, we do not know. [8] Why did Issie move to Paterson?
Paterson, New Jersey, was known as “Silk City” because silk fabrics were produced there in large quantities. Immigrants arrived in Paterson from Lodz and Bialystok after 1900. [8a] Is that why Isadore chose to work there? In 1913, there was a strike amongst the silk workers. According to an article by the National Park Service, working conditions were described as
“The working day was 10 hours long by 1913, with a half day on Saturday. Wages were well below the average for industry as a whole. Many workers preferred working in the silk mills to other employment, however. Because the products were so valuable, the mills were generally clean.” [9]
There were many mills so we don’t know exactly which one Issie worked at. Below are some pictures depicting the silk mill area in Paterson. [9]
The above photo shows the 1913 strike at the Botto house. Could Issie be in this crowd?
By 1915, Issie and Chana, now going by Anna, had one more daughter,Rosie, who later went by Rosalyn. [10]
In the 1920 and 1930 Federal Census’s, Isadore was renting a home on Albion Street in Paterson, NJ [11] [12} By the time of the 1930 Census, it also looks like Otto now went by the name Arthur.
By 1940, only Arthur was living at home with his parents. Also, Isadore now owned a home on Albion Street. [13]
Although he started the naturalization process in 1930, he did not take the oath until 1943. Note that the steamship name is incorrect on the Declaration of Intention [14] [15], although it was correct in the Declaratioin of Intention filed in 1940. Also, note that the Declaration of Intention confirms that he sailed under the name of Mayer. From that document we learn that he was 5′ 3″ tall and had an olive complexion, gray eyes and weighed 165 pounds.
Here is an example of a dwelling on Albion Street that was built in 1930. [16]
Isador and his daugther Ruth walking her son, Arnold, down the aisle on May 2, 1948
To me he looks sad in this picture. Could it be because his wife had recently passed away?
Anna died in 1948 at age 67. In 1950, Isadore was still living in his home on Albion Street but he was unable to work. [17]
In 1953, he moved in with his daugther, Frieda Berkowitz, in Yonkers, New York. Although Frieda’s husband had passed on when Isadore moved there, when he was alive, Frieda’s husband like to plant grapes and Isadore enjoyed pressing them to make wine.
At right he is with his granddaughter, Sharon, daughter of Rosalind.
According to other family stories, he could speak Yiddish, Polish, German and English. He was called Itcha by the family.
Isadore died on January 9, 1953 at age 77. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Saddle Brook, New Jersey. [18]
Plot info: Block N; Section 48; Paterson Progressive Care Status: Dormant Map #: 147B
The Hebrew on his gravestone translates as “Yitzchak Meier, son of Tzvi Hirsh”.
His obituary appeared in “The News” (Paterson, New Jersey), January 10. 1953, Saturday, Page 21
Sources
- [1] Tuszyn Marriage Record found on JewishGen.org, search on Poland
- [2] Steamship Ad
- [3] Ship Manifest, Year 1904; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 30; Page Number: 93 Title New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957Author Ancestry.com
- [4] Detained Ship Manifest, Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at and Departing from Ogdensburg, New York, 5/27/1948 – 11/28/1972; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715 Title New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 Author Ancestry.com
- [5] Picture of steamship Philadelphia
- [6] Picture of SS Philadelphia leaving port in NY
- [7] 1910 US Census for Isadore Rothman, Year: 1910; Census Place: Paterson Ward 2, Passaic, New Jersey; Roll: T624_906; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0094; FHL microfilm: 1374919 Title1910 United States Federal CensusAuthorAncestry.com
- [8] 1910 Paterson, NJ City Directory, U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 AuthorA ncestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher date2011 Publisher location Provo, UT, USA
- [8a] Jewish History of Paterson, NJ USA, The Silk Mills
- [9] National Park Service, Paterson, New Jersey: America’s Silk City
- [10] 1915 New Jersey State Census for Isadore Rothman
- [11] 1920 Federal Census for Isadore Rothman, Year: 1920; Census Place: Paterson Ward 1, Passaic, New Jersey; Roll: T625_1064; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 60Edit source Title 1920 United States Federal Census AuthorAncestry.com
- [12] 1930 Federal Census for Isadore Rothman, Year: 1930; Census Place: Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 2341113 Title1930 United States Federal Census Author Ancestry.com
- [13] 1940 Federal Census for Isadore Rothman, Year: 1940; Census Place: Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; Roll: m-t0627-02429; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 26-16 Title1940 United States Federal Census Author Ancestry.com
- [14] Declaration of Intention, The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Petitions for Naturalization from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey at Newark, New Jersey, 1924-1945; Series Number: M2123; Record Group Title: Records of the Title New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878-1945 Author Ancestry.com
- [15] Witness Signatures, The National Archives At Washington, D.c.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Petitions For Naturalization From the U.s. District Court For the District of New Jersey At Newark, New Jersey, 1924-1945; Series Number: M2123; Record Group Title: Records of the Title New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878-1945 Author Ancestry.com
- [16] Albion Street example
- [17] 1950 Federal Census for Isadore Rothman, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; Roll: 6153; Page: 28; Enumeration District: 32-2 Title1950 United States Federal Census Author Ancestry.com
- [18] FindAGrave.com for Isadore Rothman