Lillian was born on November 19, 1909, to Isador and Katie Drucker Kirsch. At the time of her birth, her family was living ina tenament building at 88 Rivington Street in the Lower East Side of New York and she was called Leah.
Katie, Sidney, Isador, and Leah (Lillian).
Lillian on a tricycle and Lillian with some cousins
By the 1915 NY State Census, she had two more siblings, William and Helen. Her family was now living on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn. Her father was a ladies tailor. Her youngest brother, George, was born in 1920. Sometime in the 1920s her family relocated to Paterson, New Jersey where her father opened his own tailoring business. He was able at that time to buy a house for his family at 739 E. 24th Street in Paterson.
Lillian at age 16
We are not sure when Lillian met Paul Rothman, but we know they were dating as early as 1936, as they were guests together at Lillian’s brother’s wedding.
Lillian and Paul married in the late 1930s. Read the blog, “Lillian, the New Bride” to learn more about her early married life and why she did not have a white wedding dress.
When they first married they lived in Paterson, New Jersey, very close to her mother’s house.
She and Paul started a business in Hackensack, New Jersey, called Lillian Dress Shoppe. You can read more about the store by clicking on
Lillian Dress Shoppe under the Paul and Lillian menu above.
From the 1940 Census, we learn that Lillian completed two years of high school. She and Paul were living at 638 E. 22nd Street in Paterson.
By 1941, Lillian and Paul moved to Hackensack, New Jersey, so they could be closer to their store. They moved into a second floor apartment at 265 Beech Street. The apartment had one bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, a small kitchen, and a small entry alcove. The windows looked out the back of the building which was built in 1935 so it was still fairly new. To learn move about their new apartment, read the blog “Holiday Fruitcake and Rugelach”.
After having several miscarriages, Lillian finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy on January 27, 1944. He was delivered by cesarean section which was a complicated operation back in 1944.
They celebrated Stanley’s first birthday and their apartment with a party for family.
Paul is holding his son and Lillian is also holding her son.
Here is another Kirsch gathering. Paul is seated on the left. Lakey is seated on the right. Along the top is Joe Kirsch, Sidney holding Alan, Lillian holding Stanley, and Lillian’s mother Katie.
By the 1950 Census, they had closed their dress shop. LIllian was home raising Stanley and Paul was working in a men’s clothing store. Stanley was on the text page so you do not see him in the Census listing below.
Here is the Kirsch table at the Bar Mitzvah of their friend’s son.
Standing: Sid and Lillian (Lakey), Estelle and George, Abe Warren
Seated: Paul and Lillian Rothman, Katie, Florence and Bill, Helen
In the early 1950’s Paul started another venture that he and Lillian worked at together. This time they named it after him: Paul’s Sweet Shop. You can read more about the store by clicking on “Paul’s Sweet Shop” under the Paul and Lillian menu above.
Sadly, by 1953, Paul was in a hospital bed in his apartment suffering from bone cancer. He could no longer work. He died on October 7, 1955.
After he died, Lillian could not keep up the store on her own and sold it.
To make ends meet and to be ble to be home after school with Stanley, Lillian worked as a school crossing guard. In the summers, she was the director of a town playground. To read more about that, see the page “Lillian, the Camp Director” under the Paul and Lillian menu.
Lillian had the honor of lighting a candle at her nephew Sandy’s Bar Mitzvah.
Here is the Kirsch table at the special occassion.
Standing: Stan Rothman, Sidney Kirsch, Lillian, Unknown, Bill Kirsch
Seated: Lakey Kirsch, Unknown, Mrs. Miller, Mr. Miller, Florence Kirsch
Her son, Stanley, got married in August of 1967.
All of Lillian’s siblings and their spouses attended the wedding.
Tara’s friends made her a bridal shower which Lillian, of course, attended.
Abe and Helen Warren, Estelle and George Kirsch, Tara and Stan, Lillian, Bill and Florence Kirsch, LIllian and Sidney Kirsch
In the summer of 1970 Stan and Tara moved to Connecticut. In the spring of 1971, Lillian brought some of the Kirsch’s up to Connecticut to see their new apartment.
From the left: Uncle Abe, Uncle George, Aunt Helen, Stan, Lillian, Aunt Estelle
Lillian was very proud of her son when he completed his Ph. D. in mathematics. She made him a party at her apartment to celebrate. Here are some of the ladies at the party.
From the left: Lillian, Aunt Florence, Aunt Helen, Aunt Estelle, Aunt Lakey, Lillian’s friend Jenny Vellata, Tara (seated)
In 1973, the Kirsch’s returned to Connecticut to attend a 65th birthday party for Lillian at the home of Tara and Stan.
From the left: Uncle George, Sandy, Tara’s Aunt Mildred, Aunt Helen, Uncle Abe, Lillian
Lillian and George
Lillian and Mildred Rich
In 1974, Lillian anxiously awaits the birth of her first grandchild. Would it be a boy or a girl? Back then we had no way of knowing.
The Kirsch family returns to Connecticut to meet Lillian’s new grandson.
From the left: Estelle, Helen, Abe, Lillian, Sidney, Lakey
Her grandsons were born in 1974 and 1977. Stan and his family frequently visited in New Jersey.
When Lillian decided to move to Cheshire, CT, to be closer to her grandchildren, she received a beautiful letter from the city manager of Hackensack.
She moved to Cheshire Hillside Village, a community for people over 50 years old. She now had 2 bedrooms, a deck, and a washer and dryer inside of her own condo.
She made many new friends and everyone loved her. She volunterred at the Senior Center and at local elementary schools where she read to students.
She enjoyed having her grandchildren sleep over and was able to participate in their school and sports activities.
To read more about how she acclimated to her new home, read the page “Cheshire Activities” under the Paul and Lillian menu.
Lillian and Stan in front of her new condo
In 1988, her grandson, Brad, was Bar Mitzvahed. She was so happy that some of her relatives could attend.
Abe and Helen, Stan and Tara, Brad, Flroence and Bill, Lillian, Matt kneeling
Then in 2000, she was proud to be at her younger grandson’s Bar Mitzvah.
Back row: Ira, Joe and Dorothy, Matt, Brad, Abe, Stan, Andrea and Sandy
Front row: Tara,Lillian, Bill and Florence, Helen
In 1991, Lillian’s neice, Selma, brings her father, Sidney, up to CT to visit his sister.
Early 1991 – Lillian is with her grandsons and me, her daughter-in-law
Read about Lillian’s last family occassion in the Blog “Lillian’s Last Holiday”.
Lillian died in Hospice in Branford, CT, on December 24, 1991, after a long bout with thyroid cancer. It had been in remission for many years but flairded up again in 1991. One of her last wishes was to be buried next to her beloved, Paul.
It was difficult tracking down the cemetery deed, but after tracking down Paul’s relatives in California, and paying for back maintenance on the plots, Stan was able to follow-through on his other’s wishes. She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, New Jersey: Block N; Section 48; Paterson Progressive Cemetery Lodge,Care Status: Dormant Map 147B.
The Hebrew on her footstone translates as Lil bat Reb Yitzhak.
Blogs about Lillian
- Lillian’s Last Holiday
- How Lillian Got Her Way
- Holiday Fruitcake and Rugelach
- Lillian, The New Bride
Sources
- 1940 Federal Census for Paul and Lillian – DetailYear: 1940; Census Place: Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; Roll: m-t0627-02431; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 26-70 Source information Title 1940 United States Federal CensusAuthorAncestry.comPublisherAncestry.com Operations, Inc.Publisher date2012
- 1950 Federal Census for Paul and Lillian Rothman – National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Hackensack, Bergen, New Jersey; Roll: 2413; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 2-258 Title1950 United States Federal CensusAuthorAncestry.comNoteDepartment of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1913-1/1/1972. iPopulation Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950/i. Washington, DC: National Archives at Washington, DC. piPopulation Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950/i. NAID: a href=”https://catalog.archives.gov/id/43290879″ target=”_blank”43290879/a. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, Record Group 29. National Archives at Washington, DC., Washington, DC./p
- Lillian Rothman, School Crossing Guard – 5 Jan 1968 Web address https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82877919/the-record/?xid=637 Source information Title Newspapers.com – The Record – 5 Jan 1968 – Page 25 Publisher The Record Publisher date 5 Jan 1968 Publisher location Hackensack, New Jersey
- Obituary for LILLIAN KIRSCH ROTHMAN 27 Dec 1991 Web address https://www.newspapers.com/clip/132577870/obituary-for-lillian-kirsch-rothman/?xid=637 Source information Title Newspapers.com – The Record – 27 Dec 1991 – Page 40 Publisher The Record Publisher date 7 Dec 1991 Publisher location Hackensack, New Jersey