Paul was the fourth child born to Isadore and Anna Rothman. He was born in Poland in 1904.*
From the copy of his original birth certificate, we learn that he was born in the village of “Tooshino” in 1904. His name is listed as Pikul Erikem Rotman. His father was Majer and his mother was Genje, originally Levin.
He came to the United States with his mother in 1907. His father had emigrated 3 years prior. On the ship manifest he is listed as Jerichem P. [1] From the ship manifest, we also learn that prior to leaving on their journey, they were living with their Lewin grandmother in Lodz.
They sailed on the steamship Statendam which left Rotterdam in the Netherlands on September 7, 1907. From family stories from his sister, Frieda, we learn that she remembered her family travelling through fields at night to get out of Poland. However, they probably travelled this way to reach a train or a ferry that would take them to the port Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The Statendam docked at Hoboken, New Jersey, at the Holland American Lines Dock on September 17, 1907. From there they had to be ferried to Ellis Island to pass inspection. Their final destination was Paterson, New Jersey, where his father worked as a weaver. Somehow, they had to get back to New Jersey. Growing up in the United States Paul was called Pinkus. As you can see, there were many steps to this journey.
We know that Paul was Bar Mitzvahed (see photo). Soon after that his formal schooling ended. We learn that from the census records that he only completed up to 8th grade.
According to the 1915 New Jersey State Census, [1a] Paul was a student at Grammar School #14 on Union Avenue. It was built in 1886. [1b]
I found the picture of Grammar School #14 on EBAY.com
From the 1930 Census [2], we see that Paul was still living at home with his family. He worked as a painter.
In the early 1930’s he was involved in the Geldziler League and even served as an officer. [3], [4], [5] His sister, Ruth, and her husband, Harold Jones, were also active in the organization. The Geldzilers were active in politics for the democratic party.
Because his father was not yet naturalized, Paul had to go through the naturalization process. In 1936, he was offically naturalized. From his certificate, we learn that he was 5′ 4″ tall, weighed 140 lbs. and was still single. [6]
Here he is in the early 1930’s with his sister, Frieda, his mother, and a friend of the family.
He married Lillian Kirsch in the late 1930’s. However, we know he was dating her as early as 1936, as they were guests together at Lillian’s brother’s wedding. [7]
In the 1939 Paterson City Directory, Paul and Lillian are listed as living in Paterson but working in dresses in Hackensack.
From the 1940 Federal Census [8], we see that they were still living in Paterson, but they worked in Hackensack. Paul and Lillian ran Lillian Dress Shoppe which catered to large women. You can read more about the store by clicking on
Lillian Dress Shoppe under the Paul and Lillian menu above.
According to Google Maps, their new apartment was about 2.1 miles from his parent’s home on Albion Street.
By the time he registered for the World War II draft, circa 1941, [9] he and Lillian now lived in Hackensack on Beech Street. They rented a 2 1/2 room apartment across the street from Hackensack High School.
Paul was active with various police reserve units and had many friends who served in the police department.
In 1944, after Lillian suffered several miscarriages, their son, Stanley, was born. He was raised at 265 Beech Street. We are not sure when they gave up the dress shop, but from the 1950 Federal Census [10], we learn that Lillian was a housewife and Paul was a sales clerk in a men’s clothing store.
Here is Paul holding his son, Stanley,at a party for Stanley’s first birthday.
Paul’s siblings were included in special family events with Lillian’s Kirsch family. Here are the two families at the wedding of Bill and Florence Kirsch in 1946.
Back row: The Kirsch Siblings: Lakey and Sidney Kirsch, Abe and Helen Warren, Paul and Lillian Rothman
Front row: The Rothman Siblings: Reuben and Rosalyn Spitz, Leo and Ruth Germain, Freida and Milton Berkowitz
Note that their son was listed on the next page so I did not include him in the image of the 1950 Census for Paul and Lillian.
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.
Over the years, he was a member of several different organizations and was considered a deputy in the police department in both Passaic County and in Bergen County. Below is just a sample of some of the membership cards we found.
Paul poses with his best friend, Arthur Dean, who was a police officer.
By 1953, Paul was in a hospital bed in his apartment suffering from bone cancer. He could no longer work. Paul’s son, Stanley, remembers Paul’s friends in the police department coming to the apartment to visit him.
Paul’s nephew, Joe Kirsch, remembered his uncle as having a great sense of humor and always making his father, Sidney laugh heartily. Joe said that his dad, Sidney, was very close to his brother-in-law.
Sadly, Paul was only 49 years old when he died. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, NJ, in the Rothman family plot. [11] There was a problem with the ownership of the plots after his burial and his Rothman siblings refused to have anything to do with Lillian afterwards.
Paul’s obituary appeared in The Record, Hackensack, New Jersey, Tuesday, October 11, 1955.
His Hebrew date of death corresponds to
Tishre 21, 5752.
One of the letters that Paul’s wife, Lillian received after his passing, was from The Avodans, as service organization, in Hackensack. From it, we get a clear picture of Paul’s character.
Blogs About Paul
Sources
- * Thanks to Stan’s cousin, Sharon Goldberg, for sending us this document. Her daugther had found it at the Family Search Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- [1] Paul’s mother’s ship manifest – The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; 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, 1897-1957, Title New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 Author Ancestry.com
- [1a] 1915 NJ State Census for Isadore Rothman Family New Jersey State Archive; Trenton, NJ, USA; State Census of New Jersey, 1915; Reference Number: L-10; Film Number: 54 New Jersey, State Census, 1915 Author Ancestry.com
- [1b] Grammar School 14, Union Street Paterson
- [2] 1930 Federal Census for Paul Rothman’s family – Year: 1930; Census Place: Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 2341113 Title1930 United States Federal Census Author Ancestry.com
- [3] Geldziler League Holds Installation – The Morning Call (Paterson, New Jersey_ December 15, 1933, Friday, Page 23, from Newspapers.com by Ancestry.com
- [4] Geldziler League Smoker Tonight – The Morning Call (Paterson, New Jersey) December 14, 1933, thursday, Page 28, from Newspapers.com by Ancestry.com
- [5] Geldzilers Have New Dill Banner – The News (Paterson, New Jersey, January 13, 1934, Saturday, Page 30, from Newspapers.com by Ancestry.com
- [6] Paul’s Naturalization Certificate – 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 New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878- Ancestry.com
- [7] Sidney Kirsch’s Engagement Party – The NEws (Paterson, New Jersey) July 10, 1936, Friday, Page12
- [8] 1940 Federal Census for Paul and Lillian Rothman – Year: 1940; Census Place: Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey; Roll: m-t0627-02431; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 26-70 1940 United States Federal Census Author Ancestry.com
- [9] Paul’s WWII Draft Card – National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New Jersey, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 564 source Title U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 Author Ancestry.com
- [10] 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
- [11] FindaGrave for the gravestone of Paul Rothman