Lawrence Blumenthal

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Introduction

Lawrence (Lorenz, Lazarus) Eliazar Blumenthal was born 4 April 1790.

As a young man, he became a disciple of the Baal Shem of Michelstadt, a man who is described thus:

Rabbi Seckel Loeb's name was on everybody's lips. His clean, holy life, carried out in abstinence and complete withdrawal from worldly pursuits, attracted the attention of his contemporaries more persistently the less he aspired for recognition and applause from the general public. Whoever came in contact with him or made his acquaintance could not help but love and honor him. Like magic, his natural kindheartedness, his conduct of life, and his philosophical conception of the world conquered all minds and souls. The scholar respected the scholar in him. But the businessman, the cattle dealer, the craftsman and the farmer were all affected by the agility and trust he displayed on every occasion. It is therefore no surprise that all the oppressed and needy persons from far and wide came to him to ask for his advice, his prayer, and his assistance. His inexhaustible love for humanity provided sympathy for petitioners; his clear head had advice for the helpless; his strong hand was ready to assist at any given moment. Rich and poor, mighty and low, scholar and layman, Jew, or non-Jew, they all could count on the Baal Shem from Michelstadt.

In his autobiography, which is quoted at some length in the same book the previous quote was taken from, The Baal Shem of Michelstadt by "Judaeus" (Rabbi Naftoli Hertz Ehrmann), he writes [paraphrased]:

Not all were amicable toward the slightly eccentric Rabbi. I, however, was delighted to be around him. The pious man was a miracle of his time. Day and night he endeavored to study theology and philosophy. It was known for years that his only food was bread, salad and green vegetables cooked in water, coffee without cream and fresh water. He was poor but received regular contributions of monies from many sources such as from people of the big cities. He also healed sick or demented people with God's help. If he had wanted to, he could easily have amassed a fortune since many asked his assistance in personal problems. But money was spent as soon as it came in; partly for the purchase of books of which he had a sizable collection, but mainly because he distributed fortunes among the poor while poverty and want ruled in his household most of the time. In spite of constantly austere conditions, he was always content, in good humor, and had a friendly smile for everyone.

Lawrence moved to Altenstadt, and there became close with Rebecca Bach (née Mayer). Rebecca’s parents were Josef Jonas ben Mayer and Schönle Bär. Josef had been a hoffaktor (court financier). He became a mohel, and then rabbi in Altenstadt around 1770. His father, Meir, had also been a rabbi. Rebecca’s brother Abraham became the district rabbi after her father died.

Rebecca married Leopold Bach around 1814. They had one son together, Ignatz (Isaac) (1915-1889). Rebecca felt trapped in her marriage and felt she found a soul mate in Lawrence. The neighbors began talking. She divorced her husband and wanted to marry Lawrence, but her brother was appalled and refused to perform the wedding. Rebecca became pregnant, and something had to be done. David Raff, Rebecca’s mentor and step-father, decided to help. He was known as a pious man and was influential in his community at Jebenhausen. He arranged for a wedding in Nagold, about a day’s journey from Altenstadt and Jebenhausen. It is said that, because of this wedding, David Raff lost his good name. (This story was written up by a German professor, Stefan Rohrbacher, in an article entitled “Sturm und Drang in Altenstadt, oder: Wie Lorenz Blumenthal Hochzeit hielt”, published in Kalonymos 2000, v. 3, p. 2ff.).

The newlywed couple returned to Altenstadt, and were not welcomed there because of the scandal. Rebecca was unhappy, and the children were mocked in the streets. Lawrence spent time in jail. Eventually, Lawrence took the family to Munich, and then, in 1839, to America to seek a new future.

They headed for Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where a number of Jews from Jebenhausen had settled. In 1843, Lawrence give a speech at the local German Reformed Church on the “Principles of Judaism,” defending his faith in front of a Christian audience. He was one of the founders of the old Jewish Cemetery in Chambersberg, where his son, Alexander, also worked as a “graver.” He also became one of the first subscribers to The Occident and American Jewish Advocate, published by Rabbi Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia (who is considered one of the most important nineteenth-century pioneers of American Judaism).

The Blumenthal family moved to New York, where Rebecca died on 5 May 1848. In 1849, he wrote to Rabbi Leeser (in Hebrew characters), saying:

Excerpt of letter to Rabbi Leeser
My ill fortune this past year was such that I have forgotten everything except my misfortunes. The fact is that through the will of the All Merciful and All Wise God, I lost my pious and incomparable wife. That was at the beginning of the summer. I am, now, unfortunately, a widower, and my children are motherless. I have lost everything, everything but my God.

Typhoid fever was the reported cause of her death. Lawrence died 18 June 1871. An obituary published in The Jewish Messenger (28 June 1871) memorialized him in this way:

The lamented deceased was, in the full sense of the term, a good Jew. Throughout his whole life he observed the tenants of his faith and was to the poor a true friend. He leaves numerous sons, daughters, grand children, and other relatives, who in their affliction may well be consoled in the reflection that the one they mourn has departed to a world of bliss to be rewarded for his good deeds whilst a tenant on earth.

He is buried at Beth Olam, Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, alongside many family members. Rabbi J. J. Lyons of Congregation Shearith Israel gave the eulogy and offered a prayer reminding the congregation of Lawrence’s “modest piety,” “exemplary patience,” “domestic affection and fatherly love,” and “true and universal charity.” The prayer (published in The Jewish Messenger, 30 June 1871) also included these words:

Let the sterling integrity and high sense of honor, which have marked his intercourse with his fellowmen, find a reflex in the conduct of his descendants for generations to come. Let his unwavering constancy to his ancestral religion, and his firm adherence to its time-honored rites and customs, serve them as a guide in their acts of devotion, and in their practices of faith, as members of the household of Israel.

Thus may the memory of this good man be embalmed and perpetuated in the hearts of his descendants. Thus may he continue to live among them, and to bless them, even in his death, through the influence of his glorious example in life.

  1. Schönle Bär was the second wife of Rabbi Josef Mayer. The marriage record of Rabbi Abraham's son, Leopold Mayer, contaons the death date of Rabbi Josef and his first wife, Rachele Landauer. Schönle Bär is identified at Rabbi Josef's second wife in Aron Tänzer's Geschichte der Juden in Jebenhausen und Göppingen, Mit erweiternden Beiträgen über Schicksal und Ende der Göppinger Judengemeinde 1927-1945 (Weißenhorn, Bayern, Germany: A.K. Konrad, 1988). ISBN: 978-3-87437-274-9.
  2. Her death is recorded in the family household records of the Jewish community of Altenstadt, as was the family's 1839 departure; GS Film Number: 447552 records 6 May at 428 Grand St., age 50.
  3. Archived as part of the Gershwind-Bennett Issac Leeser Digitization Project at the Penn Libraries: http://leeser.library.upenn.edu/documentDisplay.php?id=LSDCBx9FF14_7. There are a few other pieces of correspondence between Lawrence and Rabbi Leeser in that collection also.
  4. New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949, s.v. Rebecca Blumentall, 6 May 1848. [FHL](https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FD1B-7MS)

Generation One

  1. Lawrence Eliazar1 Blumenthal, son of Elias and Judith (—?—) Blumenthal, was born on 4 April 1790 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Germany. He married Rebecca (Rivka, Regina) Mayer, daughter of Josef Jonas ben Mayer and Schönle Bär, in 1818 in Nagold, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (amidst much controversy). She was born on 13 December 1796 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died 5 May 1848 in Manhattan, New York, New York.

    1. GS Film Number: 1324561
    2. Her death is recorded in the family household records of the Jewish community of Altenstadt, as was the family's 1839 departure; GS Film Number: 447552 records 6 May at 428 Grand St., age 50.

    Lawrence Blumenthal and Rebecca Mayer had the following children:

    1. Henrietta2 (Yette, Jette) Blumenthal was born on 27 May 1819 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died on 9 April 1895 in Manhattan, New York, New York. She married Samuel Weinberg.
    2. Alexander Blumenthal was born on 20 September 1820 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. He died on 1 November 1867 in New York, New York. He married Fannie Sternauer.
    3. Jacob B. Blumenthal was born on 24 November 1824 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. He died on 12 January 1897 in New York, New York. He married Amelia Schlesinger.
    4. Julia (Jehudith) Blumenthal was born on 20 August 1829 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died on 23 August 1900 in Long Branch, Monmouth, New Jersey. She married Israel Ullman.

    5. Mark (Meier, Max) Blumenthal was born on 11 July 1831 in Altenstadt, Cham, Bayern, Germany. He died on 11 January 1921 in New York, New York. He married (1) Selina Asch, daughter of Joseph M. Asch and Clarissa "Clara" Ullman, on 1 July 1863 in Philadelphia, Delaware, Pennsylvania. She was born on 6 August 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Rabbi Isaac Leeser officiated.) She died on 8 December 1899 in Rome, Roma, Lazio, Italy.

      He married(2) Emilie Adler, daughter of Abraham M. Adler and Agnes Weishkopf on 14 October 1906 in London, England. (A. C. Schlesinger and Moses Gaster, Chief Rabbi of the British Sephardic community, were listed as witnesses.) She was born 30 April 1869 in Kassel, Kassel, Hessen, Germany; and died 9 April 1926 in Manhattan.

      Mark practiced medicine in New York for 47 years. From 1855 to 1859, he was resident and attending physician to Mount Sinai Hospital (then called the Jews' Hospital) in New York, and helped organize its medical administration. During the Civil war, he was surgeon-major in the Third Regiment of the National Guard. From 1862 to 1894 he was president of the Institution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf Mutes, and he became well known for introducing lip-reading to the United States.

      He was also one of the founders of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, founder and president of the Sabbath Observance Society of New York, and president of the Jewish Chautauqua Society (1901-02).

    6. Hannah "Fanny" (Chana) Blumenthal was born on 18 November 1832 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died on 29 January 1905 in Philadelphia, Delaware, Pennsylvania. She married Charles Schlesinger.
    7. Joseph Blumenthal was born on 1 December 1834 in München, Bayern, Germany. He died on 2 March 1901 in Manhattan, New York, New York. He married Lizzie Esther McCurty.

Generation Two

  1. Henrietta2 (Yette, Jette) Blumenthal (Lawrence1) was born on 27 May 1819 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died on 9 April 1895 in Manhattan, New York, New York. She married Samuel Weinberg. He was born about 1840 in Germany, and died after 1895.

    1. Her death certificate says she was born in Munich, but she is listed in the Altennstadt familliebuch

    Yette Blumenthal and Samuel Weinberg had the following children:

    1. Jacob Blumenthal3 Weinberg
    2. Eliza Weinberg was born about 1863 in New York, New York.

  2. Alexander Blumenthal (Lawrence1) was born on 20 September 1820 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. He died on 1 November 1867 in New York, New York. He married Fannie Sternauer. She was born February 1842 in Germany. She died on 23 March 1907 in Manhattan.

    Alexander Blumenthal and Fannie Sternauer had the following children:

    1. Rebecca3 Blumenthal, born 15 August 1860 in Manhattan, New York, New York. She died about 1950 in New York. She married William Buxbaum, son of Henry Buxbaum and Babette (Barbara) Wolfshimer, on 2 September 1885 in Manhattan. He was born in 1852 in Albany, Albany, New York; and died 24 April 1888 in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee.

      1. The New York Herald, death notice, Sunday, April 29, 1888, p. 19.
    2. Charlotte Blumenthal, born 27 September 1864 in New York City; died on 13 July 1935 in Manhattan,
    3. Elias Blumenthal, born 31 August 1866 in New York City; died single on 25 November 1936 in Manhattan,.

  3. Jacob B. Blumenthal (Lawrence1) was born on 24 November 1824 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. He died on 12 January 1897 in New York, New York. He married Amelia Schlesinger, daughter of Caspar Wolff Schlesinger and Adelaide Lyon Leman, on 4 April 1853 in New York City. (Her brother, Charles, married Hannah Blumenthal.) She was born on 26 September 1835 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. She died on 6 May 1909 in New York, New York.

    Jacob was shirt manufacturer and later became a liquor dealer.

    Pedigree Chart for Amelia Schlessinger

    - Amelia Schlessinger | b. 26 September 1835 Liverpool | d. 6 May 1909 | Siblings: Wallace (1822–1853) | Julia (1824–1914) | Ellen Ann (1826–) | Jeanetta Adelaide (1828–1892) | Benedictus (1830–1854) | Louis (1832–1906) | Charles (1834–1906) | Louisa (1837–) | Adelaide (1838–1917) | Albert (1840–) | Flora Victoria (1841–1843) | Clara (1844–) | George (1847–) -- Caspar Wolff Schlesinger | b. 23 March 1797 Silesia | m. 13 June 1821 London | d. 10 July 1870 Newport, RI -- Adelaide Lyon Leman | b. about 1805 | d. 3 January 1852 NYC | Siblings: Michael Lyon (1807–1889) | Leman Lion (~1807–1857) | Sally Lion (1809–) | Benedictus (1810–1870) | Jacob Lion (1811–) | Esther (~1813–) | Sophia (1815–1879) | Flora Lion (1816–1837) | Catherine (~1818–) | Rosetta (~1820–) | Asher (~1822–) | Rebecca (~1826–1879) | Jeannette Lion (1828–1904) --- Lion Benedictus Leman | b. 10 October 1772 Amsterdam | d. January 1838 London | Siblings: Judic B. (~1771–) | Olk B. (b. about 1775) | Half siblings: Esperance B. (b. 1797) | Vrouwtje (1804–) | David B. --- Lea Philip van Goch | b. 8 February 1783 Nijmegen | d. 5 September 1858 London

    Jacob Blumenthal and Amelia Schlesinger had the following children, all born in Manhattan:

    1. Rebecca3 Blumenthal, born 16 January 1854. She died on 27 November 1874 in New York, New York. She married Joseph Cushman.
    2. Walter Blumenthal, born on 18 December 1856 in New York, New York. He died single on 27 January 1881 in Manhattan.
    3. Louis William Blumenthal, born on 4 July 1860 in New York, New York. He died on 23 August 1909 in Manhattan. He married Alboni Carver.
    4. Adelade Blumenthal, born about 1863 in New York, New York. She died on 29 January 1923 in Manhattan. She married Carl Frankl Hauser.
    5. Julia Blumenthal, born about 1864 in New York, New York. She died 13 November 1913 in Manhattan. She married Auguste Y Louis, son of Louis L. Louis and Esther Frankfort, on 7 January 1901 in Manhattan. He was born in April 1849 in Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France (Germany). He was a widower when they married, and had a son, Sidney A. Louis, born 1881 in New York.
    6. Joseph Blumenthal, born on 26 August 1866 in Manhattan. He committed suicide on 22 April 1891 in New Orleans, Jefferson, Louisiana, after writing a note to his uncle Joseph and brother Louis stating, “I prefer death to disgrace. My fondest love to all my dear ones.” Joseph was considered one of the most expert penmen in the country. He was single, with no children.
      1. "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27BQ-QJY : 20 March 2015), Joseph Blumenthal, 26 August 1866; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 5772 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,322,004.
      2. The World (New York, New York), Tuesday evening, 23 April 1891, p. 2, c. 6.
    7. Louisa Blumenthal, born on 31 December 1868 in New York, New York; died on 2 January 1875 in New York City.
    8. Janette "Nettie" Blumenthal, born about 1874 in New York, New York. She married Amos Anchel.

  4. Julia Blumenthal (Lawrence1) was born on 20 August 1829 in Altenstadt, Neu-Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died on 23 August 1900 in Long Branch, Monmouth, New Jersey. She married Israel Ullman, son of Marx Ullman and Selina on 1 June 1851. He was born on 5 October 1814 in Wurttemberg, Bayern, Germany. He died on 14 October 1897 in Manhattan.

    Israel ran a dry-goods shop in the city, and attended Congregation B'nai Jeshurun. His last residence was 129 E. 73rd St.

    1. His indexed death certificate gives his parent's names as "Martlo" and "Schira."

    Julia Blumenthal and Israel Ullman had the following children:

    1. Joseph3 Ullman, born 12 July 1856 in New York City; died 11 February 1941 in White Plains, Westchester, New York. He married Emily Beatrice Bridger.
    2. Rebecca Ullman, born 21 January 1858 in Manhattan; died on 27 February 1859 in Manhattan.
    3. Rosa Ullman, born 10 April 1859 in New York; died 7 September 1923 in Manhattan. She married Leopold Peck.
    4. Jeanette "Jennie" Ullman, born 29 August 1860 in Manhattan; died 19 March 1931 in Manhattan. She married Simon Dottenheim.
    5. Nathan B. Ullman, born 1 August 1862 in New York; died 29 July 1885 in Manhattan. He worked as a bookkeeper.
    6. Alexander Ullman, born 9 September 1864 in New York; died 29 September 1908 in Manhattan. He never married.
    7. Selina Ullman, born 6 April 1866 in Manhattan; died 15 July 1925 in Larchmont, Westchester, New York. She married Samuel Greenbaum.
    8. Hannah (Sophia) Ullman, born 19 December 1867 in Manhattan; died 15 January 1951 in New York City. She married George Henry Newman.
    9. Abraham Walter Ullman, born 17 February 1871 in Manhattan; died 25 November 1872.

  5. Hannah "Fanny" Blumenthal (Lawrence1) was born on 18 November 1832 in Altenstadt, Neu- Ulm, Bayern, Germany. She died on 29 January 1905 in Manhattan. She married Charles Schlessinger, son of Caspar Wolff Schlesinger and Adelaide Lyon Leman, 12 July 1853 in Manhattan. (His sister, Amelia, married Jacob B. Blumenthal.) He was born on 5 February 1834 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He died on 17 February 1906 in Philadelphia.

    Charles, Hannah, and their first six children (courtesy of 340rush)

    Hannah Blumenthal and Charles Schlessinger had the following children:

    1. Walter3 Schlesinger, born about 1854 in New York; died 15 July 1869.
    2. Rebecca Schlesinger, born 25 September 1855 in New York; died of consumption on 8 August 1879 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey. She married Henry P. Sondheim.
    3. Louis Schlesinger, born 15 March 1857 in New York; died 25 July 1874 in New York.
    4. Adelaide "Adelia" Schlesinger, born 1858 in New York; died on 12 March 1862.
    5. Elias "Edward" B. Schlesinger, born June 1860 in New York; died in 1906 (?) in New York. He married Ella Scribner.
    6. Joseph Charles Schlesinger, born 27 June 1861 in New York City; died 6 June 1923 in Manhattan. He married (1) Frances Amelia Sunnett, and (2) Blanche Weinberger.
    7. Benjamin C. Schlesinger, born 2 January 1863 in New York; died 21 October 1937 in Manhattan. He married Katherine F. Gregg.
    8. Alexander C. Schlesinger, born December 1863 in New York; died 18 December 1914 in New York.
    9. Julia Schlesinger, born 25 April 1865 in New York; died 31 May 1945 in Manhattan. She married Abraham Schneider.
    10. Mark M. Schlesinger, 1923 Passport PhotoMark M. Schlesinger, born 30 March 1866 in New York; died 2 September 1927 in New Rochelle, Westchester, New York. He married Marjorie "Mayne" Little, daughter of Joseph W. Little and Ella Caldwell Reid, on 27 April 1905 in Manhattan. She was born on 31 October 1871 in Zebulon, Pike, Georgia. She died on 1 December 1950 in Los Angeles, California. He helped raise a step-son, Emmet Lee Reid (1889–1951).

      Mark was a General Practice attorney, partner at the law firm of Schlesinger & Schlesinger. He was City Judge of New Rochelle and Corporation Counsel under mayor Frederick A. Waldorf. He was also the founder of Temple Israel and the New Rochelle Young Men's Hebrew Association.

    11. Leah Schlesinger, born 30 September 1867 in New York; died 3 May 1899 in New York. She married Samuel Kubie.
    12. Lawrence Schlesinger, born 11 November 1871 in Manhattan; died 9 September 1872 in New York City.
    13. Henrietta "Hattie" Schlesinger, twin of Jeannette, born 25 November 1872 in Manhattan. She married Leopold Adolph Levy.
    14. Jeannette Schlesinger, twin of Henrietta, born 25 November 1872 in New York City; died 14 June 1944 in Manhattan. After her sister's early death, she married Leah's husband, Samuel Kubie, and helped raise their children.

  6. Joseph Blumenthal (Lawrence1) was born on 1 December 1834 in München, Bayern, Germany. He died on 2 March 1901 at his home in Manhattan, 122 W. 78th. He married Lizzie Esther McCurty, daughter of Eugene McCurty and Eliza Ann Vanlyesh (or Van Lysel) on 21 March 1875 in Manhattan. She was born about 1844 in New York, New York. She died on 24 September 1881 in Manhattan.

    Joseph was involved in business in California and became director of a mining company. After returning from California, he served as a staff officer of the third calvary regiment of the National Guard of the State of New York. He was also active in politics. Together with W. M. Evarts and Joseph H. Choate, he was a member of the famous Committee of Seventy which was instrumental in the overthrow of the notorious “Tweed ring.” In 1873-74 and 1888-91 he served as member of the New York Assembly, and was for several years head of the Bureau of Incumbrances. From 1893 to 1895 he was Commissioner of Taxes and Assessments.

    An obituary published in The New York Times on 4 March 1901 recounted:

    He was familiarly termed “Old Joe,” and many stories are told of his charities and strict adherence to political promises. Forty families are said to have been living on his charity, and no man went away hungry from his door.

    The last fiftteen years of his life were devoted to the establishment of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He served as its first president from 1886 until his death. He was a member and trustee of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan.

    His will, dated 11 July 1899, was probated 18 March 1901. He was buried 6 March 1901 at Cypress Hills.

    1. There are two marriage records, one dated 24 February 1875 and another dated 21 March 1875.

    Joseph Blumenthal and Lizzie McCurty adopted:

    1. Margaret “Maggie”3 Blumenthal, born 18 January 1876. She married Julius C. Raben.

Generation Three

  1. Jacob Blumenthal Weinberg passport photo 1922

    Jacob Blumenthal3 Weinberg (Yetta2, Lawrence1) was born on 11 July 1857 in New York, New York. He died on 5 May 1934 in Manhattan. He married Frieda Bendheim, daughter of Walph Bendheim and Bettey Hertz[?] on 11 October 1885 in Manhattan. She was born on 18 April 1865 in Friedberg, Wetteraukreis, Hessen, Germany. She died on 27 February 1929 in Manhattan.

    Frieda ran a boarding house. Jacob was, for a time, an "Importer of Post Cards." Later, he was a "Writer & Manageer." For many years, they lived at 159 E. 61st St. in Manhattan.

    1. Names according to indexed marriage record.
    2. Find a Grave

    Jacob Weinberg and Frieda Bendheim had the following children:

    1. Lawrence Jacob4 Weinberg, born 22 October 1886 in Manhattan; died 19 June 1941 in Brooklyn. He married Mathilde "Tillie" Steiner, daughter of Karl (Kiva) Steiner and Esther Sarah Schusheim, on 21 June 1924 in Brooklyn. She was born 11 February 1899 in New York, and died 26 June 1991 in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. Like his brother, Lawrence was deaf-mute.

      1. Death notice, The New York Times, June 21, 1941 p. 17
      2. Deaf-Mutes' Journal, Vol LIII, No. 27
    2. Gertrude Weinberg, born 28 May 1888 in Manhattan; died 22 June 1891 in Manhattan.
    3. Rebecca Weinberg, born about 1890; died 5 July 1891 in Manhattan.
    4. _____ Weinberg, a son, born 13 October 1893 in Manhattan; died the same day.

    5. Passport photoLouis "David Marvel" Weinberg, born 14 November 1895 in Manhattan; died 19 September 1960.

      He was known by a stage name, "David Marvel," the deaf-mute dancer, and sometimes "the Russian toe dancer." He attended the Lexington School for the deaf in New York and performed on the vaudeville circuit. A review of his performance published 1914 in The New York World stated:

      In these prosaic days, it is no little feat to stir an audience, but this is done nightly at the Jardin de Danse, where A. D. Newberger's newest youthful prodigies, David Marvel and Frances De Lite, have scored an artistic triumph, with their presentation of "Famtoms," a dancing and singing novelty de luxe.

      David Marvel possesses all the concomitants of a wonderful dancer, although Nature has deprived him of both senses of speech and hearing.

      Yes, the youth is a deaf-mute, and yet his sense of rhythm is phenomenally perfect. He cannot hear the music, yet he keeps perfect time and goes through some really bewildering evolutions. He has justly been called the "American Merdkin," a name which fits him like the proverbial glove.

      Young Marvel has a striking physique and his picturesque movements, combined with the beauty of constume, are a continuous feast to the eye. The dainty, pretty Fances De Lite proves a fitting and delightful parter for the marvelous Marvel. In fact, in her face he finds reflected the expression of his dances. She renders her songs with charming vivacity.

      Marvel also played in the role of the Indian Prince, a vaudeville dancer, in Cecil B. DeMille's 1917 silent movie The Woman God Forgot, alongside opera star Geraldine Farrar.

      1. Deaf-Mutes' Journal, September 13, 1917. See also John S. Schuchman, Hollywood Speaks: Deafness and the Film Entertainment Industry (University of Illinois Press, 1999) and "David Marvel—Deaf Dancer" The Silent Worker, 34 (April 1923), pp. 268-9.
      2. Deaf-Mutes' Journal, May 21, 1914, p. 3.
      3. The Progressive Silent Film List. David's role is mentioned here and here and in Hollywood Speaks: Deafness and the Film Entertainment Industry by John S. Schuchman (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1999 [© 1988]).

  2. Rebecca3 Blumenthal (Jacob B.2, Lawrence1) was born 16 January 1854 in Manhattan, New York, New York. She died 27 November 1874 in New York, New York, shortly after the birth of her son. She married Joseph Cushman, son of Berman Cushman and Rose Bresleen Breslaw, on 23 November 1873 in Manhattan., He was born about 1847 in Russia. He died on 15 February 1887 at the Bloomingdale Asylum in New York City (which once stood where Columbia University now is located), and was buried at the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens on 18 February 1887.

    Joseph was naturalized 3 September 1866, and attended Bellvue Medical College in New York City. He became Deputy Coroner. Gory details of his post-mortem examinations were often in the news. At one point, a man who killed a police offer threatened to perform a live autopsy on him.

    Joseph and Rebeca were married just over a year. In January 1884, Joseph was brought by his father to the Bellvue Hospital for insanity and committed to the Bloomingdale Asylum, where he remained there until his death. The New York Times speculated that "his constant work of the last few years, coupled with grief at the recent loss of his wife…casued his present infirmity." His obituary noted that his name at birth was not Cushman, but "some polysyllabic patronymic which nobody but a Russian could pronounce, and he changed it."

    1. "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27YM-5MD: 20 March 2015), Rebecca Blumenthal, 16 January 1854; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,315,311.
    2. The New York Herald, Sunday, 29 November 1874, p. 10
    3. "New York Marriages, 1686-1980," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F64Q-NKJ: 12 December 2014), Joseph Cushman and Rebecca Blumenthal, 23 November 1873; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1,561,972.
    4. "Married: Cushman-Blumenthal," The New York Herald, Wednesday, 26 November 1873, p. 9
    5. "A Brave Act Appreciated," The New York Times, Tuesday, 31 December 1878, p. 5, c. 2.
    6. "A Physician's Insanity," The New York Times, Friday, 18 January 1884, p. 5, c. 5.
    7. "Obituary," The Sun (New York, New York), Friday, 18 February 1887, p. 1, c. 2.

    Rebecca Blumenthal and Joseph Cushman had a son:

    1. Lawrence4 Cushman, born 7 October 1874 in New York City. He was not mentioned in his father's obituary or his grandfather's will in 1896, and no record of his life after birth has been found.

  3. Janette "Nettie"3 Blumenthal (Jacob B.2, Lawrence1) was born 11 December 1874 in New York City. She died 10 September 1938 in Hammond, Lake, Indiana. She married Amos Anchell, son of Abraham Anchell and Mina "Minnie" Rindskopf, on 7 January 1901 in Manhattan. He was born about 1869 in New York, New York. He died before 1910.

    Janette (Nettie) Blumenthal and Amos Anchell had a daughter:

    1. Amy Janette4 Anchell, born 7 January 1903 in Manhattan; died 1 July 1996 in Albany, Dougherty, Georgia. She married Leonard Calvin Hirsch, son of Adolph Hirsch and Emma Rothschild on 1 January 1925 in Manhattan. He was born on 2 September 1899 in Hammond, Lake, Indiana. He died on 15 January 1980 in Albany, Dougherty, Georgia.

  4. Joseph3 Ullman (Julia2, Lawrence1), born 12 July 1856 in New York City; died 11 February 1941 in White Plains, Westchester, New York. He married Emily Beatrice Bridger, daughter of John William Bridger and Jane Jennie Bell on 30 January 1908 in Manhattan. She was born on 14 January 1875 in New York. She died on 13 August 1940 in Manhattan.

    Joseph Ullman and Emily Bridger had a son:

    1. Joseph Bridger4 Ullman, born on 24 June 1912 in New York. He died on 30 May 2007 in Scarsdale, Westchester, New York. He married Ruth Florence Lindstedt, daughter of Axel Brynolf Lindstedt and Emilie Charlotta Johansson on 2 October 1937 in Scarsdale, Westchester, New York. She was born on 30 September 1909 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York. She died on 30 November 2008 in Sandwich, Carroll, New Hampshire.

  5. Rosa3 Ullman (Julia2, Lawrence1) was born 10 April 1859 in New York. She died 7 September 1923 in Manhattan. She married Leopold Peck, son of Mases Peck and Theresa, on 15 December 1880 in Manhattan. He was born 15 April 1840 in Slattin, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (or Gitschin, Austria). He died on 26 June 1904 in Elberon, Monmouth, New Jersey.

    Rosa Ullman and Leopold Peck had the following children:

    1. Alfred Leopold4 Peck, born 21 October 1870 in Dresden, Sachsen, Germany; died 16 September 1911 in München, Bayern, Germany ("While traveling in search of health."). He married Lucy Strauss, who was born 3 October 1883 in Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany.
    2. Theresa "Tessie" Peck, born 27 July 1882 in Manhattan. She married Max J. Bernheim, son of Jacob Bernheim and Rebecca Jacobsen, on 15 January 1908 in New York. He was born on 17 November 1872 in Manhattan.
    3. Selina Peck, born on 25 October 1883 in Manhattan. She married Jerome Jacob Zuckerman. He was born on 21 March 1887 in New York City.
    4. Laura Peck, born 21 October 1885 in Manhattan. She married Ashley B. Cohn, son of Alexander Cohn and Carrie Altmark, on 14 April 1912 in Manhattan. He was born September 1886 in San Francisco, California.
    5. Madeline Peck, born 21 November 1890 in Manhattan; died 29 November 1947 in Manhattan. She married Lothair Setta Kohnstamm, son of Emmanuel H, Kohnstamm and Emily Lambert, on 11 March 1920 in New York City. (Their wedding was officated by Samuel Greenbaum.) He was born on 17 April 1881 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York; and died 29 January 1950 in New York City.

  6. Jeanette "Jennie"3 Ullman (Julia2, Lawrence1) was born on 29 August 1860 in Manhattan, New York, New York. She died 19 March 1931 in Manhattan, where she lives at 220 West 98th. She married Simon Dottenheim, son of Henry Dottenheim and Minnie Schoenwald, on 8 June 1881 in Manhattan. He was born about 1849 in New York. He died on 8 April 1940 in Manhattan.

    Jennie Ullman and Simon Dottenheim had the following children:

    1. Henry Lawrence Simon4 Dottenheim, born 31 August 1882 in Manhattan; died on 18 October 1955 in Los Angeles, California. He married Shirley Wallace (Chaie Walis). She was born on 15 November 1901 in Lithuania. She died on 26 December 1989 in Los Angeles, California.
    2. Minnie May Dottenheim, born 14 December 1885 in Manhattan; died 15 October 1956.
    3. Mark Nathan Dottenheim, born 6 September 1888 in Manhattan; died 14 January 1960 in New York. He married Beatrice Greenberg, daughter of Israel Jacob Greenberg and Ida Schevitz, on 29 December 1933 in Manhattan. She was born on 1 January 1898 in New York City, and died April 1977.
    4. Lawrence Blumenthal Dottenheim, born 18 May 1893 in Manhattan; died in September 1969 in Great Neck, Nassau, New York.

  7. Selina3 Ullman (Julia2, Lawrence1) was born 6 April 1866 in Manhattan. She died 15 July 1925 in Larchmont, Westchester, New York. She married Samuel Greenbaum, son of Louis (Lias) Greenbaum and Rachel Deborah Schlesinger, on 13 March 1888 in Manhattan. He was born 23 January 1854 in London, England, and died 26 August 1930 in Larchmont, Westchester, New York.

    Selina Ullman and Samuel Greenbaum had the following children:

    1. Lawrence Samuel4 Greenbaum, born 18 January 1889 in Manhattan; died 28 August 1961 in Mamaroneck, Westchester, New York. He married (1) Sylvia Sobel, daughter of Isidor Sobel and Lucia Max Prince, on 14 April 1915 in New York City. She was born 1 February 1895 in Manhattan, and died 17 June 1973 in Daytona Beach, Volusia, Florida. He married (2) Gladys A. Tompkins, daughter of Horton Forbes Tompkins and Annie McGuinness, on 10 July 1939 in Green Cove Springs, Clay, Florida. She was born on 23 June 1902 in New York, and died 15 February 2002 in Mamaroneck, Westchester, New York.
    2. Edward Samuel Greenbaum, born 13 April 1890 in Manhattan; died 12 June 1970 in Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey. He married Dorothea Rebecca Schwarcz, daughter of Maximilian Michael Schwarcz and Emma Indig, on 21 October 1920 in New Yor City. She was born 17 June 1893 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York; and died 6 April 1986 in Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey.
    3. Rachel Grace Greenbaum, born 12 June 1894 in Manhattan; died 25 June 1986 in Scarsdale, Westchester, New York. She married Bennett Epstein, son of Morris Epstein and Celia Wertheimer, on 24 May 1917 in Manhattan. He was born 28 June 1882 in Manhattan, and died 19 March 1962 in White Plains, Westchester, New York.
    4. Isabel Greenbaum, born 30 December 1896 in Manhattan; died 21 February 1955 in Wingdale, Dutchess, New York. She married Jacob Chauncey Stone, son of Louis L. Stone and Catherine "Kate" Bennet (or Barnet), on 3 April 1921 in New York City. He was born 15 June 1894 in North Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts; and died 21 March 1981 in Palm Beach, Florida.

  8. Hannah (Sophia)3 Ullman (Julia2, Lawrence1) was born on 19 December 1867 in Manhattan. She died on 15 January 1951 in New York City. She married George Henry Newman, son of Joseph Rosenthal Newman and Rachel Lynch, on 27 November 1902 in Manhattan. He was born on 13 December 1857 in Lee, Berkshire, Massachusetts; and died on 6 June 1942 in Queens.

    Hannah Ullman and George Henry Newman had a daughter:

    1. Julie4 Newman, born 5 September 1907; died 2 October 1974 in Flushing, Queens, New York. She married Abraham Hirsh? "Harry" Merwin (Meirowitz), son of Moshe Morris (Maurice Moritz) Meirowitz and Anna Salmanowitz on 1 September 1927 in New York. He was born on 15 January 1897 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Kings, New York. He died on 25 May 1973 in Flushing, Queens, New York.

  9. Rebecca3 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1), was born 5 September 1855 in New York. She died on 8 August 1879 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey (Consumption). She married Henry P. Sondheim, son of Louis Sondheim and Rosa Bruhl, on 20 June 1877 in Manhattan. (Henry's sister Pauline married Emmanuel Lehman, one of the original “Lehman Brothers.”) He was born on 21 November 1849 in New York. He died on 9 May 1896 in Dresden, Saxony, Germany.

    Rebecca Schlessinger and Henry Sondheim had a daughter:

    1. Pauline4 Sondheim, born 23 April 1878 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey. She married Seamon Sylvester, son of Hyman Sylvester and Caroline Ash, on 5 January 1898 in Manhattan. He was born on 31 July 1865 in New York.

  10. Elias “Edward” B.4 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1), was born 14 June 1860 in New York. He died in 19 March 1906 in New York. He married Ella Scribner, daughter of John Scribner and Hannah Boothby, on 15 May 1901 in Manhattan. She was born about 1863 in Maine, and died 29 February 1904 in Manhattan. They were separated before her death. (This was said to be her third marriage—her second was to Theodore Conkling on 13 June 1893. They divorced November 1899.)

    Edward Schlesinger and Ella Scribner had one son:

    1. Edward Hampden Schlesinger, born 1903. After his mother's death, it appears that he went to live with her ex-husband's brother, Eugene Conkling, in Ramsey, Bergen, New Jersey. No further record has been found. He was left approximately $150,000 in his mother's will, with Rastus S. Ransom named as trustee.

  11. Joseph Charles3 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1) was born 27 June 1861 in New York. He died 6 June 1923 in Manhattan. He married (1) Frances Amelia Sunnett, daughter of Henry Sunnett and Elizabeth Green, on 2 April 1882 in Manhattan. She was born about 1861 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. (2) Blanche Weinberger, daughter of Levi Weinberger and Eleanora, in 1887. She was born on 30 November 1867 in Maryland. She died 5 September 1948 in Manhattan.

    Joseph was an insurance broker.

    Joseph Schlesinger and Blanche Weinberger had the following children:

    1. Adele Eleanor4 Schlesinger, bon 9 May 1888 in Baltimore, Maryland; died 7 February 1975 in Forest City, Seminole, Florida. She married Harvey Newton Kuttner, son of Morris Kuttner and Bertha Kuttner on 14 April 1915 in Manhattan, New York, New York. He was born on 9 September 1878 in New York, New York. He died on 6 February 1947 in New York CIty.

    2. Charles Schlesinger, born 5 August 1894 in Manhattan; died 26 July 1971 in New York City. He married Marjory Harris.

      Charles was President of Penrose Knitwear.

  12. Benjamin C.3 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1) was born 2 January 1863 in New York. He died on 21 October 1937 in Manhattan. He married Katherine F. Gregg, daughter of Thomas R. Gregg and Mary Markham (or Markey), about 1893. She was born 22 September 1870 in Troy, Rensselaer, New York; died 18 June 1953 in Islip, Suffolk, New York. Her last place of residence was 45 East 85th Street in Manhattan.

    Benjamin Schlesinger and Katherine Gregg had a son:

    1. Walter Charles B.4 Schlesinger, born 1 June 1894 at 222 Lexington Avenue in New York City; died 4 July 1981 in at the Lennox Hill Hospital in New York City. He married Marjorie Walsh, daughter of John Walsh and Suzanne Josephine Hughes, on 8 December 1921 in New York City at the Church of the Holy Spirit. She was born 8 August 1896 in New York, and died in August 1986 in Washington, D. C.

  13. Julia3 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1) was born in 25 April 1865 in New York. She died 31 May 1945 in Manhattan. She married Abraham Schneider, son of Henry Schneider and Hannah, on 16 March 1887 in Manhattan. He was born on 5 September 1852 in Sweden. He died 30 December 1925 in Manhattan.

    Julia Schlesinger and Abraham Schneider had the following children:

    1. Evelyn Cyrilla4 Schneider, born 5 May 1888 in Manhattan.
    2. Walter Schlesinger Schneider, born 5 April 1890 in Manhattan; died 28 August 1974 in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Florida. He married Pauline H. Heller, daughter of Henry Heller and Sarah "Sadie" Hilderbrandt, on 5 August 1937 in Manhattan. She was born 31 January 1899 in Newark, Essex, New Jersey. She died 24 December 1963 in Palm Beach, Florida.
    3. Rebecca Schneider, born 13 September 1893 in Manhattan; died 7 Apr.
    4. Henry A. Schneider, born April 1895 in New York.
    5. Lawrence Louis Schneider, born on 12 June 1898 in Staten Island, Richmond, New York; died 24 March 1979 in Miami Beach, Dade, Florida. He married (1) Alene Greenblatt, daughter of Michael A. Greenblatt and Beulah Hirsch, on 20 February 1938 at the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation. She was born on 27 January 1915 in Florida. She died on 19 May 2006 in Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia. He married (2) Ida (Eda) Marian Norden, daughter of Joseph Norden and Matilda Bernstein, on 15 November 1917 in New York at the Hotel Savoy. She was born 1 August 1899 in New York City. She died 16 February 1968 in Reading, Berkshire, England.

  14. Leah3 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1) was born on 30 September 1867 in New York. She died on 3 May 1899 in New York. She married Samuel Kubie, son of Albert Aron Kubie and Theresa Loewy, on 7 November 1892 in Manhattan. He was born 7 November 1857 in Englishtown, Monmouth, New Jersey (some sources say Austria). He died on 25 February 1934 in Queens, Queens, New York. He was a crude rubber importer.

    Leah Schlesinger and Samuel Kubie had the following children:

    1. Dorothy Leah4 Kubie, born 28 August 1893 in Manhattan; died on 26 October 1961 in New York. She married Carl Erno Erpf Lefkovics, son of Bartholomew Erpf Lefkovics and Cornelia A. Von Greiner, on 25 December 1917 in Manhattan. He was born 10 June 1892 in New York City, and died 15 January 1951 in New York City.
    2. David Samuel Kubie, born 28 February 1895 in New York City; died 8 May 1953 in New York City. He married Amy Levy on 5 February 1917 in Manhattan. She was born 12 October 1894 in Philadelphia, and died June 1986 in Manhattan.

    3. Lawrence Samuel Schlesinger Kubie, born 17 March 1896 in Manhattan; died on 26 October 1973 in Towson, Baltimore, Maryland of a heart attack.

      He married (1) Susan Hoch on 3 July 1921 in Queens, New York. She was born 21 May 1895, and died March 1980 in New York City. He married (2) Eleanor "Nora" Henrietta Gottheil, daughter of Paul S. Gottheil and Muriel H., in 1938. She was born 4 January 1899 in New York City, and died 8 September 1988 in Westport, Fairfield, Connecticut. He married (3) Evelyn Bigelow Clark, daughter of James Francis Aloysius Clark and Edith Evelyn Bigelow, on 16 July 1962 in Fairfax, Virginia. She was born on 22 May 1910 in New York City and died 12 October 2009 in Chester, Middlesex, Connecticut.

  15. Henriette "Hattie"3 Schlesinger (Hannah2, Lawrence1) was born 20 November 1872 in Manhattan. She married Leopold Adolph Levy, son of Felix Ury Levy and Rosaline Simon, on 12 December 1900 in Manhattan. He was born about 1871 in New Orleans, Jefferson, Louisiana.

    Hattie Schlesinger and Leopold Levy had a son:

    1. Felix Ury4 Levy, born 30 April 1902 in Manhattan; died 27 November 1944 in Manhattan. He married Edith Veit, daughter of Benjamin Veit and Mildred Hammond Emmanuel, on 4 June 1923 in Queens, New York. She was born 22 February 1901 in Manhattan.