We'd been running around every day - Fairway, Ikea, Prospect Park, Times Square. Today we stayed home. And some family came to visit. Bea's father, Sol Kaplan (my mother's father as well)had a brother Laser. He and his wife Sophie had a large progeny; so many so that I can't even name them all. (Ellen, please fill us in using the comment form below. Thanks!) These were Bea's first cousins. At some point there was a falling out between the two brothers and a break between the families. That's why I didn't really know that side of the family until much later on. Harriette Schleiffer was one of the Kaplan girls, daughter of Laser and Sophie and Bea's first cousin. So it was quite a wonderful thing to see a reunion of sorts at lunch at our house as Harriette and Ellen, her daughter, came to visit.
My nephew Kris and his wife Mirjam came over as well. With them was their precious little baby, Jona, their daughter of 18 months. They live in Hamburg, Germany but had been in the States for the past few weeks visiting Duba in Pittsburgh and at her country house in Ohio. Making their way back to New York (and this coming Monday, to Germany) afforded a perfect opportunity for a visit.
Stacey prepared a wonderful lunch and old times and new ones were the subject of lively conversation.
Cousin Harriette holds the newest addition to the family - Jona. Jona's dad, Kris Weinstein-Storey looks on.
Here's Kris. Nice smile, no?
Two first cousins, reunited after many years: Harriette Schleiffer and Bea Schaffer. (both nee Kaplan).
In the kitchen - Stacey and Ellen.
The table is set. Lunch is served. Thank you Stacey!
Three cousins - Bea and Harriette and Ellen.In my next, and (sigh) last post - a fabulous family gathering out on Long Island with the other third of the Weinstein family: we have lunch at Marlo's and Chris, Mirjam, Jona, Luke and Olivia, Stacey, Lee and Alexis and Bea have a grand old time. After, we drive of to Jessica and Ed's to meet that family. Be sure not to miss it!
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To view it as a slidehow, just CLICK HERE.
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7 comments:
Thank you cousins Matt, Stacey, Kris, Mirjam, and beautiful little Jona...and dear cousin Bea...for a great family day. And to Stacey for that scrumptuous meal, 1,000 cheers!
I loved getting to know the Sol and Lily family thru Bea, and hearing her remembrances of much missed aunts & uncles (for my mom, sisters & bros)-- a lot of it from pre-1930. And witnessing the excitement of a little girl (just happens to be my 86 yrs young mom) who obviously didn't forget somewhere near 75 yrs later!!! how it felt to look up to her older adored girl cousin. Aways had this sense so it's wonderful seeing it confirmed!
Bea's smile and laughter was a warm reminder of her baby brother, your kind uncle Seymour who we "knew" through the years from just from walking around our neighborhood. Seymour (our "cousin Sy") like your dad Ben, who H also cued me into early, would airlift us with "COUSIN!" hugs just like you (and Lee) did with my boys when we'd come to Mayfair. Harriette was the "babe"y too until Sonia & Lazar gave the 7 Kaplan sibs another child to bring up 8 years later. The brother split happened close to that because Bea forgot about any baby, but not the previous few running around alone in a house on the next block from hers in Brighton with sibs closer to her age caring for them (Bough Pl...today I believe Brighton 3rd Pl??)
You always said "it's never too late". Sad to say thru the years nobody made as large an effort as you to reach out to the other side... Many thanks for your love always Matt, and for giving us the opportunity to witness the amazing reunion of these 2 daughters of Solomon and Lazarus.. L-N
ps - never had a blog & being too...hmmmm "meticulous", never will, so hope this is ok this 1x. One word I'd use to describe most Kaplans: extreme (more or less ( ;)
Back story (continued)
(Ellis Is. site:) Lazar, born in Zablowtouv, Russia (today a city in Poland), sailed from Antwerp, Belgium on 3/16/1907 on the SS Zeeland- arrived in U.S. 3/28/1907 to live with Salomon (sp.) Kaplan, brother, 51-53 Maiden Lane, NY. Sonia, born in Elisabethgrad, Russia (today Kirovohrad, a city in central Urkaine), sailed from Rotterdam on 7/17/1909 on the SS Noordam- arrived in U.S. 7/27/1909 to live with L. Kaplan, husband, 606 E. 5 Street, NY.
[Paraphrasing]
(Bea:) Around the Depression, there was a painters' strike; both boys were in that union and her dad immediately stopped talking to her uncle Lazar after L crossed the picket line to become a "scab". (Harriette:) Her parents only knew how to make babies, then ignore them for the most part; they lost their house before the mid 30s. Workmens' Circle activity was more important than anything else to them. In 1958, when Sol was on his deathbed, Lazar went to the hospital. No one today knows what transpired. (Many ?s were always unanswered or never asked.) Lazar died one yr later in 1959. (Bea:) Father Sol was a mild-mannered man and mother Lily was tough. Eldest brother Morris, who died the same year as dad Sol, disciplined the other children. (Harriette:) Father Lazar was stubborn and a disciplinarian. Sonia not as much. (Me:) In our family, we always heard that in Russia the bros were very active Socialists who risked their lives handling out leaflets in front of the Kremlin. My mom would tell me how he would enthuse over Lenin (and say it as he did..."YENIN", as if she could still hear him) and how he painted Greer Garson's house and (in Yiddish) often reminisced about her beautiful red hair. I grew up in the next building to Grandma Sonny and would drag the smallest 1st cousin, who lived next door to me, to her studio apt. for "holiday" soup (chicken soup) (FOOD=LOVE). When our big family would squeeze in there to be together, I'd take out all her old photos and get aunts, uncles and cousins to talk about each and everything I'd missed. Most loved to and were very close to each other (many cousins still are...but being among the youngest, I missed a lot) Although they would say similar things to what my mom did, they all spoke of Sonia and Lazar with great affection.
As requested, my mom's sibs (spouses too)
Sonia and Lazarus (2nd cousins to each other) had.......
8 children, 16 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren, ??? great, great grandchildren and 1 recent great, great, great grandchild
Sonia and Fanny (Hannah's mother) were 1st cousins, and so...
Hannah Slater and Jack Kaplan were 2nd cousins to each other
Sonia (Sophie, "Grandma Sonny") 1888-1970
Lazarus ("Grandpa Lazer" "Lazar"?) 1884-1959
1. Regina ("Jean") 1910-1970 (Lou Gordon)
2. Jack 1911-2007 (Hannah Slater)
3. "Chick" or "Chickie" 1913-1996 (born Frances; Andrew "Andy" Mandala)
4. Perry 1916-1999 (Gertrude "Goldie" Gassner)
5. Max aka "Mac", "Gitson" 1918-199? (born Milton Max; Rosalie Wexler)
6. Guddy 1920-2000 (born Abraham; Esther "Estie" Shafer)
7. Harriette aka "The Babe" 1922- (born Harriet; Sidney "Chicken" Leroy Schleifer)
8. Gladys 1930 (Julian "Julie" Martin, formerly Julian M. Sienkiewicz)
Hello from yet another cousin...living in California! I am the grandchild of Jack and Hannah. This is amazing! I love reading about the history. Our family is enormous and I have such trouble keeping track. It would be wonderful to meet everyone. Love to all!
Why is this your last post? "In my next, and (sigh) last post"
Hi from another cousin in Austin Texas…I’m Allen the oldest son of Esther and Guddy, My mother Esther is still living and resides in Del Ray Beach FL, just up the road from Deerfield Beach. I’m the grandson of Sophie and Lazarus. I was born in 1945 and my brother Larry was born in 1947 in Brighton Beach. Both of our families live in Austin Texas. My wife Maxine and I have two children Ileene 39, and Scott 26. Ileene has two kids Rachel 11 and Candace about to be 5. Larry has four children and five grandchildren. Maxine and I will be in NY and NJ the last week of the month. You can e-mail me at ahktrust@austin.rr.com.
(See below http://www.ellisisland.org/ links)
Hey cousins Jackie & Allen!
Lazar's age & brother's name check out (not height or marital status tho). With Sonia, knew maiden name "Granofsky" and birthplace of Elisabethgrad from mom, but only one side of manifest of this "Solomon Kaplan" is listed. Matt or anyone else, know of "Goldberg" relatives (Uncle T. was this SK's sponsor)? Birthplace should be Zablowtouv shtetl unless they had to move around quickly. Love it if someone could figure out how to get that other passenger info page.
Starved for pre-1940 Kaplan photos. Have some beauties you may already have- not yet scanned but will be. Peace & big hugs to my wonderful cousins. xoxo L-N
Lazar--
http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?MID=01464961380008312576&pID=102038140010
Sonia--
http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?MID=01464961380008312576&pID=101645030252
our Solomon Kaplan??
http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?MID=01464961380008312576&FNM=SOLOMON&LNM=KAPLAN&PLNM=KAPLAN&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&RF=7&ALTS=97%7C%3Faplan&ALTS=97%7Ckablan&pID=102357011104
Ellen, correcting the record for Lazer (how he spelled his name, Lazarus) Kaplan.
THIS... (Lazar, born in Zablowtouv, Russia....on 3/16/1907 on the SS Zeeland) record is incorrect although he did come in 1907, in November. Because his mother's maiden name was Slotopolsky, his ancestors were probably from Zlotopol, but we think he was born in Rovner where his father Kaplan family was from, although in more than one place, including manifest, he says his birthplace was Yelisavetgrad like Grandma Sunny. Her info IS correct, but Yelisavetgrad is no longer Kirovograd today. As of July 2016, the name of this city is Kropyvnytskyi.
The correct death year of Milton (Max) Kaplan, 1995
My mother Harriette died in 2009, just short of one year after she re-met her cousin Bea.
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