|
|
User:VadimSFrom The Peopling of New York City
I AM FOLLOWING THE TRAILS OF ANNIE ALTMAN'S AND JACOB KLEIN'S LIVES. VISIT THE LINKS ON THE TRIANGLE PAGE FOR THE RESULTS OF MY RESEARCH. It seems my research is going in circles and I cannot break the cycle! I thought the best place to start would be internet sources, to find any scraps of information on my five people, then go to the New York Public Library, Municipal Archives, and such to learn more about these people. So I look through census records and city directories. I find hundreds of hits, endless lists, on certain names (such as Annie Altman, Jacob Kline, and Jacob Selzer. There seems to be no way of narrowing down the people. I use the information given in the back of the Triangle book and the scraps within the text to narrow my people. But whenever I think I finally find a match and get excited, I find some little minute detail (such as a brothers name, a father's occupation, or the time spent in New York City) that does not fit. I have now lost track of the number of Annie Altman's and Jacob Kline's and Klein's that were definitely the right one. On the other hand, Esther Hochfield, with her incalculable number of last names, is absent from all the historical records I have searched. The directories, the New York Public Library, the death certificate records and marriage certificate records at the Municipal Archives and online have all ignored her. I do not know what to do with her.
Research ProposalFor my research project I would like to dig into the lives of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. I am aware that tracking their lives might prove problematic but I am convinced that it would interest me more. It really has nothing to do with the fact that they’re women working in the factory. I just want to know more about immigrants in the United States, especially around the time immigration peaked (in the beginning of the twentieth century). Basically, the struggles of a poor immigrant woman interest me much more than the problems of a rich slave owner (though I do not mean to trivialize their problems; that would be unjust after reading New York Burning and what I have of The Restless City). The tragic fire on March 25, 1911 directly resulted in the enactment of many of the labor laws we have today. The 146 workers who died in it had to die, sadly, in order to get the media attention and popular support necessary for reform. In a way I want to do this paper on them as a tribute. Especially since my family members, who worked so many odd jobs, directly benefited from them. Their story should be known.
Starting ResearchI went to the NYPL to do research. I looked through the books in the basement containing printed versions of census records. It was mostly unhelpful in of itself. The people I have with common names are very hard to find because of so many others that could be them as well. There were many Jacob Kline's and Klein's (the alternative spelling) and Jacob Selzer's (and Seltzer's), in fact they took up about two pages in the census books and many of them fit their criteria (such as age). And the people with the uncommon names are difficult to find for the opposite reason, their names are usually misspelled (butchered really) so that finding them is hard and being sure that it is actually them requires a lot more knowledge on the person (so one might potentially research someone completely different). It takes speculation. For instance, Anna Altman gave me a lot of grief. After looking through the census books, I went to find the complete (photocopied) census data on their online sources. I was looking through the 1900 census records and I found an Anna Altman from Germany. I was very excited because it had all of her family members and their occupations, their nationalities, whether or not they were literate and fluent in English and a lot more information. After writing it all down and preparing to go on, I realized that Anna was identified by her brother, Morris, and this Anna had no such brother. Eventually I found her in the 1910 census records under Annie Altman. It turns out that she lives in Manhattan Ward 11, her parents are Austrian Jews. Her father is David, he worked in a Pin Factory, her mother, Julia, worked in a store. She had three brothers; Morris, William, and Max. Morris worked as a selling fruit (I think, it was very illegible). She also had four sisters; Gussie, Rose, Bella, and Helen. Gussie worked in a factory (though I am not sure which one, it was very illegible. From the book, I also know that Morris worked at the Triangle factory; maybe the census taker got confused or I mistook factory for fruit (though it looked a lot like fruit). The census also had all of their ages, whether or not they were born in the United States (it seems only Annie was), and other facts. I am also confident that I found Jacob Seltzer in the census based on the age range given but I am not sure if it actually is him. UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF THIS TURNED OUT TO BE WRONG. Research from the Municipal ArchivesThis means most of the information I have gathered thus far is wrong. Annie Altman Death Certificate Number: 10019 (A435) Age: 16 Single Born in Russia Resided in US and NYC for 5 yrs. Father: illegible (Lar...?) Mother: Sarah Driasdolph Occupation: shirtmaker Address: 33 Pike St. Buried on 3/26/11 in sect. U.H. Ocean View Cemetery Has a brother named Morris. i cannot find her on the passenger lists Census Information Name: Annie Altman Age in 1910: 15 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895 Birthplace: Russia Relation to Head of House: Daughter Father's Name: Louis Father's Birth Place: Russia Mother's Name: Sarah Mother's Birth Place: Russia Home in 1910: Manhattan Ward 7, New York, New York Marital Status: Single Race: White Gender: Female Year of Immigration: 1906 Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Louis Altman 51 Sarah Altman 53 Morris Altman 27 Harry Altman 19 Mary Altman 17 Annie Altman 15 Rebecca Altman 13 Eva Schwartz 20 Rose Yellow 25 16 years old, earned $6.00 a week. Father, sister, and brother union members. Four wage-earners in the family; only member not wage-earner is 15 years old and goes to school. Family need death benefit only; $160.00 paid. $160.00 Jacob SelzerDeath Certificate Number: 10093 (S432) Age: 33 Married Born in Russia Resided in US and NYC for 6 yrs. Father: Pack Mother: Tammy Lehnairay (?) Hehrauay Occupation: operator Address: 510 East 136th St. Buried on 3/27/11 in Washington Cemetery I was unable to find a marriage certificate.
Bertha WondrossDeath Certificate Number: 10138 (W536) Age: 18 Single Born in Russia Resided in US and NYC for 1 yr. and a few months Father: Samuel Mother: Annie Horwichotein Occupation: shirtmaker Address: 205 Henry St. Buried on 3/26/11 in sect. M.R. Ocean View Cemetery Died in St. Vincent's Hospital with compound fractures in her right leg and internal hemorrhaging. no passenger lists for her have been found. Jacob KlineDeath Certificate Number: 10391 (K450) Age: 23 Married Born in Russia Resided in US and NYC for 5 yrs. Father: Barnett Mother: Fanny Barsky Occupation: operator Address: 1301 Washington Ave. Buried on 3/28/11 in Mt. Foire Cemetery Died at 5 PM on March 25,1911 from asphyxiation from smoke, he was charred. I was unable to find a marriage certificate. I was unable to find him on the passenger lists Name: Jacob Kleim [Jacob Klein] Age in 1910: 23 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1887 Birthplace: Russia Relation to Head of House: Son Father's Name: Barnett A Father's Birth Place: Russia Mother's Name: Fannie Mother's Birth Place: Russia Home in 1910: Manhattan Ward 11, New York, New York Marital Status: Single Race: White Gender: Male Year of Immigration: 1900 Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Barnett A Kleim 50 Fannie Kleim 45 Jacob Kleim 23 Harrold Kleim 18 Philip Baski 18 man, 24 years old, operator $18.00, newly married, union member, killed. Before he was married, he undoubtedly supported father, J.K., N.Y. City. Said J.K., father, has a soda water stand, and an adult son, H., who should work. No other children. No proof that deceased supported father’s family after marriage. $450.00 insurance from the Independent Order, Sons of Jacob, Philadelphia, Pa., will be paid in three months to widow. Question of wife, B’s marriage. Cannot remarry unless she gets a release from bother-in-law, H., and he will not give her a release unless satisfied in regard to his own claims. Matter adjusted by paying the wife, B.K., $170.00 for support until insurance money is paid and paying father, J., $100.00. Total, $270.00 Ester HochfieldI was unable to find her death certificate. Age: 22 Father: Benjamin Address: 292 Monroe St. |
