Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sarah Michalowitz, my great grandmother


Isaac Levin married Sarah Michalowitz in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 14, 1884.  They appear to have initially settled in Minneapolis, where their first son was born the following year, but moved quite a bit between Minneapolis, St. Paul and Princeton, until Sarah returned to Minneapolis in 1902. 

Sarah was the daughter of Boruch (Benjamen) Michalowitz and Dora (Michalowitz?).  She had one sister, Ida Gittel, who married Jacob Aronsohn.  Jacob later became a well known Rabbi in St. Paul.  I’ll discuss the Michalowitz family more in later posts. 

There is some interesting indirect evidence that suggest that Sarah was born in Mariampole, Lithuania.  In 2000, Gladys Spratt, a descendent of Sarah’s sister Ida Gittel, published a history of the Aronsohn family, “Set in Amber”.  This history states that Jacob and Ida were born in Mariampol, from where they emigrated in 1886, settling in St. Paul.  It would not be unreasonable to assume that Sarah was born in the same place as her sister!

The 1905 Minnesota state census shows Sarah living with her children on Emerson St. in Minneapolis.  However, the notes show that three, Nathan, Moses and Leo, were at an orphanage in Ohio.  This was no doubt the Cleveland Jewish Orphan Asylum, now known as Bellfaire, in Cleveland, although I’ve never contacted them to see if they have any records.  This record shows that David, the oldest son, was in the Navy, and that the oldest daughters, Eva and Etta, were working as clerks, and no doubt supporting the family.  It must have been a very difficult life as a widow with so many children, especially having to temporarily give up three of them!

The 1920 census shows Sarah living in Ashley, SD with her son Moses (listed as Morris in the census).  They lived a few doors away from her daughter Etta, who had married Louis Strauss.  The 1930 Census shows her living in Kansas City, in the home of another daughter, Fanny.  She died a year later and was buried in Sheffield Cemetary, Kansas City Missouri.

Evelyn Dale, a granddaughter, remembered Sarah when I spoke to her in 1988.  She recalled that she was very Orthodox, kept a kosher home, and was diabetic.  Evidently, she also did not get along with her sister by this time.  “Family differences.” “Something was wrong there.”  Evelyn did not ask for details. 

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