One of the important components of family research is piecing together a narrative that describes the family and its changes throughout time. This is a living document, so I will continue to update this page as I discover and learn more about the family.
I’ve traced the family of my mother, the Bermans, back to Wolf Berman, who was born in Russia. He married Feige Slawitz (Fanny) about 1890, before she immigrated to the United States. Feige first appears in the U.S. federal census in 1910, by which time she is a widow, living in Brooklyn. She arrived in the United States in 1907 or 1908, and she had eight children, only one of whom, Samuel Wolf(e) Berman, had survived by 1910. Feige’s parents were named Joseph Slawitz and Malke (Molly) Ginsburg.
via Shari Berman Landes
Samuel Wolf Berman was born in Odessa (present day Ukraine) on 26 Mar 1899. He left for Boston, Massacusetts from Liverpool, England, in July 1907. He appears to have traveled with Aaron Labunsky, under the name Schmuel Berman. Aaron and Samuel were listed in the ship manifest as cousins. Both were expected to be received by Odella Labunsky, Aaron’s sister. At the time of his immigration, Feige was still living in Slawuta, Wolinien (present day Ukraine). I haven’t found any convincing evidence of Odella or Aaron in Boston.
By 1910, Samuel was living with his mother in Brooklyn.
Samuel declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States in 1912, and the process completed with his naturalization in 1916. He married Anna Nachamin (Neckameyer), the daughter of Wolf Nachamin and Rebecca Kashowitz, on 22 Mar 1919.
Continuing their residence in Brooklyn, Samuel and Anna had three children: Seymour (Cye) born in 1923, and Rita born in 1928. Samuel passed away on 26 Apr 1938.
Aaron married Estelle Amanda (Pat) Lovejoy, and later passed away in November 1983. They had three children.
Seymour, my grandfather, married Vivian Klein, daughter of Jacob (Jack) Klein and Lillian Herman, on 19 May 1946. Seymour passed away on 16 Jul 1978 in Suffolk County, New York. They had two children.
Rita Berman married Lawrence Abrams, and later passed away on 17 Jun 2010. They also had two children.
After Samuel Berman passed away, Anna Nachamin Berman remarried several times. She married Benjamin Rich, who appears alongside her in some of these home movies. After Ben died, she married Max Vogelfanger. Max later passed away, and Anna moved to Florida before passing away herself.
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