Soloski Family Tree,
drawn by Barbara Schaeffer
Soloski Family
Alan Garon and Jack Abramson
jackabramson@aol.com have
created a huge database of relatives somehow related to the
Karon/Garon/Soloski/Milavetz families, including mine.
http://www.garon.us/OtherFamilies.html
If you are, or think you are related to the many
Jewish families who lived in Duluth, Superior, Virginia, etc., I
suggest you send an email to Jack Abramson, explain your possible
connection and he can then help you to access the database.
jackabramson@aol.com
Theodore Soloski
My
mother's father. I was named after him. He was one of the
first Jews to be buried in the Duluth Jewish cemetery. He died in
1900. His burial stone is located right up against a boundary
fence in the Jewish cemetery.
Theodore
was the second husband of Faigeh Cohn who had been previously married to
Mr. Rozenberg. He had died during the Black Plaque in Europe and
Faigeh (Fanny in the US) married Theodore Soloski. I have
not found any information, so far, on Grandfather Theodore.
The Cohn
family were apparently fairly prosperous and, from what I had learned,
were in the shoe manufacturing business in Memel which is now known as
Klapedia. We visited the city during our 1986 Lithuanian trip, but
didn't learn a great deal. However, some Birth Certificates and
other papers are now with Michele Margulis Bretz as I sent her quite a
few white vinyl books with various pieces of information on all of the
family.
1.
Theodore Soloski b. in Lithuania d: 1900 in Duluth, Minnesota
+Fanny "Feiga" Cohen b. 1854 in Memel (Klapedia)
Lithuania d. Oct. 10,
1934 in St. Louis County, Minnesota
Descendants of Theodore Soloski
Benjamin R. (Ben) Soloski b. August 8, 1880 Latvia
d: Sept. 7, 1946 in
St. Louis County
+Bessie Buchman b. 1883 d:
+Theodore A. Soloski
+Minnie
Barbara
Lee
Craig
Daisy Soloski Tatch
+Robert Tatch d:
Lois Tatch
+Robert ?
Norman ?
Sarah Rebecca Soloski Milavetz July 28, 1882 in Lithuania d: May
4,
1976 in Virginia, MN
+Ike (Harry" Isaac Milavetz born Dec. 5, 1879 in Germany d:
Sept. 24,
1937 in Virginia, MN
David Milavetz b: April 16, 1902 in Wisconsin d:
August 29, 1969 in
Virginia, MN
+Francis Shirley M (Fraydal) Kaufman
Milavetz b: February 25, 1916 in
St Louis County, MN d: July 24, 1993 in St. Louis
Park, MN.
Barry Ira Milavetz
+Judith Sue Podell
Adam Milavetz
Judith (Judy) Milavetz b: 1946
+Jeffrey Freidson (divorced)
Deborah Freidson
Jenne Freidson
Ben Freidson
Gary Milavetz b: 1955
+Mary Elizabeth Teresi b: 1960 M: Nov
25, 1989 Minneapolis, MN.
Francesca Milavetz b:
1995
George Milavetz b: July 5, 1904 St Louis County, MN d: November 13,
1987
in St Paul, MN.
+Minnie Popkin b. January 23, 1905 St Louis
County, MN d: March 9,
1992 in St Paul, MN.
Robert Jay Milavetz
+Michelle Yellen b: 1939 d: November
2004
Alan Scott "Baruch
Shloym" Milavetz b: May 15, 1958
+Bonnie Gay Resnick b:
Dec. 16, 1959 m: June 1, 1986 in Hennepin
County, MN
David Jacob
Resnick Milavetz b: March 24, 1988
Daniel Elie
Resnick "Dan" Milavetz b: Feb. 20, 1991
Zoe Bess
Resnick Milavetz b: Dec. 27, 1995
Talia Mya
Milavetz b: Dec. 27, 1995
Stacy Jo Milavetz b: 1962
+Jonathan David Gallop b: 1956 m:
Nov. 5, 1983 in Hennepin County,
MN
Amy Lynn Gallop b: April
17, 1992
Mollie Rachel Gallop b:
April 17, 1992
Joshua Peter Gallop b:
Sept. 30, 1995
James Jared Milavetz b: 1963
+Donna Marie Lattari b: 1966 m:
August 21, 1994 in Hennepin County,
MN
Maxwell Sidney "Max"
Milavetz b: August 1998
Nicole Mae Milavetz b:
Nov. 1999
Olivia Milavetz b: March
20, 2004
Richard Duane Milavetz b: July 12, 1933 in St. Louis County, MN
Kenneth Sheldon Milavetz b: 1933 d:
September 7, 1941 in St. Louis
County, MN.
Warren Soloski
+?
Monroe "Duke" Milavetz
+Ruth Berman
Karen Milavetz
+Richard J. Weiland
Jacob Weiland
Ezra Weiland
Nathan Weiland
Sidney D. Milavetz b.
August 10, 1911 in St. Louis County d: Hennepin
County
+Edith Dena Smith Krasken b: November 4, 1907 in Ramsey
County d:
August 3, 1999 in Hennepin County
Morris Soloski - b: 2-22-1890 and lived at 33611 Tampa, Hillsborough,
FL. Social Security: 475-34-7865
+Ann Yessni b: March 25, 1894 d: June 1979
2 daughters ?
Harry J. Soloski b: 1891 Russia (Lithuania) d: October 7, 1970
+Mamie Ines Anne "Musel" Milavetz b: 1893 in Russia d: June 7 ?
Theodore "Ted" Soloski b: October 13, 1912 in Crow Wing
County d: ?
Minneapolis, Mn.
+Beatrice Goldstein
Warren Soloski
+?
Son ?
Jewel Dorothy Soloski b: December 18,
1916 in Superior, Wisconsin, d:
Bloomfield, Michigan
+Rabbi Julius Shuback b: July 9, 1921 in Koblenz, Germany married:
1943
Joyce Abbie Shuback b: July 25, 1951 in East Chicago,
Indiana
+Harold Rosenbloom b: October 12, 1951 in Hammond,
Indiana d:
Adam Rosenbloom b: April 8, 1978 in
Hammond, Indiana
Robert Hertz b: July 31, 1947 in Illinois
Rivian Hertz b: August 18, 1983 in
Merrillville, Indiana
+Andrij Ivan "AJ" Petryna b: October 10,
1969 in Hammond, Indiana
Fred Raphael Shuback b: December 3, 1952 in East
Chicago, Indiana
+Mindy Sue Sacks b: March 23, 1955 in St. Louis Park,
Minnesota
Marissa Beth Shuback b: July 7, 1982 in St.
Louis Park, Minnesota
Jeremy Alan Shuback b: August 12, 1984 in
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Andrea Michelle Shuback b: May 29, 1988 in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bessie Soloski Margulis b. Superior, WI d. Los Angeles, CA
+Samuel Charles Margulis b. Tolnoye, Ukraine d. 4-30-1961 Minneapolis,
MN
*Marion Margulis Levy b. Tolnoye, Ukraine d. 6-4-2000 Chicago,
IL
+Charles Levy
Daniel Levy b. 11-6-1937 Brooklyn, N.Y.
+Lorraine Levy b. New York 1-2-1940
?
Mildred Levy b. Brooklyn, N.Y.
+Allen Feinstein b. Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ginelle (Ginny) Hope Feinstein Kuper
Tyler Charles born
6-4-1991
Dylan James born 1-14-1995
Reese Alexander born 4-8-1999
*Moshe Chaimovitch Margulis b. Tolnoye, Ukraine d. Berdichev,
Ukraine
+Tuba Idelevna b. 6-13-1915 f. 11-19-1966
Yuri Margulis b. Talnoye, Ukraine d.
Israel
Semion Margulis b. Talnoye, Ukraine
*Aaron Margulis* (Murdered in Kerch, Ukraine with wife &
daughter by
the Nazis)
+name unknown
Ida d: Kerch, Ukraine 1940
*
denotes child from Samuel's first marriage in Ukraine
Peggy Margulis Barisof b. Minneapolis, MN 2-14-1925 d. 6-24-?
Los
Angeles, CA
+Leo Barisof b. St. Paul, Minnesota, d. Los Angeles, CA
Steven Barisof b. Minneapolis, MN
+Bonnie b. New Jersey
Milo b. Santa Cruz, CA
Nancy Barisof b. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Theodore (Ted) Harvey Margulis b. Minneapolis, Minnesota
January 3,
1931
+Harriet Sokol b. 6-3-1933 St. Paul, Minnesota (Divorced
Minneapolis
Minnesota d. May 16, 1997)
Michel Bruce Margulis Sokol b. 2-22-1956 St Paul,
MN.
+Stacy Perl Sokol b. 3-12-1953 Minneapolis, MN.
Joshua Adam Sokol
+Kayleen Sokol
Olivia Sokol
Ellie and Audrey b.
Austin, TX 6-18-2010
Delilah Adeline b. Austin, TX
7-2011
Amy Sokol Erickson b. Minneapolis, MN
2-22- 1990
+Chris Erickson
Evan Noah Erickson
Coming soon in October 2012 ?
+Shirley Bernadine Smolkin b. 9-8-1934 Married:
6-3-1956
Randi Ellen Margulis Grinbaum b. Los Angeles, CA
+Joseph Grinbaum b. Los Angeles, CA
Brianna Faye Grinbaum b. Los Angeles,
CA
Jeffrey Jordan Grinbaum b. Los
Angeles, A
Craig Scott Margulis b. 6-20- Los Angeles, Ca
+Beth Garfinkel b. Los Angeles, CA.
Justin Margulis b. Los Angeles, CA
Alyssa Margulis b. Los Angeles, CA
Corey Martin Margulis b. 2-14-1951 Los Angeles, CA
+Sofie Roberge Margulis b. Quebec, Canada
Emma Zave Margulis b. Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Stella Minnie
Margulis b. 2-4-10 Phoenix, AZ
Geraldine Margulis Herman b. Oct. 22, 1932 Minneapolis, MN
+Ronald Herman b. Minneapolis, MN d. Minneapolis, MN.
Leslie Herman b. 5-22 Minneapolis, MN
+Mike Doyle
Sam
?
Laurie Herman
Frank
Margulis b. 4-30-1936
+Kali Daneman Margulis b. d. 3-04-2010
Scott Margulis b. 1-9-1970
+Lisa ?
Ashley b.
Brandon b.
Michele Bretz
+Rick Bretz
Caitlin
Anita
Margulis b. 2- 14, 1939 Minneapolis, MN.
Jennie Soloski Horwitz b. Superior, WI d. Minneapolis, MN
(Bessie's twin)
+Nathan Horwitz b. 1891 d. 5-29-1945 St. Louis County
William b: 2-04-1918 d: September 27, 2006
+Selma d 11- 2011
?
Dorothy (Doddie) Horwitz
+Milton Hubert Altman b: July 18, 1917 m: May 21, 1942 in Camp Lee,
Virginia d:
Neil Edward Altman b: Jan 17, 1946
Robert Altman b: Feb. 21,1949
James Samuel Altman b: July 02, 1952
Lionel
(Labe) Horwitz b: August 11, 1930 St Louis County, MN.
+Marilyn ?
Theodore David (Ted) Horwitz b: August 1936 St Louis County, MN d:
11-22-1981 Minneapolis
+Harriet Gross b. 1942 in Mpls. (Shirley's First Cousin)
Esther Soloski Solomon b. Superior, WI d. Minneapolis, MN
+Samuel Solomon
Myrle b: ? in International Falls, Minnesota
+Jack Ehrlich b: ? in St Paul, Minnesota
Steven
B'nai Abraham shul in Virginia, Minnesota where the Cohens, the Milavetz
and the Soloskis were prominent members. Note: I'm not sure if the Cohn
family spelled their name with or without the letter e.
Bessie Soloski Margulis, my mother. Her identical twin was Jennie Soloski
Horwitz who lived in Duluth, Minnesota. Mom died on my birthday and Dad
died on my brother's birthday. She was a "great mom"
Jennie (Horwitz) (my mother's twin) married Nathan
Horwitz (a Cigar Maker) and had William (Selma), Dottie (Milton
Altman), Lionel (?), and Theodore who married Ted's wife, Shirley's
first cousin Harriet Gross.
People Who Have Contacted Me Re The Cohn and Soloski Family Connection
Allan Garon
allan@Garon.us
Robert Strumwasser
RobertStrum@email.msn.com
Milavetz Family Notes
Sarah Soloski Milavetz was my mother (Bessie Soloski Margulis)
oldest sister. In my opinion, Sarah was not a very giving person,
however, her son David and his wife, Frances Kaufmann,
made up with their kindness to my immediate family. I knew Aunt
Sarah but not her husband, Ike as he died just after I was born.
This family are all buried in Virginia, Minnesota's Jewish Cemetery.
Monroe (Duke) Milavetz was the youngest one of Aunt Sarah's sons born
in 1911. He was married to Ruth, and was a commercial artist working
for Sears Roebuck in Chicago in their catalog department. Duke was
trained in Vienna (Vienna School of Design & Crafts) on a
scholarship (according to an article in the American Jewish World of
Minneapolis as published in the October 16, 1931 issue, but I never saw
any of his art as such. He and Ruth adopted a girl as I recall.
During WW II, Duke was stationed with the Air Corps and his job was to
do the sketches that were needed for the training manuals and work on
designing camouflage. Sig
Shattil, a cousin, remembered Duke and about the magazine covers he
did, when Sig visited Abe Milavetz and his wife Lena in
Virginia, Minnesota.
According to Ron Shattil (a relative on the
Cohen side of my mother's family), Lena died of leukemia. Lena did needle
point and made a little foot stool for the Shattil family which Ron
has/had.
David Milavetz married Frances Kaufmann and they had Judy (Friedson);
Gary and Barry. David was my most favorite cousin. He was a
magazine distributor on the Iron Range and was very well respected.
Frances was one of the best cook and bakers - ever! I spent quite a few
summers at the Milavetz cabin on Sand Lake - just outside of Virginia. Those were just great
days what with many of the Soloski clan coming out to visit us - the
Minneapolis mishpacha. The cabin, as I first remember, was quite
rustic with an outdoor toilet, but when I was in my teens, indoor plumbing was
installed and the front porch was screened in allowing me to sleep so
peacefully on the porch without the bothersome mosquitoes who liked to munch on
me.
George Milavetz was a Dentist. My first
recollection of George was his dental practice in Ely, Minnesota and trying
to set up a "shitach" with a young lady by the family name of
Beugen. Her father was a druggist in Ely. His wife, Minnie
was a lovely, quiet lady and in their later years, they resided in
Highland Park, in St. Paul. George's practice was at that time in
St. Paul.
Sidney Milavetz was also a dentist and
practiced in Minneapolis. I understand that he was involved in the
development of a dental tool used to wash away debris in the mouth after
drilling into a tooth. He married late in life and to a very nice
lady, Edith Smith.
There were two (count 'em) Ted or Theodore
Soloski; one Ted Horwitz and one Ted Margulis - all, of course, named
after our grandfather Theodore Soloski. Ted Soloski the son of
Harry Soloski, died at a fairly young age. He was a food chemist
and developed, among several other items, Brown 'N Serve rolls. On
his way home from work, most evenings, he would stop by our home on
Thomas and give us samples of the various types of rolls he had worked
on that day.
The second Ted Soloski was also known as Ted
Roberts and he was married to Minnie. This Ted was at first a
teacher in Ohio, met Minnie and moved to Los Angeles where he became a
salesman selling couch covers for many years. When Shirley and I
first moved to Los Angeles in 1957, Minnie and Ted invited us to their
home to participate with their family in many Jewish holidays.
Ted Horwitz met Shirley's first cousin, Harriet
Gross at our wedding and fell in love with a 15 year old girl. He
dated Harriet (aka Butzie) until she was old enough to be married.
Ted was a CPA and died at a very young age.
Margulis (Margolis,
Margoulis)
My father's passport from Ukraine
Samuel Charles Margulis (Chaim Shmuel) aka Sam and
"Murphy". He
was born in Talnoye, Ukraine. He was married to Hadassah
(?) Rosen
who
bore him two boys and a girl. The boys were Moishe Haimovich and
Aaron. The
girl was Marion who first married a man by the name of Frank ?
and was divorced shortly thereafter and then married Charles Levy and became Marion Levy. I
remember hearing that Marion and Charlie may have been cousins.
Charles Levy was one of my three GREAT brother-in-laws!
It all started from this fax shown above from The
American Red Cross which I received at our home in Palm Desert,
California on June 19, 2000. After coming off the ceiling with
joy, I then called and spoke to my nephew, Simon (Semion) for
quite some time and explained our connection. He was so delighted
(as I was) to learn of our relationship. After he got over the
initial shock of learning of our connection, he said: "but you are my
enemy". He had served many years in the Soviet Army and that
is what he was taught.
Shortly thereafter, he and his wife Lana (Svetlana)
flew to the US to meet us and some of the rest of the family.
After spending time with us around southern California, they
continued on to New York to attend his grandson's Bar Mitzvah and
to meet relatives of his mother who lived in Cleveland, Ohio.
My half-brother Moishe fought in WW II at
Stalingrad. Some of his medals and his wrist watch hang
proudly in my office. Moishe was awarded a number of medals and
some of them hang in my office given to me by Bronislava, his second
wife. The medals were accompanied by a red booklet and Simon
translated the information from Russian to English, as follows:
"For excellent service in Military Force
USSR."
Petty officer Margulis Moisha Haimovich by Order Ministry of Defence
USSR
N 43 17 January 1959 get Reward Medal "For excellence Service Degree
Second" Commander Military Base N6184 Colonel Konyaev. 22 February 1959
By Order Ministry of Defence USSR N 44 Reward Medal "For excellence
Service" Degree First Commander base N16580 General - Major Belov 21
February 1963"
Moishe had two sons: Simon and Yuri
from his first wife. Yuri died in
Israel, and we met Simon (See
Margulis Saga
for this amazing story) in Los Angeles.
Aaron, his wife and daughter Ida (who
would have been the same age as I) were killed by the Nazis in
Kerch, Ukraine. Moshe's first wife was Tuba Rosen.
Moishe grew up in Zvenigorod orphanage. After leaving the
orphanage, he went to Kerch where he lived with his brother
Aaron. In Kerch, Moishe worked in a metal working plant as
a steel temperer. From July 1941 until October 1943, he was at the
front in a tank unit where he won several medals for bravery. He
also played in an Army band. After the war, he remained in military
service in Lutsk, then Novograd-Wolynski. He retired
as a junior sergeant. He moved to Berdechev in 1967 with his
second wife, Bronislava whom he met when she was a nurse in the
Soviet Army. He died on June 20 1991 which coincidently is the
birthday of my son Craig.
Moshe's grave in Berdichev, Ukraine. That's me next to the
gravestone.
Bronislava - Moshe's second wife (we're not sure if they ever married)
for many years and who gave us information about Moshe and his life.
Simon (Semen, Simeon) Mikhaylovich
Margoulis born 1934. The following information exists in the card
file for officers of the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense of
the Russian Federation:
"Major T/S Margulis, Semen Mikhaylovich (Shiman Moysheevich), date of
birth - 1935, resident of the city of Kerch, Crimean Oblast, by
Ministry of Defense Order No. 0167, dated March 16, 1982, was retired in
to the reserves as per Article 59, P. <<a> to the registry of the Soviet
RVK of the city of Minsk; on March 23, 1984 was on the registry in the
Runze RVK of the city of Minsk, Belarus. The wife of Margulis is (Rashkovskaya)
Sarra Suneevna, date of birth - 1940; son- Aleksandr, date of birth
1964."
Today, Simon and Lana live happily in St. Kilda,
Melbourne, Australia.
Yurly Mikhaylovich Margoulis born 1937. Died
in Israel, date unknown.
1316 North Thomas Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota
where I grew up from 1936 until I married Harriet Sokol in 1952.
The marriage lasted just short of 3 years, but we had a son, Michael
from this marriage. The phone number at the Thomas Avenue house
was Cherry 4003.
I had a very nice life living at home with my
parents until my marriage to Harriet. My very first job was
selling door to door snow suits (I was around 11 years old) which were
obtained from Chuck Rosen's father's factory. At age 15 or 16, I
applied for and was hired to sell women's shoes at Allan's - in downtown
Minneapolis where I worked there and a couple of other shoe stores part
time while attending North High and later the University of Minnesota.
One day, my friend Clarice Sherman, who lived just down the street from
us on Thomas, introduced me to her then boyfriend, Mel Zuckman.
Soon thereafter, I left the U of M to open
Cleveland TV and Appliance store on Cleveland Avenue in St. Paul,
Minnesota. We struggled for a few years and finally I had to give
up my share of the business because of two factors: one was that
Mel didn't recognize other people's sleeping hours and would make
service calls very late at night - sometimes even at 2 or 3 in the
morning and I was getting complaints galore but mostly because after
dating Harriet for awhile, she gave me an ultimatum that I either get a
regular paying job or she wouldn't marry me.
So I first got a job at an employment agency
figuring that if an interesting job were to come across my desk, I could
get to it first. And that's what happened. There was a job
opening at Kaplan Paper Box/Minnesota Envelope Company as a box designer
and estimator - and I jumped at the chance. Harriet was pleased
and she made plans for our wedding which took place at the Commodore
Hotel in St. Paul. John (Morris) Sokol had just gone
through bankruptcy and couldn't afford the wedding, so my Dad co-signed
a loan for me with the Chesed Chel Emes in Minneapolis for all of
$300.
We were married and within a few months, John died
of a heart attack. I was working at Kaplan Paper Box at that time,
which was located about a mile from John's apartment in the West Side of
St. Paul. Harriet asked me to come over quickly which I did.
As I walked into the apartment, Ida Sokol, Harriet's mother, grabbed
Harriet so that her back was to me and Ida, looking directly at me
stated very succinctly to me "now I only have you to take care of me"
while facing me. I knew I was in deep doo doo at that moment as Ida was
a domineering type person who I had continually tried to avoid arguing
with her.
Sure enough, shortly after burying John, and
without asking, Ida, and Harriet's younger sister Lois, moved into our
apartment. I don't remember her ever paying a share of the rent or
buying any food, but Ida knew how to boss and she told me, (as an
example of the kind of situation I was facing), not to touch the
refrigerator door handle without putting a towel around the handle.
And it wasn't even her refrigerator!
So there we were - Harriet and I living in a 2
bedroom apartment in St. Paul, along with Harriet's mother and her
sister Lois. Just before Christmas, I came into the apartment and
found my chalk pastels broken and laying on the carpet. When I
asked why my private chalk pastels were there and not in the closet
where I had kept them, Harriet's mother told me off and said that she
had told Lois she could play with them. No sorry ... no apology.
I was furious and asked Harriet to come into our bedroom alone.
I took hold of her shoulders and told her that
this was the last straw. She had to make up her mind to either
live with me or with her mother. Harriet started to cry, but then
she looked straight into my eyes and said "I want to live with my
mother."
So I left that day and we tried to reconcile -
even went to a Rabbi to try to get the matter resolved, but Harriet's
mother would not move out and so we were divorced. At Josh's Bar
Mitzvah, Harriet and I were cordial and she met Shirley for the first
time. Harriet was suffering from MS and died a few years later
after having been married a second time that only lasted a few weeks.
Same problem with the mother.
Ted, Mom, Dad and Michael at 1316 N Thomas
Ted married Harriet Sokol in 1952 and
they had a son Michael in 1954 just before Ted divorced
Harriet. Harriet raised Michael mostly by herself as I
had moved to California in 1957. Mike married Stacy
Perl on July 4, 1976. Because Harriet held her anger almost
to the end, I was not invited to the wedding. Mike and
Stacy had two children - Joshua (Kayleen) and had three and
a half children ( Olivia and twins and one due any day)
and Amy (Chris Erickson) who had Evan Noah and around
October, 2012 will have a new addition to the family.
It will be our sixth Great Grandchild!
Possible Relatives to be checked
Other Margulis names that I have not
been able to pinpoint as to a relationship with my dad's
family.
Berko Margulis (Boris) San Francisco
(415 752 8329) son is Michail Margulis, Professor in
Donetsk Technical University
margulis@kot.dgtu.donetswk.ua
Michail has a sister, Yelisavetz (Lisa) Shkolnik
Phone: 415 674 1990
pshkol@netzero.net
Howard Margulis (Howard.L.Margulis@Bakernet.com
)- father Nathan of Chernigov emigrated to St. Louis
Sam Margulis
Gift Exchange Days
"America's Greatest Trader" in the Gift
Exchange 1961. It was located at 8825 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles.
The business idea of creating a business to exchange duplicate or
unwanted gift items was mine as my father-in-law, Charlie Smolkin,
couldn't find a job when he and Minnie moved to Los Angeles in 1959. The
idea took hold and became very well known in the 1960s and 70s, not only
in Los Angeles but in 25 other cities where we had franchised Gift
Exchange stores. It was much publicized - especially the day after
Christmas. In fact, on the Huntley-Brinkley News, Shirley showed
off her pregnancy to the world for the first time! Art Linkletter
had me on his show three times - Steve Allen invited me twice; Pamela
Mason and there were many other guest appearances on both radio, TV and
stories about our business in Time, Life, Coronet, Readers Digest and
more.
Seating in front, going clockwise: Jill, Marian Margulis Levy (my
half-sister from my father's first marriage); Charlie Levy; Lorraine and
Danny Levy and Gerri Herman
Marion was, as far as I was concerned, my older
sister, even though she left our father's house before I was born.
She was a very sweet lady and after Charlie died, she moved to Chicago
to be near her daughter, Millie.
The
Levy Family
Charles Levy (a possible first cousin to Marian through the
Brodsky family) married Marian Levy (her second marriage) and
lived in Brooklyn, New York until their retirement to
Hollywood, Florida. Charley was one great brother-in-law and
treated Shirley and I with such great warmth - as if we had been their
best friends since child birth. Marian too was warm and gracious
when she first met Shirley and Shirley's father on their trip they had
made together to Montreal, where Charlie Smolkin met his sisters
for the first time in many, many years and then flew to New York
to visit Marian and Charley.
Marian and Charley had two children - a boy,
Daniel and a girl, Millie (Mildred) who is married to a great guy - Alan
Feinstein.
Millie and Al have the following children:
Ginelle (Ginny) Hope Feinstein Kuper who have Tyler Charles born
6-4-1991; Dylan James born 1-14-1995 and Reese Alexander born 4-8-1999
Abraham (Abe) Margolis (my father's younger
brother)
+Rose (Reese) Thomashefsky Margolis
Dorothy
+Unknown (divorced)
+Norman Gendein
Alvin Gendein
Bruce Gendein
Minnie Margolis Zimmerman b: ? d: ?
+Max Zimmerman b: ? d: ?
Nancy Zimmerman b: ? in Minneapolis
Irving Margolis
+Clara ?
? son
? son
Linda Margolis Ettinger
+Rabbi Etenu Ettinger
Jack Margolis
+Ruth Rocker b: ? Divorced: ?
Barry Margolis
Sherri Margolis Huff
? son
? son
Sarah Margolis Shields
+Sam Shlimovitz (Shields)
Judy
+Oren
Michael Shields
+ ?
Phyllis Margolis Appelbaum
+Melvin Appelbaum
Gail Appelbaum
? daughter
Smolkin Family
Charles, Isaac Smolkin, my father-in-law,
was a very kind man who married my mother-in-law, Minnie Gross - a very
quiet, unpretentious woman, in Fort William, Ontario, Canada on March 4,
1931. They had only one child, their daughter Shirley, who I
married on June 3, 1956 at the Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis.
The Rabbi was Rabbi David Aaronson whose son, Hillel, I count as one of
my close friends. We grew up together on the north side of
Minneapolis.
Charlie and Minnie's Marriage Certificate
Minnie
helped support the family, while living in Minneapolis. She worked
at the Minnetonka Moccasin Company as an inspector. She didn't
earn much, but she always made Shirley and her mother, Rachel Esther,
were comfortable. Charlie was a great father-in-law, and although
he had a great deal of education and spoke seven languages, he ended up,
while living in Minneapolis as a Liquor Wholesale Distributor
Warehouseman. After we moved to Los Angeles, Minnie and Charley
came out to live here, as well but Charlie couldn't find a job that
would support them, so I created a business for Charlie and he took to
it very quickly - though their were some trying moments in the
beginning. He did go back once to Minneapolis and was so proud to
show off to his old friends how he was now the owner of his own,
successful business.
Rachel
(Ruchel Esther) Langer Gross - Shirley's Maternal
Grandmother. Photo taken in Minneapolis. Ruchel,
according to Shirley didn't speak English and when she lived
with Shirley's folks, she would answer the phone with
"Hello, Shirley no home" and hang up.
Nathan Gross
+Florence Antonier
Harriet (Butzie) Gross Horwitz
+Theodore "Ted" Horwitz
Nettie Gross
Chutter
+Joseph Chutter
Jimmy Chutter
+Flo ?
Ronald Chutter
? Chutter
Bernice
Chutter Sandler
+Donald Sandler
Bobbie Sandler
+ ?
Buzzy ? Sandler
+ ?
Children ?
Betty Gross Hoffman
+Harry Hoffman
Martin (Sonny) Hoffman
+Joyce Berkowitz Hoffman
+Stanley Seigelbaum
five children ?
Bernice
(Bunnie) Hoffman
+Jerry Spanier
son ?
+ ?
twin daughters ?
Harry Mankoff
(m)
+Mary ?
Marilyn Mankoff
Ronald Mankoff
Katie Kermish
(Ruchel Esther's sister)
May Josewich
Serene Mazur
Minnie ?
Shirley Smolkin Margulis -
the love of my life! And the mother of three of my four
kids. She also deserves and gets respect from my son Michael
who calls her 'mom'.
We just
celebrated her 77th birthday on September 8, 2011!
more to come
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