Documents of Our History
Coming to America was an important to those who made the hard trip from other countries. They worked hard, established families, became American citizens and passed our histories from Generation to Generation.
My Great-Grandma's Picture
unknown
My mom
This is a picture of my great-grandmother. She came to America from Poland when she was a young girl. We think the photograph was taken after she arrived in America. Looking at her we can tell where we got our curly hair and big eyes.
The picture is important to my family because she passed away when my pop-pop was a teenager. My mom never got to meet her. It is important to keep pictures like this one for memories.
Picture of My Grandfather
Elizabeth NJ
My Poppop
This is a picture of my grandfather (Pop Pop) when he was 12 years old. It kind of looks like a friend of mine from camp.
This is one of the only pictures my grandfather has from when he was young.
Ketubah
New York
Grandma Mae
Abram M. and Anna D. had a Jewish wedding on November 10, 1935.
Family memory and part of our whole family forever.
Yellow Star
Paris, France
My Grandmother
My great grandmother had to wear this to identify herself as a Jew. She was able to escape to America before the deportations from France began.
It reminds us of what the Jews had to go through.
Ketubah Certificate of Marriage
New York
Grandmother
The Ketubah is my great-great-parents, Katy S and Louis S. It is their marriage certificate. In Hebrew, Ketubah means a marriage contract. It has many Hebrew words on it.
This signifies my great-great-grandparents' marriage. It has been in the family for 101 years. It is always a reminder of them
Naturalization Document
New Bedford, MA
Great great Aunt Lilli W
This is our great great grandmother's naturalization document showing that she became a citizen of the United States on March 25, 1949. Our mother is named for my great great grandmother Julia S. who was born in Lisbon, Portugal.
Julia S. was born on August 21, 1884. She is the mother of our oldest living relative, great great aunt Lilli who lent us this document.
Collections of Letters from My Great Grandfather
US Marines
My great grandmother
My great grandfather Leo R. volunteered to seve in the Marines during World War II to fight the Nazis. While he was in Asia he sent letters to my great grandmother who made a book of them. He was an excellent mechanic, but he never fired a gun because he fixed machines on a boat. These letters are special because they were written by my great grandfather to my great grandmother before my grandfather was born. Leo R. has died so this is what I can remember him by.
They are important because they are about my family history.
Certificates of Citizenship
New York
Grandparents
The certificates of citizenship is are from my great grandmother and great grandfather on my father's side. My great great grandfather came from Poland back in the early 1900s. My great grandmother came here when she was 12 years old with her mother. Her father had come earlier and they were sponsored to come over here. When they came here they lived in a tenement on the Lower East side of New York. The family worked as janitors and were very poor.
The citizenship papers ware significant because they show how my family immigrated to the United States and worked hard to become citizens of America. They value the idea that nobody could deport them because they were part of a free country.
B. Family Portrait
Passaic County
1930
This is a photo of my mother's family from around 1930. Three of the children arrived from Lithuania in 1912 with their mother, Masha, to meet their father, Morris, who arrived in 1910. The younger three children were born in the United States. The family settled in Paterson, NJ which had a large Jewish population.
This is important because it show George B., my great grandfather who was father of Howard our grandfather.
Anne Frank Photo
Amsterdam
My dad
This photo shows my grandfather, Peter Neuhaus, with Anne Frank.
This photo reminds me that although my grandpa and Anne Frank were in the same class at school, they didn't share the same fate.
Jewish History Book
Columbus Circle, NY
My Grandma
My great-great grandfather, Abraham A. came to the United States with his brothers in the early 1900s. The went to an agricultural school (which is now part of Rutgers) to teach him how to be a farmer. He was given this book by the Council of Jewish Women so he could give his children a Jewish education.
As an immigrant he was not able to practice Judaism in his home country, so he didn't have many Jewish books for his children.
This book is special to my grandma because it was her grandfather's book from 100 years ago. It shows how people tried to educate farmers in Jewish history. Many of the Jewish farmers wanted to learn about their heritage.