Max and Taube – Our Roots

Taube sailed by herself with 6 small children to come to the United States.

Max (Yechiel/ Jechiel Mechel) was the son of Henoch Leber and Celia Rosenblatt. He was born about 1851 in Galicia in the Austrian Empire. He married Bertha Wolf in 1871 (abt) and had 6 children with her. (See the Minnie’s Half Siblings section to learn more about them).

Bertha died in 1883 in Tarnow, Galicia. In 1886 (abt) he married Taube Binder and had 6 more children. (To learn more about Minnie, go to the Minnie section under the Laber menu. To learn more about the other children, visit the Minnie’s siblings section under the Laber menu.)

He 1888, he immigrated to the US. His occupation at that time was listed as a Handler. A Handler is a trader or dealer. Could he have been a butcher? He sailed on the Zwischendeck, which means the steerage deck.

This is what a steerage deck looked like in 1876. In steerage, there were separate compartments for single men, women, and families.

For a description of what it was like to travel in the steerage deck, click here.

Taube was born about 1865 in Galicia in the Austrian Empire to Wolf and Anna Binder.

Binder means a machine that reaps and binds grain into sheaves, so was someone in the family a binder before there was machinery to do it?

Taube left Rzepink, Galicia on 05/14/1890 with four of her step-children and her own 2 babies and made her way to Hamburg, Germany. From there she sailed on the Amalfi also in the Zwischendek, the steerage deck. Taube arrived in New York on the Amalfi on 06/02/1890.

Taube and Max’s oldest daugther, Minnie, married Isie Wosnitzer (Woznicer) on Sept. 13, 1903, and moved to Newark, New Jersey. Their youngest child and first son, Harry, was born in 1904 (he was 16 in the 1920 census). Below is a portrait of their children in 1904. Minnie is married and missing from the photo.

Standing girls from left to right: Ray, Goldie, Hannah
Rose is sitting and holding baby Harry

The Butcher Shop

In the 1906 and 1907 NY city directories, Max Leber is listed under Butchers at the address of 399 Blake Avenue.

In 1915, Max and Taube were living at 465 Sackman Street, Brooklyn, with 3 of their children: Rachel (Ray), Goldie and Harry.

They were fortunate to have indoor plumbing, but you had to go out into the hall to use the bathroom. It was not inside of their apartment.

Max died in 1916 at the Jewish Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. When he died, his 12 children ranged in age from 44 to 12.

Taube at Max’s Grave

Taube and grand-daughter, May, 1917

Later Years

Taube kept the butcher shop going. In 1920 she was living at 430 Blake Ave, Brooklyn, with her 2 youngest children, Goldie and Harry.

At some point, she met Charles Kosofsky and married him in 1927. Millie Pollay Abramson remembers seeing an old man when they went to Grandma Taube’s apartment. Taube raised her step-children alongside her own children, although most of them were older and out on their own by this point in time.. The step-children were always friendly to Taube’s children but not as close as her children were to each other.

She also remembers the children running outside to wait for Grandma to come and visit, and running to her when they saw her walking down the street. Taube would pick all the children up and hug them when she saw them. She had to take a subway from her apartment in Bronxville to get to 2054 78^th Street to visit her daughters, son, and grandchildren.

Taube and grandchildren, May and Marcy
Taube and 2 of her grandchildren, May Wosnitzer and Marcy Streicher

Taube’s health declined when she was in her late 60’s. She had a few bad falls and once hit her head. She was staying with Minnie and died in Minnie’s apartment. They had to carry her casket down the stairs which was a difficult task. Millie remembers her mother and other Aunts carrying on and screaming and crying and pounding on their chests as the casket was carried out. They were crying so loud, they could be heard down the street.

She died on April 25, 1938, at 71 years old, and is buried in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, NY.

In her will, she left $5000 to her daughter Minnie. Her other children were also all left something, but what, we do not know.

Outstanding Questions:

How did Charles Kosofsky and Taube meet?
What and where did Charles teach?
Where was the butcher shop located?
How old was Taube when she got married?

Sources:

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Taube sailed by herself with 6 small children to come to the United States.