Irving was good to his sisters when they arrived in this country.

Irving was the son of Gutman Tobias and Dora/ Dobre Huttner. He had at least 13 known siblings (See the Tobias and Seri page under the Wosnitzer Menu).

On this page we will learn more about 2 of them who also settled in the United States: Ester, and Bella.


Ester

Ester was born in 1889 in Galicia, Austria.  On May 4, 1906, at 17 years old, she sailed from Hamburg to Dover to Boulogne-sur-Mer to New York.  She arrived in New York on May 15, 1906.

Ester's Ship Manifest

Between 1908 and 1909, she lived at 85 Livingston Street, Newark, NJ.  That is also the address of her brother and his wife, Minnie, so she must have been living with them. She worked as a hat trimmer.


from the 1908 City of Newark, NJ, Directory

In Oct. of 1925, her address was 3352 Bronx Blvd., Bronx, NY, and she was listed as a housewife on her sister’s Bella’s Petition for Citizenship. (see below)

She was married to Mr. Greenberg.


Bella

Bella was born on April 8, 1901, in Tarnow, Galicia, Austria. She immigrated to the US on Sept. 22, 1922.  She left from Rotterdam, Holland. Since we know that Irving and Minnie married in 1903, Bella hardly knew her older brother when she decided to join him in the United States.

On April 18. 1928, in the US,  she signed a Declaration of Intention.  She listed her age as 27 and described herself as 127 pounds, 5 ft. 3 in. tall, with a fair complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes.  At that time she was living at 3352 Bronx Blvd. with her married sister.

On October 20, 1930, she filed a Petition for Citizenship.  Her sister, Ester Wosnitzer Greenberg, and her sister-in-law, Minnie Wosnitzer signed as her witnesses. She and Minnie must have remained friends, or at least on good terms, since by then, Minnie was no longer living with Irving.

Bell's Declaration of Intention
Bella's Petition for Citizenship
Bella's Oath of Allegiance

Bella married to Jack Spiewak.  He was born in Poland about 1908, and was a laborer in a hat factory.

Bella and Jack had two daughters, Harriet, born about 1935 in NY, and Toby.

For the 1940 census, they were living in Clearfield, PA. (Note:  There were a lot of Spiewak’s listed in PA in the 1940’s.  Could they have moved there to be closer to his family?)

Harriet married Morris Hackman and had 3 children. Toby married Martin Rockwell and had one daughter.

Bella died on Aug. 31, 1988, in Cook County, IL. Her obituary appeared in the Chicago Tribune on September 2, 1988, Friday, Page 9.

Bella Spivak's obituary, 1988