Photoessay #1076 - Family History

I worked on my family history a loooong time ago. In 1974, I took a family history that my grandmother Regina Baumann had written in 1932 as a start. She had to write it as part of an admission process for Ruth to get into some school? That doesn't make much sense but that's the story. As a college student, I interviewed my grandparents and my parents and revised it, the product a typewritten report. Heavier on my mom's side but I expanded into my father's side (and later some notes from Dennis' family) I also tried my hand at some charting. Way before the net and genaology programs, even before PCs.

I never really completed it. But my father's cousin called and wanted the family tree. I've scanned the handwritten chart of my great grandfather Edward Cohen's family. Three daughters then three sons. My grandmother was Betty, the third daughter. All her life, she moaned her feelings of inadequacy "Who wants a third daughter?" she would say. But I think she might have been her father's favorite.

In this charting attempt, I didn't put her descendants, probably on another chart. Here are descendants in a text indented version.

Beryl (Betty) 1900-2002
married Harold J. Ginsburgh 1923 (1899-1994)
Allen Sidney (1926-2007)
married Claire Baumann (1924-2010)
Sandra Jean (1952-)
married Dennis Barnes 1976 (1953-)
Daniel Stewart (1982-)
Melina Eng (2000-)
Susanna Kim (1984-)
Ilana Regina (1986-)
Naomi Ruth (1989 -)
Charles Lester (1954 - )
Pamela Ellen (1959 -)
Teresa Robin Dunn (1995-)
Elgie (Ethel Louise) (1929-)
Sonia Helen Levin (1955-2007?)
Jonathan Levin (1957- 1977)
Rebecca (1960-)
married Guy

I notice that I lost the indenting on blogger

I haven't included ex-spouses. And I'm guessing at some of those dates. Nt father's cousin Barbara is Mollie's daughter.

Also a photo, I just inherited from my mother. I'm quite sure that this is Edward and Sonia Cohen. With their three daughters (Faye, Mollie, Beryl) and their first son Archie. circa 1907. My grandmother Betty (Beryl) is on the far right. It looks like her!

Love those dresses! My great grandfather Edward immigrated from Odessa as a young man coming with nothing. He started out painting houses and (maybe) eventually owned quite a number of properties in Cambridge, MA. Somebody told me that he donated the Hillel House building to Harvard but that's unsubstantiated.