Estelle Byk - My paternal great-grandmother

Nanny and Alan (my dad)
February 24, 1933

Estelle Byk was my father’s beloved grandmother. He loved her so much that, when he was just three years old he boarded a train in Long Island and headed for Nanny’s house in Brooklyn!

Later in life, he wrote a wonderful tribute to her titled “A Grandmother’s Love.” My sister, Elizabeth, is the main recipient of our father’s love of his grandmother. She has two middle names, “Rose” after our maternal grandmother and “Byk” in honor of Estelle.

Alexander Sved - November 26

Happy Thanksgiving to all in the US!! My apologies for the delayed post. 

Alexander Sved was born on 26 Nov 1891 in Gyoma, Bekes, Hungary. He was the second of four children born to Frank Sved and Regina Newman, both also born in Hungary. I have yet to find his immigration information, but according to census information, he may have emigrated to the United States in 1905 along with his parents, sisters Rita and Ella and his brother, Henry.

George Ralph Kesner

Geo. Ralph Kesner

George Ralph Kesner was born on November 16, 1856. He was my 2nd great-grandfather on my father's side.

Information gathered by my father indicated that George was born in Leeds, England. I could find no proof of that. Nor could I find any emigration or naturalization information that might confirm he was an immigrant. I searched for years, to no avail, for his parents’ names hoping that might determine his birthplace.

Finally, two weeks ago, I stumbled upon a newspaper article about George’s business dealings. The article was quite lengthy and detailed complaints about George Ralph Kesner’s insurance adjustment business. I will write more about that story and how it helped me break through a "brick wall" in a future post.

The Winchester Tradition

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday. Since I don't post about living people, I thought of another way to honor his special day (especially since I didn't buy him a present yet!) 

In my husband's family there has been a tradition for several generations when naming a child to give them the middle name of WINCHESTER. Where did this start you may ask? 

Read on to find out more

No one in the family had the last name of Winchester -
but it makes a nice illustration for the post, doesn't it?

Peter Klauss Schuster

Peter Klauss Schuster was born on 11 Nov 1929 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He was the only child of Felix Schuster and the former Claire Theresa Spiegel.

Peter was my first cousin, once removed. He was like a brother to my mom, who was an only child like Peter. Peter and his parents lived in Prague but I always got the feeling that they spent a good deal of time in Vienna, visiting their relatives.

Peter - April 12, 1932

Peter (right) and his cousin, Doris (Left)
Approx. 1935

Paul (Nebenzahl) Nevins

Paul Nebenzahl was my Grand-uncle, having married my maternal grandfather's sister, Valerie Lichtenthal. 

Tante Vally and Unlce Paul - as I remember them - 1960s

Paul Nebenzahl was born on October 31, 1894 in Kraków, Poland. His parents were Solomon Nebenzahl and Cacilie Jakobsohn. 

 All I really know about him is what I have learned from photos I found and and the one "family secret" told to me by my mom. See my post about his wife, Vally for that! I learned more about Paul's family while researching my last post  "Whose Ashes Are On My Shoe?".

Whose Ashes are On My Shoe??

Today's post is not a birthday post but is related (pun intended!) to my next birthday post scheduled for October 31.

During the summer of 2012, my siblings and I had the difficult chore of emptying our mother's home after her passing in December 2011. Our family, the original owners of the ranch home, had lived there since 1959. My mother, an only child, had inherited not only her mother's personal items but her aunt and uncle's as well. The attic, which ran the length of the house, was chock-full of "goodies." I had finally worked my way to the section where Tante Vally (see Vally Lichtenthal) and Uncle Paul's boxes lay.

As I emptied the contents, I noticed two handkerchiefs, each tied in a knot.