Book Report: Bridging Three Worlds

Bridging Three Worlds; 

Hungarian-Jewish Americans, 

1848 – 1914

By Robert Pearlman

The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, 1991

Contents

In Hungary

          A Very Short History of Hungary

          Jews and Magyars

          The Quid pro Quo Arrangement

          Religion, Languages, and Folklore

          Two Jewries

Migrating and Settling

          The ‘48ers

          Three Families

          The Big Migration

          Urban Colonies

          Small Town Diaspora

Three Worlds

          The Magyar Connection

          The Jewish Bond

          The American Door

          Flickers and Reflections

When I began researching my Jewish roots I knew there was a lot I did not know. My Jewish grandfather died before I was born so I had no exposure the culture or religion. When Robert Friedman started doing the research for me traced my Gartner family back to Hungary I knew nothing about that country either.

I sent off an email to Robert, asking him to recommend something I could read so I could learn what life was like for the Gartners. One of the books he suggested was Bridging Three Worlds.

First the book gave me a short history of Hungary, where my great grandfather, Leopold Gartner and his family lived beginning about 1864. Then it painted a picture of the immigration process as it would have been about 1874 when Leopold came to New York City. The book taught me about Jewish settlements in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and the major occupations of those Hungarian-Jewish neighborhoods. Not having any family stories about this part of my family this book helped flesh out the details. I’m very glad to have this book.

Name: Moritz Gertner/Arthur Moses Gardner

My grand uncle, brother of my maternal grandfather, used more than one name in his lifetime, making it difficult to find records for him. There were gradual variations in his name over the years.

Moritz Gertner/Arthur Gartner/Arthus Gardner

1884, June 17. New York State birth certificate for my grand uncle shows his name: Moritz Gertner, son of Leopold & Fany (Edelstein) Gertner of 59 Pitt Street, New York City.

1900. US Census, Manhattan, NY. The 15 year old boy was Moses Gartner, ‘at school’

1905. New York State Census. Moses Gardner, 17 working as a telegrapher.

1917. WWI Draft Registration card. My granduncle was now Arthur Moses Gardner. Indicates he was born 15 June 1874. His father was Leopold Gardner and he was working for the Western Union Telegraph Company, so I know it is the correct man.

1925. New York State Census. Moses A. Gardner, 37.

1925, December 24. New York State Marriage Certificate. Arthur Moses Gardner married Frances Eisen in the Hotel Majestic on 72^nd Street & Central Park West.

1930. US Census, Manhattan, NY. Arthur Gardner was a ‘wireman’ for Western Union. He & frances were on West 164 Street.

1940. US Census, New York City. Arthur Gardner and Frances lived on Riverside Drive. He was a ‘wire chief’ for a communications company.

1942. WWII Draft Registration card. Arthur Moses Gardner and Frances were still living on Riverside Drive. He was working for the Western Union Telegraph Company on Hudson Street. He indicates he was born 15 June 1884.

1953, May 4. According to Washington Cemetery in Brooklyn he died on May 4, 1953 and is buried under the name Arthur M. Gardner.

The names changes were variations on his original name. He went from Moritz to Moses to Arthur Moses. His surname went from Gertner to Gartner to Gardner. It is easy to see how this could have gradually changed and makes a bit of a nuisance to track him but not impossible.

I had not been able to find a birth certificate for my grand uncle, most likely because I was looking for Moses or Arthur. Recently, Robert Friedman, of Stepsto the Past LLC, went to the New York City Archives and found the birth & marriages certificates for me!

Next up: photographs of his tombstone & a death certificate.