Esther (Posner) Rosenthal was born Feb. 19, 1914 on Staten Island, New York City. Her parents were Sonia (Grebstein) Posner and Jerome Posner, who were married in Belarus on April 2, 1913 and emigrated a few months later. Sonia and Jerome arrived in New York on July 6, 1913 (seven-and-a-half months before Esther's birth). Esther's twin siblings, Sidney and Beatrice, were born on December 16, 1917. The family was still living on Staten Island as of 1920, but by 1925 they'd moved to the Hollis neighbourhood of Queens; as of 1930 the family lived in the St. Albans neighbourhood of Queens, where Jerome and Sonia ran a hardware store, living in an apartment above the store.
The occupations listed for Jerome on official documents such as census forms are (in chronological order): locksmith (1913); newsdealer (1915, 1916, and 1925); machinist in shipyard (1918 and 1920); retail dealer, hardware (1930); and merchant (1940). Jerome became a U.S. citizen in 1922, and Sonia automatically did too, as his wife (see Jerome's declaration of intention, petition for naturalization, and certificate of naturalization).
By 1940 Jerome and Sonia were living in Miami, Florida, where they ran a gas station. They later moved to Oakland, California, and then to Lawrence, Kansas, in both cases to be near their daughter Beatrice and her family.
In 1960, Jerome and Sonia embarked on a trip to the Soviet Union, but sadly Jerome never arrived, dying suddenly during their flight to Moscow. Sonia lived for another two decades, during which time she moved back to New York City, took courses at Queens College, and (after losing her sight) learned braille. Sonia died in 1980; a memorial service was held for her on November 29, 1980.
Esther met her future husband Harold Rosenthal when they were both students at Brooklyn College. Harold and Esther were married on May 23, 1936 in Washington, D.C., where Esther was working for the recently established Social Security program while Harold worked as a teacher in New York City. Harold and Esther had three sons; they lived for many years in Queens, New York. Esther was a lifelong left-wing activist, like her parents Sonia and Jerome. Harold Rosenthal died in January 1983; Esther (Posner) Rosenthal died in April 1985.
Esther's brother Sidney J. Posner (1917-2005) worked for RCA Victor and later became a chicken farmer. His first wife was Ann Copelos (1912-1951), and his second wife was Hazel Baron (1919-1982). Sidney and Ann had one child. Esther's sister Beatrice Ann (Posner) Wright (1917-2018) became a prominent psychology professor at the University of Kansas. She and her husband, M. Erik Wright (1915-1981), had three children.
Esther's father Jerome Posner (1886-1960) was born in Dubrovna, Belarus (which was then part of the Russian Empire) in March, 1886. (For info about Dubrovna, see Places in Belarus where the Jerome and Sonia lived).
Jerome's original surname was Pevzner; after immigrating to the U.S., he and Sonia changed their surname to Posner, presumably following the example of Jerome's older brother Samuel/Sam Posner (Zalman Pevzner), who had immigrated about eight years earlier. Jerome's original Jewish given name appears in documents as Irma (1913 transcription), Erma (1913), and Eremey (1939 and 1941).
Jerome's father's name was Afroim Pevzner (according to records of Jerome's marriage and immigration). Afroim may also have been called Yessen -- this is the name given for him in a 1998 Rosenthal-Posner family tree, which says that Jerome's mother was named Geeta and that Jerome's siblings were Sarah, Jenya, Hyja, Bassya, and Zalman (Solomon). The 1998 Rosenthal-Posner family tree also offers these interesting details about the family: "Jerome's father was extremely religious. Jerome's mother took in laundry and baked things to earn money. A brother and two sisters remained in Russia." (The report of Jerome's death in 1960 mentions that his sister B.A. Dobrushina was then living in Stavropol, Russia -- perhaps this was his sister Bassya?)
At least one of Jerome's siblings also immigrated to the United States: his older brother Samuel (Zalman), who was born May 1, 1882 and immigrated to the U.S. around 1905. He was a news dealer and later managed a laundry company. Samuel and his wife Jennie lived in the Hollis neighbourhood of Queens and had four children—the cousins of Esther, Beatrice, and Sidney—whose married names are provided in a 1998 Rosenthal-Posner family tree: Esther (Posner) Green, Ruth (Posner) Hakin, Edward Posner (who died when he was only 6), and Rose (Posner) Kesten. The family tree shows that Jennie's original Jewish given name was Zisha, and the record of young Edward's death shows that her original surname was Robinkoff.
Esther's mother Sonia Posner (ca. 1890-1980) was born in Obolitza (also known as Oboltsy), Belarus; we get this fact from the 1998 Rosenthal-Posner family tree. (For info about Obolitza, see Places in Belarus where the Jerome and Sonia lived). We get Sonia's original name from records of her marriage and immigration)—it was Sprintsa Grobshtein. Her grandchildren knew her as Sonia Posner, and the name Sonia appears in a few official U.S. documents; but more often in such documents she's called Sophie (or Sofie).
Sonia's father was Sholom Grobshtein (Solomon Grebstein). The 1998 Rosenthal-Posner family tree identifies Sonia's mother as Hanna, and Sonia's siblings as Naom (1878-1895); Eli (1880-1895); Fruma (1883-1943); Fania(?); and twin siblings who died young. It also mentions that Sholom's sister Hasia married Mayeir Sidoff and had a son named Grisha Sidoff (Sonia's cousin), and that Sonia and Jerome were married at Grisha's home in Mogilev. It gives these other details about the family: "Sonia's father ran a wheat grinding (into flour) mill. Sonia's sister Fania remained in Russia; other siblings died as children. Sonia's grandfather was a Tartar."
SEE ALSO: Some photos of Esther Posner and her family.