This page is part of Family history documents: Joseph Black & family.
-- Margaret Fulford
BARNARD OR BENNETT FINKELSTEIN - BOSTON DIRECTORIES - 1903-1905
These city directories show that Anna Finkelstein Black's older brother (Joseph Black's uncle) was living in Boston in 1903 and 1904, and perhaps 1905.
NOTES:
- We know that Anna had an older brother, because he is mentioned in the passenger list for the ship on which Anna and her mother Sarah arrived in 1904. For the question "Whether going to join a relative or friend [...], it says they are going to join Sarah's son, "Bernard". It looks as though one person (presumably the employee of the shipping line responsible for listing the passengers) originally wrote:
Son B Finkelstein
Chelsea str 215 East Boston Mass
and then another person (presumably an immigration officer at Ellis Island) edited "B" to "Bernard", crossed out the Boston address, and wrote "177 E. Houston St."
- See 215 Chelsea St., East Boston today and 177 E. Houston St., Manhattan today in Google Maps.
- So it's possible that Anna's brother moved from Boston to New York between the time he bought steamship tickets for his mother and sister and the time they arrived.
- These Boston city directories provide evidence that in the years just before Sarah and Anna immigrated, Anna's brother was indeed living in Boston.
- The 1903 directory lists:
Finkelstein, Barnard, tailor, 170 Hanover, h. 215 Chelsea
Since the home address ("h.") is the same as the address listed in the ship manifest, and since "Barnard" is so similar to "Bernard," this Finkelstein must be Anna's brother.
His work address, 170 Hanover, is about 3 miles from 215 Chelsea. See 170 Hanover today in Google Maps.
- In the 1903 directory there is also another tailor named Barnard Finkelstein, but with a different address: Finkelstein Barnard tailor h 6 1/2 Milton.
- Then in the 1904 directory there's this listing:
Finkelstein, Bennett tailor 745 Wash h 215 Chelsea E B
Now his work address is different (745 Washington), but given that his home address is still 215 Chelsea, East Boston, probably this is the same person, with a different anglicization of his name. Might he have changed his anglicized first name from Barnard to Bennett, to avoid confusion with the other tailor named Barnard Finkelstein? (As in 1903, the 1904 directory still has a listing for that other person, "Finkelstein Barnard tailor h 6 1/2 Milton".)
- Then in the 1905 directory there's this listing:
Finkelstein, Bennett tailor 745 Wash h 543 E Seventh S B.
This Bennett Finkelstein has the same name and same work address as the Bennett Finkelstein in the 1904 directory (but a different home address), which would seem to indicate that he lived in Boston in 1905 as well. Might he have returned to Boston after coming to meet his mother and sister in New York in 1904? (And might they have gone to Boston with him?) Or, perhaps this 1905 directory was based on information gathered in 1904, in which case it does not actually mean he returned to Boston. (As in 1903 and 1904, there's still that other listing for Finkelstein Barnard tailor h 6 1/2 Milton.)
- As of the following year's 1906 Boston directory, Anna's brother does not appear to be in Boston anymore. In the 1906 Boston directory, the Finkelstein page does not include any Bennett or Bernard or Barnard. (And none of the Finkelsteins listed in the 1906 directory live at any of the addresses that were listed for Barnard/Bennett Finkelstein in the 1903, 1904, or 1905 directories.)
- How long had Bernard/Barnard/Bennett been in Boston? In the 1902 Boston directory there is a listing for Finkelstein Barnard, tailor, 33 Wash. bds. 206 Saratoga. This could be the seemingly other Barnard Finkelstein (tailor) who in 1903-1904-1905 is listed as "h 6 1/2 Milton", or it could be "our" Barnard Finkelstein (tailor) who in 1903 is listed as "170 Hanover, h. 215 Chelsea". As this listing doesn't share any address with the listings in the 1903 directory, we don't know which "Barnard" is listed here.
- As for the 1900 Boston directory, there is a "Finkelstein Barnard, h. 111 Brighton". Again this could be either "our" Barnard or the other one. This listing doesn't even say "tailor."
