From the Family Reunion

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Davnob Family History</B></FONT><B>     |   </B><B>  </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Davnob Family History"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Davidson Family Saga"><U>Davidson Family Saga</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oral History"><U>Oral History</U></A>   |   <B>From the Family Reunion</B>   |   <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moishe of Hull"><U>Moishe of Hull</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Avram Haim Davidovitz"><U>Avram Haim Davidovitz</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Salits of Vilna"><U>The Salits of Vilna</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#top" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Family Reunion</U></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#sophie" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Sophie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#edie" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Edie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#minnie" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Minnie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#charlie" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Charlie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#soph2" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Sophie's account</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4_m.htm#lionel" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Lionel's explanation</U></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <I>From the Family Reunion</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="top"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>DAVNOB RE-UNION - REMINISCENCES AND HISTORY</div> <bR> <div> The Family Reunion of 1998 was an occasion of much reminiscence and anecdote. Colin's video record and later the transcript he circulated are invaluable - both as a record of the family in 1998, and as source of family history.</div> <bR> <div> Click on the links on the left  to read the "real story"...</div> <div> Click on the menu above to go to other Family History Pages</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#sophie" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Sophie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#edie" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Edie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#minnie" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Minnie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#charlie" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Charlie's story</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#soph2" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Sophie's account</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#lionel" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U><U>Lionel's explanation</U></U></A><U>  </U></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="sophie"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>SOPHIE</div> <bR> <div> I had the good fortune to be born in Hull in 1904. I was the third of my parents' very fruitful and very happy marriage.</div> <bR> <div> When I was born I had two older brothers, Joe and Moshe. I was the third. The next two were also brothers. So, I was one daughter with two...</div> <bR> <div> And I was born on a very lucky day. It was Erev Simchas Tora. That is the evening before the 'Rejoicing of the Law'. And, my mother told me, I didn't hear it, I don' t remember hearing it. My Mother told me that she had two midwives. She knew she was going to have a lot of children. She had a Mrs. Fisher and a Mrs. Schneider, and Mrs. Schneider said to her, "You know Annie, you've got a mazeldikke tochter and your baby is a little girl and she will always be lucky she will have mazal because it is Erev Simchas Tora. Simchas Tora is the 'Rejoicing of the Law'. And when I was told that . . . when I was old enough, I was very proud.</div> <bR> <div> And then I had another very lucky thing happen to me. In Hull, attached to the Western Synagogue there was a Jewish Girls School. So from the age of five, I was learning every mitzvah every blessing. Every blessing under the sun. We learned, we learned from the old (text) to the very top. And so, when I grew up if I went to shul, I could take part in the service. I could read,.. It's not that we didn't have a religious home - we had a very religious home. But its not like being at home and learning negal wasser. (dry washing her hands).</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U>TOP OF FAMILY REUNION PAGE</U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="edie"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>EDIE</div> <bR> <div> If we go back to Hull, and if we go back to the period when Sophie is speaking about -- probably later, because as you know I am six-years younger than Sophie...</div> <bR> <div> I never went to the Jewish school, I went to an ordinary school. I think my memories or more of being altogether close with my sisters and my brothers. Probably -- Minnie, Cyrie and Geoffie -- the ones who were nearest to me in age.</div> <bR> <div> We used to play hockey sticks in something called The Big Yard. We called it The Big Yard. We used to play there. Yes, I remember all sorts of things. Perhaps the most amusing thing I can tell you...</div> <bR> <div> In families where there are a lot of people, there's always two of you who are together - so that there'd be Edie and Minnie -- it would be Lammie and Geoffie... you know there be... it went that way... Lammie and Geoffie played together. And, in the long summer holidays, I think nine children under your feet must have been a lot for Mama. There was a seaside place called Withensea and it's only 10 pence to go on the train to Withensea. And, I remember one year Mama packed up a picnic and a bottle of lemonade and she gave it to Lammie and Geoffie and they went for the day to Withensea. They played there and she told them to "Be good boys" - to "Look after each other" and to "Come back home" at a certain time.</div> <bR> <div> And, they were playing, and like all boys they started quarrelling. One would go into paddle and the other would be left to look after the boots. They wore boots in those days, lace up boots. One got a bit fed up, the other had been a long time paddling, so he made a little hole in the sand and buried the boots. (laughter)</div> <bR> <div> When Lammie came back... I think it was Geoffie ... when Lammie came back and said "Where's my boots?" He said "Oh, I don't know... I hid them! So it's my turn to go into the water." And he went into the water. When he came back, Lammie was still looking for the boots, digging and looking (laughter).</div> <bR> <div> They didn't really dare go home. Eventually they both went home! And my mother saw them and she said, "Have you been good boys?" And "Did you have a nice time?" And "Did you have a nice picnic?" And "Did you drink you lemonade..." </div> <bR> <div> Then she looked down... "Where's your boots!" </div> <bR> <div> And Lammie said "Geoffie buried them!"</div> <bR> <div> Geoffie said "Lammie buried them!" </div> <bR> <div> And that both got a good hiding and went to bed!</div> <bR> <div> ... that's my story!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U>TOP OF FAMILY REUNION PAGE</U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="minnie"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U> </U></FONT>MINNIE </div> <bR> <div> As I pointed out, I was the youngest...</div> <bR> <div> Cyril was my dearest love really. We used to travel to work together on the Tube and he used to wait until my hand... we never had a seat in those days... the Tube in those days was very difficult... and he used to wait until I put my hand up to catch hold of the sling, and he'd get it first. And then he'd get on the escalator and he'd pretend to push me down. And from that day on, as all my children will vouch... anybody who knows me... I will not go on an escalator.</div> <bR> <div> So after that... that brings Joe and Dorrie to the fore, because they were the ones that brought us to London. And Joe and Dorrie really were wonderful to me. At one time they were going to emigrate to Australia and there were going to take me with them, and strangely enough, I thought that was going to be wonderful. At the last minute Mama got sorry about it, and she wouldn't let me go. So I stayed on. But Dorrie got me my first job -- in Boots in Piccadilly and this is where I bring Geoff and Binkie in. Binkie, who also sadly isn't with us today -- who I think about every day -- she introduced me to a completely different lifestyle. But also I introduced her to my dear Brother Geoffie and they got married and opened up a whole new family for me.</div> <bR> <div> So those are my recollections and... after that the war came -- and Lionel and Mama came to live with me when Steffi was born -- and Lionel was responsible for Steffi being born three days early! Because, as I remember it -- I was very pregnant -- at twelve o'clock at midnight when I was just dressing -- he opened the door and just stood there - and the shock of seeing him... I won't go any further, because that would bring me in to when Roger was born and that's a whole other story, so I'll leave that to somebody else!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U>TOP OF FAMILY REUNION PAGE</U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="charlie"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U> </U></FONT>CHARLIE</div> <bR> <div> Lou, my oldest brother, was unique in a way, intellectual, he used to go to Foyle's bookshop and they had things like penny and twopenny books -- all afternoon he used to sit there with these books. He went to Camden Town -- Mornington Crescent secondary school. He formed a friendship with a few of his friends by the cinema, and between them they founded the Association of Young Zionists. He was the President of it. The National Association had groups all over England, Ireland and Scotland... We used to charter (a train) the railways, which were not at that time nationalised. We used to charter these trains on the night travel with different groups to different parts of England and they had debates with other societies. I remember we used to come back and the train arrived too late to go home so we went to Lyons Corner House... </div> <bR> <div> Can I tell you of the reason why you are all here today. I was the secretary of a small society (He'Atid) in Brixton. 'He'Atid' is the Hebrew for the future. At that time the possibility of Jewish home in Israel was impossible to imagine - men weren't even on the moon at that stage. Very few people attended the societies. In fact the only society south of the Thames was in Brixton. One of the members was Harry Golombek - he later became a big-name -- a grand chess master of England. There were two lads still at school, one was Aubrey, the son of the rabbi - (he became) a major in the army and he changed his name to Abba Eban (the renowned Foreign Minister of Israel in the 1960s). The other was a young man who used to take an umbrella on the occasional rambles we had... Lou who was my brother often came too. I have now come to that point. One of the members was my best friend Geoffie Davidson, and he eventually bought his sisters to the society's meetings -- and thereby brought about the coming of the Davnobs.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U>TOP OF FAMILY REUNION PAGE</U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="soph2"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>SOPHIE</div> <bR> <div> There was a time that I don't think anyone here will remember the general strike of 1926. The country went to pieces. There were no buses, no trams, nothing. The government were giving people the opportunity to go and live in Australia. For £12 you could take your belongings, your wife and children, your relatives and for £12 you could go to Australia. My father had died very young and my older brother Joe was like a father to us.... People were in a state. Joe's money was going - and he decided we would go to Australia. But he wanted to make sure we would all go -- so he wanted Mama to let Minnie go. Minnie was Mama's favourite. He wanted Minnie to go with him but Mama said no. She said "You go first. If you make it good we'll come". So they came to London to say goodbye to Dorrie's father. They came to London and as Joe tells it - it was a "leberdiche veldt". It wasn't like Hull which had gone to sleep it was a different world. He said "You know what Dorrie, if I can get a job here we won't go to Australia." She said "What you mean - we've sent all the things." He said "It cost me £12 to send it out, it'll cost me £12 to bring it back". And this is what happened. And Joe ended up the managing director of Willerbys. That's just adding another little bit to the story. So we might not have been here today we might have ended up in Australia!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U>TOP OF FAMILY REUNION PAGE</U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="lionel"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>LIONEL</div> <bR> <div> Well Sophie, Edie and Minnie have spoken of reminiscences. And of one thing leading to another. What I want to talk about it is actually before these reminiscences. And how the first thing led to all the others. This was of course when my parents married in 1899... </div> <bR> <div> Now Dr Johnson says, "We know a thing of ourselves only if we can find information on it". The things that we know of ourselves - that is the question. I've heard many a good story about the family. Allegedly stories... family legend. All families have legends. really. To find out where you can find information on it -- well - that exists in birth certificates -- which have to be right -- and on headstones which have to be right. Although there I'll enter caveat, which I'll talk about later on. Because, the facts are not necessarily right on headstones. But for other information, that's beyond one's own memory, you go to diaries. The events that happen day after day, recorded by the person to whom it happened. Now I'm a diarist and I've had the odd altercation with Edie on the subject of diaries. Once with regard to how old Mama actually was, and, I had to turn up her diary to confirm it!</div> <bR> <div> The story as we know it for certain is that our parents married in Hull in 1899. And that promptly the first child, Joe, arrived in December. After which for the next 15 years they had eight children. Every two years there was another child, until 1915 when Mama stopped - she'd had enough. That was the end of it. She was getting beyond childbearing age anyway. And she was - for seven years -- until she got a stomach ache and went to the Doctor. And he said "That ain't no stomach ache -- that's Lionel!"</div> <bR> <div> A couple of years after that, my father died -- when I was two. I was two when he died and, with regard to my "caveat" about headstones I'll just pause here for a moment. I recall that at the time of Moishe's funeral, when we went to bury him, I had a walk round the graveyard and found my father's headstone, and it said that he died in 1926. But he did not. He died in 1924. So as I say, it can't be right. I took this as a form of receipt for the headstones. Perhaps it was paid for in 1926. Anyway he died when I was two. That's the story as we know it. The story of our family. </div> <bR> <div> The next question now is how they came to meet in Hull in 1898. And came to be married in 1899. Now I see from the family tree and from the family legend that they met in 1898. Well I find from the diaries - from my father's diaries that this isn't so. They met in 1897. Now there are two versions of how they came to meet at that time. One family version is that they met at the Hull Fair. There's another one that they met at an evening festivity on the occasion of Queen Victoria Jubilee - this was in 1897. It was on the 20th June 1897 -- which is 100 years ago today! For one reason or another I think we can date it as 100 years exactly today or rather this evening. Because it was at the fireworks that they met. Certainly some fireworks ensued! </div> <bR> <div> Anyway how did they come to meet and what's the story behind it? How did my father turn up. How my mother turned up we know. And so far as we know it, the family tree seems to be correct on that. Just how my father turned up... the family story is that he was on his travels around the world -- that he was to bring a present to a family retainer in his mother's house, or (a woman who) had been a retainer in his mother's house who was now married and living in Hull. He was to bring a present or money or some gift or something and he was on his way back to Poland. But that in the course of this he developed a violent passion for my mother and he didn't go back. He remained in Hull. This is the story!</div> <bR> <div> There are two versions. What have to deal with here is... Hull Fair or Queen Victoria's Jubilee. Now Mama, remember, had more time to spend with me than shee had for anyone. There's seven years difference between Cyrie and me. I was the last born, as it happens, and her husband was dead - and so on et cetera... She told me many stories. Many of which might have been bubba meisers. I can't tell. But it seems to me that she is likely to remember whether or not it was Queen Victoria's Jubilee or whether it was the Hull Fair. </div> <bR> <div> Now Hull Fair was held in September and Queen Victoria's Jubilee, as I pointed out, was in June. Now my father was in Hull in June and he was not in Hull in September. He was in Paris in September. In his diary it is clear that he was not engaged in a round the world trip. The diaries started in 1893 and he's in New York. He was born in 1866 (Mama was born in 1877 - there was 11 years between them). In 1893 Dada is 27. How long he was in New York I don't know. Evidently he was not newly arrived in New York at the age of 27. If he was trying to avoid conscription in the army he was a bit old for that. There's no means of knowing how long he'd been in New York. The diary starts there and he'd have clearly been there's some time. </div> <bR> <div> Now the difficulty with his diary is that is written in Yiddish. Of course in the Hebrew script. And is written -- although the handwriting is extremely nice -- extremely cultivated writing -- it is fast handwriting. I can read very little of it. In New York there are a lot of transactions going on in dollars. There are bank account numbers. He's in New York in 1893. And then in 1895 or 1896 he's in Paris with a guy called Abraham Bowman. Doing business there. There again while in Paris is still plenty of dollar transactions, but he's now translating them into francs. And there's some consignments of something that comes from Hoboken in America. He's there in 1896. And then in 1897 if Mama's story is accurate and they met at the time of Queen Victoria's Jubilee, we have to place him somehow in Hull. At the Jubilee celebrations in June of 1897 . Well, I couldn't find any mention of Hull. Often when he comes to some fresh place, he writes in English characters. There's no mention of Hull. </div> <bR> <div> But, what there is in 1897, on the 4th of June in an entry that I managed to transcribe -- one word -- a foreign word written in the Hebrew script. I got an 'M' out of it, an 'S', a 'T', a 'D' and an 'M'. I worked out Amsterdam. Somehow or another, he got himself to Amsterdam. He could have been going to Hull! Perhaps this wasn't any round the world trip, remember, according to family legend the "round the world trip" calling in it Hull before he leaves to go back home. Of course he was not! He'd gone to Paris - he was working in Paris, he had no intention of going home. Why he came to Hull we don't know. We have him on the 4th of June either in all going to Amsterdam. The next entry sometime later he's back in Paris again and there are various items in Paris. Now in between, during this period, in June, he might or might not have seen my mother. Her account of course is that he did. Now this is Mamas account.</div> <bR> <div> Remember it 1897. Mama was born in 1877 -- she's 20. He is now 31 not such a spring chicken. He called on a friend or relation of hers -- possibly this Mrs Marmer -- who Mama knew. With her girlfriends Mama is going that night to the park to the fireworks exhibition for Queen Victoria's Jubilee. Mama's story is that she went along with her girlfriends and this young man, Haim, came along. The fireworks exhibition was going on, on the grass. And they were walking along the path. And to get onto the grass they had to walk up the slight hill. She described this to me. I can't tell you how many times she told me all this. She was in her long dress, and to get over the palings, the hem of her dress caught in the palings. He bent down tried to unpick the thing from the palings. Then, instead of just handing her over... he picked her up. He picked her up! She's not likely to forget that. She was twenty. This is when it happened. This is why we're here! This is Mama's account of it. According to his diary is there is no mention of him picking females up. Or the Park or Queen Victoria or even Hull. Just Amsterdam. The next thing though he's back in Paris again - in business again. </div> <bR> <div> The next thing in 1898 he's back in Paris. During the course of 1898 there appears the name of a man called as a Even Yakov in Willetts Street. Now they haven't got a Willetts Street in Paris so presumably it's in Hull. (This is on the 29th of March 1898). Then he's back in Paris. Then all of a sudden on the 27th of April there appears Albion Street - that Hull. Now all this is writing from Paris -- with a Paris date stamp. The funny thing about the date is that it gives the date of the month and alongside this he writes what day it is - lundi, mardi, mercredi... from time to time he slips and instead of mercredi he writes mittwoch. Anyway soon after this date in April 98 when he mentions Albion Street there's Mrs J. Marmer 8 West Street, Hull. (Sophie intervenes: "He came to bring her a present" - Lionel replies: "Well I'm saying he didn't"). </div> <bR> <div> Well what happens then is that having completed whatever transaction he had with Mrs Marmer at West Street in May or whenever, in August he is certainly back in Paris again and he's making transactions again with a guy in the Rue de la Vapeur - a Mr Reich. It goes on with various transactions. And then there's a funny thing, In 1898 - Mama told me that the year after Queen Victoria's Jubilee - they got engaged. Now since Victoria's Jubilee was in June 1897 and they got engaged sometime in 1898 it might be that when he got Mrs Marmer's address in Hull which is in May 98 that was when he got engaged. I don't know. On the 12th of March '99 -- still with his French date stamps -- there's a single line entry -- and the only words I could read from it are 'chupa' and 'chazana'. That's his marriage date. </div> <bR> <div> Then in December 99 we've got 4 Beagle Terrace, Goodwin Street, Hull - they must have moved there. On the 16th of January 1900 he has written in English -- 'born on the 5th Day of March 1899' (1900?) - he doesn't say who was born but it was Joe evidently - and there's the registration number and the book number. Because of-course for a Pole from Europe it was vitally important to get everything written down. </div> <bR> <div> After this the registry entries follow pretty regularly. In February 1902 he's at 15b Wilson Street St Paul's Bristol. And then a month later he's at Lauren Street which might or might not have been in Bristol. Then on 2nd June 1902 he writes in yiddish ..."hier mein sohn Moyshe in Bristol" (Moishe was born in Bristol. (Sophie clarifies: Uncle Melach had a job in Bristol; Roger reminds that Joe had described Annie's journey to Bristol by train in Davnob in 1960 - see 'The Davidson Saga'). Anyway after this in December 1903 he writes in English '7 Cromwell Terrace, Cromwell Street, Spring Bank'... (end of transcript and video)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="From the Family Reunion"><U>TOP OF FAMILY REUNION PAGE</U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>