Chapter 2 - House on Gorham Street
Roomers & Boarders
Over the years we had many different roomers living with us. Some were family or friends, others were strangers when they moved in. They lived with us, they ate with us, they argued with Pop, they were bothered by the children, and some of them became like family. Here are the names of some of the roomers and approximate dates of when they were with us:
Sam Weinstock, 1939, was a recent immigrant from Rus- sia. He was a warehouse manager for the Neisner variety stores.
Emma and Abe Stuhlberg, 1935. Abe was an attorney.
Milton Grossman, 1937, an attorney, married Edith, cousin Sam Rappoport's daughter. He made wonderful carvings of animals from Ivory soap bars.
Cousins Edith, Pauline, and Mitch Liberman, from Tole- do, who were students at the Eastman School.
Julia Lifshitz was a student at the Eastman School, a friend of the Goulds, lived with us the same time that cousins Pauline and Edith Liberman were staying with us.
Jennie Baldwin, 1945, worked in a bakery on Joseph Ave. Jennie was a great help to Mom when she became sick.
Mr Warshawsky, 1942, a tailor at Michaels Stern clothing factory.
Arthur Lessac, 1935, who was training to be a singer. We remember the near panic he would have when he thought he was coming down with a cold, and the precautions he would take.
Jack Berman, a student at the University of Rochester (UofR) where Lou was also a student. While living with us he was somewhat wild, and drove Pop, Lou and Mitch up the wall. In fact, the family had decided to tell Jack that he would have to move, and the day before Lou was going to tell him that he would have to leave. Jack informed us that he had made other living arrangements and would be moving out. Despite this Jack continued to be a good friend of the family. He was a student at Columbia Law School while Lou attended Columbia Business School. Jack became an attorney and was Pop's lawyer and was also the lawyer for Et and Ed.
The folks took in roomers even before moving to Gorham St. When the family lived on Morris St (a few blocks from Gorham St off Clinton St) an elderly man, Mr Braverman, and his two daughters, Fannie and Bessie, lived with us. They were to become very good friends of the family. In fact, on December 10, 1926, when Mom was pregnant with Bucky, she asked that we call Dr Applebaum and Fannie Braverman, that it was "time". That night Bucky was born.*
* The next morning Mom came downstairs, went into the cellar and shoveled coal into the furnace. Do you think she would ask Pop or her two teenage sons to do it? Not on your life.
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