Introduction: In this article, Katie Rebecca Garner uses newspaper and census records to tell the history of one Jewish American family. Katie specializes in U.S. research for family history, enjoys writing and researching, and is developing curricula for teaching children genealogy.
Throughout history, Jewish people have been driven from their homes and migrated from country to country around the world, and some eventually ended up in America. The Jews in America were free from most of the oppression they faced in their old lands. Not only that, but they had better economic opportunities.
In this case study, using records from GenealogyBank’s two main collections (Historical Newspaper Archives and the U.S. Federal Census), we can piece together the story of one Jewish family: the Levensons.
The Levenson family migrated from Russia to the U.S. in the late 19th century. Most Russian Jews were in the Pale of Settlement, a part of the Russian Empire from 1791 to 1917 that allowed the permanent residence of Jews.
Russian laws against Jews became stricter and stricter in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These anti-Jewish laws were most likely what drove the Levensons from their old home. Looking at their census and other records in America, we can see their life in their new home.
John Charles Levenson and Jennie Rosenburg were among the youngest generations in their families to come to America. They married in Elgin, Kane, Illinois, on 15 January 1900. John was 28, and Jennie was 23. (1) The censuses show different immigration years for them. The 1910 census states that John immigrated in 1891, while the 1930 census states that he immigrated in 1893. These same censuses report Jennie’s immigration year as 1887 and 1898, respectively. (2) The best way to resolve this discrepancy is to find records of their arrivals. However, despite the discrepancy, it is clear that they immigrated separately before getting married, suggesting that they probably met in America.
Like other ethnic groups coming to America, Jews formed communities with others of the same ethnicity. People from the same homeland, or who practiced the same religion, or who spoke the same language, banded together in this new land. The Levensons and Rosenburgs were presumably in the same Jewish Russian community.
Comparing the censuses shows the growth of the Levenson family in Chicago, Illinois. All the censuses show that John and Jennie were born in Russia, and their children were born in Illinois. In 1900, John and Jennie lived with two children, a niece, and a servant. The 19-year-old niece, Minnie Fink, was born in Russia. John and Jennie’s children were Sylvester and Inez. (3) Later, John Jr. was born between the 1910 and 1920 censuses. (4) Between the 1920 and 1930 censuses, Sylvester and Inez both married. Inez was no longer living in their household. Sylvester, his wife Adeline, and their infant son were in John Levenson Sr.’s household. Adeline, like Sylvester, was born in America to Russian immigrant parents. (5) By 1940, John and Jennie were empty-nesters, as all their children had moved out. They had no servants in 1920 and 1930, but they had one again in 1940. (6)
In 1910 and 1920, the Levensons and all their neighbors rented their homes. Like them, many of their neighbors were first- and second-generation immigrants. In the 1920 census, the Levensons lived with six other families in an area so densely populated that each dwelling housed multiple families. (7) By 1930, John Levenson owned his home, valued at $5,000 ($93,512.57 in 2024). They still lived in a densely populated area, but others were renting from him this time. (8)
The various records show John’s occupation. These records reveal his career path. John’s occupation at the time of his marriage was a white-wheeler. His occupation in the 1910 census was a commercial ironer in the carpet industry. (9) In 1920, he was a rug merchant working on his own account. (10) In 1930, John and his son, Sylvester, worked as construction builders. (11) In 1940, John was a self-employed broker. (12) He was still a broker in 1945, according to his wife’s obituary. (13)
When Jennie died in 1945, she and John lived at 8242 Hyde Park Blvd in Chicago. (14) Putting this address in Google Maps showed that it’s near a Jewish congregation and a Jewish school. Her obituary, shown below, was found on GenealogyBank.
Based on these records, the Levensons lived a reasonably good life after coming to America. They associated with other Jews. John could work for himself and buy a house for his family.
This family’s history was revealed through newspaper and census records. Come take a look today and see what you can find of your family’s story on GenealogyBank.
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Note on the header image: Eastern European Jewish immigrants arriving in New York. Credit: Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, 2 July 1887; Wikimedia Commons.
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(1) Kane County, Illinois, “Marriages 1898-1904,” image 703, license no. 12463, for John Levenson; digital images, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org: accessed 23 September 2021). Illinois State Board of Health, marriage certificate 12463 (1900), John Levenson and Jennie Rosenberg; FamilySearch, familysearch.org, film 004708168.
(2) 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 422, sheet no. 11B, family 262, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections. 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, enumeration district (ED) 103-473, sheet 8B, dwelling, family 197, Levinson John C.; image, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com: accessed 6 March 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 935.
(3) 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 422, sheet no. 11B, family 262, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections.
(4) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 359, sheet no. 3A, dwelling 11, family 46, John C. Levenson household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 21 February 2023), citing NARA microfilm publication T625.
(5) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 16-234, sheet no. 13B, dwelling 78, family 299, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections.
(6) 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, enumeration district (ED) 103-473, sheet 8B, dwelling, family 197, Levinson John C.; image, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com: accessed 6 March 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 935.
(7) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 359, sheet no. 3A, dwelling 11, family 46, John C. Levenson household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 21 February 2023), citing NARA microfilm publication T625. 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 422, sheet no. 11B, family 262, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections.
(8) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 16-234, sheet no. 13B, dwelling 78, family 299, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections.
(9) 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 422, sheet no. 11B, family 262, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections.
(10) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 359, sheet no. 3A, dwelling 11, family 46, John C. Levenson household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 21 February 2023), citing NARA microfilm publication T625.
(11) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 16-234, sheet no. 13B, dwelling 78, family 299, John C. Levenson household; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://genealogybank.com: accessed 11 December 2023), citing FamilySearch collections.
(12) 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, enumeration district (ED) 103-473, sheet 8B, dwelling, family 197, Levinson John C.; image, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com: accessed 6 March 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 935.
(13) State of Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 10242 (1945), Jennie Levenson; Public Board of Health Archives, Springfield, IL; images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 1 August 2023).
(14) State of Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 10242 (1945), Jennie Levenson; Public Board of Health Archives, Springfield, IL; images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 1 August 2023).