Levy Death Records

In the registration records of Metzervisse, Departement of Moselle, France, there are several death records for the Levy family that I am posting here with basic information transcribed. Note that spellings of names can vary in the records.

Death of Rachel Moyse Cerf

On June 20, 1849, at 6 a.m., in her house, death of Rachel Moyse Cerf, 76 years of age, born in Buding, living in Metzervisse, the wife of Leman Benjamin Boeles, 86 years of age, living also in Metzervisse, a daughter of the late Moyse Cerf and Caroline Levy, who were merchants living in Buding, and died in that town. Notified by Moyse Heuman, 36 years of age, a teacher, living in Thionville, and Leopold Levy, 42 years of age, a grocer, living in Metzervisse. Both of them are her sons-in-law.

One of the witnesses, Moyse Heuman, is probably the M. Heumann who gave Phoebe Levy Cerf the prayer book that is in my blog of November 15, 2011. Now we can assume that the prayer book came from her uncle.

Death of Catherine Boeles

On September 20, 1849, at 3 a.m., in her house, death of Catherine Boeles, the wife of Libmann Levy, 37 years of age, born in Breda, Holland, a daughter of Leman Benjamin Boeles, formerly a teacher and of the late Rachelle Moyse Cerf. Notified on the same day by her husband, 44 years of age, a grocer, and Marx Cerf Cahen, 45 years of age, also a grocer, all living in Metzervisse.

Death of Leman Benjamin Boeles

On November 8, 1849, at 8 a.m., death of Leman Benjamin Boeles, 84 years of age, living in Metzervisse, born in Amsterdam, Holland, the widower of Rachel Moyse Cerf. Notified by Leopold Levy, 44 years of age, his son-in-law, a grocer, and Cerf Israel, 62 years of age, a baker and a neighbor of the deceased, both living in Metzervisse, who declare that the names and places of residence and of death of the parents of the deceased are unknown.

Death of Fleurette Crehange

On July 1, 1874, at 11 a.m., the death of Fleurette Crehange, 50 years of age, born in Corny, wife of Libmann Levy, 69 years of age, a grocer living in Metzervisse, a daughter of the late Oury Crehange and the of the late Sara Fribourg. Fleurette Crehange was the second wife of Libmann Levy.

Death of Libmann Levy

On February 26, 1890, at 5 p.m. at home, death of Libmann Levy, a landowner living in Metzervisse, 84 years of age, born in Uhrweiler (district of Haguenau), a widower of Fleurette Crehange, his last wife, a son of the late Gustav Levy, a salesman, and of the late Ester Isaac Schener, notified by Sylvain Bonn, a horse dealer on February 27, 1890.

Location of Towns

Metzervisse (current population of 1,600) is located about 30 kilometers northeast of Metz. Buding (about 500 population now) is 3 miles northeast of Metzervisse. Corny (population of about 2,000) is 9 miles southwest of Metz, on the River Moselle. Uhrwiller (Uhrweiler in German language, about 700 population) is about 30 kilometers north and a little west of Strasbourg. Thionville (population of 41,000) is about 30 kilometers north of Metz.

Levy Birth Records

I have copies of the registration pages from Metzervisse, France, where the births of the children of Leopold Levy and Catherine Boeles were recorded. These records are valuable genealogical documents, and even the names of the witnesses can be valuable in some way to someone. I begin with the first child.

Birth of Julie Levy

On November 20, 1835, at 7 a.m., birth of Julie Levy. a daughter of Libmann Levy, 29 years of age,  a salesman, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 23 years of age, notifed by Leopold Levy on November 21, 1835. Witnesses: Cerf Israel, 51 years of age, a baker, and Marc Cerf Cahen, 30 years of age, a tradesman, all living in Metzervisse. Note that the father signs Leopold Levi in gothic script.

Death of Julie Levy

On February 14, 1836, notification of the death of Julie Levy, 3 months of age, a daughter of Leopold Levy and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, notified by her father, 28 years of age [he lost a year], and by her grandfather, Leman Benjamin Boeles, 70 years of age, a Hebrew teacher, all living in Metzervisse.

Birth of Emmanuel Leopold Levy

On January 1, 1837, at 5 a.m., birth of Emmanuel Leopold Levy, a son of Leopold Levy, 31 years of age, a peddler, anad of Catherine Boeles, 23 years of age, a housekeeper, his wife, notified by Leopold Levy on the same day. Witnesses: Leman Benjamin Boeles, 72 years of age, a former Hebrew teacher, and Isaac Wimphen, 22 years of age, a butcher, all living in Metzervisse.

Birth of Pauline Levy

On July 14, 1838, at 11 a.m., birth of Pauline Levy, a daughter of Leopold Levy, 34 years of age, a peddler, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 25 years of age, a housekeeper, notified by Leopold Levy on July 15, 1838. Witnesses: Leman Benjamin Boeles, 72 years of age, and Salomon Gouguenheim, 57 years of age, a tradesman, all living in Metzervisse.

Birth of Barbe Levy

On June 16, 1840, at 5 a.m., birth of Barbe Levy, a daughter of Leopold Levy, 35 years of age, a peddler, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 28 years of age, notified on the same day by Leopold Levy. Witnesses: Leman Benjamin Boeles, 74 years of age, and Samuel Lazard, 55 years of age, a livestock dealer, all living in Metzervisse.  [Note: Barbe Levy is also known as Phoebe Levy, who married Aaron Cerf.]

Birth of Fanny Levy

This registration is full of mistakes. It is for the birth of a daughter, but they mistakenly put the name of the father for the name of the child.  Also, the ages of the parents are wrong.  This must be the registration for Fanny.  Here is the translation [with the mistakes]:  On August 25, 1842, at 6 p.m., birth of Leopold Levy, a daughter of Leopold Levy, a grocer, 30 years of age, living in Metzervisse, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 34 years of age, notified on the same day by Leopold Levy, the father. Witnesses: Leman Benjamin Boeles, 72 years of age, and Borus Israel, 48 years of age, an innkeeper.

Birth of Mayer Levy

On October 8, 1844, at 5 a.m., birth of Mayer Levy, a son of Leopold Levy, 37 years of age, a grocer, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 32 years of age, notified on the same day by Leopold Levy. Witnesses: Georges Bolzinger, 49 years of age, an innkeeper, and Nicolas Guille, 32 years of age, a teacher, all living in Metzervisse.

Birth of Estelle Levy

On November 8, 1846, at 1 a.m., birth of Estelle Levy, a daughter of Leopold Levy, 34 years of age [?], a grocer, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 36 years of age, notified on the same day by Leopold Levy. Witnesses: Georges Bolzinger, 51 years of age, a laborer, and Jacques Bolzinger, 61 years of age, a weaver, all living in Metzervisse.

Birth of Sara Levy

On March 22, 1849, at 4 a.m., birth of Sara Levy, a daughter of Leopold Levy, 43 years of age, a grocer, and of Catherine Boeles, his wife, 36 years of age, notified on the same day by Leopold Levy. Witnesses: Israel Israel, the younger, 26 years of age, an innkeeper, and Nicolas Grausem, 68 years of age, a laborer, all living in Metzervisse.

Birth of Victoire Levy

On April 3, 1851, at 3 p.m., birth of Victoire Levy, a daughter of Leopold Levy, 46 years of age, a grocer, and of Fleurette Crehange, his wife, 29 years of age, notified by Leopold Levy on the same day. Witnesses: Jacques Bolzinger, 64 years of age, a weaver, and Nicolas Schneider, 27 years of age, a laborer, all living in Metzervisse.

Two Levy Property Sales in France

Over twenty years ago, I hired a researcher in France to locate where Phoebe Levy's family came from. Phoebe Levy was the wife of Aaron Cerf, and they married in California. All I knew is that the Levys came from the Alsace-Lorraine area of France, probably near Metz. People often say, however, they are from a large city, even if they really came from a village, because the city is more well known.

The researcher was lucky, finding two real estate sales in the archives of Metz that matched the name of the father, Leopold Levy, and the names of his children. The town where the property was located was Metzervisse, 25 kilometers north of Metz.

The first sale occurred in 1859, and it is reported in French.

A summary of the most important information given by the registration of the sale is that on April 13, 1859, Libmann, known as Leopold Levy, a grocer, living in Metzervisse, sells property in his name and answering for his seven children:

1. Emmanuel Levy, of age, a salesman, living in California.
2. Pauline Levy, of age, in service (a domestic), living in Paris.
3. Barbe Levy.
4. Fanny Levy.
5. Estelle Levy.
6. Mayer Levy.
7. Sarath Levy.

The five names of the youngest children were minors and living in Metzervisse. 

The price received for the property is 275 francs. The property is described as a vegetable garden situated in Metzervisse and belonging to him, and to his seven children as heirs of their late mother, Catherine Boeles [who died on September 20, 1849]. Also mentioned is that Leopold Levy has a new wife, Fleurette Crehange.

The first son is always named Emmanuel, though he changed his name to Emile after emigrating. There was no daughter named Phoebe, but she is the daughter named Barbe, which is French for Barbara. The researcher said the explanation was possibly that she was really called Phoebe by her family, which is more Jewish, but that name wouldn't have been accepted as a given name by the employees of the registration at birth.

The second sale, occurring in 1891, was reported in German and in a gothic script that is not very easy to read. Between 1870 and 1919, the departements of Moselle, Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin were German. Before 1870, many Jewish families emigrated to the United States because they were loyal to France and didn't want to live under German rule. In the new country, they often formed French social clubs. The 1891 sale shows the residences of the Levy children, who had all emigrated to the U.S. except for Sara.

A summary of the most important information given by the registration of the sale is that on December 28, 1891, Sara Levy, an unemployed woman, the separated wife of Sylvain Bonn, a tradesman living in San Francisco, she living in Metzervisse, sells property in her name and as a proxy of:

1. Emmanuel Levy, a tradesman in San Francisco.
2. Pauline Levy, the wife of Simon Abraham, a tradesman, living at 28 1/2 Washington St., Portland, Oregon.
3. Barbe Levy, the wife of Aron Cerf, a tradesman, living in Ukiah, Mendocino County, California.
4. Fanny Levy, the wife of David Lobree, living in Middletown, Lake County, California.
5. Mayer Levy, a tradesman living in San Francisco.
6. Estelle Levy, the wife of Leonce Loeb, a tradesman living in Sehome, Washington.
7. Victorine Levy, the wife of Leon Levy, a merchant, living at 1517 Webster St., San Francisco.

The property is sold for the price of 900 francs. It was originally purchased by their parents, Leopold Levy and Catherine Boeles, on January 20, 1836, from David Morhange and his wife, Madeleine Weil, of Metzervisse. [Leopold Levy died on February 26, 1890, in Metzervisse.]

Victorine is the daughter of Leopold Levy with his second wife. She was called Victoire at her birth on April 3, 1851.

Sara was married in Metzervisse on March 9, 1875, and her two children were born there in 1876 and 1878. U.S. records indicate that her husband and at least one of her sons emigrated just prior to the sale of this property. Sara stayed behind as the representative of the family for the property sale, and possibly she was also a caregiver for her elderly father prior to his death. Her father's second wife, Fleurette, died on July 1, 1874, at 50 years of age. She was the wife of Libmann Levy, 69 years of age, a grocer living in Metzervisse. [Fleurette was the daughter of the late Oury Crehange and the late Sara Fribourg.] After the property sale, Sara Levy Bonn went to the U.S.

The researcher told me he was only able to find the village and the correct family because they had made property sales, which were important enough to be indexed in the Metz archives. Otherwise, the only option would have been to search more than 700 towns, each one having its own books for registrations of births, marriages, and deaths. We were lucky.

References:

April 13, 1859, Register 429 Q 221, pages 2 (both sides) and 3, Direction des Services D'Archives, Departement de la Moselle, Hotel du Departement, 9 place de la Prefecture, Metz.

December 28, 1891, Register 429 Q 832, pages 176 to 179 (both sides) Direction des Services D'Archives, Departement de la Moselle, Hotel du Departement, 9 place de la Prefecture, Metz.

Various birth, marriage and death records from the registration book in Metzervisse, Moselle, Lorraine, France.

Boeles Family of the Netherlands

The last two blogs contained marriage licenses for two daughters of Leman Benjamin Boeles and Rachel Moyse Cerf, yielding the information that the father and daughters were born in the Netherlands. Let's take a look at what we know about this family and about the history of Jews in the Netherlands. Keep in mind that one of these daughters was the mother of Phoebe Barbe Levy, who married Aaron Cerf.

A few references exist showing Jews lived in the Netherlands as early as the 14th century. Many more Jews arrived in the late 16th century, refugees from persecutions of the Inquisitions in Spain and Portugal. The Alhambra decree of 1492 sent many Spanish Jews to Portugal. The Portuguese Inquisition began in 1536, causing many Jews to migrate elsewhere. In Amsterdam, an impressive Portuguese Synagogue was built in Amsterdam during the years 1671-1675, about 75 years after the first Jews arrived from Portugal.



Leman Benjamin Boeles, the oldest known ancestor from the Netherlands, was born about 1764 in Amsterdam. Research reveals that he was listed in the Netherlands Act of Assumed Names while living in Breda on July 1, 1812, showing his occupation as a teacher. Leman Benjamin Boeles's daughter, Catherine Boeles, was born on October 18, 1812, in Breda. There was no organized Jewish community in Breda prior to the Introduction of full civic equality in the Netherlands in 1796. It was noted, however, that a small Jewish community arose in Breda in the early 19th century. The Jewish population of Breda was 75 in 1809, 226 in 1840, and 168 in 1869.

Another daughter, Hester, was born on August 19, 1815, in Bergen-Op-Zoom. Research reveals that Jews settled in Bergen-Op-Zoom during the early years of the 18th century, after obtaining a parcel of land on the outskirts of the city in 1815 to be used as a cemetery. This was also the year they began construction on a synagogue. The Jewish population of Bergen-Op-Zoom went from 106 in 1806 to 206 in 1840, falling to 86 in 1869.

In 1817, Leman Benjamin Boeles appears in an archival document from Rotterdam, a city with a  large Jewish population equal to that of Amsterdam. Rotterdam history reveals the first merchant licenses to Jews were granted in 1610 to Portuguese Jewish merchants. The population of Rotterdam grew from 50 in 1674 to 2,500 in 1796 to 2,113 in 1809 to 2,823 in 1840 and to 5,297 in 1869.

Leman Benjamin Boeles's wife, Rachel Moyse Cerf, was born in Buding, France, about 1773. They were about ages 48 and 39 when their daughter, Catherine, was born. There may have been other children besides Catherine and Hester. I found an on-line reference to another daughter, Belia Boeles, born January 12, 1818, in a Dutch Jewish Genealogical Database. Although the children were born in the Netherlands, the family eventually moved to the region where the mother was born.  Their daughters were married in Metzervisse, France, and the parents died in Metzervisse. [Please note this Cerf line is not the same as the Phalsbourg Cerf line.]

References:

Archives of the Dutch Israelite Main Synagogue, http://stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl/archieven/archiefbank/inventaris/714.nl.html#A31775000002.

Dutch Jewish Genealogical Database, http://akevoth.org/genealogy/denbosch/1920.htm.

Jewish Historical Museum, http://www.jhm.nl/culture-and-history.

Map of Migrations and Settlements of the Spanish Jews, http://sephardicseminary.org/eshel_womans_sephardic_seminary_mission/eshel_womans_sephardic_seminary_sephardic_history/.

Siblings' 1839 Marriage Contract

On June 21, 1839, a wedding took place between the brother of Libman Levy and the sister of Catherine Boeles (the couple in the marriage contract of 1834 reported in the previous blog).  The brother was Gustave Isaac Levy and the sister was Hester Boeles.


This marriage contract is significant because it identifies Hester Boeles as being born in Bergen-op-Zoom in the District of Breda, Holland, whereas her sister's, Catherine's, marriage contract simply states Breda as her birthplace.


The marriage contract was registered in the town of Metzervisse, Moselle, France. Gustave Isaac Levy was born on December 16, 1793, in Uhrwiller, Bas Rhin, France, to Gustave Nemele Levy and Ester Isaac Schener. Hester Boeles was born on August 19, 1815, to Leman Benjamin Boeles and Rachel Moyse Cerf.


The bride and groom are the aunt and uncle of Phoebe Barbe Levy, the wife of Aaron Cerf.

Marriage contract, page 1

Marriage contract, page 2.  Arrow points to reference to Bergen-op-Zoom.

Marriage contract, page 3

1834 Levy-Boeles Marriage

On December 9, 1834, at 5:00 pm, Libman Levy (also known as Leopold Libman Levy) married Catherine Boeles. They were the parents of:

Julie Levy (1835-1836)
Emile Emmanuel Levy (1837-?)
Pauline Levy Abraham (1838-1917)
Phoebe Barbe Levy Cerf (1840-1916)
Fanny Levy Lobree (1842-1897)
Mayer Levy (1844-?)
Estelle Levy Lobe (1846-1929)
Sara Levy Bonn (1849-1919)

Marriage Contract page 1

Marriage Contract page 2

Details of the Marriage Contract


The groom, Libman Levy (also written Libmann Levi in the contract), was 29 years of age, born in Uhrwiller, canton of Niderbron (Niederbronn-Les-Bains), departement of Bas-Rhin, on September 20, 1805. He was a peddler living in Uhrwiller, son of age (legal age to marry) of Nemelee Levy, a peddler who died in Uhrwiller on January 18, 1833, who in 1808 changed his chosen name to the name of Gustave Levy, and of Ester Isaac Schener, his wife, 70 years of age, living in Uhrwiller, here present and consenting to the marriage.

The bride, Catherine Boeles, was born in Breda, Holland on October 18, 1812, living in Mezervisse. She was the daughter of age of Leman Benjamin Boeles, a teacher, 68 years of age, and of Rachel Moyse Cerf, 58 years of age, a couple living in Metzervisse, here present and consenting to the marriage.

Other details of the contract have not been translated. Send any translations to dawncerf [at] gmail.com.

Witnesses to the marriage

Thiebault Levy, a salesman, 35 years of age, living in Uhrwiller, a brother of the bridegroom.
Etienne Klein, a cabinetmaker, 48 years of age, a friend of the groom, living in Boulay.
____ Israel, 67 years of age, living in Metzervisse, a friend of the bride.
Cerf Cahen, a salesman, 30 years of age, living in Metzervisse, a friend of the bride.

The groom signs in both German and Gothic scripts.

1779 Marriage Contract

A marriage contract was signed on January 28, 1779. It states the marriage will take place on the same day. The groom is Moyse Salomon, son of Salomon Cerf, a Jew merchant in Phalsbourg, and Rosette Levy. The bride is Theipiet Heymann Merin [the last name is spelled differently on the last page and in other documents]. The bride's father was inadvertently omitted from the first page of the contract but put in on the last page. The first page of the contract states the bride is the daughter of the late Breinel Cerf.

The groom is listed on my genealogical tree as Moise Salomon Cerf and the bride as Pierrette Taib Heymann Levy (the name was taken from the 1808 Name Declaration). They are the grandparents of the Cerf immigrants, Aaron Cerf and cousins Moise and Ernest Cerf.

page one

page two

page three

page four

page five

page six

Moyse Salomon's signature at the end of the contract is written in German script and is the same as the first part of the signature of Moyse Salomon Cerf in the 1808 Name Declaration, proving that they are the same person.

The father of the bride signs Heyman Mehring in German script, even though his name is written Heymann Merin on the last page of the contract (see the circled part that begins after the "+" sign).

I do not have a translation of the marriage contract, but I am told that it consists exclusively of agreements about money. If anyone does translate this document, please email me at dawncerf [at] gmail.com.

A Murder in Ukiah in 1879

The name of Lazare Landeker is found in several of my blogs: Moise and Ernest Cerf, Entrepreneurs (January 2012), Ernest Cerf Makes an Unusual Bet (January 2012), Moses and Ernest Cerf and the Wharves at San Luis Obispo Bay (February 2012), and Cerf Brothers were Gold Miners (March 2012). Lazare Landeker worked for his uncle, Abraham Blochman, in San Luis Obispo, California, at the general merchandise store of A. Blochman and Co., which was a partnership between Blochman and Moses Cerf in the early days. Lazare's sister was married to Moses Cerf, and he was also related by marriage to Ernest Cerf, as their wives were sisters.

Lazare and Alice Hirsch Landeker

Born in Monroe, Louisiana, in 1843 of French (mother) and Prussian (father) immigrants, Lazare traveled with his brother to San Francisco, but soon found himself working in San Luis Obispo for his maternal uncle beginning in the early 1860's.

"Mr. Landeker occupied a prominent position in the San Luis Obispo house of A. Blochman and Co. for many years. He was an active, energetic and straightforward business man. He always took great interest in the welfare of this city and was several times elected to positions of trust, which he always honored." [SLO Tribune, April 5, 1979]

After working at A. Blochman and Co. for nearly twenty years, Lazare decided to go out on his own by buying out a partner in a merchantile business in Ukiah, California. This was before Aaron Cerf had moved to Ukiah. The store was owned by B. Marks and his nephew, Abraham Marks, the managing partner. In January, 1879, Lazare bought out the interest of the nephew and became the new managing partner. The new name of the store was Marks and Landeker, which was located at the corner of State and Perkins Streets in Ukiah.

For many years, Abraham Marks had employed his brother, Elias Marks, a mentally retarded and emotionally unstable man, as a general handyman in the store. Lazare found Elias Marks to be a young man deficient in intellect and of ungovernable habits and fired him on April 2, 1879. The next morning, Lazare entered the store and found Elias sweeping. Lazare asked him to leave and Elias refused. Lazare said he would summon the Marshal if Elias did not leave. Following a tussle,  Lazare lay dead on the floor with a large knife wound in his side and a small wound in his temple. Elias testified that Lazare kicked and struck him, while others testified that Marks was upon Landeker, striking him.

Lazare's wife, Alice Hirsch Landeker, who had moved to Ukiah just one month prior, was informed and soon arrived at the store, becoming hysterical upon finding her husband dead in a pool of blood. Lazare was said to have left a happy family at the breakfast table not ten minutes before.

Lazare's brother in San Francisco rushed to Ukiah when he received the news, escorting the body, Mrs. Landeker and their six surviving children, aged one to eight, to San Luis Obispo for burial next to his predeceased daughter.

Arriving by steamer at Port Harford, now Avila Beach, the remains were taken by train to Lazare's former residence in San Luis Obispo, under the escort of committees from the Masons, Odd Fellows, Jews and fire companies. Shortly thereafter, a funeral procession amassed at the City Hall to begin the march to the cemetery.

"At the late residence of Mr. Landeker, the procession was joined by the hearse, the mourners and pall bearers, and in the rear of these came a large number of citizens on foot, followed by a long line of carriages. The procession was over half a mile in length; there being nearly one thousand people on foot and about one hundred carriages. Two bands of musicians had positions in the procession and played alternately during the march. Burial ceremonies were performed at the grave by the Jewish and Masonic fraternities. San Luis Obispo has never before seen so large a turn-out of fraternal societies, and the large attendance at the burial shows in what universal respect Mr. Landeker was held." [SLO Tribune, April 12, 1879]

At his trial, Elias Marks was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to twelve years of hard labor in a state prison.  Mrs. Landeker moved to San Francisco with her children. Only five months after her husband's death, Mrs. Landeker buried a son, who died of diphtheria, in San Luis Obispo next to his father.

Wife Alice Hirsch Landeker

Daughter Rachel Landeker Sichel

Daughter Fanny Landeker Goodman and son, Sheldon

Ernest Cerf was appointed as executor of the estate of Lazare Landeker, filed in the Superior Court of Mendocino County. Lazare's wife, Alice Landeker, was the sole heir by his will. All property in the estate was located in San Luis Obispo, listed as follows: Norcross Place $2,500; Barneburg Place $1,500; Dillon Place $400; Flint Ranch $8,000; Landeker homestead at the northwest corner of Broad and Higuera Streets $3,500; Goday Place $8,000; La Libertad Quicksilver $0; Pinal Quicksilver $0; La Rinconada Quicksilver $0; La Reformer Chrome Iron $0; Star Chrome Iron $0; Lone Pine Chrome Iron $0; furniture $925; books $25; and cash $5,421. In the will, Moses Cerf was appointed as guardian of the children, with Ernest Cerf as back-up guardian. Lazare owned a 1/4 interest in A. Blochman and Co. with partners, Ernest Cerf, Moses Cerf, Abraham Blochman, and cousin Lazarus M. Kaiser, and a 1/2 interest in Marks and Landeker, Ukiah, but no valuation of those partnership assets could be found. [Marcel E. Cerf Collection, Bancroft Library]

It's sad to read about this tragic death occurring 133 years ago, but it seems Lazare was prepared. On November 6, 1874, Lazare began a journal dedicated to his beloved wife for the purpose of informing her how to make business decisions. He wrote, "I have always contended that it was as necessary to instruct women as men in all ordinary business matters." He advised his wife to "always read the entire document, pay in cash, refuse credit, be assured of costs, pay taxes on time, object to any assessments for roads, and be assured title to any property was valid. His aspirations for his children were for them to become entirely independent and self-reliant. It did not matter what trade they sought as long as they were competent. His son could be a seamstress and his daughters blacksmiths, but whatever was chosen needed to be mastered." [Lazare Landeker's Destiny: Part 1 of 2]

References:

Carotenuti, Joseph A., "Lazare Landeker's Destiny: Part 1 of 2," May 2009, San Luis Obispo: Journal Plus.

Carotenuti, Joseph A., "Lazare Landeker's Destiny: Part 2 of 2," June 2009, San Luis Obispo: Journal Plus.

Marcel E. Cerf Collection, Carton 33, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

"Funeral of L. Landeker," April 12, 1879: San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Stern, Norton B., "A Ukiah Murder in 1879," April 1986, Woodland Hills, CA: Western States Jewish History, Vol. XVIII, No. 3.

"Terrible Tragedy," April 4, 1879, Ukiah City Press.

"Violent Death," April 5, 1879, San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Dr. Arthur Zander Cerf

Yesterday (June 10, 2012) a dear relative passed away in San Francisco. Dr. Arthur Zander Cerf, born October 16, 1918, to Arthur Cerf and Addie Zander, was a compassionate and gentle soul. Whenever we had the opportunity to visit, Uncle Arthur gave his undivided attention and made me feel special in his eyes, something I have no doubt he did with everyone. Not only did he love his family, but he loved his brother and his brother's family. I will greatly miss him at family gatherings.

Young Arthur with his parents, Addie and Arthur.

Arthur with his wife, Shirley, in 1943.

Arthur on right with his brother, Alan.

Arthur's obituary reads, in part:

Arthur was a gifted and devoted physician, adored by his patients and admired by his colleagues. His geriatric medical practice evolved over time as he and his patients aged together. His professional career spanned over 60 years of delivering care as compassionately as possible. He was often referred to as "the physician's physician." Even after retiring from private practice, Arthur continued for many years serving those in need as the Medical Director of Central Gardens Convalescent Hospital, where he spent his final days, attended to by a grateful and caring staff, many of whom he had trained and mentored.

Arthur was a second generation San Franciscan, a graduate of Lowell High School, the University of California at Berkeley, UCSF Medical School and a veteran of World War II, all of which helped mold him to be the remarkable man that he was.

He had an inspiring zest for life, and unfailing devotion and love for his family. He will be greatly missed and always remembered as a wise and caring man. His passing leaves a large gap in the lives of everyone he touched.

Well said.

Arthur Cerf

Arthur Cerf, also known as Archie, was the youngest child of Aaron and Phoebe Levy Cerf, born in 1886 when his father was sixty-one and his mother was forty-five. He is fondly remembered.

Adele Rosenberg, the wife of Al Rosenberg, Arthur's nephew, had this to say about Arthur. "As far as I was concerned, Archie was a doll. He was a loving, loving man. He was sweet, and he was good natured. He was social, and he loved people. He loved his work. He loved the Selix [the men's store where he worked in his later years], and he loved his life. He really did. He was a very up man. I loved him. He was a delightful man. He and Al were very close because Arch was only about ten years older than Al. He was the baby. So there wasn't a lot of difference in their ages. And, of course, when I became engaged to Al, I was only seventeen. Arch was old for me but by the same token he was the younger element in the family. And I so enjoyed him."

"Arch used to come occasionally to my mother-in-law's, to Clotilde's," Adele continued. "And she was very, very fond of him, the younger brother and all this kind of jazz. And, of course, sometimes it caused a little bit of problems. Well, I particularly remember once, it was Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year's, and Marie and Lucien were I guess nineteen and twenty-one. Lucien had just become twenty-one, and they had just become engaged that day. And so there was a lot of excitement. He had gone to his grandfather's house and told them that they were getting married. He was there for dinner or something and got a cold treatment. They were not too happy about it because they didn't think he was old enough, you know that kind of thing. And then they came to us, and, of course, we made a big deal about it. I had known the family for many years and they were very close to us. So it was like something had been preordained."

"Anyhow, when the day was over and we were just relaxing and talking at dinner, I said, 'Wasn't this a lovely Rosh Hashanah?'"

"And Clotilde said, 'It wasn't for me.'"

"And I said, 'What do you mean it wasn't for you?'"

"'Well, I didn't hear from Archie.'"

"It spoiled her whole day. She was very involved with that type of thing. She required the attention. But Arch on the whole was a very, very sweet man. He really was. He had a lot of charisma. Everybody liked him. You've probably heard that many times. He was very likeable. And he was a sort of Dorian Gray, too, because he never aged until toward the end of his life. And Leo [Leo Rosenberg Alexander, another nephew of Arthur's] was that way, too, you know. He always looked twenty years younger than he was, very youthful type of face and small men. They just kept their looks very, very well."

Evidentally, Clotilde wasn't the only sister who doted on her youngest brother.

Arthur with his sister, Clarisse, who was eighteen years older.

Another nephew of Arthur's was Edgar Cerf, who told us, "Arthur, as we fondly called him Archie, was the youngest of the Cerfs. He had this big smile and this big twinkle in his eye. He had this sense of humor and also the ability to gain your confidence, which is why he was such a great clothing salesman."

Edgar's wife, Clara Ruelas Cerf, said of Arthur, "He also came to the house often. My memories are that I loved him dearly. He was charming. And believe me the ladies felt very much attracted to him. I don't care what his age was, the ladies did enjoy being with him. He used to tell us about some of the stories of his travels. He would go with groups on tours over the years after he was widowed, and he said he was never short of one or two ladies to escort wherever he was going. And I can easily understand because his manners were beautiful."

Arthur in his later years.

Adele Rosenberg remembered Arthur as being generous. "When Al's mother [Adele's mother-in-law] was in the hospital in her final illness, they didn't have any money, and we didn't have a hell of a lot. We were getting along quite well, and we were making a good living, but we didn't have any backlog of money. Regina [Arthur's brother's wife] and Edgar [Arthur's nephew] came along and gave us $500 toward the first week in the hospital. This sounds ridiculous, but it was 1953; it wasn't today. It was $1,600 for the first week in the hospital. And so Edgar and Regina gave us $500. Somebody else gave us some. And Arch would come to the hospital. His wife managed their finances, and she kept a very close hold on that. One day when he came, he had a secret compartment in his wallet and took out a $100 bill. That must have been squirreled away so that his wife wouldn't know about it. But he used to like to visit. He used to come and see us, to call on his sister."

We asked Adele if Arthur was more serious when he was visiting or lighthearted. She replied, "He was always up. I rarely remember Archie being down. He was always up. Of course, his brother, Lucien, was the one who was the real hypochondriac. He was difficult. He was always low. It's funny how in a family there can be such a difference in personalities. But Arch was wonderful. He was close to Al. The age deal entered into that. He had a closer relationship with his nephews than the others did because he was more of their generation. Like the hunting and fishing, they did it together."

References:

Interview with Adele Rosenberg, March 28-29, 1992, San Mateo, California.

Interview with Edgar and Clara Cerf, July 13, 1993, San Luis Obispo, California.