Add Bonn Lived to Age 101

Adrienne "Add" Bonn, an acclaimed artist, passed away in San Francisco on September 14, 2012, at the remarkable age of 101.

Add Bonn was born in 1911, the daughter of French emigrant Achille Bonn and San Francisco native Estella Robin Bonn. Her grandmother, Sara Levy Bonn, was the sister of Phoebe Levy Cerf.

As a successful artist, Add shared her visions, hopes and dreams through her art. A recent memorial about her life revealed, "She would take a tube of paint and show you a piece of her soul. Her renditions of San Francisco are detailed portraits of the flourishing city that she loved. When Add painted people, she muted the details modeling complexity in their simplicity and anonymity, allowing the viewer to insert oneself, and come to terms with her message."

Painting by Add Bonn

Among the many museums and galleries that exhibited Add's paintings were the De Young Museum, the San  Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Palace of Legion of Honor, the Oakland Art Museum, and the San Francisco Women's Gallery. Add studied  at the California School of Fine Arts, now called the San Francisco Art Institute, and the Marion Hartwell School of Basic Design.

On Add's 100th birthday, a party was held in her honor at City Hall where her paintings were on display, and there was a large gathering of friends and relatives at her home the next day. Even at the age of 100, Add was ready to talk about what it was like growing up in the San Francisco of her day. Click this link to watch a YouTube video: Interview of Add Bonn at age 100.  Be sure to go to the end to discover her secret to longevity.

A 48-page transcribed interview of Add talking about growing up in the Mission District and later living in the Russian Hill/North Beach districts is full of interesting recollections.  It can be accessed via this link: Written interview of Add Bonn.  This document, containing photos of her and of her artwork, is part of the San Francisco Public Library collection.

Add was known as a "firecracker" to her relatives.  "Although she lived a quiet, personal life, the personna that she created was loud, gregarious, vivacious, and very public. She lived the message that she wanted the world to understand. Add's philosophy was 'You don't do things in this world because of the next world. You do what's right now, right now.'"

References:

"In Celebration of Add," a memorial by relatives, October 2012.

"Add Bonn" an interview by Alison and Barbara Frantz and the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, housed at the San Francisco Public Library, 2001, http://archive.org/details/addbonn00bonn.

"Add Bonn, Former SF Girls Club Member," filmed on October 5, 2011, posted on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQdsxfwxKoU.

Bernard Cerf's Family Photos

Bernard Cerf was the oldest son and second child born to Aaron and Phoebe Cerf. He was a clothing merchant with a store on Kearny Street near Sacramento Street in San Francisco.

Bernard Cerf (1868-1942)

Regina Jacob Cerf (1871-1959), wife of Bernard Cerf

Bernard and Regina Cerf had one child, Edgar Marcel Cerf.

Edgar Marcel Cerf (1905-1996)

Edgar Cerf owned a store in San Francisco that sold ladies' hats and Clara was a school nurse. Edgar and Clara were a sweet, loving couple who enjoyed adventure and keeping in touch with friends and relatives.  I have had some lovely visits with them and received heartwarming letters.  Here they are on a hiking adventure in the early 1990's.

Edgar Marcel Cerf (1905-1996) and his wife, Clara Ruelas Cerf (1904-2003)

Bonne and Levy Marriage

Here is a marriage record for Sylvain Bonne and Sara Levy. The family in the U.S. spelled the groom's name as Sylvan Bonn. One granddaughter is still living. She's 101 years old and lives in San Francisco. I was honored to be at her 100th birthday party.  She has some wonderful stories of growing up in San Francisco.

On March 9, 1875, at 9 a.m., the marriage of Sylvain Bonne, born in Lintgen, on September 20, 1851, a salesman, living in Aumetz, son of the late Bonne August, a salesman in Aumetz, and of the widow Adela Israel, 50 years of age, with Sara Levy, born in Metzervisse on March 20, 1849, a she-grocer, living in Metzervisse, a daughter of age of Leopold Levy, 68 years of age, a grocer, living in Metzervisse, and of the late Catherine Boeles.

Book Review

I just finished reading The Forgetting River: A Modern Tale of Survival, Identity, and the Inquisition, chronicling the author's search for clues about the religious background of her ancestors.

Doreen Carvajal is a New York Times journalist in France who grew up in California.  Her family came from Costa Rica, and before that from Spain, probably in Andalucia, around the time of the Spanish Inquisition.  She was raised a Catholic but recently became suspicious that her family's roots were Jewish.

When genealogical records failed to offer the proof she sought, Carvajal immersed herself in the Spanish culture by living for several months a year in the hillside Andalucian town of Arcos de la Frontera.  She compared the current religious traditions of the city with those of the Jewish people before and during the Inquisition with surprising results.

Her investigations included searching the history of anyone with the name Carvajal, which took her into the genealogical records of the Mexican Inquisition that are held at U.C. Berkeley, as well as obtaining dna analysis.

Although this book has no direct connection to the Cerf family, it is a fascinating look into how to conduct genealogical research that goes beyond a search of records.  Carvajal explores the climate during the Inquisition for the Jewish people and the conversos, those who converted to Catholicism to escape torture and death.  This book is a worthwhile read for anyone curious about Jewish history during the Inquisition.  Jewish traditions come to life in this heartfelt search for ancestral connection.

Phoebe Barbe Levy Cerf Photos

Here are two photos of Phoebe Barbe Levy Cerf.  I don't know the dates they were taken, but probably before she was married.  If anyone knows the years taken, please let me know and I will update this post.

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