Welcome to the Mendelsohn’s!
Jacob/ Yacov/ Jehuda Mendelsohn & Fanny/ Feiga Birnberg had 11 children: Bessie, Mary, Paul, Rose, Sarah, Harry, Ester, Sam, Annette, Fishel & Scheindel. All immigrated except for Scheindel. I was told she drowned while they were crossing a river in the old country. 🙁
I found the ship manifests for Bessie & Mary first. They arrived together in Montreal on December 21st, 1903. I could not find the other’s for quite awhile.
While interviewing living descendants of my ancestors, it was mentioned our Surname might have been either Weinberg or Weissberg, not Mendelsohn. Back to the ship manifests and the rest were listed under Weinberg & Weissberg. They arrived in Montreal on July 1st, 1905 (every record states 1904 btw).
My Grandfather Paul Mendelsohn’s birth record from 1886 confirms he was born a Mendelsohn therefore we were not Weissberg/Weinberg’s before immigration. My father, Felix Mendelsohn, believes they bought papers, changed their name, and left Austria because Paul Mendelsohn was becoming eligible for the draft.The Montreal 1911 Census lists them all as Mendelsohn once again.
Here is what I have learned about our Mendelsohn’s:
I have never confirmed where Jacob was born but records state Falticeni & the territory of Wallachia, now in Romania.
Fanny Birnberg Mendeslohn’s family lived in the region of Northern Bukovina in 2 small towns called Carlibaba & Iacobeni. Somehow, once upon a time, Jacob arrived in this area and met the Birnbergs. Both Rose & Paul were born in what is now called Rodna, Bistrita-Nasaud, Transylvania, Romania. I have not found the other siblings birth certificates. I believe they departed in 1900 or shortly afterwards. Being Rose & Paul were born there, the next child, Sarah, wasn’t born until 1891. She is not listed in the Rodna records. Paul Mendelsohn also got a copy of his birth record form Nasaud Bistrata in 1900.
What route did they take from Rodna to the ship? Train? Foot? Where did they stop? Where were the others born?
I have never found a marriage record for Jacob & Fanny but I assume they married because Paul & Rose’s birth certificate would have mentioned they were illegitimate if their parents weren’t married, which it didn’t.