MORRIS AND HENRIETTA BERNSTEIN AND THEIR DESCENDANTS Lawrence B. Goldsmith, Sr.’s recollections written around 1970 Additional notes by Margaret Anne Goldsmith, 2017

My grandfather Lawrence Bernstein Goldsmith’s notes on the Bernstein family as well as his notes on other family members have provided a great deal of information, without which I could never have assembled the family collections of archives and artifacts and included such extensive detail. His history of the Bernstein family, typed by his secretary Mrs. Maggie Bradley around 1970 is copied below. I added additional information in 2017.

LAWRENCE B. GOLDSMITH, SR.’S NOTES

Morris Bernstein, my grandfather on my mother’s side, was born in Hanover, Germany during the year 1824. My grandmother, Henrietta Newman Bernstein, on my mother’s side, was born in Bischafsheim, Germany during the year 1829. I do not know when they immigrated to the United States, but I do know the Bernsteins and Newmans both came south. My grandparents met in Huntsville and were married in 1852.

My grandfather, Morris Bernstein, learned watch making in Switzerland. He established a jewelry store and watch repair shop at No. 3 South Side of the Public Square. Morris purchased the property, using the ground floor for his jewelry store and the upstairs for living quarters. My grandfather was thrifty and accumulated several valuable parcels of real estate in Huntsville, some of which are still owned by our family as of 1970. He had thought that the North would win the Civil War. If that happened, he knew that Confederate money would be worthless. As a precaution, he put all of his savings into real estate. My grandmother, Henrietta Newman Bernstein had a notions store. Her shop was also located on the South Side of the Public Square near Morris’ jewelry store.

My grandparents had three children, all of whom were born at #3 South Side of the Public Square in Huntsville. Their eldest daughter, my aunt Sophie, was born September 23, 1857 and died in Huntsville, Alabama March 1, 1938 at the age of 81. Their middle daughter, my mother Betty, was born September 25, 1859 and died in Huntsville November 29, 1928 at the age of 68. Their youngest daughter, my aunt Lilly was born November 28, 1867 and died in New York City June 27, 1936 at the age of 69.

When my mother was a young girl, my grandfather took her and her sister Sophie to Germany where they attended school for approximately two or three years. My grandfather accompanied them to Europe and then returned to Europe several years later and brought them back to Huntsville.

My mother Betty Bernstein married Oscar Goldsmith in 1879 and had two children, my sister Theresa and myself. Theresa married Edward Grosser and they had four children; Maurice, Edward, Oscar and Betty. I married Annie Schiffman and we had one son, Lawrence B. Goldsmith, Jr. Lilly Bernstein married Larry Lichtenstadter. They had one son, Mortimer S. Lichtenstadter. Mortimer married Anna Paulson on December 1, 1922 in New York City. The Lichenstadters had one daughter, Louise Jane Lichtenstadter who never married. Mortimer died December 14, 1940. Anna passed away years later. Daughter Louise is still living in New Jersey as of this writing. The Bernstein’s eldest daughter Sophie never married. She lived with her parents until their deaths and then with my parents, her sister and brother in law Betty and Oscar Betty Goldsmith. Sophie died in 1938.

MARGARET ANNE GOLDSMITH’S NOTES

Following is the obituary that was published in the Huntsville newspaper shortly after Morris’ death October 5, 1898.

“Morris Bernstein breathed his last breath at 4 p.m. yesterday. Was ill a very short while with heart trouble. Deceased was a native of Germany and removed to America in early manhood. Came to Huntsville in 1852 and resided here for forty eight years. Mr. Morris Bernstein, one of the oldest and most respected citizens of Huntsville died Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock at his residence at the corner of Gates and Green Streets. Death was the result of a brief illness caused by an affectation of the heart. His condition was precarious for several days and when he died, all his children were present at his bedside. Mr. Bernstein was seventy five years of age. He was born in Hanover, Germany and removed to America as a young man. He resided in Baltimore two or three years, afterward removing to Huntsville in the year 1852. He was a resident of Huntsville continuously for forty eight years. Mr. Bernstein was a watch maker by trade and by patient industry and good investments of small capital succeeded in piling up a fortune. He never closed his shop but continued to employ himself at his chosen labor until a short while before his death. Mr. Bernstein leaves three children, Mrs. Oscar Goldsmith and Miss Sophie Bernstein of this city and Mrs. William Levy of New York.”

Regarding slavery, a number of Jews in the south owned slaves as it was part of the southern culture at the time. A bill of sale preserved by our family states, that on August 8, 1859, George Everhart of Madison County sold to Morris and Henrietta Bernstein a Negro woman of about forty five years named Sally for Five Hundred Dollars. Another receipt, this one from D.B. Fisher dated May 11, 1861, records the sale of an eight year old Negro boy named Virgil to Henrietta and Morris Bernstein for three hundred and twenty two dollars and fifty cents. My thoughts on the matter regarding the Bernstein’s ownership of two slaves are that it was a matter of necessity. Both Morris and Henrietta worked and needed help with the children and household chores.

Several memories shared with me by my grandfather, Lawrence B. Goldsmith about his grandfather Morris Bernstein include his memory of the fact that Morris had a peg leg. I never asked how Morris lost his leg, however a number of years after my grandfather died, I read several newspaper articles at the archival department of the Huntsville Madison County Public Library in the files of Felix Newman who was a relative of my great great grandmother Henrietta Newman Bernstein. I remember my father saying that Felix Newman was related to us. He said that when Felix would pass by his grandparents Oscar and Betty Goldsmith’s home on Gates Street that he would tip his hat to whoever was sitting on the front porch. My father also added that Felix did not belong to our Temple and did not practice Judaism. There are members of the Newman family buried in the 1874 Jewish Section of Maple Hill Cemetery next to the Bernstein family members. Apparently it was several generations after the immigrant Newmans settled in Huntsville that some family members ceased to practice Judaism.

In Felix Newman’s file I found two interesting newspaper articles, one mentioned that Mr. Bonheim Newman of Johnstown PA was married to a Miss Lee Hardy. Another article included a copy of a letter published in the Chattanooga newspaper that stated. “Encompassed by the Flood: Letter from a young man who was in the water. The letter was received yesterday by the gentleman addressed, and with his consent we publish it as it will be or interest to Bonheim’s many friends who rejoice that he is safe. “ (I later learned about the flood in Johnston PA in 1889 known as The Johnstown Flood. ) “Mr. O. Goldsmith, Huntsville, Ala., (I assume Mr. O. Goldsmith was Oscar Goldsmith)

Dear Sir: -- My dispatch to you will have informed you of our misfortune and especially the sad death of our poor father, who drowned, while in the yard at his home. Brother and myself and neighbors observed him yet struggling with the water, but we were all powerless and could not rescue him.

When our house went to pieces, I lost sight of Morris and had to struggle for my own life. I managed to get across the roofs of five houses, all swimming in the water, by holding on to pieces of wood and partly swimming through the spans between them. Finally I got to the big house on Main Street, in which I found shelter and safety. Then minutes later, brother Morris passed down the water on a flat roof. He had his leg broken and could not move. I called to him to keep up and with the help of a friend pulled him into the house. We remained there the whole night (a night which I will never forget in all my life) and were rescued in the morning. We got to the hospital here yesterday. Morris is doing well and will get over his injuries in six or seven weeks. I got only a few bruises and will leave the hospital in a few days.” The letter was signed by Bonheim Newman.

Apparently Henrietta Newman had family living near or in Johnstown PA. Bonheim’s reference to Morris as “Brother Morris,” would suggest that Morris was visiting his wife Henrietta’s family at the time of the flood. The broken leg injury must have been quite serious and caused Morris to lose his leg and have it amputated and replaced with a peg leg. One of the artifacts in the Bernstein portion of the collection of artifacts that I donated to the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia in 2011 is a walking cane that my grandfather identified as his grandfather’s walking cane. It is a short wooden cane with an ivory handle. Walking sticks were used more as an accessory, but walking canes were used for support. Morris would have used his cane for support because of his peg leg.

There are a number of artifacts that belonged to Morris and Henrietta Bernstein in addition to the walking cane that I donated to the National Museum of American Jewish History in the Bernstein Herstein, Schiffman and Goldsmith Collection. Other artifacts donated to the Museum that belonged to the Bernstein’s include: a three piece wool suite that Morris had made in Germany during one of his return trips to visit family; linens including a monogrammed tablecloth and matching napkins likely made by the Bernstein’s daughter Sophie who did fine hand work; a small man’s change purse that belonged to Morris; a lovely ruby colored dresser glass that would have been used to store makeup or hairpins with “H. Bernstein” etched in the glass; several daguerreotype pictures that would have been made around 1860 or earlier, one of Morris as a young man and another of three small children; a sterling silver soup/punch ladle engraved “M. B.,” a sterling silver candelabra engraved “M.B.”; and a sterling silver water dipper. My grandfather remembered the silver dipper hanging above an oak barrel at his grandparent’s summer home on Monte Sano.

Perhaps the most important artifact from the Bernstein family is a small pocket size SIDDUR (Jewish prayer book) printed in Hebrew in Hanover Germany and dated 1840. Morris’ Siddur contained prayers that he would have needed for most occasions, often used by Jewish travelers. My son John Hanaw who lives in Jerusalem and has become an Orthodox Jew and is fluent in Hebrew asked if he could have the Siddur saying, “Mom, I am the first member of our family since my great great great grandfather Morris Bernstein who can read Hebrew. I should have it.” Of course, I gave the Siddur to him, making him promise to hand it down to his eldest son, my grandson Elisha Hanaw. Before I gave the Siddur to John, I placed it in a gold plated sterling silver cigarette box that my parents gave to my grandparents, Annie and Lawrence B. Goldsmith, Sr. on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. I had engraved the history of the Siddur on the bottom of the box, tracing it through the generations from my great great grandfather Morris Bernstein to his daughter Betty Goldsmith, Betty to my grandfather Lawrence Goldsmith, Lawrence to my father Lawrence, Jr. , my father to me and me to my son John. John was quite pleased to receive the Siddur in its gold plated silver storage box with engraved history. I might add that he uses the Siddur regularly.

My grandfather also mentioned that after Morris and Henrietta acquired their house on the corner of Gates and Green Streets in 1875 including the rear lot fronting Williams Street, they purchased additional lots on Gates Street between their property and the corner of Franklin Street plus the lot fronting on Williams behind where 204 Gates is now located. After the Bernsteins daughter, my great grandmother Betty married Oscar Goldsmith; the couple lived with the Bernsteins. In 1885 the Bernsteins built a lovely Victorian house on the lot next door to them for Betty, Oscar and their two young children, my grandfather Lawrence and his sister Theresa.

In addition to the property on Gates Street, Morris acquired a number of properties and on some he developed buildings and on others houses. The property records at the Court House list these transactions under his name.

My grandfather often mentioned that he was born in the east wing of his grandparent’s house. My grandfather also talked about his grandmother keeping milk in the old dairy keeper that was partially buried in the yard and used as a bird bath. (See the vignette on the dairy keeper.) I donated the circa 1818 solid limestone dairy keeper to the Burritt Museum of Huntsville, Alabama in 1998. In the yard of the Bernstein house I also remember the old mulberry tree that was probably planted by my great great grandparents, the Bernsteins. It died by degrees over the last fifty years. My grandfather would remark that he could remember swinging on it as a child. He also mentioned that his grandfather planted the cherry trees and the large old pecan trees in the back lots facing Williams Street. These trees are no longer there. The lots have been sold and a new house built on the lots. Morris was a charter member of both B’nai Brith, a Jewish fraternal organization and Congregation B’nai Sholom. According to the early minutes of Congregation B’nai Sholom, Morris’ contributions were always the most generous received from the Congregation’s members. Both Morris and my grandmother’s grandfather, my great great grandfather Robert Herstein were on the board of the early bank that is today Regions. Robert was on the board first and when he died in 1878, Morris was elected to the board and remained on the board for a number of years.

Morris’ extensive archives were given to the Huntsville Madison County Public Library in 1985 and have since been transferred to the University of Alabama Huntsville Archival Department. Since Morris outlived his wife Henrietta, his estate was bequeathed to his three daughters. Morris’ will stated that the estate was to remain in trust for his grandchildren, the income going to his three daughters during their lifetime. When the last of his children passed away, the trust was to be dissolved and the assets distributed. When the estate was distributed, half went to the Lichenstadters , the Bernstein’s daughter Lilly’s descendants, and the other half went to my grandfather Lawrence B. Goldsmith and his sister Theresa Grosser, the Bernstein’s daughter Betty’s descendants. Since Sophie was never married and had no children, her 1/3 interest in the estate was divided between Mortimer Lichenstadter and Betty’s descendants. The estate was a portfolio of real estate which was passed through the generations and as of this writing has all been sold.

IN MEMORY OF THE BERNSTEINS The limestone dairy keeper mentioned in the above narrative was used by the Bernsteins and by previous owners since the early section of the house at the corner of Gates and Green was built in 1818. Several years after I donated it to the Burritt Museum, the Museum built a spring house in which they incorporated the dairy keeper for the purpose of teaching children visiting the museum how dairy products were preserved during the 19th century and how milk was churned. Dairy keepers were either located in enclosures near a spring or in a well house where cold spring or well water could be poured into the dairy keeper to keep the milk, eggs and cheese cool. The Burritt Museum named their spring house The Bernstein Spring House which pleased me. When the Springhouse was dedicated the Museum director invited a small group of Burritt patrons and some of my friends and family to the event. The director welcomed everyone and then I spoke to the group about the history of the dairy keeper and ended my talk by making a contribution to the Burritt in memory of the Bernsteins . When my great great grandfather bought the house and then the rest of the lots facing Gates, he placed a limestone marker with his name engraved at the corner of Franklin and Gates, a not uncommon practice by property owners. Many years later my father had the marker moved to the yard at 206 Gates. After my father died in 1995, I created The Lawrence B. Goldsmith Jr. Garden of Meditation and Reflection in the circa 1874 Jewish Section of Maple Hill Cemetery. To create the Garden, I used the sandstone stepping stones from the Bernstein House, my great grandfather Oscar Goldsmith’s (horse) mounting stone and my great great grandfather Morris Bernstein’s property marker.