BETTIE BERNSTEIN GOLDSMITH Bettie Bernstein Goldsmith, my great grandmother, fondly remembered by her children, grandchildren and community as “Mama Bettie” and “Miss Bettie” grew up during the Civil War and years of Reconstruction. She was born in 1859 on the second floor of her father Morris Bernstein’s watch repair shop on the south side of the public square in Huntsville Alabama. Bettie’s parents, Henrietta and Morris Bernstein were both German Jewish immigrants who had arrived in America before 1850. Bettie and her two sisters, Lilly and Sophie, grew up downtown and in 1875 the family moved to a large antebellum house a few blocks away at 206 Gates Street. During Reconstruction, the Bernsteins sent their two eldest daughters Sophie and Bettie to school in Germany for several years. We have a charming letter written by Bettie to her parents while in school in Germany in which she writes, “Work and study are my principal occupation.” She goes on to describe a ball her dancing master gave as follows, ”my first impression spread such a spell over my imagination that I shall be well contented if all the balls that it will be my lot to assist will satisfy me as that first.” She closes as, “Your dutiful and affectionate child, Bettie.” Both the letter and an autograph book filled with poetry and signed by some of Bettie’s classmates during her school years in Germany were donated to the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) in 2011 and are included in the Bernstein Herstein Schiffman and Goldsmith Collection. Copies of the documents are included in Bettie’s archival file. When Bettie was twenty she met and married Oscar Goldsmith who was in Huntsville on a business trip from New York. Oscar Goldsmith’s parents, both German Jews, immigrated to the U.S. in 1838 when they met and married. Their six children were all born in New York City. After their marriage, Oscar and Bettie lived with Bettie’s parents, Henrietta and Morris Bernstein at what is now 206 Gates located at the corner of Green Street. The couple had two children, Theresa and Lawrence, both of whom were born in the Bernstein’s home. After several years, the young couple and their children moved to the lovely Victorian house Betty’s parents had built for them on their lot next door. It is interesting to note that across Greene Street from the Bernsteins lived one of Huntsville’s most noted artists, (Miss) Howard Weeden, who was also a poet. The Bernsteins purchased several of Howard’s fine water color paintings of “freed slaves” for Bettie when she married. The paintings remained in the family and were passed down to me. Recently I donated my collection of Weeden portraits to the Huntsville Museum of Art along with their provenance. Bettie was one of the first ladies in Huntsville to expand her role beyond that of wife and mother to volunteer work in the community. She began by taking soup every day to the “poor and needy.” We have a simple metal soup tureen included in the NMAJH Collection that was one she used on a regular basis for that purpose. Bettie was instrumental in founding a group called The United Charities, possibly a forerunner of the United Way. The group’s first meeting was held at the Jewish Synagogue August 12, 1895, an indication that Bettie was the catalyst behind the formation of the organization. Their volunteer work was to assist the “poor and needy.” In 1917 Bettie was raising funds for Confederated Charities, most likely a later name for the United Charities. A letter to Bettie from the trustees of Miss Virginia McCormick dated October 13, 1917, is a response to her fundraising efforts regarding a contribution on Miss McCormick’s behalf to the Confederated Charities in the amount of $250. The United Charities group’s first project was to campaign for a hospital for the growing town. Bettie who was one of the group’s most assertive members was chosen to approach the city fathers to request funding for a hospital. Initially the city fathers refused her request. Bettie then returned to the organization’s members and gathered together the ladies and some of their husbands and returned to make a request a second time. On the ladies second visit, the City Fathers granted their request and provided the funds for Huntsville’s first hospital that was housed in a small cottage on Mill Street. The cottage was soon outgrown and the hospital moved to a larger house bequeathed to them by Huntsville’s local “Madame,” Molly Teal. The hospital was initially called the Huntsville Infirmary and later became Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville’s main hospital today, 2018. Bettie was on the original Board of Control of the Infirmary and served as Secretary. She remained as a board member until her death in 1928. When Bettie died she left a bequest of $1,000 to the Hospital which in today’s dollar would be worth just under $14,000 and would have entitled her today to be a member of the Hospital’s’ “1885 Society” as a “Benefactor,” one of the contribution levels reserved for donors to Huntsville Hospital. Although there are no records of the early Huntsville Suffrage Movement, I assume Bettie was involved in that movement also since the movement’s dates would have coincided with Bettie’s other involvement in the greater Huntsville community. Bettie’s husband Oscar Goldsmith was Assistant Treasurer of Dallas Mill, the first large scale textile mill in Huntsville which operated from 1891 until 1948. Oscar along with his father in law Morris Bernstein were two of the major investors in the mill. In addition to his duties as Assistant Treasurer, Oscar along with other local investors developed housing for the mill workers. Oscar was president of the Huntsville Land Company, the organization that built the housing development for the mill workers known as “Lawrence Village,” named for Oscar and Bettie’s son, Lawrence, my grandfather. The housing development was known as a “model village” as it provided a number of amenities for the mill workers including a school, a gym, spacious housing and even a dorm for young girls without family in the area. I can see the fine hand of my great grandmother Bettie Goldsmith as helping to influence her husband to include those amenities for the mill workers, especially those benefiting the young single girls. During my research I came across a newspaper article from the period that mentions card parties being held at the home of Mrs. Oscar Goldsmith to raise funds for a young blind girl. Funds raised from the card parties provided support for the young girl. This information also reflects Bettie’s concern for the welfare of young women. I remember that my grandfather, Lawrence B. Goldsmith Sr. would often talk about his mother with a great deal of affection. Besides her work with the United Charities and the Hospital he talked about her wonderful family meals that always began with soup and beaten biscuits, an old southern favorite. Gathered around the table would be Bettie’s two children, Theresa and Lawrence; often her parents, Morris and Henrietta Bernstein; and later included Oscar’s parents, David and Henrietta Goldsmith who moved to Huntsville and lived with the Oscar Goldsmith’s during their latter years. Bettie’s maiden sister Sophie also lived with Oscar and Bettie after their parents, Morris and Henrietta Bernstein, passed away. When Bettie and Oscar’s children married there were always Sunday dinners with their children and spouses and grandchildren, five in all. Also from time to time one of Oscar’s brothers visited and would be a guest at the table. Before leaving the subject of Oscar and Bettie’s home, I would be remiss not to mention Bettie’s garden and the beautiful collection of vases and cordial bottles she left that I inherited, including a pair of vases of delicate porcelain with seated female figures holding cones that were used for Bettie’s garden flowers. My grandfather remembers this special pair of vases on his mother’s dressing table which have been donated to the National Museum of American Jewish History to complement the Collection. It was only a few years ago when I was taking a careful inventory of Temple B’nai Sholom that I noted a small brass plaque over the Ark that reads, “Donated by Mrs. Oscar Goldsmith.” The Ark is a lovely late nineteenth century East Lake carved enclosure for the Temple’s Torahs. Although the Temple committee was all male, Bettie contributed this important piece when the Temple was constructed in 1898. In addition she contributed two of the stained glass windows in memory of her parents, Henrietta and Morris Bernstein and Oscar’s parents Henrietta and David Goldsmith. Knowing how involved Bettie was in the larger Huntsville community as a leader, I would assume that she was also a leader in the “Ladies Aid Society” of Congregation B’nai Sholom, forerunner of the Temple Sisterhood. It is interesting to note from the Congregational minutes that many of the stained glass windows were donated by the ladies in the Congregation. Unfortunately there are no minutes remaining from the Ladies Aid Society. However, the Temple minutes and the earlier Congregation minutes include the activities of the wives of Temple members including: raising funds; volunteering in the larger Huntsville community; providing decorations etc. for the Congregation’s rented room at the Masonic Lodge and later for the Temple; and hosting social events. Likely it was at Bettie’s urging that a number of the women in the Congregation donated the windows and the Bemah furniture while the men took charge of the building of the Temple. When I attend services, the Ark and the stained glass windows are constant reminders of my very special great grandmother Bettie Bernstein Goldsmith whose life was her family, her community and her Temple. After Bettie’s death, the Goldsmith and Schiffman families donated to Huntsville the city’s first night athletic field in memory of Bettie Goldsmith and Bettie Schiffman, my other paternal great grandmother, the mother of my grandmother Annie Schiffman Goldsmith. The donors were Oscar Goldsmith, Lawrence and Annie Goldsmith and Robert and Elsie Schiffman. The field consisted of two city blocks that were combined and cleared. The Civilian Conservation Corp. built a limestone rock wall around the field and the Acme Club raised the funds for lighting. The donation of land for The Goldsmith Schiffman Field was the first major act of philanthropy that was made by the Goldsmith and Schiffman families in Huntsville. The Goldsmith and Schiffman families wanted to establish a memorial for the two ladies. The city may have suggested the donation of land for an athletic field which was needed. The Goldsmith and Schiffman families owned property near Dallas Mill that was a prime location for an athletic field. Whichever the reason, the result of the donation is that today many residents have fond memories of the field as participants in the sports played at the field or as spectators. Often after learning my name, people stop me to ask if I am related to the people who donated the field for the school children of Huntsville. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to answer “yes.” In the year 2000 I asked the Huntsville School Board to fund an historic plaque commemorating the origins of the field including information regarding the field’s history and for whom it was named. They agreed and on October 26th of that year we had a special ceremony and an unveiling of the historic plaque, (that today hangs on the rock wall near the front gate.) I participated in the ceremony with my old friend Jimmie Taylor who was captain of the Huntsville High School football team when the team played its first game at Goldsmith Schiffman Field. (Note that Jimmie was also the manager of the Russel Erskine Hotel for many years and a great friend of my grandfather.) Several members of the team, Ernest Bailey and Hershel Bingham were also present. Jimmie and one of the players wore sweaters with their Huntsville High School team “Letters” on the front for which they were most proud. We four, the three members of the team and I held each other’s hands while a photographer took our picture. The photograph was then printed on the sports page of the Huntsville Times newspaper. My step mother, Jewell S. Goldsmith, who married my father Lawrence B. Goldsmith, Jr. in 1952, was a volunteer at Huntsville Hospital for over fifty years. For her work as a Gray Lady and also for her work with the Red Cross she received many awards and honors. In 1982 along with her friend Helen Fulton, Jewell wrote the historic information included in the Huntsville Hospital Annual Report. In the report (pages 1-3) she mentions my great grandmother Bettie Goldsmith and Bettie’s efforts to establish Huntsville’s first hospital, the Huntsville Infirmary. Jewell and Helen later wrote a book together, Medicine Bags and Bumpy Roads , about Huntsville’s early doctors including a history of Huntsville Hospital. The book also documents Bettie Goldsmith’s contributions to the hospital. Prior to Jewell’s death in 1995, I honored my step mother and my great grandmother Bettie Goldsmith by making a contribution to the hospital to have the hospital’s volunteer desk named The Bettie and Jewell Goldsmith Volunteer Desk. The plaque hangs in the hospital’s lobby near the volunteer desk. How very special that over the course of over one hundred years, (1895 – 2009), that two Goldsmith family women have made such outstanding contributions to Huntsville Hospital and the City of Huntsville.