American Kort Family Lineages
Conversation started July 22, 2011
7/22, 4:23pm
Barry et al:
Melissa sent this via email and I am moving it to facebook where all the action seems to be. It's her notes from a conversation with her dad, Norman Kort, about the family history. This facebook message thread might be a good place to keep this conversation going.
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Zadie (Sam Kort) was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1892. He was one of five brothers: Sam, Willie, Lou, Max, and Danny. They had sisters too. Rita (married to Morton Espar, who sold insurance for a big national company; they were well off). They had two boys, one was Noel, who eventually had Parkinson; the other one lives in Washington State. There was also Aunt Noma who was married to Ben (Rosenfeld). Zadie and family lived downstairs from them on Waverly in Detroit. There was a third sister, the oldest one (Dad can’t remember her name), who was married to Uncle Itzl—he was in the dry cleaning business and had the nicest home on LaSalle in Detroit; they also had two sons. Zadie’s parents were only known as “Zadie and Bubu” (Michele says they were Sarah and Nathan, but Dad doesn’t think so); they came from “Somewhere like Russia, or Russia—not sure.” Zadie’s mom was very small, and this was her second marriage: she had other family near Boston.
Zadie’s family moved to Michigan after his parents bought a “senior home” in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The brothers stayed in touch, except for Max. Dan was divorced and moved to California. He was a professional card player/gambler. Dad says he was in the printing business in Detroit; in California, he was a pinochle expert and he made his living here playing in Westlake Park on Alvarado. He had one son, whom Dad never recalls his name. Our parents moved into their Uncle Lou’s house when they moved to California in 1940; he had a bookkeeping service and a big income tax business. He had two boys, one named Nathan. He was married to Alice. Willie moved to California late in his life; he was in business in Detroit. His wife’s name was Betty, and Gilbert was one of their kids. Willie’s big success was with those little wax bottles that would have something to drink inside—a kid’s treat. “It wasn’t a clean operation, and after they cooked everything in a big vat, all the dirt would settle to the bottom.” Dad said he would almost get sick just looking at the dirt. Also, Dad remembers that at the Worlds Fair in New York or Chicago, Willie had a concession where he froze a woman in a block of ice (you can see this demonstrated on Youtube!).
Louie, Danny and Willie were rum runners in Detroit during Prohibition, bringing in booze from Canada by boat. Zadie would help with a flashlight to guide them in at night, but he refused to take any money, because what they were doing wasn’t legal (he would help his brothers, but “He was a strait-arrow stupid guy—he had a lot of morals on that score—but they didn’t get caught.”
After introducing Dad to Google Earth, he remembered:
Schools: Uncle Shel went to Hutchins High in Detroit
Auntie I to Central Norman to Thirkell Elementary, Durfee Junior High, signed up for Central High but instead started at Dorsey and finished at Manual Arts Durfee Junior High fight song:
Hail to Durfee Junior High
Shout your praises to the sky
Ever loyal ever true
Staunchly standing back of you
In whatever feat you try.
7/22, 4:33pm
Here are links for the 1900 and 1910 US Census records for Nathan and Sarah Kort ....
The 1900 Census record even includes a photocopy of the actual census taker's sheet. You can view it to double check the transcriptions from the census taker's handwriting.
The children of Nathan and Sarah, as listed in 1900 are: Bessie, Maxie, Samuel, Louis, Daniel, William, and Rosey.
The 1910 Census record does seem to add any further information.
Search Results—FamilySearch.org — Free Family History and Genealogy Records
7/22, 4:39pm
Here is the 1930 US Census for Samuel and Sarah Kort, showing children Sheldon, Betty, and Norman, ages 8, 6, and 4 respectively...
Search Results—FamilySearch.org — Free Family History and Genealogy Records
7/22, 4:53pm
From the photocopy of the 1900 Census, here are the birth dates of the children of Nathan and Sarah ...
Bessie Nov 1887
Maxie Sep 1889
Samuel Jan 1890
Louis Aug 1893
Daniel July 1895
William Sep 1897
Rosey Dec 1899
7/22, 5:14pm
According to the 1900 Census, Nathan Kort was born in November 1848 in Russia. His wife, Sarah, was born "about 1867" and was "about 33 years old" in 1900. They were married in 1885, the same year they came to the US. Samuel's occupation is listed as "Jeweler."
Their oldest child, Bessie was born in New York (Nov 1888). Maxie was born in Canada (Sep 1889). Samuel and Louis were born in Ohio. Daniel was born in Canada. William and Rosey were born in Michigan.
Note that "Russia" means any place that Russia controlled in 1900. On my side of the family tree, my Eastern European ancestors are initially listed as coming from "Poland Russia" or just "Russia" but by the time of the 1930 Census, they are listed as coming from "Lithuania." This is consistent with the history of Vilnius Lithuania which was variously part of Poland and/or Russia in the years leading up to the Second World War.
7/22, 5:27pm
The 1900 census says that my great-grandfather, William Kort, was born in Dec 1861 and immigrated from "Poland (Russia)" in 1877. I am told that he came from Vilnius Lithuania, along with his two brothers, Louis and Samuel. Their parents were Isaac and Hanna Kort, who I presume lived in Vilnius.
July 23, 2011
7/23, 12:26am
Two corrections.
While the 1900 census originally lists Samuel's birth date as Jan 1890, that's clearly a mistake. If you look closely at the photocopy of the census page, you can see a faint correction (probably in a colored pencil that barely shows up in a B&W photo), changing it to 1892, which agrees with other digitized records.
Also, the occupation "Jeweler" applies to Nathan Kort (not Samuel).
Please ask Norman if he recognizes the name Bessie as Sam's oldest daughter, and Rosie as the name of his youngest daughter.
July 23, 2011
7/23, 8:55am
Joel, the 1930 US Census record for the household of Samuel and Sarah Kort lists three children: Sheldon (age 8), Betty (age 6), and Norman (age 4).
Your mother's name is Ilene and your parents were married on April 16, 1950. Was your mother born after the 1930 census (and married at the age of 18 or 19), or is "Betty" the name your mother went by as a child? If Betty and Ilene are not one and the same, what became of Betty (whose name does not turn up on Geni as a sibling of Sheldon, Norman, and Ilene).
Search Results—FamilySearch.org — Free Family History and Genealogy Records
7/23, 8:58am
That's age 8 for Sheldon. Ignore the conversion to an emoticon.
7/23, 9:55am
Joel, here is a possible 1920 US Census record for your great-uncle Lou:
If that's the correct record, then your great-uncle Lou was 26 years old, single, and living in a boarding house in Detroit at the time of the 1920 US Census. (He would have turned 27 in August of 1920.)
Here is a possible Social Security Death Record for him:
The date of birth varies by one month from that of the US Census. If your great-uncle Lou died in Los Angeles at age 86 in August 1979, then that's probably the matching record. The Social Security number indicates that it was issued in California, which makes sense if he had moved to California by the time the Social Security System was set up. The ZIP code of the last residence is 90048, which is also a clue to confirm a match.
Search Results—FamilySearch.org — Free Family History and Genealogy Records
7/23, 10:59am
What's a "family" without a few scoundrels in it!?!
July 24, 2011
7/24, 1:28am
Speaking of scoundrels, it appears I am now being shunned by Michele, Melissa, and Isaac. What gives? Did I cross some boundary?
July 25, 2011
7/25, 12:02pm
Barry... No one is shunning you. Michelle, Melissa and Isaac are all on vacation. You have a lot of energy invested in this and we all look like slug-a-beds in comparison.
7/25, 12:03pm
Lol. I've been known to sprint when others are sauntering.
7/25, 1:14pm
Oh, I did go back and read up some more on the gene associated with red hair. On the 16th Chromosome, red-heads have a gene which codes for the M1CR Protein (Melanocortin-1 Receptor), which is associated with red hair in humans and other mammals. It's recessive, so you generally have to inherit it from both parents to have bright red hair.
In my family, the red-heads come from my mother's side (descendants of Sam Cohen), but my father's side has to be hybrid carriers, so as to contribute the recessive gene about half the time. My brother is a red-head, but our father (and his father) are not. My brother's son is not a red-head, but three of his five children are.
Gene expression is not strictly on or off. My mother had auburn hair. It all depends on the relative ratios of pheomelanin (the red pigment) and eumelanin (the dark pigment).
See also "All About Redheads" where I explore a bit more about
traits associated with being a red-head ...
7/25, 5:12pm
Did you say Sam Cohen? Dorene Kort, wife of Sheldon (who is the oldest son of Samuel) is a Cohen...on her mother's side... Maybe we could be related twice!? How many Cohen's could there be?? :-)
7/25, 5:49pm
My mother is the daughter of Sam and Mariam Cohen, who came to the US from Germany. My mother was the youngest of nine siblings (three of whom died before my mother was born). Sam Cohen died when my mother was still a teenager of 16, so I never knew him. I did know my maternal grandmother, Mariam Cohen, who even lived with us for about a year, back in the late 1950s. I know next to nothing about the ancestry of Sam and Mariam Cohen, other than the fact that they came to the US from Germany. Sam Cohen had sisters named Lattie, Rae, and Mary. Mariam's mother was Dora Alexander, and her father was Morris Lando. The trail pretty much goes cold there. Only one of my mothers siblings was a male. He was Melvyn Cohen, and he had two sons, Stephen and Melvyn Jr. I once met my cousin, Steve Cohen, when he lived in New Jersey, but i have since lost track of him.
7/25, 6:10pm
Dorene is from England. Before then I'd have to check.
7/25, 6:13pm
About the only way to find out is to find my cousin Steve Cohen. A generic Google search does turn up some possible matches. His parents, Melvyn and Selma Cohen, lived in Beaumont TX.
July 25, 2011
7/25, 10:29pm
Vilnius is today in the southwestern part of Lithuania, near the border with Belarus. The nearest large town on the Belarus side of the modern border is Minsk. Up until 1917, Vilnius was the capital of Vilno Province, which was then part of the Russian Empire. Around 100 years ago, Poland also laid claim to Vilno Province. Today, the original Vilno Province is divided between the modern country of Lithuania and Belarus.
7/25, 11:39pm
This is my niece, Debbie Kort at age 3 1/2 in 1974 ...
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150276396576967&set=p.10150276396576967&type=1&theater
July 27, 2011
7/27, 12:41am
Robert Kort is suggesting we not worry about whether Barry is a direct descendant or not... If he wants to pay a modest membership fee..... he's
in! And there's a 10% discount for any additional family members he'd like
to bring along with him. In fact, why limit it to just Kort's. Anyone that wants to pay the membership fee can be part of the family!!!!
And since we're trying to connect the Korts, there's also Fred Kort, of
Imperial Toy fame, the largest importer of marbles and bubble juice in the
U.S. But Fred passed away a few years ago so someone will have to make a connection with Jordan and Steve, his sons.
And lest we forget Ludwig Von Kort, and the Kort Nozzle yes, "cousin" Ludwig invented the Kort Nozzle, look it up....and for those too lazy to do so or
who don't care... I'll tell you about it... pay attention, there may be a
test at the end.... The Kort Nozzle is a shroud that encircles a propeller, primarily on boats and ships, but can also be used on aircraft or fans, that improves the performance of the propeller by focusing the water it propels
into a focused stream. It is particularly helpful at slower speeds and also cuts down on the cavitation created by the propeller.
Robert's plan B to save everyone a lot of work, is DNA... and only one of us
has to do it since we know we're all related.... I nominate Robert since he seems to have gotten the good hair gene and therefore has the most follicles
to chose from...
July 27, 2011
7/27, 7:48am
Actually, I did stumble across the Kort Nozzle a few years ago. There is a line of Dutch Korts who are probably not related at all.
Probably as the cost of DNA analysis drops, we'll send in our samples to 23andme.com and find out the missing story of our genetic heritage.
7/27, 7:56am
Oh, speaking of paying a fee, I was chasing down my grandmother's lineage. Her American surname was Singer, but I was told that her father Americanized the name from Patlashenko, back in the Ukraine.
So I contacted Igor Patlashenko, who is from Kiev and whose Ph.D. is in Algorithmics (very similar to my own Ph.D. topic). Igor told me that Jews living in Czarist Russia were restricted to a territorial region known as Cherta Osedlosti ("Pale of Settlement"), and were further restricted to living in the "little towns" ("shtetls"). To live in a big city like Kiev, it was commonplace for Jews to purchase a gentile Ukrainian surname, like Patlashenko.