Nathan Narva

Nathan Narva is pictured here in 1921 with his mother, Chaya, and her four sons--all of whom had emigrated from Duninow, Poland to New England between 1906 and 1910. Nathan is standing in the back row on the upper left. RLN 3/30/2020

Social Security Number 017-03-3000

His Ellis Island immigration record shows he departed from Hamburg, Germany on the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria and arrrived on December 20, 1909, at age 17; that he was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and enroute to joining his [much shorter] brother Moische Narwa, 36 Grant St., New York, NY. RLN 7/14/017

RLN Feb. 5, 2012: According to a 1977 letter to me from Sarah [Suss] Narva, Nathan's wife, when his father, Mordecai, became ill with diabetes, it was decided that Nathan would honor his request that one of his sons return from the US to see him. Nathan went because he was then unmarried. Mordecai died of diabetes [there being no insulin] before the WWI armistice in 1918 and Nathan and his mother, Chaya, left Poland as soon as they could after the War, which was in 1921 and they arrived on November 7, 1921. They arrived on the Steamship Finland arriving from Antwerp, Belgium. On the passenger manifest Nathan is shown as Nuchem and his home town as Gostynin, Poland. Chaya, his mother, is listed on the same passenger manifest, which shows her home town as Dieninow, Poland. The steamship passenger manifest indicates that Chaya was illiterate and that the closest relative remaining in Europe was Eva [Chava] Narwa, Chaya's youngest child and Nathan's sister. Chaya's passport photo for this trip shows her together with her son, Nathan, confirming to me that they travelled to the US together in 1921. Immigration records from Ellis Island confirm this fact. According to Judith Wasserman, who lived in Duninow until 1922 in Pinchas' house, Pinchas outlived his brother, Mordecai, by several years, living at least until 1922. Pinchas may also have had diabetes.

Nathan developed Parkinson's disease, from which he suffered in the last years of his life.

HIs tombstone in B'nai Brith cemetary shows his name as Nahum ben Mordecai.

HIs WWII draft card shows his residence as 37 Ashland St., Taunton, MA, and his employer as Morton Shoe Stores, Co., 44 Main St., Taunton, MA, and his wife, Sarah R. Narva. It shows his date of birth as 12/22/1892. RLN 1/10/2016

Nathan Narva, born 1893 [son of Mordecai Narva] was the first cousin of Nathan Nerva, born 1884 [son of Mordecai's older brother, Pinchas]. The two first cousins were born a decade apart, but both named for their grandfather, Nuchim Narwa, born 1795 and died 1864. RLN 2/1/2018