Sam Savetman

Sam Savetman was the brother of my maternal grandfather Harry Savetman.

A 1955 Social Security document indicates his birth date as April 12, 1873 and birthplace Bialystok, and his parents' names: ISAAC D. SAVETMAN and SARAH CANTOR. The Hebrew inscription on his tombstone gives his name as SHLOMO FAIVEL, son of Yitzchak David.

According to his WWI draft card, he was born in April, 1873 in Bialystok, historically Polish but then part of the Russian Empire. He and Dora were definitely married there on May 15, 1900. "SHLIOMA FAIVEL DAVIDOVICH" was recorded as 25 and "DVORA" was 21 according to the original handwritten record in Russian, posted here (scan of original record obtained directly from the Bialystok Office of the Polish National Archives). There was a ketuba and a payment of 60 rubles.There is an indication on this record that Shlioma was registered in Dmochy-Glinki, a tiny speck of a place that was located just outside the settlement of Czyzew, in "Ostrow District" --about 42 miles southwest of Bialystok.

It looks like he was actually born in or around Czyzew (aka Czyzew Osada/ Chizhevo/Chizheva), and that this was the family's shtetl. Population was around 1,785 in the 1897 census, of whom 1,598 were Jews. It was located in Lomza Gubernia (province).

Polish records found online through JRI Poland indicate that In July, 1895, DAVID ITSKO Savetman, age 48, took his two surviving sons Shlomo Faivelovich and Meier Henoch (later Harry) to the civil authorities in Czyzew and had their births there officially registered--very belatedly. According to these records, Shlomo was born in January 1874 and would have been around 21, and Meier Henoch in 1880 and around 15 at this point (more likely he was 17). . They were probably registered for military conscription purposes. David Itsko was described as a "worker", "residing" in Czyzew--but this may have been the family's legal residence, their "permanent place of residence," not their physical location at that time. (Other family marriage and death records in the 1890's referred to Dmochy-Glinki as the family's registration location, although the events took place in Bialystok).

He emigrated to the US in 1902. We have the passenger manifest from the SS Friesland that sailed from Antwerp to the Port of NY arriving at Ellis Island on Sept 30, 1902. He appears as SCHLOIME SAVETTMAN, age 29, married, from Bialystok, occupation tailor, final destination New York. Dora joined him in May, 1904 also sailing from Antwerp to New York, apparently traveling with her widowed mother. On Dora's ship manifest, Schloime is listed as her husband living at 157 Delancey Street in Manhattan.

The 1905 NY Census shows Sam and Dora "SOVETMAN" living at 127 Madison St in Manhattan (on the Lower East Side). Sam's occupation is cloaks operator. Both born in "Russia" and status aliens.

Their son Abraham was born on Jan 2, 1906 in New York City (Manhattan) at their residence at 127 Madison Street. The father's name on the birth certificate, posted here, appears as SOLOMON SOWETMAN, age 32, occupation cloak tailor. The mother's maiden name was Dorah Shocket (age 28).

The 1910 Census showed Samuel and Dora Savetman, both 35 years old, living in Brooklyn with their two sons Abraham, 4, and Sidney, 2. According to the Census, Sidney was born around 1908 in New York (State)--probably in one of the boroughs of New York City. I later identified Sidney as Saul/Solly--he died at age 7 in August, 1915 of infectious endocarditis.

There's a NYC directory listing in 1917 that shows him working as a tailor and living on E. 173rd St. in the Bronx. His World War I draft registration card from Sept, 1918 shows the same. It indicates his status as "alien" and that he was a citizen/subject of "Russia." It also shows him working at Rosenwasser Bros. in Long Island City, Queens.

Sam, occupation tailor, was naturalized on Feb 16, 1923 after a six-year process that started with his Declaration of Intention in 1917. His Declaration and Petition indicated that during this time period, he and his wife Dora lived at 960 E. 173rd St in the Bronx with their son Abraham.

According to a 1976 interview with his son Abe Savetman published in the Asbury Park Press (posted here), the family moved to Lakewood in 1923.

The 1930 Census shows him living in Lakewood, NJ with Dora and Abe at 608 County Line Road, and the operator of a poultry farm. It says he is naturalized and his property is valued at $7000. The census also indicates that they own a radio. They are all still living at the same address in the 1940 Census, owners of a chicken farm.

Sam died on June 8, 1956, about 15 months after his wife Dora. They are buried in Mt Sinai Cemetery in Lakewood.

Ed Friedel, June 2019