William Levison (Michaels)

On 23 Nov 1891, William Michaels disembarked from the SS Etruria at the Port of New York having sailed from Liverpool via Queenstown. 6½ months later, the SS Gallia tied up at the Port of New York. On board were Rebecca Michaels (née Levy), William Michaels’ second wife, with:

• the four children from her first marriage to Hyman Kosky who died in 1879; and
• the four children from her marriage to William Michaels; and
• the two youngest children of William Michaels’ marriage to Sarah Silver or Silverberg who died in 1882; and
• seven pieces of luggage! The group of 11 then travelled to Brooklyn where they joined William Michaels who had left England earlier.

It appears from the 1900 US Federal census that all of this group initially abandoned their family names of Kosky and Michaels and adopted the name of Levison, the spelling of which was inconsistent. However, subsequently, some of the four Kosky children reverted to their former name - but spelt Koski.