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Biography
Sep
1946
Brooklyn, New York
Michael and Ida Lasky at the wedding of their son Sam
by his
grandson Steven Lasky
My grandfather Michael
Lasky (Laski) was born in 1872 in Zambrow, Poland. I know this because
this is was what was
written by my grandmother Ida's Petition for Naturalization
that was issued for her in 1948.
Unfortunately, both of my grandparents passed away a few years before I was born and I never got to
know them. All I was ever told about my paternal grandfather before I became
interested in genealogy was that I was named after him.
I've
learned much more about my grandfather since. It's assumed
that he had an arranged marriage, a shiddach, in Lomza, Poland in
1901. Through my research, I discovered that he immigrated through Ellis Island way back
in 1902, with another landsmen, no doubt in order to get settled in the
United States, in order to pave the way for his younger bride of
approximately fifteen years, and his newborn daughter. Ida and daughter
Sheindel followed Michael two years later, also entering the United States
through Ellis Island.
Like so many immigrants during this time, they initially took up
residence on the Lower East Side of Manhattan before eventually moving to
Brownsville, Brooklyn. As for the type of work they did, for the most part
while living in the U.S., Michael's wife Ida was the breadwinner. She was
the hard saleswoman who would sell clothes that she would carry on her
back and sell for cash on the streets
(this was known as "I Cash Clothes.") Later,
she would make money conducting estate sales. Michael, on the other hand, was a
very religious man and could often be seen davening many times every day. At some point, when
Ida opened up a clothing store on Prospect Place in Brooklyn, she would be
the salesperson and Michael would do a little tailoring. At home his job
was simple-- cook potatoes and beets every Friday night for the family.
All I know is that Michael's father's name was Joseph; it is possible that his mother's
given name was Rachel, but I am not certain of this. He also had at least one
brother named Israel, who too lived near his brother in Brooklyn for many
years, though there is no real mention within the family of any occasion
that they might have met in New York. I have met some of Israel's
relatives, but they know little about their grandfather Israel's early
life in Europe, not even if
he was born in Zambrow, though it is known that he was born somewhere in
Lomza Gubernia.
My grandfather Michael passed away in Brooklyn, New York in Feb 1948, his wife Ida two
years later. They were the parents of six children.
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