Etie Chaies was born on April 21, 1879 in Bucharest, Romania to Moses David Chaies and Sheva  (maiden name unknown.) Etie's  family then moved to Botasani, Romania. where she eventually became engaged to her future husband Isak Jakob Neuburger from Saveni, Romania. 

 

Etie told her daughter-in-law that she never laid eyes upon Jakob until the day before the wedding. It was an arranged marriage.

 

Jakob emigrated to America and New York on Sep l900, leaving behind his wife Etie and his seven month old daughter Tuvia  (later called Tillie.) He left Romania in order to escape the army. Etie (or by now Yetta) followed Jakob to New York in l90l along with their daughter Tillie.

 

Etie and Jakob had Tille and two other children, Joseph and Hyman. With all three children and pregnant with a fourth child,  Etie went back to Botosani, Romania, leaving Jakob in New York to work on obtaining his U.S. citizenship. It  isn't known why she made the arduous voyage back to Botosani, Romania with her three children. It is speculated that either one of her parents were ill, or that one of her sons was needing the hot springs baths back in Romania that so many people believed in, would help them--or that she simply wanted to show her children off to their grandparents.

 

In any case, while Etie was in Botosani she gave birth to a fourth baby. She named him User Zelig Neuburger,

which later on became Sigmund Jack Neuburger. Etie resided in Botosani until baby Sigmund was two years old.  She then traveled back to America with her four children, also taking Jakob's sister Hanna Neuburger along with her. It is believed that Etie waited to come back to Jakob until he got U.S. citizenship. She arrived less than two months after he had become a citizen..

 

Jakob and Etie settled in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York where Jakob had many businesses including a hot dog stand and then a restaurant. He listed himself as a merchant, then in real estate. They moved into a very large rooming house at 2854 W. l9th St. Brooklyn, NY. A sign on the front of the house read "Neuburger's Furnished Rooms - Rent by the day, week, or month."

 

With the building of the subway, people were able to come down to Coney Island in the summertime to enjoy the cool ocean breezes. They rented rooms at the "Neuburger House," as it was referred to. Yetta did all the washing and providing of linens by hand -- sheets and towels for this large house and their roomers.

 

Yetta and Jakob had three more children: Jennie born in l909, Michael born in l910, and Louis born in 1913. Things went along well until their eldest daughter, Tillie died suddenly in 1924. She was only twenty-four years old. Family lore says she died of a broken heart. Her death certificate states that Tillie died of intense excitement due to manic depression.

 

Yetta herself also died suddenly of bilateral pneumonia. Some think she died of an overdose of insulin which was a new drug in those days.  It was a shock to the family when she passed away unexpectedly before her sixtieth birthday on April 12, 1939. Jakob remained a widower until his death in Jan  l952.