Goldberg Addenda
A Milwaukee city directory for 1890 lists Miss Esther Goldberg at 652 Broadway.This is another person, but possibly related. Going back to 1870 Michigan, another
Esther Goldberg appears as a live-in domestic in the residence of the Moses Golan family
in Detroit. This Esther Goldberg was born in 1852 in Poland. There is no clear evidence
that these (Michigan 1870 and Milwaukee 1890) are the same woman (but this is not
Esther Goldberg Berkowitz). Apart from a mere coincidence of names, if the Milwaukee
and Detroit Esther were the same individual, she is in Michigan at the same time as
Hyman and Henriette (the latter in Bay City) and subsequently in Milwaukee at about the
same time. She could be a sister or cousin or just the bearer of a common name. Her
immigration date is unknown at this time. The same directory does not contain an entry
for Hyman Goldberg.
The coincidence of Goldbergs in the same area is worth noting in another case. A
fellow with the unlikely name of Christian Goldberg arrived in this country on September
20, 1850 on the ship Isaac Newton from Hamburg. In various subsequent documents, it
appears he was born in1813 and thus 37 years of age on entry and claimed German origin
(later documents indicate he was from Mecklenberg). The passenger manifest does not
show anyone traveling with him. Wisconsin is famous for attracting German settlers and
the 1850 date may be a coincidence. German nativity seems a decided negative for being
close kin to someone born in Russian Poland. So, Christian Goldberg is probably
unrelated to our great grandfather.
Another Goldberg (Josef) appears in the 1870 census for Sheboygan. Our
Goldbergs evaded the census enumerator in Michigan where the three younger children
were born.
Why Milwaukee? There are a few Goldbergs in the Miwaukee directories as
noted, and also a few Spandaus. Connections to these names have not (yet) become
apparent.
The most interesting possibility for collateral Goldbergs appears in the form of yet
another Hyman Goldberg and his brother, Isaac. Their stories are attached here asarchived from the University of Arizona. See below, (“Uncle Hyman and Uncle Isaac”)these gentlemen were probably/possibly uncles of
our Hyman Goldberg of (RussianPoland, New York, Michigan, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Terre Haute and finally Linton,
Indiana). This other H. Goldberg must have heard early rumors of gold in California. By
his own writing, he was in New Orleans when he struck out for California across northern
Mexico (on foot) to arrive in San Francisco in 1849. Because it was a major port city,
rumor of gold in California would have been circulating in New Orleans by late
spring/summer of 1848. And that would have given motivation to an immigrant tailor to
walk across northern Mexico with plenty of time to arrive as a genuine forty-niner.
Working backwards, he could have arrived in New York in 1846-47. No record of his
arrival has been located yet.
A brother of this 49er Goldberg, Isaac Goldberg, was about eight years older than
121
our lineal ancestor, Hyman. When our Hyman got off the boat as a 7 year old, he mighthave been accompanied by (among others) his 15 or 16 year old uncle. Isaac does appear
in California in 1854, in plenty of time to get there from the East Coast.. His recorded
passenger arrival (or departure from Hamburg) is not (yet) found. In New Orleans
passenger records there is notice of a passenger named Isaac Goldberg departing for
Chagres (that means the Isthmus) in June 1850. This may not be the same individual,
(another Isaac Goldberg appears in Sacramento in 1860) but the early 1850 date would be
consistent with our g-grandfather’s immigration year.
These Goldberg brothers gave their birthplace as Petrokov in Russian Poland. As
political boundaries changed in later years and Poland was re-constituted as a sovereign
nation the name of the town reverted to Pyotrokow Trybunelski. The archives for this
town show the birth of Chaim Jachymowicz Goldberg in 1845. Is this Hyman Goldberg?
Notes collected by one “Carl Hayden” later US Senator from Arizona, are
reproduced below (“Uncle Hyman and Uncle Isaac”), as obtained in original form fromthe University of Arizona Library.
The Uncles: Hyman Goldberg and Isaac Goldberg of Arizona Territory
The image files that are attached here were in the archives of the University of
Arizona. These documents appear to have been compiled by Carl Hayden, (who must
have been a history buff) later distinguished as US Senator from Arizona. As image
files, we are looking at the actual (reproduced) typescript.
There are a few remarks to add here. Birth records for Petrokov for the
relevant years do show a Chaym Goldberg for the year 1845. More research may show
more definitive relations.
“Uncle” Hyman was either not the eldest son or the family had very little means
to transfer to him if he was the eldest. “Uncle” Isaac was 19 years the junior of his
elder brother. The father of our great grandfather Hyman (HG) could have been in
between these two in age or might not have survived to emigrate. HG was consistent
in stating 1850 as his immigration year. The New Orleans newspaper noted the
departure, in June, 1850, of Isaac Goldberg for the Isthmus. The same Isaac? (15 or 16
years old?). If so, and if other assumptions are validated, our HG arrived, in company
with uncle Isaac and certainly others prior to June 1850. Moreover, it is possible that
this part of the family did not immigrate directly to New York, but instead entered at
New Orleans, perhaps following Uncle Hyman’s suggestions. (All possibilities; no
evidence.)
In 1852, the newly admitted state of California carried out a census. Uncle
Hyman appears in July of that year in Eldorado County and states his age as 28, born in
Poland with previous address as Louisiana. He gives his occupation as “trading”, from
which we can assume he has given up on mining. “Uncle” Isaac Goldberg does not
appear in this state census.
A number of other archival sources remain to be investigated.