Skversky Family

Joseph Skversky

b: c.1866, Russia

m: 1889 Russia Mollie Skversky

i: December 17, 1901

d: July 12, 1946, Philadelphia,PA

  Hebrew name(s): Yosef HaCohen


Mollie Skversky

b: c.1869, Russia

m: 1889 Russia

i: August 27, 1905

d: December 6, 1936, Philadelphia,PA

  Maiden name: Benn

  Hebrew name(s): Malke

Fannie Yorker

b: August 1, 1890, Russia

m: August 2, 1909 Philadelphia,PA Abraham Yorker

i: December 13, 1905

d: November 9, 1953, Philadelphia,PA

  Maiden name: Skversky

  Nickname(s): Feige

  Hebrew name(s): Chaya Feige

  1. Sarah Bekoff
  2. Samuel Yorker
  3. Edward Yorker
  4. Dorothy Davis

Abraham Squires

b: December 15, 1891, Russia

m: 1919 Philadelphia,PA Bertha Squires

m2: Freda Squires

i: August 27, 1905

d: August 1969, Philadelphia,PA

  Original last name: Skversky

  Middle name: M.

  Nickname(s): Abe,Albert,Abram

  1. Stanley Squires
  2. Robert Squires

Samuel Skversky

b: September 21, 1894, Russia

m: 1920 Philadelphia,PA Bessie Skversky

m2: Francis Skversky

i: August 27, 1905

d: March 1979, Philadelphia,PA

  Nickname(s): Sam

  Hebrew name(s): Salmen

  1. Edwin Skversky

Sarah Goldberg

b: 1898, Russia

m: 1918 Philadelphia,PA Jack Goldberg

i: August 27, 1905

d: 1977

  Maiden name: Skversky

  Hebrew name(s): Sorke

  1. Fannette Eskin
  2. Herbert Goldberg
  3. Robert Goldberg

Morris Squires

b: August 26, 1899, Russia

m: 1928 Philadelphia,PA Martha Squires

i: August 27, 1905

d: July 1983, Philadelphia,PA

  Original last name: Skversky

  Nickname(s): Maurice

  Hebrew name(s): Moische

  1. LIVING
  2. LIVING

Rose Corbman

b: 1902, Russia

m: 1921 Philadelphia,PA Jimmy Corbman

i: August 27, 1905

  Maiden name: Skversky

  Hebrew name(s): Rochel

  1. Martin Corbman

Jenny Hofberg

b: July 14, 1906, Philadelphia,PA

m: April 21, 1929 Philadelphia,PA Samuel Hofberg

d: December 1982, Philadelphia,PA

  Maiden name: Skversky

  Nickname(s): Jean

  1. LIVING
  2. LIVING

Edward Skversky

b: 1910, Philadelphia,PA

m: 1933 Philadelphia,PA Ann Skversky

d: June 1982, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

  1. Marion Skversky
  2. Marsha Skversky
Parents
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Skversky Family Overview

The Skversky story is one of your typical tales where the father comes first and spends a few lonely years earning enough money to afford to bring his wife and children over. Josef Skwirsky, father of (great-)grandma Fanny, deparated Liverpool on 12/4/1901 and arrived in his new home, Philadelphia, on 12/17/01. His hometown, difficult to read on the manifest, is Chornobai, near Zolotonosha in Poltava gubernia in Ukraine. Upon arrival, he met was by his brother-in-law, M. A. Benn.

Indeed, Marcus A. Benn was the older brother of Joseph's wife, Mollie. In fact, on 9/1/1901, he ws the one who opened an account in Rosenbaum Bank of Philadelphia to purchase a ticket of passage for his brother-in-law. The 1900 census says Marcus came over in 1890.

Joseph left behind his 5 children, the youngest of whom was 1-2 years old, and a wife who must've been pregnant since the last child arrived sometime the following year.

Three-and-a-half years later on 5/30/1905 Joseph opened accounts in Rosenbaum Bank to purchase tickets for:

  • Malke Skwersky, his wife (Mollie)
  • Abram Skwersky, his oldest son (Gma's tree calls him Abe)
  • Feige Skwersky, his second child (our Grandma Fanny)
  • Salmen Skwersky, third child (Sam)
  • Moische Skwersky, fourth child (Morris)
  • Sorke Skwersky, fifth child (Grandmom's favorite Aunt Sarah, mother of cousin Feige and grandmother of Rhea)
  • Rochel Skwersky, sixth child (Rose)

All seven set sail from Hamburg on 8/5/1905 on a ship called "Nottingham." Of their origins, the ship record says they are Russians from Czernotoj. They disembarked at Liverpool, the second of the ship's three ports of arrival.

There, they were supposed to have boarded a ship called "Haverford" destined for Philadelphia. This record says that their last residence was Crornswicz, and that they going to join Malke's husband Jossel Skwersky, who lives at 534 South St. in Philadelphia. There is also a note I can't decipher that appears to list Malke's maiden name, Benn. Anyway, they were crossed off that ship. Why?

They ended up taking the "Friesland" on 8/16/1905. This ship's manifest makes clear why they didn't board the previous ship. Where's Feige? She is not on this boat with the rest of her family! She must've been too sick to sail the previous week—and this week as well!

They arrived minus one in Philadelphia on 8/27/1905. Joseph was reuinted with the wife and four children he hadn't seen for three-and-a-half years, plus he met his youngest daughter, three years of age, for the first time.

But poor Feige, his oldest daughter, could not board a ship until 11/29/1905, arriving in Philadelphia to reunite with her family on 12/13/1905. She was only 15 and left alone for over three months! Clearly her mother felt the pain as acutely as any Jewish mother would; in the section of the manifest where they sometimes add notes about the relative responsible for meeting the passenger, it says, "Mother called."

Joseph and Mollie had two more children born in Philadelphia—Jennie (born ~1906) and Edward (born ~1910). (Great-)grandma Fanny married fellow Russian immigrant Abraham Yorker about four years later.

Rhea wrote me, "I've often heard that something happened in England on the second leg of the journey from Russia. My grandmother, Sarah (now I find out Sorka) was ill and not allowed to accompany the rest of the family to Philadelphia." Interesting that she already knew this story—but wrong sister!

Regarding the actual name of the town they are from: at last I know it is Chornobai. The two pink pointers in the map below relate to the Skversky family. Click on the pointer for more information.


View Davis-Yorker Family -- Towns in the Ukraine in a larger map

BTW, Grandmom said that her mother pronounced Yiddish differently from what's become the standard pronounciation (the Litvak dialect). She said "kee-gel" for kugel, for example. And indeed, this is the Ukrainian, or Southeastern Yiddish dialect, spoken by people from the region I've traced the Skverskys to.

Here is where they all ended up in Philadelphia. The green tacks are the Skversky parents & siblings; the yellow are Fanny & Abe. A few of the Skversky siblings end up in N. Philly, and Grammy's favorite Aunt Sarah in Ashland, so zoom out to see the full view.


View Davis-Yorker Family -- Addresses in Philadelphia in a larger map

(Explore historical Philly maps here.)

Questions

QuestionAnswer-in-progressPeople
Are any of the Zolotonosha records in the FHC relevant?
What happened to Fannie in Liverpool? No records in Liverpool about this

Fannie Yorker

Events & Records

c. 1866 Birth of Joseph Skversky
c. 1869 Birth of Mollie (Benn) Skversky
1889 Marriage of Mollie Skversky & Joseph Skversky
1890-08 Birth of Fannie (Skversky) Yorker
1891-12 Birth of Abraham Squires
1894-09 Birth of Samuel Skversky
1898 Birth of Sarah (Skversky) Goldberg
1899-08 Birth of Morris Squires
1901-09 Ticket to Philadelphia purchased
1901-12 Immigration of Joseph Skversky
1902 Birth of Rose (Skversky) Corbman
1905-05 Ticket to Philadelphia purchased
1905-08 Immigration of Mollie Skversky, Fannie Yorker, Abraham Squires, Morris Squires, Sarah Goldberg, Rose Corbman, and Sam Skversky
1905-08 Immigration of Mollie Skversky, Fannie Yorker, Abraham Squires, Morris Squires, Sarah Goldberg, Rose Corbman, and Sam Skversky
1905-08 Immigration of Mollie Skversky, Abraham Squires, Morris Squires, Sarah Goldberg, Rose Corbman, and Sam Skversky
1905-12 Immigration of Fannie Yorker
1906-07 Birth of Jenny (Skversky) Hofberg
c. 1909 Fanny & Abe around the time of their wedding
c. 1909 Fanny Skversky c. 1909
1909-08 Marriage of Fannie Yorker & Abraham Yorker
1910 Birth of Edward Skversky
1910-04 Address of Yorkers
1910-04 Address of Skversky family
1910-05 Birth of Sarah (Yorker) Bekoff
1911-04 Joseph Skversky Petition for Naturalization
1914-09 Birth of Samuel Yorker
1917-06 WWI draft registration for Abraham Skversky
1917-08 WWI draft registration for Samuel Skversky
1918 Marriage of Jack Goldberg & Sarah Goldberg
1918-09 WWI draft registration for Morris Skversky
1919 Marriage of Bertha Squires & Abraham Squires
1919 Birth of Fannette (Goldberg) Eskin
1919-01 Birth of Edward Yorker
1920 Birth of Stanley Squires
1920 Marriage of Bessie Skversky & Samuel Skversky
1920-01 Address of Skversky family
1920-01 Address of A. Skversky family
1920-01 Address of Yorker family
1920-01 Address of Sarah Golberg family
1921 Marriage of Jimmy Corbman & Rose Corbman
1921 Birth of Martin Corbman
1921-01 Birth of Dorothy (Yorker) Davis
1922 Dorothy Yorker in 1922
1922 Birth of Herbert Goldberg
c. 1924 Yorker family c. 1924
1926 Dorothy Yorker in 1926
1927 Birth of Robert Goldberg
1928 Marriage of Martha Squires & Morris Squires
1929 Birth of Robert Squires
1929-04 Marriage of Samuel Hofberg & Jenny Hofberg
c. 1930 Fanny Yorker and children c. 1930
c. 1930 Birth
1930-04 Address of M. Squires family
1930-04 Address of A. Squires family
1930-04 Address of Skversky and Hofberg families
1930-04 Address of Sarah Goldberg family
1930-04 Address of Yorker family
1930-08 Marriage of Martin Bekoff & Sarah Bekoff
1931-07 Birth
1931-08 Birth
1933 Marriage of Ann Skversky & Edward Skversky
c. 1933 Birth of Marion Skversky
c. 1933 Birth of Marsha Skversky
c. 1934 Yorker family photo
1935 Birth
1936-12 Death of Mollie Skversky
1937 Marriage of Minnie Yorker & Samuel Yorker
1938-05 Birth
1940-06 Birth
1940-12 Birth
1941-08 Marriage of Dorothy Davis & Max Davis
1942-04 WWII draft registration for Samuel Skversky
1943-10 Birth
1943-10 Birth of Alan Eskin
1944 Death of Herbert Goldberg
1945 Marriage of Edward Yorker & Ruth Yorker
1945-01 Birth
1946-07 Birth
1946-07 Death of Joseph Skversky
c. 1948 Fanny & Abe in the mid-to-late 40's
1948-03 Birth
1948-10 Birth
1949 Marriage of "Babe" Corbman & Martin Corbman
1950 Fanny Yorker in the late 40s
1951-12 Marriage of Renee Hofberg & Robert Hofberg
1953-10 Birth
1953-11 Death of Fannie Yorker
1956-11 Birth
1959-12 Death of Martin Corbman
1969-08 Death of Abraham Squires
1977 Death of Sarah Goldberg
1979-03 Death of Samuel Skversky
1982-06 Death of Edward Skversky
1982-12 Death of Jenny Hofberg
1983-07 Death of Morris Squires
1986-11 Marriage of Charlotte Yorker & Samuel Yorker
1987-08 Death of Sarah Bekoff
1995-12 Death of Edward Yorker
2004-12 Death of Dorothy Davis
2009-08 Death of Samuel Yorker

Places

  • Philadelphia,PA
    Marriage of Dorothy Davis & Max Davis, 1941-8-15
    Birth of Dorothy (Yorker) Davis, 1921-1-19
    Birth, 1948-3-30
    and 38 more
  • Florida
    Death of Dorothy Davis, 2004-12-27
  • 2633 S. Fairhill St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Yorker family, 1930-4-14
  • Russia
    Birth of Fannie (Skversky) Yorker, 1890-8-1
    Birth of Joseph Skversky, c. 1866
    Marriage of Mollie Skversky & Joseph Skversky, 1889
    and 6 more
  • 632 Wharton St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Yorkers , 1910-4-15
  • 2332 S. Franklin St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Yorker family, 1920-1-9
  • 427 Christian St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Immigration of Fannie Yorker, 1905-12-13
    Ticket to Philadelphia purchased, 1905-5-30
    Immigration of Mollie Skversky, Abraham Squires, Morris Squires, Sarah Goldberg, Rose Corbman, and Sam Skversky, 1905-8-27
  • 1027 S. Leithgow St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Skversky family, 1910-4-23
    Joseph Skversky Petition for Naturalization, 1911-4-21
  • 2007 S. 8th St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Skversky family, 1920-1-3
    WWI draft registration for Abraham Skversky, 1917-6-6
    WWI draft registration for Samuel Skversky, 1917-8-5
  • 1146 S. 5th St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Skversky and Hofberg families, 1930-4-10
  • 2519 31st St.,Philadelphia, PA
    Address of A. Skversky family, 1920-1-8
  • 2526 28th St.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of A. Squires family, 1930-4-8
  • 6644 Snyder Ave.,Philadelphia,PA
    WWII draft registration for Samuel Skversky, 1942-4-27
  • 2422 Hunting Park Ave.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of Sarah Golberg family, 1920-1-20
  • 68 Evesham Ave.,Ashland,NJ
    Address of Sarah Goldberg family, 1930-4-12
  • 3023 Kensington Ave.,Philadelphia,PA
    Address of M. Squires family, 1930-4-3
  • Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    Death of Edward Skversky, 1982-6
  • WWII
    Death of Herbert Goldberg, 1944