January 31, 1913 - I have an abiding faith . . .

As you can see the mail traveled fast. Letters were received and responded to in one day. Since mail was delivered three times a day there was a better chance that you could receive a letter the next day. Of course these letters were only going from Connecticut to New York City, one hour by train.
Below is Joe's response to Helen's note. His letter was written on traditional mourning stationary.

January thirty first
Dear Helen,
I have just received your letter of sympathy, for which please accept my deepest gratitude.

It is at such times that we realize that our friends are those who not only share our joys, but also our sorrows.

I have an abiding faith that the time will come when we shall know why we are tried, and why our love brings us joy as well as sorrow.

I also appreciate your kind invitation, and as soon as I can catch up with my work and get a little spare time and optimism, I shall take advantage of it.

Sincerely yours,
Joe

This ends the month of January 1913.

January 30,1913 - My Sympathy

Here is one of the only letters that we have found that Helen wrote to Joe.

 Interesting envelope - I guess they knew where to find Joseph G. Shapiro.

New York City
January 30,1913
Dear Joseph,
I know that words are futile at such a time. They are, however, the only medium thru which I can express my sympathy.
I want you to know that I feel for you in your sorrow.
My plans for February sixteenth are a minor consideration. If you care to, we might spend the evening together at my home and let all the others go. It is you that I want to see and talk with.
If you come to N.Y.C. during the week forget the promise I made myself not to see anyone, except on Saturdays. I shall forget it in regard to you.
Your friend,
Helen Rosenstein


Here is a draft she wrote for her final note above. If you look closely you can see that she wrote on the back of the letter he had sent her which had the marking form the Taft Hotel stationary.

January 28,1913 - This is a strange world.

One hundred years ago the news of this letter had a great impact on both Joe and Helen.

January 28, 1913
Dear Helen,
You can hardly conceive with what regret I am to tell you of the rather sudden death of my brother Meyer, which occurred early today.
I know that you are planning for February 16 and in my grief, I thought I should tell you as soon as convenient that I have canceled all my plans for the season.
This is a strange world. One day we laugh, the next weep bitter tears.
The boy was only twenty-four, and he graduated three years ago from Yale with the highest honors and had captured the prize for the best examinations. We are all of us sorely smitten, as you can readily appreciate.
I return to Bridgeport on Friday.
Sincerely,
Joseph G. Shapiro

January 22, 1913 - How's the cold?

The letters from Joe to Helen started today in 1913. I will always have the writing typed out for ease of reading, below the letter. If you are so inclined you can read Joe's handwriting.

 

1/22/13
I have just finished arguing my first case in the Supreme Court of Errors (the highest court in our state) and am bound for home. I had to drop off here on a minor business trip and had a moment to drop you a line.
How's the cold?
J. G. S.

 

Helen's family lived at The Rockfall on 111th Street in New York City - Below is a photograph of the building today - it most likely looked the same then.

 

Shapiro, Shapiro and Shapiro

Between 1903 and 1910 the three oldest Shapiro brothers graduated from Yale Law School, all with honors, and remained in Connecticut to practice law in Bridgeport. Here is a scan of the first dollar Joseph earned.

Below is the article that appeared in the Bridgeport Telegram in June 1910 when Meyer joined the firm.

Three Brothers Form New Law Firm

Shapiro, Shapiro and Shapiro, Hold Unique Distinction in the Legal World

A new law firm was formed in this city yesterday when the firm of Shapiro and Shapiro added another Shapiro to the name of the firm so that it will be known as the firm of Shapiro, Shapiro and Shapiro in the future. It will be the only legal firm in the state composed of three brothers.

Charles H. Shapiro laid the foundation for the firm, Joseph G. Shapiro laid the corner stone and now Meyer M. Shapiro has joined hands and brains to build the house of Shapiro. Each member of the trio is a Yale man where they won honors. The firm is really about 8 years old and has made a name and record for itself that places it well in the forward ranks of local legal firms

Few have gained more,rapid recognition at our local bar than Messrs. Charles H.Shapiro and Joseph G.Shapiro, members of the well known law firm of Shapiro and Shapiro, with offices at 307-309 Meigs building.

Mr. Charles H. Shapiro the senior member of the firm, who is known politically and fraternally, has established an enviable reputation as a general practitioner. He has been a resident of this city nearly all his life, and is a graduate with honors of Yale Law School.

Mr. Joseph G. Shapiro, the junior member of the firm, who has also resided in this city nearly all his life, is a graduate with honors from Yale Law School, where he was awarded the first prize in Parliamentary Law as well as a Kent Club Diploma for excellence in Oratory and Debating. He is highly esteemed both socially and professionally.


Meyer joined the firm after his graduation from Yale Law School with the class of 1910. Meyer had the distinction of graduating with the highest grades ever achieved in the law school to that date. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and received the Phelps Montgomery Prize for the best examination. Below is a copy of the receipt for the Award.

 Starting tomorrow I will post the first letter from 1913 and as you will see there will be gaps between letters, sometimes weeks. I will use that time to fill in some of the family history with photographs and letters. This will help define Joe and Helen of 1913 and who they become.

On the Stoop in New York City

Helen's family moved back home to New York City, because of work, and soon after Abraham (Abe) Rosenstein was born on June 12, 1899. Lillian (Lillie) was born on January 24, 1900;  the Rosenstein family was complete. Here is a photograph of (from top left clockwise) Helen, an unknown friend, Florrie, Lillie and Abe on the stoop in front of their home in New York City circa 1905.
 

John eventually opened J.H. Rosenstein and embarked on the ostrich feather business. Below is a photograph taken in the "feather factory." John is on the right side and Bertha is seated in the back. I have enlarged that section so you can see them better. Lillie always said "Mama and Papa were very happy working together.

 Here is an ad I found from the Millinery Trade Review in 1911.

   The only remaining piece is a hat decorated with ostrich feathers.

Birthday

Today Gramp would have been 127 years old.
Here is his high school class photo from Hill House High School in New Haven.

Young Helen

Helen Rosenstein was born on September 17,1893 in Norfolk, Virginia to John and Bertha Rosenstein, the first of their four children. John and Bertha came to the United States from Germany separately and met in New York City. Bertha was born on November 11, 1867 and John on November 20, 1865. They were married October 20, 1892 and soon after moved to Norfolk due to John's work. Below is a picture of Helen when she was about one year old.

In 1895 her sister Florence joined the Rosenstein family in Norfolk but soon after they would move back to New York City. Below is a photograph of Helen when she was about 2.

Joe's Family Tree

Below is a family tree that Joe wrote on a piece of shirt cardboard sometime in the 1960’s. He would not throw a shirt cardboard away until he had used it for notes, charts such as this, or pencil sketches.

There have always been stories about how the name Shapiro came to be in our family. This reveals the answer. Mordecai Simon Hillelowitz was a merchant in Russia and worked for a man named Shapiro. He became to be known as "Shapiro's boy". We do not know when he took on the name as the family name but we can see it reflected in the family tree starting with his wife and children.

Below you can see that I have transcribed this so it is more legible for those that have trouble reading script.

Joe's Family

As I mentioned in the previous post Joe was the second son born to Barnet and Esther, Charles was the oldest and Meyer was the third. In 1894 Louis Leonard was born in New York City and in 1900 Clara Gittel was born in Bridgeport, CT.

The oldest photograph of a member of his family, I believe, is this photograph of his father in Russia. This was printed on photographic paper and mounted on card-stock.

 

Barnet Shapiro about 1882 at 30

The photograph of his mother and his older brother Charles was taken in Russia just before they immigrated to the United States in 1884. This is a celluloid photograph adhered to tin. The process was a common method used for portraits and family photographs at that time. Today it remains in excellent condition and will most likely outlast most of our family photographs from the past 70 years.

Esther and Charles in about 1882 before they leave Russia for America.

This early photographic process eventually was part of the photographic technique patented by Kodak just at the turn of the century. 

Who is Joe

Joseph George Shapiro was born on January 18,1886 in New York City. He was the second son of Esther and Barnet Shapiro. He joined his brother Charles Hillelson Shapiro who was born in Russia in 1882. His father, Barnet, was born in about 1852.  His mother, Esther Spitz, was born in 1862. They left Russia in 1884 with their son Charles and settled in New York. In 1889, following the birth of Meyer Merwin Shapiro, the family left New York City for Bridgeport Connecticut. 

Joe at 10.

This is what I believe is the earliest photograph of Joe from 1896 when he was 10 years old. Interesting composition of the print – they must have turned the camera on an angle.