Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Letter from Frank Austin's daughter Shirley Korner of Lewes, East Sussex

Transcription of original letter, circa July 2011.

Dear Ben
It was nice to talk to you. Forgive my handwriting; I really can't cope with computers!
You want to know about Hannah Moser, the "old Booka" as we used to call her, as opposed to "Booka", who was Dora/Dobbie, mother of Leah, Harry, Frank, Sam, Nat, Lew and Kitty. She was a very important figure in the bringing up of the seven children after Mordecai / Mark died when Kitty was six months old and Dora used to go out to work as a midwife's (sic) assistant to help families where mothers had just give (sic) birth.
The "old Booka" was very strict and dominating, but quite helpful. My father Frank remembered (going) with her to sell Charasett at Pesach in Petticoat Lane, and he often lived in her flat with her after her husband died.

Later on she said she was going to get married again and one day she disappeared but came back the next day- "But Booka, what happened?"...."Oof, he was a dirty old man," (in Yiddish) and that was the end of that.
She and Dora lived together with the grown up children until they all left to get married. I remember (aged 6) visiting their flat in Stoke Newington and hearing my uncle Lew singing very beautifully as he showered. We used to always to have a Seder together there until she was too frail, and then they all came to our house.
Hannah used to wear an ornately curled black shteitel (wig). When I was about five I gave her a hug and to my horror her head came off; and I cried in shock! Everyone laughed, especially Booka.
She did not speak English but she did read Yiddish and Hebrew, which her daughter Dora did not. I used to feel very sorry for her later on, when she sat alone at home waiting for her children to call; or 'phone her. She used to visit us every week and we had a lot of family gatherings before the war.
Hannah died in 1938 I think- and then the family was evacuated and the uncles all did war-time work.
I think she was a great character, as were all that generation of immigrants. It is hard to imagine the hardship and persistence - but I always think of refugees and asylum seekers and modern immigrants with great respect, and really try to help them.
Incidentally, although my family are not at all attached to Jewish rituals etc, I am still called Booka by the eight grandchildren!
Best wishes to your parents and to Amanda and your little children.

Good luck with the research.

Love
Shirley

Sunday, 10 June 2012

More English than the English: Ornsteins become Austins

6734 THE LONDON GAZETTE, 20 OCTOBER, 1936Re HEINRICH ARNOLD THAULOWKNUTSEN, Deceased.Pursuant to the Trustee Act, 1925.ALL persons having any claim against theestate of Heinrich Arnold Thaulow Knutsen, lateof Majorstuyeien 15, Oslo, Norway, Civil Engineer,who died on the 24th April, 1936, intestate,and letters of administration to whose estate weregranted by the Principal Probate Registry onthe 10th October, 1936, to Lloyds Bank Limited,the lawful Attorney of Fredrik Lpoft, the personentrusted with administration (with Will) of theestate of the said deceased by the Oslo ProbateCourt, are hereby required to send particularsthereof to the Executor and Trustee Department,Lloyds Bank Limited, 39, Threadneedle Street,London, E.G.2, or to the undersigned, on orbefore the 21st day of December, 1936, afterwhich date the administrators will proceed todistribute the said estate, having regard only-tothe claims then notified.—Dated the 16th day ofOctober, 1936.CAMERON KEMM and CO., GreshamHouse, 24, Old Broad Street, London,(061) E.C.2, Solicitors for the said Administrators.Re JOSEPHINE ROSE WEBSTER, Deceased.Pursuant to the Trustee Act, 1925.ALL persons having claims against the estate ofJosephine Rose Webster, late of 21, Ayoca Street,South Yarra, in the State of Victoria Spinster(who died on the 10th day of November, 1934,intestate, and letters of administration to whoseestate were granted by the Supreme Court ofVictoria on the llth day of February, 1935, toRichard Raleigh Webster and were resealed in thePrincipal Probate Registry on the 1st day ofOctober, 1936), are required to send particularsthereof, in writing, to the undersigned, on orbefore the 21st day of December next, after whichdate the administrator will proceed to distributethe assets, having regard only to the claims ofwhich he shall then have had notice.—Dated thisseventeenth day of October, 1936.STEPHENS and SON, 41, Railway Street,Chatham, Kent, Solicitors for the PublicTrustee, the lawful Attorney of the said(208) Administrator.Re the Estate of ALFRED SEARLES, Deceased.Pursuant to the Trustee Act, 1925, section 27.NOTICE is hereby given that all creditors andother persons having any claims or demandsagainst the estate of Alfred Searles, late of ChapelEnd, Broxted, in the county of Essex, Smallholder,who died on the 6th day of August, 1936,and whose Will was proved at the Principal ProbateRegistry on the 12th day of October, 1936,by Alfred Reynolds, the Elder, of Browns EndRoad, Broxted, Horsekeeper, and Herbert HarveyTyrrell, of Mole Hill Green, Takeley, in thesaidcounty of Essex, Rating Officer, the executorsnamed in the said Will, are hereby requiredto send the particulars, in writing, of their claimsand demands to the undersigned, the Solicitor forthe said executors, on or before the 24th day ofDecember, 1936, after which date the said executorswill proceed to distribute the assets of thesaid deceased amongst the persons entitled thereto,having regard only to the claims and demandsof which they shall then have had notice; andwill not be liable for the assets of the deceased,or any part thereof, so distributed, to any personsof whose claims or demands they shall not thenhave had notice.—Dated this 15th day of October,1936.A. E. FLOYD, Dunmow, Essex, Solicitor to(151) the said Executors.I, HERSCHEL LEWIS AUSTIN, of 13, MountPleasant Mansions, Clapton, in the county ofLondon, Commercial Traveller, a natural bornBritish subject, heretofore called, and known bythe names of Herschell Lewis Ornstein, hereby givenotice that I have renounced and abandoned theChristian name of Herschell and surname ofOrnstein and that I have assumed and intendhenceforth on all occasions whatsoever and at alltimes to sign and use and to be called and knownby the names of Herschel Lewis Austin in lieuof and in substitution for my former names ofHerschell Lewis Ornstein- and I also hereby givenotice that such change of name is formally declaredand evidenced by a deed poll under myhand and seal dated the fifth day of October, 1936, :and duly executed and attested, and that such !deed poll was enrolled in the Central Office of the \Supreme Court of Judicature on the fourteenth \day of October, 1936.—Dated this 15th day ofOctober, 1936.HERSCHEL LEWIS AUSTIN, formerly(092) Herschell Lewis Ornstein.I, MORRIS MOSS, of 57, Moresby Road, Clapton,in the county of London, Grocer and ProvisionMerchant, heretofore called and known by thename of Morris Moscovitch or Moscpvitz, herebygive notice that I have assumed and intend henceforthupon all occasions and at all times to signand use and be called and known by the surnameof Moss in lieu of and substitution for my presentsurname of Moscovitch or Moscovitz, and thatsuch intended change or assumption of name isformally declared and evidenced by a deed pollunder my hand and seal dated the 1st day ofOctober, 1936, and enrolled on the 13th day ofOctober, 1936, in the Enrolment Department ofthe Central Office of the Royal Courts of Justice.In testimony whereof I hereby sign and subscribemyself by such my intended future name.—Datedthis 15th day of October, 1936.(034) MORRIS MOSS.I, NATHAN AUSTIN, of 26, Clissold Court,Clissold Park, in the county of London, DispatchManager, a natural born British subject, heretoforecalled and known by the name of NathanOrnstein, hereby give notice that I have renouncedand abandoned the name of NathanOrnstein and that I have assumed and intendhenceforth on all occasions whatsoever and at alltimes to sign and use and to be called and knownby the name of Nathan Austin in lieu of and insubstitution for my former name of NathanOrnstein; and I also hereby give notice that suchchange of name is formally declared and evidencedby a deed poll under my hand and seal datedthe third day of October, 1936, and duly executedand attested, and that such deed poll was enrolledin the Central Office of the Supreme Courtof Judicature on the fourteenth day of October,1936.—Dated this 15th day of October, 1936.NATHAN AUSTIN, formerly Nathan(093) Ornstein.I, JACQUELINE BARRINGTON, of 5, BurwoodPlace, Hyde Park, in the county of London,Married Woman, a natural born British subject,heretofore called and known by the name ofWinifred Alexandrina Antoinette Jack, herebygive notice that I have renounced and abandonedthe names of Winifred Alexandrina AntoinetteJack and that I have assumed and intend henceforthon all occasions whatsoever and at all timesto sign and use and' to be called and known bythe names of Jacqueline Barrington in lieu ofand in substitution for my former names ofWinifred Alexandrina Antoinette Jack; and I alsohereby give notice that such change of name isformally declared and evidenced by a deed pollunder my hand and seal dated the twelfth day ofOctober, one thousand nine hundred, and thirtysix,duly executed and attested, and that suchdeed poll was enrolled in the Central Office of theSupreme Court of Judicature on the fifteenth dayof October, one thousand nine hundred and thirtysix.—Dated this seventeenth day of October, 1936.JACQUELINE BARRINGTON, formerly(096) Winifred Alexandrina Antoinette Jack.
The Ornsteins Left to right: Harry, Kitty, Lou (Lew), Grandma (Dora) Nat, Leah, Sam & Frank. Circa 1921. Courtesy of Michele Pannaman.
Big brothers Harry and Frank Austin, circa 1914. Dora Austin (Ornstein) and her youngest child Kitty Austin later Garland, circa late 1920's or early 1930's. Many thanks expressed to Michele Pannaman, grandaughter of 'Big Brother'Harry, the one in the sailor's suit.
Martin Austin, Leah Ornstein, Anne Austin, Joy Austin & Harry Austin Courtesy of Michele Pannaman, grandaughter of Harry and Anne Austin and daughter of Joy.
'Mummy, Daddy, Aunty Leah and Myself at Blenheim Palace' Harry Austin with his wife Anne (nee Silk), Harry's big sister Leah Ornstein and Joy Austin, later Pannaman. Courtesy of Michele Pannaman.
My grandfather with Queen Mary at at Buckingham Palace Garden Party. Lew is towards the middle of the photo with the Queen and there is some space around them. Courtesy of Michele Pannaman, descendant of Harry Austin.