Hyman Manskirch was born in Minsk, Russia, on 15 November 1874, the son of Solomon Joseph Manskirch. In the early 1890s the family moved to Berlin, and then Hyman went to London, where, on June 13, 1897, he married Dora Dorn (born 15 May 1876). On his marriage application, Hyman's occupation was listed as "boot machinist". Their two oldest children, Abraham and Bessie, were born in London.
In November 1903, Hyman left England on the ship Ivernia, bound for Boston. On his arrival in the United States, it appears that an immigration agent simplified the spelling of the family name to "Mansker". Hyman went on to Brockton, Massachusetts, at that time a major center for shoe manufacturing, and got a job in a shoe factory. In 1904 he sent for Dora and the children to join him.
In 1910 Hyman bought a grocery store with a house attached in Whitman, Mass., where he became a grocer. After Dora died, on 20 August 1920, Hyman raised the children by himself. He later remarried and moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he died in 1949.
Hyman and Dora had the following children:
- Abraham Mansker, b. 2 Nov 1898 d. Dec 1976
- Bessie Sarah Mansker, b. 11 May 1900 d. 19 Jan 1999
- Nettie Mansker, b. 17 Nov 1905 d. 4 Jan 1989
- Josephine Mansker, b. 2 Nov 1907 d. 10 Jul 1999
- Esther Mansker, b. 20 Sep 1909 d. 1959
- Solomon Joseph Mansker, b. 19 Dec 1911 d. Dec 1978
- Rose Mansker, b. 19 Mar 1915
- Helen Mansker, b. 1 Oct 1916
Hyman's brother, Samuel, was born in Russia circa 1875, and he also came to the United States. Samuel was reported to have been a soldier in the service of the Tsar. He and his wife Hannah had the following children:
- Lillian Mansker, b. circa 1906 d. circa 1964
- Joseph Solomon Mansker, born circa 1910. He is the Dr. Joseph Mansker mentioned on the Missing Manskers Page. See the New York Times article below.
- Beatrice Mansker, b. circa 1915
New York Times 17 April 1938:"Florence Kushner Engaged. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer Kushner of the Bronx have announced the engagement of their daughter, Miss Florence Kushner, to Dr. Joseph S. Mansker, son of Mrs. Ann Mansker, of the Bronx, formerly of Brockton, Mass. The marriage will take place in June. Dr. Mansker, a graduate of the University of West Virginia and the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, is with the Fourth Surgical Division of Bellevue Hospital."
Hyman and Samuel also had two sisters, Sylvia, b. circa 1876, and Molly, b. circa 1877.
Molly married Isaac Bialek and they had the following children:
- Marcus Bialek, b. 1897
- Jack Bialek, b. 1901
- Sidney Bialek, b. 1903
- Bertha Bialek, b. 1905
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London circa 1903 |
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Left to right: Helen, Rose, Esther, Nettie, Josephine, and Bessie. |
Special thanks to Hyman Mansker grandson Bob Corwin
for sharing this information and the photographs with us.