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Finkle-Kohn-Goldstein Connection

Finkle-Kohn-Goldstein Connection

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Issac Louis Finkle
your father

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Samuel Finkle
his father

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Leah Randelman
his sister

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Fannie Kohn
her daughter

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Samuel Kohn
her husband

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Israel Kohn
his father

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Yacob Aaron Kohn
his brother

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Meyer Henry Kohn
his son

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Jeannie
his daughter

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Barbara Goldstein
her daughter

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Mark Harold Melmed
her husband

Hoenig, Swern and Company

Arthur Hoenig reports:

Hoenig, Swern and Company from 1920 to 1928, opened as a Department Store in 1928, located at South Broad St. and Lafayette St.  

Five partners shared ownership; my grandfather,  Arthur Hoenig; Sam Swern; my grandmother's two brothers, Harry and Ben Goodstein and a brother in law, Hyman Green Its chief competitors were S.P. Dunham's; Goldberg's; Weinberg's and Urken's.

In 1928, it reorganized as Swern's conducting business until the 1960's. The Assinpink Creek ran in the back of it. Now the corner vacant other than the Human Services Bldg. at 222 South Warren St.

Its motto from 1920’s advertisement “the store with a heart."

It sold all types of household goods

Cadwalader Park & Berkeley Square

Cadwalader Park Plat

Berkeley Square Plat

Trenton's Cigar Makers

Trenton's Cigar Makers

Arthur L. Finkle

In a discussion with Dr. Gilbert Gold, we found that Trenton housed several cigar factories where the employees hand rolled the cigars. Some of these enterprises were Seidenberg’s (later Trenton Cigar Co and still later American Tobacco), Albert Gold, manager; Enterprise Cigar FaCo (Sam Levy); MopoCuba (Isidore Klein).

Cigar and Tobacco Manufacturers

American Tobacco Co, 176 Division

Graff Charles Estate, 219 Franklin

Henry Clay Bock & Co Ltd, 607 Grand

Klein D Emil Co Inc, 1027 S Clinton av

Trenton's Ernie Kovacs

First Jewish Settlers - Barker Family

Dear Mr. Finkle -  I just received a copy of your newly published book on Trenton's Jews, a book that was long needed.   If you do a 2nd printing, can you correct a mistake on one of my Barker relatives that lived there?   On the page that mentions first Russian Jews that moved there, you state that "Jacob Barker" and his wife and 7 children, moved there in 1881.   It was actually Jacob's MOTHER that moved there, and she was the one that had 7 children. And she was a widow.

When Jacob's father was killed in 1876 in Lithuania, Jacob's mother "Czerne", sent Jacob to America, in 1878.  Two other brothers came later, and then in 1882, Their  mother and 3 younger siblings, arrived in 1882 (my great grandmother stayed behind, for another 20 years).

The first mention of Jacob in America, occurs in the 1885 Trenton

city directory.   A relative of mine, who has been an expert genealogy for many decades, has tried to find mention of Jacob, in the records of the New Jersey Archives in Trenton, but has found none.   I've also tried myself.  That is why you mentioning Jacob being in Trenton in 1881, is a somewhat magnified mistake. However, I'm glad you mentioned one of my Barker relatives to begin with!

I was struck by the synchronicity that you mention that there 2 Turkish bath houses.   Because I was just researching the one that James Barker helped to build.  In fact, I only found evidence that his was the only one in the Jewish section.   He built his on 105-107 Union St., with Hyman Movsovich.   According to the August 1900 Trenton Times, they started building it in place of a "bath house" that was in the back of the "Union St Synagogue".  The synagogue had been torn down, to be replaced by a new synagogue. I've often wondered if the "bath house" was really a mikvah, considering that it was in the back of a synagogue.

In any event, the Turkish bath house was completed in May 1901. But after constant advertisements for it, they soon disappeared. James Barker and Hyman Movsovich would soon go to other businesses. In other words, that don't appear to have been a success.

There was a Turkish bath house that was built on 132 N. Warren St, in late 1906, by non-Jewish businessmen.   But in order for them to stay in business, they ending up creating rooms for rent.

Mark London

Natick, MA