Irving Lerner & Molly Pomerantz-Lerner
I've recently learned that Irving and Molly were introduced by her older brother Joseph, who at the time, was Irv's business partner. Joe Pomerantz and Irving Lerner owned and operated a grocery store in Brooklyn.
These three photos were taken by a family friend shortly after Irving and Molly moved their family to New Jersey. Uncle Bob, recalls the pictures were taken in a field near where the family lived in a development known as Vale Homes.
Irving Lerner
Irving was born January 12, 1910 and named Israel. I'll have to find his birth certificate because I'm not sure what his real name was. His father's naturalization documents list him as "Isadore". His youngest sister, Gerry, tells me his name was in fact Israel, but he preferred to be called "Irv" as it sounded more "American". He had a younger brother named Sidney who also changed his name to "Sam" for the same reason. Irv married Molly Pomerantz and had two children Robert Martin, (1931) and Edward Alan, (1936).
This picture of Irving and his mother, Mary (Ashkenazi) Lerner was taken about 1913 or 1914. Gerry Paltis, (Irv's youngest sister), tells us at this time, the family lived at 384 East 10th Street in Manhattan. Clearly, this is a studio portrait, but I'm not sure why they are dressed the way they are.
Here is Irving's Class picture from 1923, when he was a student in Newburgh, NY. The family moved to Newburgh when Irv's father, Harry took a job with some of his Mother's relatives named Toback. The Tobacks owned a business that manufactured men's clothing.
Here is a picture of Molly and Irving during a visit to his mother's store at 23 Douglas Street in Brooklyn. The street was later renamed Strauss Street. The couple had recently announced they were expecting their first child
Molly Pomerantz
Although I still don't know much about Molly yet, thanks to Mom, Uncle Bob and Cousin Charlie, I have learned a lot about her family. I do know she was born July 25th, 1907 to Jerome Pomerantz and his wife Sarah. Molly had two sisters Mae and Ethel who were school teachers in New York City. She also had two brothers: Joseph, (Charlie's Father) and Oscar. Like Irving's family, some of the siblings changed their names...although in this case it was the last name that got changed. Molly's brother Joe, a successful businessman who owned several luncheonettes and changed his name to Palmer, as in Charles Palmer. The youngest sibling, Oscar, changed his name to Pomer, went into the Army, became a lawyer and eventually a judge.