This is a studio shot of Molly's oldest brother Joseph Pomerantz. This portrait was taken by their father Jerome. Thanks to Joe's son Charlie, I have a number of these pictures taken at various times during Joe's life. I've learned from Charlie that Joe completed a degree in what would now be called Physical Education and taught for some time at a private boys school in NY. Joe later changed his last name to Palmer. He married Evelyn Freeman and they had two children: Charlie and Bea. Although we're not exactly sure, we believe that Joe and Irving Lerner either owned a grocery store together or worked together at radio repair store named VIM. Perhaps, both are true.
The woman on the right is Molly's sister Mae Pomerantz. Mae was a school teacher in Brooklyn for many years. Her nephew Bob believes she eventually became a School Principal. Mae never married but kept herself busy by traveling with her sister Ethel. She was something of a painter and some of her work hung on the walls of house I grew up in.
On the left, is a photo of a young Ethel Pomerantz, the younger sister of Joe, Mae and Molly. In this picture she appears to be a teenager. Like her older sister, Ethel also became a school teacher and may have taught at the same school as her sister. Sadly, she suffered from some type of mental illness, (perhaps a bi-polar disorder). I've learned from Charlie that Ethel's younger brother Oscar took care of Ethel and she lived with Oscar and his family until her death.
The man on the right is Oscar Pomerantz, the youngest of the 5 children of Jerome and Sarah. Oscar joined the Army, (obviously) and was injured during the D-Day invasion on Normandy Beach. Both Bob and Charlie tell me although he recovered, he never regained full use of his right arm. Oscar changed his last name to Pomer and earned a law degree and became an attorney. We believe worked for the Treasury Department and while living in Washington DC, Oscar met and married Helen Maloney. They had a daughter named Sally and moved to Charlottesville, VA and eventually Charleston, SC. Oscar ran his own law practice and ultimately became a judge.
Here are some thumbnails of the Pomerantz Family. Almost all of these pictures came from Charlie. I've included descriptions in the flyover text. I still have a few more I'll post when I get a some more time.
Meet Charlie Palmer
Cousin Charlie is my father's cousin on his mother's side. Charlie's father, Joe Pomerantz was a business partner of Irv Lerner. Joe introduced his sister Molly and Irv who later married. Charlie and his cousins Bob and Ed Lerner, (children of Irv and Molly), grew up in the Highland Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. Charlie and his family lived on Crosby Avenue and my Dad and his family lived around the corner Bulwer Place. Their Grandparents, (Jerome and Sarah Pomerantz), lived just a few houses down at 50 Bulwer Place. Charlie recalls spending a lot of time as a child at his Grandparents with his sister Bea and his cousins Bob and Ed. He has been kind enough to share some photographs and I've included a few...thank you Charlie
This picture shows Charlie with his sister Bea and their baby cousin Bob. Bob's mother Molly is in the background. Charlie believes the picture was taken in his Grandparents backyard in the spring or summer of 1932.
On the stoop at 50 Bulwer Place. The woman on the left is Charlie and Bea's mother Evelyn. In the center is Charlie's father Joe and on the right is Charlie's grandmother, Sarah Pomerantz. In the back are Charlie's aunts: Mae and Ethel.
The picture on the right shows a young Charlie with his Grandmother and picture below includes a woman believed to be the mother of Sarah. They certainly look alike...if this is correct the woman on the left would be my great-great grandmother.
Below is a picture of Charlie and his great grandson Austin James or AJ. AJ is the son of Kim, who is Charlie's granddaughter by his daughter Jan. AJ is 7 months old.
