Of my paternal grandmother’s two brothers, I must admit I liked Uncle Sammy more. He was always jovial and happy. But he also had a bit of scandal attached to him. Whenever he was around or came to family events, my grandma would get a bit agitated, waiting for something to happen.
I know she was not great friends with his wife, who I always assumed was his second wife. I even wrote about her a previous blog. (See blog below.). But Uncle Sammy always had a smile. He was the youngest sibling and just seemed the most relaxed. Being around him made me happy. But then I also loved my great uncle Lenny, who taught me how to bet on the horses. (See blog below)
Uncle Sammy worked as a bus driver from the Port Authority in New York City. I actually remember one time waiting for a bus with my Mom at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a giant bus hub in Manhattan, when I actually saw my great Uncle. It was such a surprise. He beeped his horn and stopped his bus for a moment and to say hello to us. I was so excited!
I vaguely remember that he eventually became a supervisor at the Port Authority. But, although I can find a docuent stating he was a bus driver, I have been unable tto confirm the promotion. When I ask my older cousins, they do not remember much about him at all. I might have been the only fascinated by him.
My Uncle Sammy died young, in his early 60s. I do not know the exact date, but I was probably 13 or 14. So around 1968 – 1969.
I knew he was married at least two times. He married his first wife, Adele, in 1932, when he was in his 20s. They had one daughter, Vesta. (Thanks to her unusual name, it is easy to find him!) I never knew Adele, although I did meet Vesta once or twice. She was 20 years older than me. When I knew Uncle Sammy, he was married to Sylvia, who I assumed was his second wife.
But my view of Uncle Sammy changed just a little while searching for my Grandmother’s young brother who died as a toddler. (See blog below.). While searching for Jacob, EW (my distant cousin and excellent researcher) found a startling fact about Uncle Sammy. It seems he had a third wife!!!
When he was 43 years old, in the 1950 census, he had a wife named Gloria who was 14 years younger, jsut 29. His then 16-year-old daughter was living with them. But this entry in the 1950 census is important because it confirms that he was a bus driver.
I have not been able to find any other documents about Uncle Sammy, not his death certificate or where he is buried. Although I do know that his widow Sylvia remained in Kew Gardens after he died. She stayed in touch with our family and came to family events.
EW did find one more item for me. Uncle Sammy’s daughter, Vesta Jean got married in 1969. He told me that she is listed as Vesta Goldman on her marriage license But as you can see here, in the announcements she took her stepfather’s last name, Saltzman.
I think Uncle Sammy had passed away by then. Because I cannot imagine she would have written her dad out of her marriage if he was still alive. But I do not know for sure, as here it says that she was married by a Reverend. And marrying someone who was not Jewish might have been an issue, because I never knew that Vesta had married. And I do not think anyone in the Goldman family went to the wedding. As far as I know, Vesta and her husband Clifford, did not have children.
I hope I can one day find where Uncle Sammy is buried. With the name Samuel Goldman, he is difficult to find. There were many Samuel Goldmans in New York City. EW checked the Bialystoker lists, as other members of my family are listed there. But no luck. With this blog I hope to keep Uncle Sammy’s memory alive for our family.
https://zicharonot.com/2015/02/18/the-littlest-gambler-learning-about-horse-races-in-the-catskills/