Eduard Lynton & Lynton Scharff
In Jewish families, it was customary to name children after their ancestors and we have continued that tradition. In our family tree we have deceased Solomon’s (4), Eduard’s (2), Avraham’s (2), Emile’s (3), Emma’s (2), Samuel’s (2), John’s (2), Lynton’s (2), Frank Rickey’s (2) and more. For more see this Blog page.
Private Elvis
In October 2008, my uncle Lt. Col. Eduard Lynton “EL” Scharff (Ret.) told me that when Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army (in 1958), he was to have been assigned to (then) Capt. Scharff’s company. However, “EL” refused to have Elvis in his command because he wanted soldiers not entertainers in his company.(R.S. confirmed this). Actually Elvis turned out to be a good soldier and treated his fellow G.I’s generously.
Block clan 1950
Little Rock, Arkansas was ground zero for the Block family in the 1950s as all the children of Joseph & Fay Block (Raymond, Samuel, Emma, Lewis and Grace) lived there. During Christmas break, the great grandchildren, the Block family Baby Boomers, would flock to Little Rock.
The page header photo is Em Block Scharff in the living room.
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Many family members know that Joseph Friedman “Bompa” Block and Raymond and Sam Block started Block Realty. Few of us have any clue as to Pappy’s jobs.
In the fall of 2011, a 13 page, typewritten ‘autobiography of Simon Ghertner’ was found in his son’s (Alven Simon Ghertner) papers. Here are some interesting highlights. It was apparently written shortly before his death on 5 Feb 1945.
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Mary Levinson Block (1837-1916), Solomon Block’s wife, passed away 11 July 1916 in Chicago. Census records show this likely was ‘our’ Mary Block and she had a journey in death.
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Smil Lieb Ghertner
Natan Chiraru (Horenstein) & Anutza Hana (Ghertner) Chiraru
Smil Lieb Ghertner, born 1875 in Roman, Romania to Avram & Pescia Abramovici. As Simon Ghertner was also born in Roman, Romania in August 1882 to Avraham (another form of Avram or Abraham) and Pessie (likely the same name as Pescia). Smil and Fraga Frodel (Cucosh) Ghertner had five children. Smil passed away in Targu’ Ocna, Romania, about 100 kilometers from Roman.
Smil-Lieb and Fraga’s five children
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Charles Block 1921 passport photo
Charles Block was four years old when he first appeared on a census roll and in 1880, the Solomon & Mary Block family were living in New Orleans, Louisiana. I found his full name was Charles Henry Block and he was born 19 Dec 1875 in Camden, Arkansas. He married Stella Inez Cox who was born in Brown County, Illinois in 1877 to Rhodes H. Cox (1858-1935) and Mary A. Rockwood (1857-1925). Charles and Stella were married by 1900 because they appeared on the 1900US Census as a family living in St Louis, Missouri. May Rockwood (the maiden name of Stella’s mother) Block was born 24 Feb 1901 and Elinor Block was born in 1913. The family applied for passports in 1921 for travel to “British Isles, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Italy’ (here is the application for Charles H. Block).
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