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See the Harris Coleman Family genealogy as of July 2007. Please read your part of the tree carefully and send additions and corrections to Judy.
Hannah Coleman came from Kovno in Lithuania, now called Kaunas. Harris Coleman came from Kroz, Lithuania, now called Kraziai. Their 8 children (Rae, Dot, Jule, Joe, Ted, Ben, Flo, and Hilda) had 17 children. There were 2 other children who died. Judy Greenspan (Hilda's daughter) wrote: I found a newspaper article from September 1911, listing under Vital Statistics 2 children of Harris Coleman, 323 E. Third St, Dora and Hadore, scarlet fever. I am assuming those are the 2 children that my mother told me had died. |
Coleman family
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According to a family history of the Mathias Coleman family, written by Sydney Brisker, one of Mathias' grandsons, Mathias came to this country in 1890, and his brother Harris was already here. According to Aunt Dot, Mathias came first and sent for his brother Harris. We need a family historian to clear this up! A picture of Harris and Hannah and their first 4 children, Rae, Dot, Jule, and Joe is shown. Joe was born Dec. 25, 1898, so the picture is probably from 1899.
Harris and Hannah started H. Coleman's Furniture Store from simple beginnings. Harrison Coleman remembers: My father [Ted] told me that Grandma started a little store selling crockery out of a barrel that had been packed in the old country. Grandpa sold pots and pans from a pushcart on the dirt roads. ... Grandma was the businesswoman. When she saw the "greenhorns" coming over from Europe, she opened a furniture store and sold metal beds and straw mattresses. She let the customers pay out the cost each week, on their honor. Grandma put in a window in the house at street level so people could see things for sale. My father delivered merchandise by horse and wagon at the end of the day. He would strap a coal stove on his back and carry it up 3 flights of stairs to the customer. The streets were still dirt and I think he told me they kept the horse in the back. The truck pictured here was probably from the late 1920s. We're not sure of the identity of the man in front of the truck. |
Harris and Hannah and their first 4 children
Coleman's Furniture truck
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Translation:
For this we cry, the tears are falling from our eyes on the death of our dear father, Tzvi the son of Ben Zion who died on 22 Kislev. 5686, may his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
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Translation:
We raise our voice in lamentation on the death of our beloved, 'a Godfearing woman is to be praised for her righteousness', Chaya Henne the daughter of Avraham Abba, who died 29 Sivan, 5698, may her soul be bound up in the bond of life.
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