Isaac (Yitzchak Eizik) & Tillie (Toba Miriam) of Świrz
Świrz · Rivington Street · Mount Zion
Isaac (Yitzchak Eizik) & Tillie (Toba Miriam) of Świrz
The Bald great-grandparents
Isaac (Yitzchak Eizik, Eisig) Bald and Tillie (Toba Miriam, Taube) Ochs were both born in Świrz in the 1870s. Tillie’s papers give a wedding at Świrz on 24 June 1896; Isaac’s give 1902. The Świrz register of deaths already names them as parents in 1898 and 1899, which fits a religious wedding first and a civil one later.
Those register entries are the saddest in the story: their daughter Scheindel Freide died on 9 May 1898, and a son was stillborn on 11 February 1899 at house 260. A third entry has now been found: an unnamed daughter, one month old, died on 23 July 1909 at house 28, before she had been given a name. So Tillie was still in Świrz in the summer of 1909, while Isaac was between his two crossings.
Isaac crossed to America on the Samland in 1907, went back to Galicia, and came again on the Vaterland on 4 July 1914. The war kept the family apart; Tillie followed only in September 1920 on the SS Niagara, with four children: Israel (Isidore), Hersch (Harry), Zisel (Sylvia) and Meir Chaim (Max). She left behind Jacob Bald of Świrz, almost certainly Isaac’s brother.
His 1920 declaration of intention describes him: a peddler of 43, five foot one, with brown hair and brown eyes, living at 94 Lewis Street, his wife Toby with him. He wrote that he had come from Liverpool on the Imperator; his certificate of arrival shows the Vaterland from Hamburg, 5 July 1914. His 1931 petition, which carries his photograph, lists the children’s birth dates and his two witnesses: Jacob Altman, a tailor, and Tillie’s brother David Ax.
In New York Isaac was a merchant at 260 Rivington Street and later a peddler of dry goods. He died in the Bronx on 20 November 1939 and was buried the same day in the Mestretyn society plot at Mount Zion Cemetery. Tillie died on 11 June 1950 and lies in the same plot.
Isaac’s Hebrew name, Yitzchak Eizik, is carved on his daughter Zisel’s gravestone. His own parents are named in a death-record index as Pincus (Pinchas) Bald and “Sylvia Tusk”; the surname may be a clerk’s rendering. Another Bald couple lived in Świrz in his father’s generation: Chana Bald, the ritual wife of Aron Bald, died there in 1913 aged 70. Aron was possibly Isaac’s uncle.
Their youngest son, Meir Chaim (Max), is buried on Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem. His stone, now read, calls him “Meir Chaim son of R’ Yitzchak Eizik Bald”, who died on 8 Shevat 5744 (12 January 1984): proof that he was Isaac’s son. His birth date differs on every record, from 1908 to 1912. In 1940 he lived on Bronx Park East and named his sister Zisel Bick as his contact.
Jacob Bald, left behind in Świrz in 1920, does not appear in the Świrz death books, which were searched in full to 1942.
At a glance
Isaac (Yitzchak Eizik, Eisig) Bald
b. 1877, Świrz, Galicia · d. 20 Nov 1939, Bronx · Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth: Mestretyn society, 13L-16-8-179 Confirmed
Tillie (Toba Miriam, Taube) Bald, née Ochs
b. 28 Aug 1875, Świrz · d. 11 Jun 1950, Bronx · Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth: Mestretyn society, 13L-16-33-179 Confirmed
Scheindel Freide Bald
d. 9 May 1898, Świrz Confirmed
A son of Isaac and Tillie (stillborn)
d. 11 Feb 1899, Świrz Confirmed
Harry (Hersch, R’ Tzvi) Bald
b. 1906/1907, Świrz (10 Jan 1907 in the Social Security index) · d. April 1986, Brooklyn Confirmed
Celia Bald, née Wietschner
b. 10 Mar 1910, Poland · d. 22 Dec 1999, Brooklyn Likely
Saul Bald
Son of Harry and Celia Bald. Living or possibly living: name and relation only.
Seymour Bald (son of Harry)
Son of Harry and Celia Bald. Living or possibly living: name and relation only.
Sylvia (Zisel) Bick, née Bald
b. June 1910 · d. 15 Aug 1997 (11 Av 5757) · Beth David Cemetery, Elmont NY: Section B, Block 2, Row P, grave 3 (United Sons of Israel) Confirmed
Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Aryeh (Moshe L.) Bick
b. 1911 · d. 1990 Confirmed
Isaac Bick
b. 30 Apr 1945 · d. 15 Oct 1992 Confirmed
Max (Meir Chaim) Bald
b. 1908–1912 (records differ), Świrz · d. 12 Jan 1984 (8 Shevat 5744); buried in Jerusalem · Har HaMenuchot, Jerusalem: block 17, plot 2, row 10, spot 11 Confirmed
Pincus (Pinchas) Bald
great-great-grandfather of the three sisters (father’s side) Confirmed
Sylvia Bald (Isaac’s mother; maiden name unclear)
great-great-grandmother of the three sisters (father’s side) Confirmed
Jacob Bald of Świrz
likely brother of Isaac Bald Likely
A daughter of Isaac and Tillie (died before naming)
d. 23 Jul 1909, Świrz Confirmed
Aron Bald of Świrz
possibly a relative of Isaac Bald, of his father’s generation Possible
Chana Bald, née Grünwetter (readings uncertain)
b. c.1843 · d. 11 Oct 1913, Świrz Possible
Records and stones
Confirmed Isaac Bald’s petition for citizenship, SDNY no. 176343, 1931: merchant at 260 Rivington Street.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isak Bald’s declaration of intention, New York County no. 214394, 1920.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Świrz register of deaths, 9 May 1898: Scheindel Freide, daughter of Eizyk Bald and Taube Oks.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed Świrz register of deaths, 11 Feb 1899: a stillborn son of Taube Oks and Eizyk Bald, house 260.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed SS Niagara, arrived New York 20 Sep 1920: Tillie (“Tanly”) Bald and her four children, Israel (Isidore) among them.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed The same list: nearest relative left behind, “brother” Jacob Bald of Świrz.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Sheet 2: going to her husband “Erick” (Isaac) Bald, 247 Rivington Street.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Tillie Bald’s petition for naturalization, SDNY no. 441505, 1943: born Świrz, 28 Aug 1875.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Tillie Bald’s 1943 petition: arrival on the Niagara, 20 Sep 1920.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Gravestone of Zisel (Sylvia) Bick, Beth David Cemetery: “daughter of haRav Moreinu haRav Yitzchak Eizik”.Photo: David Wieder, Find a Grave memorial 249482903Confirmed Świrz register of deaths, 23 Jul 1909: an unnamed daughter of Eizyk Bald and Taube Oks, one month old, house 28.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed Isak Bald’s declaration of intention, New York County no. 214394, 5 Mar 1920: peddler, born Galicia 1 Mar 1877, living at 94 Lewis Street; signed “Esik Bald”.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isaac Bald’s petition for citizenship, SDNY no. 176343, sworn 14 Jan 1931: his wife Tillie, their children’s birth dates, and his witnesses Jacob Altman and David Ax.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isaac Bald’s photograph, about 1930, on the copy of his declaration filed with his 1931 petition.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Certificate of arrival filed with Isaac Bald’s petition: the Vaterland from Hamburg, New York, 5 Jul 1914.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed SS Niagara, Le Havre to New York, arrived 20 Sep 1920, list 16, lines 25–29: “Tanly” (Taube) Bald and her four children.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Max Bald’s WWII draft card, 16 Oct 1940: born 5 Apr 1910 at “Shwiritch” (Świrz); contact his sister Mrs. Zisel Bick.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Gravestone of Meir Chaim son of R’ Yitzchak Eizik Bald, Har HaMenuchot, Jerusalem: died 8 Shevat 5744 (12 Jan 1984). Contrast enhanced for reading.Photo: N, Find a Grave memorial 286454961Possible Świrz register of deaths, 11 Oct 1913: Chana Bald, born Grünwetter (readings uncertain), ritual wife of Aron Bald, aged 70.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed Death certificate of Isaac Bald, Bronx, 20 Nov 1939, certificate 10542: of 924 East 169th Street, a peddler of dry goods; father Pincus Bald, mother Sylvia (surname hard to read); details given by his son Harry; burial at Mount Zion. The medical section is blanked out.NYC Municipal Archives, historical vital recordsConfirmed Marriage certificate of Harry Bald and Celia Wietschner, Manhattan, 18 Jun 1933, certificate 12810: Harry, 25, son of Isaac Bald and Tobe Ochs. Married by Rabbi Chaim M. Bick.NYC Municipal Archives, historical vital records
Living relatives appear by name and relation only.
Labels — Confirmed, Likely, Possible — as the records support them. Tap any picture to enlarge it.
The people
Every person in this part, with each fact, its label and its source.
Isaac (Yitzchak Eizik, Eisig) BaldConfirmed
יצחק אייזיק
Great-grandfather of the three sisters (father’s side)
Born 1877, Świrz, Galicia · Died 20 Nov 1939, Bronx
Burial: Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth: Mestretyn society, 13L-16-8-179
Two children died in Świrz: Scheindel Freide, 9 May 1898, and a stillborn son, 11 Feb 1899, at house 260.ConfirmedŚwirz Jewish register of deaths
Came to America on the Samland in 1907, went back to Galicia, and returned on the Vaterland on 4 Jul 1914 as Eisig Bald.ConfirmedIsaac Bald’s crossings
His certificate of arrival, filed with his petition, gives the Vaterland from Hamburg, New York, 5 Jul 1914.ConfirmedCertificate of arrival of Isaac Bald
His 1920 declaration describes him as a peddler of 43, 5 ft 1 in, with brown hair and brown eyes, living at 94 Lewis Street, his wife Toby with him. It says he came from Liverpool on the Imperator about 15 Jul 1914; the certificate of arrival shows that was his own mistake.ConfirmedDeclaration of intention of Isak Bald, 1920Certificate of arrival of Isaac Bald
Naturalized 20 Apr 1931 as a merchant at 260 Rivington Street. His petition, sworn 14 Jan 1931 on a 1925 declaration, lists the children Isidor (7 May 1904), Harry (6 Sep 1907), Sylvia (2 Jun 1910) and Max (13 Jul 1911); his witnesses were Jacob Altman, a tailor, and Tillie’s brother David Ax, a storekeeper. A photograph of him, about 1930, is on the copy of his declaration.ConfirmedPetition for citizenship of Isaac Bald, 1931Certificate of arrival of Isaac Bald
His death certificate, now read in the original, gives his home as 924 East 169th Street, Bronx, about 30 years in the United States, and names his parents Pincus Bald and Sylvia (her surname is hard to read). His son Harry gave the details.ConfirmedDeath record of Isaac Bald, 20 Nov 1939
His plot is the Mestretyn society’s at Mount Zion (13L-16-8-179). “Mestretyn” is “me-Stretyn”, “of Stretyn”: the society is the Chewra Ateres Jehuda Zwee me-Stretyn, from Stratyn, not a town of its own name. The same society also has plots at Beth David, Elmont (Section E, Block 3) and Mount Hebron.ConfirmedThe Mestretyn (Stretyn) societyMount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth, Queens: interment register
Confirmed Isaac Bald’s photograph, about 1930, on the copy of his declaration filed with his 1931 petition.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isaac Bald’s petition for citizenship, SDNY no. 176343, 1931: merchant at 260 Rivington Street.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isaac Bald’s petition for citizenship, SDNY no. 176343, sworn 14 Jan 1931: his wife Tillie, their children’s birth dates, and his witnesses Jacob Altman and David Ax.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isak Bald’s declaration of intention, New York County no. 214394, 1920.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Isak Bald’s declaration of intention, New York County no. 214394, 5 Mar 1920: peddler, born Galicia 1 Mar 1877, living at 94 Lewis Street; signed “Esik Bald”.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Certificate of arrival filed with Isaac Bald’s petition: the Vaterland from Hamburg, New York, 5 Jul 1914.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Świrz register of deaths, 9 May 1898: Scheindel Freide, daughter of Eizyk Bald and Taube Oks.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed Świrz register of deaths, 11 Feb 1899: a stillborn son of Taube Oks and Eizyk Bald, house 260.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed Świrz register of deaths, 23 Jul 1909: an unnamed daughter of Eizyk Bald and Taube Oks, one month old, house 28.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346Confirmed Death certificate of Isaac Bald, Bronx, 20 Nov 1939, certificate 10542: of 924 East 169th Street, a peddler of dry goods; father Pincus Bald, mother Sylvia (surname hard to read); details given by his son Harry; burial at Mount Zion. The medical section is blanked out.NYC Municipal Archives, historical vital records
Her Find a Grave biography, written by a descendant, gives her son Isidore’s Hebrew name as R’ Yisroel Boruch and Harry’s as Tzvi.LikelyFind a Grave memorial of Tillie Bald
Confirmed SS Niagara, arrived New York 20 Sep 1920: Tillie (“Tanly”) Bald and her four children, Israel (Isidore) among them.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed The same list: nearest relative left behind, “brother” Jacob Bald of Świrz.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Sheet 2: going to her husband “Erick” (Isaac) Bald, 247 Rivington Street.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed SS Niagara, Le Havre to New York, arrived 20 Sep 1920, list 16, lines 25–29: “Tanly” (Taube) Bald and her four children.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Tillie Bald’s petition for naturalization, SDNY no. 441505, 1943: born Świrz, 28 Aug 1875.FamilySearch / NARAConfirmed Tillie Bald’s 1943 petition: arrival on the Niagara, 20 Sep 1920.FamilySearch / NARA
Scheindel Freide BaldConfirmed
Daughter of Isaac and Tillie; died as a small child
Died 9 May 1898, Świrz
Entered in the Świrz register of deaths, 9 May 1898, daughter of Eizyk Bald and Taube Oks.ConfirmedŚwirz Jewish register of deaths
The Social Security index has a Harry Bald born 10 Jan 1907, died April 1986 in Brooklyn: likely him, since the year fits his age in 1933, though the day differs from his papers.LikelySocial Security Death Index: Harry Bald
Confirmed Marriage certificate of Harry Bald and Celia Wietschner, Manhattan, 18 Jun 1933, certificate 12810: Harry, 25, son of Isaac Bald and Tobe Ochs. Married by Rabbi Chaim M. Bick.NYC Municipal Archives, historical vital records
Celia Bald, née WietschnerLikely
Wife of Harry Bald
Born 10 Mar 1910, Poland · Died 22 Dec 1999, Brooklyn
Daughter of Hersh L. Wietschner and Bertha Rubenfeld per her Numident entry; born 10 Mar 1910, died 22 Dec 1999.LikelyHarry Bald and Celia Wietschner
Her gravestone reads “Moras Zisel, daughter of haRav Moreinu haRav Yitzchak Eizik”, which gives her father’s Hebrew name.ConfirmedGravestone of Zisel (Sylvia) Bick
The Social Security index gives her birth as 10 Jun 1910 and her husband Moishe’s as 23 Jan 1911. Their son Isaac Bick (1945–1992) is named there.ConfirmedSocial Security records: the Bick family
Son of Sylvia (Zisel) and Rabbi Moshe Bick; grandson of Isaac and Tillie Bald
Born 30 Apr 1945 · Died 15 Oct 1992
Born 30 Apr 1945; died 15 Oct 1992. His Social Security application names his parents as Moishe Bick and Sylvia Bald.ConfirmedSocial Security records: the Bick family
His gravestone at Har HaMenuchot reads “Meir Chaim son of R’ Yitzchak Eizik Bald”, died 8 Shevat 5744 (12 Jan 1984). The father’s name makes him Isaac’s son.ConfirmedMax (Meir Chaim) Bald: household and gravestone
His stone says he was of the line of the Baal Shem Tov; the memorial’s biography, written by a relative, thinks that is a mistake and says the family descended through his mother from the Tevuos Shor. Both are family tradition, not proven.Max Bald’s memorial biography
Confirmed Gravestone of Meir Chaim son of R’ Yitzchak Eizik Bald, Har HaMenuchot, Jerusalem: died 8 Shevat 5744 (12 Jan 1984). Contrast enhanced for reading.Photo: N, Find a Grave memorial 286454961Confirmed Max Bald’s WWII draft card, 16 Oct 1940: born 5 Apr 1910 at “Shwiritch” (Świrz); contact his sister Mrs. Zisel Bick.FamilySearch / NARA
Pincus (Pinchas) BaldConfirmed
Great-great-grandfather of the three sisters (father’s side)
Named as Isaac’s father on Isaac’s 1939 death certificate, now read in the original; the details were given by Isaac’s son Harry.ConfirmedDeath record of Isaac Bald, 20 Nov 1939
Her maiden name is hard to read on the certificate (it begins with T and ends in k); the index reads it as “Tusk”, a name not found in Galicia, so it may be a clerk’s rendering.PossibleDeath record of Isaac Bald, 20 Nov 1939
His death is not in the Świrz death books, which were searched in full from 1877 to 1942. The 1920 passenger list is the last sighting.The Świrz death books, searched in full
Confirmed Świrz register of deaths, 23 Jul 1909: an unnamed daughter of Eizyk Bald and Taube Oks, one month old, house 28.AGAD Warsaw, fond 300, sygn. 4346
Aron Bald of ŚwirzPossible
Possibly a relative of Isaac Bald, of his father’s generation