Friday's Faces From the Past: Mystery Man

Today's Face From the Past is linked to last week's guest post by Lorraine Arnold. Her detective work helped answer the question: Where Was This Picture Taken? The picture in question was a photograph of my great-grandfather, William Bloomfield, standing proudly in-front of a building (see photo on the right). The answer: the picture was taken in-front of the Guenard Speed & Clemens building in Houston. This seemingly straightforward reply, leads to many more questions and a second photograph. In this second photo, from my grandmother's boxes was not labeled. In it, William poses next to an unknown man at the same exact spot next to the Guernard building. This mystery man is today's featured Face From the Past.

William and mystery man on Commerce Street
c. 1919

William Bloomfield infront of the 
Guenard, Speed & Clemens building
817 - 819 Commerce Street, Houston c1919 .

Part of my intrigue with the first photo, was the "unknown" man in the second photo. When I initially asked Lorraine to help identify the building, I was also hoping to uncover clues leading to this mysterious man. The men appear dressed and ready for work. Their matching cut off ties, a uniform of sorts, suggesting the photographs were taken near their place of employment.

Our mystery man, must have had an important role in William's life. He appears not only in the Commerce Street photo, but I also recognize him in another important photograph.

William and Minnie Bloomfield with an unknown man.
Jersey City, c1920.

This is the only photograph of my great-grandparents together taken during their brief courtship before or shortly after the tied the knot (see: Love Story 1920s style). The lovers are posing outside cigar shop in Jersey City. William, dressed in his Sunday best, looks almost relieved, if not happy, as opposed to the serious face he often lends to photographers. Minnie, is wearing a hat! If this photo was not taken the day they got married, it certainly was at a special event they were attending. Mystery man, stands proudly beside the happy couple! Like William, he also travelled on the long journey from Houston (not an easy endeavor in 1920).  In this photograph, he is wearing the same striped shirt from the faded Houston photo and notably, a full length tie. Who is he? Did he make the journey up north with William or perhaps he came up for a special occasion? Why did they both abandon their jobs in Texas? According to Minnie's writing, William was only passing through New York. She never mentioned he came with a friend or for a special occasion. He was visiting relatives and friends. His aunt Ida Weiner, offered him a job in Pittsburgh and he left New York. Was the job in Houston no longer available? Maybe he just missed the North East? History is a testament to the fact that meeting Minnie, sidetracked William from his original plan.

Houston City Directory 1919 listing for Bloomfield William 

Back mystery man. My only clue, the Guernard, Speed and Clemens building, helped me locate William in the 1919 City Directory. As, I mentioned last week, I discovered that he indeed work for a produce company, but not the Guernard, Speed & Clemens Company, but a competitor, the Houston Fruit and Produce Company. As a cashier, he must have carted vegetable crates as well and work the cash register, hence the cutoff tie.

Houston Fruit & Produce Co listing from
the Houston City Directory 1919

In the listing to the left, tucked between, the Houston Foundation and the Houston Furniture & Auction Company, is William's employer, the Houston Fruit & Produce Company. Two important pieces of information standout in this listing. The first, The Houston Fruit & Produce company was also on Commerce Street (#906). A few warehouses down from the Guernard Speed & Clemens Co. (#817-819). The second fact, Morris Pomerantz and Morris Birenbaum owned the Company.

This is huge! I know these two names. They are relatives! William was working for family! Morris Pomerantz, aka Morris Aaron Pomerantz, was William's maternal uncle. Morris Birenbaum, was Morris Pomerantz's half brother-in-law (his wife's half brother). The relationship is even more complicated, Morris Pomerantz's wife Fannie Leah Pomerantz (Birenbaum) was also her husband's niece and William Bloomfield's first cousin, making Morris Birenbaum, Williams cousin's half brother. 

Next, I set out to map and create a timeline for the Pomerantz Houstonian clan. Here is a summary of what I learned from the City Directories and additional sources (limited to sources available online, until I make a research trip to Houston):

The Houston Fruit & Produce Company first appears as a company in the 1913 Houston City Directory. In it's early years, it was located even closer to the Guenard building, at #811 Commerce Street. In it's inception the company was owned by three, not two, partners: Morris Birnebaum, Morris Pomerantz and Jake Pomerantz (Morris Pomerantz's younger brother).

The three business partners not only worked together but also live together at, 1218 Chartres. Jake and Morris Birenbaum were single, while Morris Pomerantz was married but living in America without his family. His family joins him in 1914. By 1915, Jake Pomerantz is no longer listed as a partner in the company and does appear in the Houston City Directory. The produce company relocates a bit further down Commerce Street to #906 where it remains at least until 1920. The two remaining partners, Morris Pomerantz and Morris Birenbaum continue to live together (listed at 1801 Maple Avenue). In December of that year Morris Birenbaum marries Miss Annie Dorensfield. Their son Abe is born in 1916 and by 1917 they have moved out of the Pomerantz home and into, 2007 Summer Street.  In 1918, the Birenbaums are living at 1804 Sherman Street and the Pomerantz family is at 1911 Franklin Ave. 

William Bloomfield, WWI Draft Registration Card Sep 12, 1918

Following William Bloomfield's tracks in Houston is difficult. Though I know he was in Texas from about 1915-1920 (from Minnie's Memoir), I  found little documentation to support this.  His WWI Draft Registration papers, report him as residing at 1804 Sherman Street (with Morris Birenbaum), and employed at the Houston Fruit Company. He is listed with the Birenbaums in the 1919 City directory, but then moves in with the Pomerantzs to Franklin Street (according to the US Census taken on Jan 5-6th, 1920). 

Mapping the family, helps understand the close-knit relationship between these men and leads me back to mystery man. It seems very likely that the man in question is one of the Houston relatives whom William roomed with and was employed by. 

Morris Aaron Pomerantz early 1900.

To prove my theory, I turn to pictures of the three brothers and partners. I doubt our mystery man is Morris Pomerantz whose photo from the early 1900s does not show much resemblance. When I asked Morris Pomerantz's grandson about the picture and the family business, he recalled that his grandfather began his career in the produce sector with a banana stand. He agreed that the man in question, does not look like his grandfather. 

Jake Palmer (Pomerantz)
and family 1937.

Jake Pomerantz is least likely to be the man we are looking for, since he left the company and Houston early on. His photo from 1937 confirms this claim and shows little resemblance to mystery man.

Front (Left to Right) Max Blumenfeld,
William Bloomfield. Back: Morris Birenbaum
Claremont, NH c1905

This leaves Morris Birenbaum as the most likely candidate. Turns out, Mr. Birenbaum  arrived in the US around the same time as William Bloomfield, c1904. The photo I have of Morris Birenbaum was taken with William, in 1905 shortly after they arrived in Claremont, NH. This one hundred and seven year old picture attests to Morris Birenbaum presence in Claremont along with the Bloomfield brothers. I also have reason to suspect that Morris Birenbaum worked at the Maynard Shoe Company and rented a room from William Parents. In the 1910 US Census, three boarders are listed at the Bloomfield's Claremont Residence: Nathan Polen (a cousin), Oscar Friedman (another cousin) and Morris Baum. I'm guessing he must have been related as well. My hunch is, that Baum is short for Birenbaum. Nathan Polen and Morris Baum are both listed as shoemakers.

Here is the question of the day, and one, I may never be able to answer. Is mystery man, Morris Birenbaum?  Does he look like an older Morris Birenbaum, compared to the 1905 picture? To me he does! Same facial features, similar frizzy curls and an identical hairline. My money is on him! What do you think? Take another look at the close ups of Morris Birenbaum and mystery man side by side.

Closeup
Morris Birenbaum c1905

Closeup mystery man
c1919

I look forward to hearing your thoughts! Have a great weekend!

To read more about the Bloomfields visit these earlier posts:

• Guest blog on Geni.com: How I Met The Bloomfields
• Roots Trips Series:
  
  • Part I: Roots Trip Road-trip planning!
  • Part II: Three Tips for Genealogy Road Trips
  • Part III: Roots Trip Gem of the Day, Looking for Moses Bloomfield
  • Part IV: Why in the World New Hampshire
  • Part V: Springfield Vermont, Home of the Simpsons and the Bloomfields
  • Part VI: Which Ancestors to Research?
• Where Was This Picture Taken?- Legacy Roots 
• Hot Off The Press

Where Was This Picture Taken?

Today, I am honored to present a post by guest blogger and genealogist Lorraine Arnold who specializes in the history of buildings and business. I met Lorraine via twitter (@LegacyRoots). Her intrest in buildings reminded me of a building in a particular photograph I was curious about. It's a photo of my great-grandfather William Bloomfield, standing tall, in front of a mysterious building. I came across this photo recently during my sorting and archiving project.

William Bloomfield, is one of my favorite ancestors. I've written more blog posts about William and the Bloomfields than any of my other ancestors (See links bellow to previous Bloomfield posts). I must admit to having a soft sport for him and if I'm completely honest, I'm kind of in love with him. William was the first of my ancestors to arrive in the United States (around 1904). He was the love of my great-grandmother's life. Researching William, lead me to the Bloomfield clan, all of whom were strangers to me three years ago. Since I've become very close many of my Bloomfield cousins and together we collaborate in research our family history. Yet, even though I now know quite a bit about William Bloomfield, many parts of his life remain a mystery. Prior to meeting Minnie in 1920, William was a wanderer who moved around in search of work. The photo in question, could have been taken anywhere. By comparing his approximate age to other dated photos of him, I can narrow down the time period to somewhere between 1914 and 1920. According to the 1914 Claremont City Directory William left Claremont NH in 1914 and moved to NY. From Minnie's writing I know he spent most of next five years in the state of Texas. Then in 1920, he returned to the North East where, spending time both in New YorkCity and Pittsburgh and finally he married Minnie and opened a grocery store Laconia, NH.

The photo could have been taken anywhere. It's unique, in that the building has a name, though almost illegible and partially obstructed by William's head. His clothes, especially the cut-off tie, to me signal a work outfit and my hunch was that the William worked at the building. I decided to solicit Lorraine's expertise. My hope was, that identifying the building would help date the photograph and shed light onto William's employment.

I sent the photo to Lorraine and she did the rest! It was a pleasure collaborating with Lorraine. Here is her guest post, where she tells the story of her amazing detective work!

_________________________________________________________________________________

WHERE WAS THIS PICTURE TAKEN?

I love buildings, their history, and the challenges that go along with them. So when Smadar BelkindGerson @StoredTreasures, a new Twitter follower, asked if I would look at a photo to see if I could identify the location of the building in the picture I couldn’t pass on the request. I immediately stated the caveat that I cannot claim to know all buildings, but encouraged her to send the photo to see what help I might be. 

SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA

Picture of William Bloomfield un labeled.

Smadar sent the photo (left) of her great-grandfather standing on a street somewhere in America.  At first glance my thought was, “How in the world could I possibly figure out where this building is?” Smadar gave great clues, but I have to admit that despite the hints I felt that I was searching for a needle in a haystack. I wondered where the directions were to locate the answer. Unfortunately none existed.

DISCOVERY

As fortune would have it within 15 minutes I had the answer; even I was surprised. The quick version of the discovery process includes searching for clues regarding the names listed along the top of the building starting with the name Speed; trying different vowels and consonants for the two letters which were obscured in the first name; and working through different internet search mediums such as Fold3, Google, and GenealogyBank. I also considered searching for names of law firms in the early 20^th century, but dismissed that idea which would be a daunting task without more information. In this search Google became my best friend. After several failed attempts, the search “Guenard, Speed” returned about 74 hits, several of which came from texashistory.unt.edu. The Houston newspaper, The Thresher, within that site gave the answer.

CONFIRMED

Knowing that newspapers are a great source, I checked the hits returned from texashistory.unt.edu, and discovered ads for Guenard, Speed & Clemens. The mystery of the building was solved with the collaboration of clues that Smadar gave and details in the ad: Houston was one of the cities she had mentioned (Guenard, Speed & Clemens was located in Houston); the building length in the photo appeared to span more than one address (The address of Guenard, Speed & Clemens was listed as 817 - 819 Commerce Street); the suspected era was 1914 to 1920 (The ads ran from 1923 to 1927 in “The Thresher” Houston papers). 

To solidify the conclusion I would suggest contacting a fashion history expert as well as someone who is familiar with early 20^th century photos. I suspect the tie William Bloomfield is wearing is a Texan fashion of that era, but of course this is not my area of expertise. Using multiple experts can prove to be helpful and satisfying when seeking to identify the details of a building, its location, and the date of an ancestral photo.

RESOURCES:

Google.comFold3.comGenealogybank.comTexashistory.unt.eduJournal of the House of Representatives of the United States, Sixty-seventh Congress, First Session, 11 April 1921, Vol. No. 7917, page 338, no.17234.Guenard, Speed & Clemens ad, The Thresher, Houston, Texas, 9 January 1925, page 4. <texashistory.unt.edu>Guenard, Speed & Clemens ad, The Thresher, Houston, Texas, 29 November 1923, page 6, column 3. <texashistory.unt.edu>

______________________________________________________________

Armed with this information, I turned to the Houston's City Directories from 1914-1920. Without confirming William's presence in Houston during those years, rather than somewhere else in Texas, finding William in the city directories was impossible. Bloomfield is a fairly common name, and so is William. This time, I searched for Guernard Speed & Clemens. Bingo!  I cross refferenced with Bloomfield and in the 1919 Directory, I found a Wm Bloomfield, working as a cashier at the Ho (Houston) Fruit and Produce Co. I looked up the Houston Fruit and Produce company in the business section of the directory and discovered they were located at 906 Commerce Avenue. Looks like Commerce Ave was the Wholesale Fruit and Produce. William did not work at the Guernard Speed & Clemens building. He worked across the street! 

My next step is to take Lorraine's advice and contact a fashion history expert to learn about the tie! 

To learn more about Lorraine Arnold, visit her blog Legacy Roots.

Follow up on this post: Friday's Faces From the Past: Mystery Man

More about the Bloomfields:
Roots Trips Series: Reports from a Vermont and New Hampshire road trip to research the Bloomfield family history:
Part I: Roots Trip Road-trip planning!
Part II: Three Tips for Genealogy Road Trips
Part III: Roots Trip Gem of the Day, Looking for Moses Bloomfield
Part IV: Why in the World New Hampshire
Part V: Springfield Vermont, Home of the Simpsons and the Bloomfields
Part VI:Which Ancestors to Research?
Where Was This Picture Taken?- Legacy Roots
Hot Off The Press 

Guest blog on Geni.com: How I Met The Bloomfields