|
DUV'8A
Subject; Hannah Myerson Barwald
Interviewer: Doris Proctor
Jacksonville 7-21-76
P: This is Doris Proctor and I'm interviewing Mr.,Hannah Myerson Barwald in
her home at 2057 Post Street.
B: This is my grandmother, Halley. She was a O75- mLL And she 'married
Phi ip Halley and is &CtS /W ?-a/C 6 7, .- Isn't this pretty?
P: j7' ,'-r-,i. ,-... / in 1882? And what city was this?
_, -I
B: ~t.- --7 ... In Memphis, Tennessee.
P:, Tennessee. r P' r "
B: 5CC. (!' (--- ^ nnsetswe m
B: ,CC ,^- But I wrote it there. Memphis, Tennessee. hat's when my
grandparents were married. They both came from Germany. She could, V6e, he
was there and then she came over, see?
k
P: Um-um.
B: NEw that is a*, that's about all I can say. I oela4 show you the pictures.
P: Th"-- tmh1 gpi ron t m m h.e.p..- / *
B: Yes. Why I have got all of this in here. This is B4W/F % S 1 And
a ttt //
this was all oe-w 7' //, r .
P:' Oh isn't that.,.
B: But you see how it's gn' g-an there?
P: Yeah.
B: But she was a beautiful woman.
a :: l, Itc +., v t'5 :.; ,,c
P: Oh she was -p Sa~ ^-w f LLdm.
B: Yes. And he looked like that man when he was my grandfather I can remember him.
And she was a beautiful woman.
P: MTc thar MOT,- i 1hgr (J, '
B: YeahU ,
P: Um.
B: Her brother hat was during the war. a h gat al that.
P: Yeah. I 1t-t--. 1y -' e n ,
B: No, not 82, /2, isn't it?
P: I mean uh, is 4h4isine '4 t0O,,
I
B: Now what is that) 82?
P: It looks like 82 to me.
B: Well no it can't be, because if it was, no it couldn't be 82, 62.
'I
P: 62. O.K.
a.A
B: Yes, they moved to Jacksonville, grandmother Halley and -~A brother, All)
brothers in Jack-/ in Floridaand they moved down here after the war, see?
That was during the war wasn't it? '62?
P: Yeah,
B: But they moved down here after hTeiK mother was born in Memphis and she, they
moved dmwn here and she was five years old.
*^ rt&- I- hl 0 r # C' r WAM S 1C'V X L o{r,ss 0 M)
B: Yhen they came to Jacksonville.
P: Um-(um.
B: She was born in Memphis)and they came o count of to Jacksonville becae ebea
brothers, one brother was in Live Oa/k and one was in Lake City and they
picked out Jacksonville. And here is mother's wedding. All about the marriage.
-- PIVIr,.'
; -- She was married in the Eveit Hotel. That's before your time.
P: Yeah. In Savannah?
B: NcO
P: No?
B: In, my Grand p their was, he was a traveling manand he met my mother and he
lived in Savannah. s home was in Savannah, doesn't that say that? Let
lived in Savannah. !iis home was in Savannah, 4ft doesn't that say that? Let
me turn on some more lights.
P: No, that's fine. ~ aka t-t i-CC,
B: I don't know if this will give light or.,.
P: Yeah.
B: That's too much sun on you.
P: So they were married at the .chape then?
B: No. They were married in the hotel. / .-
P: Oh in the hotel, yeah, O.K.
B: In the Everi-t Hotel.
P: In the F3Zarit Hotel.
B: Yes and that was the hotel at that time.
P: Where was that located?
B: On the corner of4Bay and Ada-/ Bay and Forsyth, it ran through Bay and Forsyth
and (uia. And it was quite a hotel at that timand of course, that was //
about the marriage and the letters of congratuation and all. I found them in
the attic and I saved them.
P: What, what business was your father in?
B: My father was in the clothing business.
P: Did he have a store?
B: Yes on the corner, of, next to the corner of Bay.:and Laura Street. It was
105 West Bay Street and course during the fire, when Jacksonville burned, my
father stood out there with one of the great, big umbrellas at they, you
know adverftse& Mow they use them as, you know what, in the, &n the beaches
and all and he stood with this umbrella over tte fireman s water, to put water
on that, 44s building and that is why, that old thing was/aved on 4bf 4T/ ) cyJ
P: /ki, 7 Ic /S~r~ /,v~ When your parents got married, did they join the Temple
thenB r they y n um. r ,.r rt aI
B: Yes. But I can laP tell you too much about it.
P: Urmim.
B: *Fe my father and mother moved to Sanford and /ived in Sanford for awile.
And then t .Ky moved up here /nd-ed in the A'0 i, ,,
P: What year was this that they moved up here and, and J'. ' !C / ,, '
/^ /
SB /n the 92 M^
P: And do you ask what year you were born?
B: Yeah. I want that. You know what I say to people, they all say, well Lillian
Wilnson was a very good fre1d of mine, always has beesEo her son they gave
a party and I was invited to it and the son is Dr. Wi~fnson. So he went there
the next morning and said Iama, how &ld is Hannah? Everybody calls me Hannah.
A /)
She said, "You ask her." So I said, "Lillian, tell him when I'm gone to go the
cemetfry and he'- see it on the wakrca-there." 'Cause I left it in my will,
lk
that all those that are in the mfsoleum should be put the names: on the outside
the (c6-,.tr- S-CA &/t
3 so, ySq ^t ^'^ ~^O /- L ,'uz~ a /<,c//fM C
B: Wel i,'"l.a.
P: WellAw La
B: Whrn AtTp'_nJt het4Tn. T
I don't know wh y, I just feel like I'm younger thin that age.
P: You look younger than that agg) .,-_
B: So that I won't tell them, I don't want.
P: All becaUe of.
1rcot tr- ."M'^ 44j h rei -4Ay 're /s'/L h y -i -
B: T-3 tel: that I am that old, .tha hal-hosa-hnking-.-'m ol4
B: y go with young people.
P: Well you should. Well when you family-&a-ib when your father was in the
clothing business..,
B: Yeah.
P: ,, was the life like in Jacksonville? When, did they. belong to the Temple?
B: Oh yes.
P: And.,.
B: The Temple. b~ha-t-p.L was on the corner of Union and Laura And that was
before) ir'rL-,
P: Yes, well /d-i they ins mental in starting any organizations within the
Temple?
B: No. They worked for the Temple. My mother did but my father was president
of the /;JIri,?'. Society for years and years. And/A / W .,,
I know I was thinking when you talked about whatthedid, mother he.
cemet/r She i zft a big affair at the club and that money Jt t- S
at the cement P~ry4 for t that time the pigs and the cows were going in the
cemetery.
P: Whe you were growing upHannah....
B: Yeah.
P:,,,id you, were you active in the oeotor?
T +vc d 4o /e.
B: Yes itte-
P: Yeah, what, what was your life like as a young girl/IA 4I- TZ /L,
B: Oh as a young gir6 It was after I got married.
P: Oh you eant- n tr- tat you were growing up?
B: No, I vent to Sunday hool, I was\never/confirmed.
P: Um-rum. g
B: And, I don't know why. Mother just wouldn't have
P: Did you have any Hebrew schooll or any of that?
B: No. You know in our emple wanever had that I 4 I //) r
4W te last few years.
__2 B: never any Hebrew or anything. I regret all that, I really do.
P: Yeah. Well what year did you get married?
B: Well I was married the first time in 1910. My husband was Alfred Wolf.
P: Alfred Wolf?
B: Umkum. Yes. /P ,, I (. had quite a big wedding in the _TI-V .
P: Um-%m.
B: I don't know why these things are stuck over here.
P: Yeah.
Tka-t- L-LcC
B: 4s -a. what was that, nothing empty .
P: Empty.
B: That must have been.
P: You were married at our home?
B: Yes on Laura and State Street. My father when he moved here he bought this
property on the conner of Laura and State Street, and we lived there ti oh
way after I was married. The house burnt down, this one house and then he
built on that property. And I think he bought/e lot next door- and then he
built one, t ,tlree, four houses and we lived there until oh, I guess 1912
and the reason we moved out here, ether it was too noisy and too much traffic.
P: A lot of people moved to Riverside, that was, new neighborhood.
B: Yes. That was, yes. And we moved out in this house and we've been here.
P: So you've been in this house since 1912?
B: Yes umu. / / ;
P: Oh well it's a /ovely hom-Wma- that hat -Okt- ed le-ike. (Well who married you?
B: Dr. "C+yde L C r .
P: He was the Rabbti at the a ? cJt
B: Yes, he was the rabbi at that time. I think ee. And I was married under a
P: Yeah. Well, what, do you, you said you had a large wedding, were large weddings
common at that timeor lid yo. just?
B: Yes they were. But I'll tell yoe, I was married in the home. Mother said
she did not want gb go' e the temple u r tha n to
P: O.K. Anybody could come into the Temple?
B: Ah, yea, anybody could go into the Temple0o I was married at home. I was
to have a very small wedding and no/ that was that wasn't to Mr. Wolf, Mr.
Barwald.
P: Barwald.
1TCCr,!,P-P 41l r A )/r /
B: i'he I married in there. And I think -fttet jI4 j cd iee-'u
P: B ) Ii .
B: Yeah, in the house and I was married iwhe I was, he, he passed away during the
flu ejtdemic down in town.
P: Is tiat about 1918?
B: Yes.
P: Yes.
B: And he passed away> and then I was a widow until '23.
P: Well in your marriage then, what was your social life like? Did you, did the
ladies have *ay clubs or?
B: 0l. l'[ C r':/7S and o like that.
P: What kind of .C1ub did you 4fie?
B: Bridge.
P: Bridge?
B: Yes. And I told, taught all the older ladies whu play bridge, they all had
me, I belonged to, they were all likeedtherst~ a.y uc and they, I belonged
to that club.
P: Um-hum.
B: And they played 4UCII., too.
P: I've never heard of re C r . .
B: Well _- _Cl___ was the game but I never played it. The .Qer, the-co"e-enlb,
Mrs. irr, Mrs. J.E. was mother's sister. And her daughter could play, she
was iot younger than I, she passed away quite a fe/ years ago. She could,
she played 6rr- and they use to have her in the ga-, -Mu54 rc$i*.
P: Um.
B: Gave prizes.
P: S Sthat was what your social life was mostly.
B: Yeah~4eeause and affairs. And you know, they gave beautiful ties, beautiful.
P: Did you go belong to the' eftee club?
B: Yes, my father started the _rzy club. That's well that's, that is the
religious club.
P: Yeah, but this is part of the Jewish community.
B: My father started the, is this going on? I'd like it to go on.
P: Yes.
B: My father started the POC,__ club. You see they had room from, from
Sanford which is a very social place. I'll tell you more about that later.
So he came here and he started before the fire, t. club and he asked
all the Jewish people to join. They very few of them joined and New Years Eve
they gave a big affair in the St. James Hotel and he invited every Jewish
person to come to this new museum and they all came up to him) aind
cau4rigtl and said "Colonel" my father was a colonel in the l,.J 4 /' /(>n the
war. And came up and they said "Cojonel, put our name down, we want to
belong to the CIi _."
P: -Be-s this include the people from the Orthodoa synagogue? From.,,
B: I don't know. There was a, at that time, there was such a line.
P: A line between the Orthodox and the..,
B: Orthodox and tbe Je jb.
P: Why do you think there was that line?
B: I don't know, I often.wondered.
P: Yeah, becaUe I've heard of that.
gcCn.-.r-c hfz
B: .9t-we have mighty good friends that were Orthodox. And it didn't make any
d ference to te-p But it were, I don't know why it was. Why?
P: I don't know, I can't find out. I've heard of it hut I you know, I don't.,,
B: Yeah, / d I don't know whether they were that club went on and on
and on.
P: Didn't it eventually tLimn t -L nameSto the Jester's (/t_ ?
B: No. It dissolved then the Jester s were started and of course the Jester s
_.1 I A ?,c 1-'0 i was Jewish ee. It's the same way as
4. P: Whe- when youjmember of j-!- :''club what kind of affairs did you have?
B: Oh we had #en A I'rf ,S children's affairs, -weer beautiful go&s and, and
Z7-
oh it was lovely and it had beautiful bands aAd everything.
P: Wellit, that was the center of your social life?
B: Yes.
P: Until?
B: But, but I, ~ei.w I don't want this to go on the , I went as a young
w-A4 Ge,- /It"Az
girl urp g-gnt il; e .
P: And so Gentiles went into the JrifY club?
B: No, no I...
P: Oh you mean yA a11 ., ?
B: Up until I married AMIs----
P: Oh.' W, L f.
B: I, I went with him and I &een Jewish _, .________
P: Well after, was t4h after your second marriage that you became active in the
BP es. /Since his death, made me feel bota
P: Um-um. And MR. Wolf/dw e
B: Yes. When he died I felt, I began to feel -beter, I apea wanted to be religious,
vakVow I married Ed Barwald in'23 and he said to me one day, we weren't
married. He said "Hannah, I'm not r ei r0- and I wondered if that would
make any difference/ Between you and I?" And I said "No." Andof-eetesa.
I did- anat t t, I wanted to do and he did what he wanted to do.
P: Yeah.
B: But he was a good man and he was a real Jew but he, he, I'll tell ou hen he
was a young fellow, he came from Atlanta and he worked for a ompaty broker.
And he said he had to get off tha .t-h.-an go toeimple, f-r ,- ..._!, /. /;""">'
And when he got to the door, they said to him "Youry'/ not a member, so your
___." 'y father and mother ee"' They sW-d "Well you can't come in"
B: ent against the Jewish religion,~e -e. 7r s"-(. ff \t(
P: Aad:=tk PI6ZsnL^ 114-7
B: I don't becae listen hen you go to a(gentile they, they welcome everybody.
P: Um-um.
B: But the Jewish don't do it.
P:No they really don't.
B: They don't do it.
P: Well after you became active in the temple did you help organiztiona?
A: Oh yes, um um. I, I was on many committees and worked hard. I know one
committee I was on it was social and I had the meetings, every time we had a
meeting, every month, I'd furnish all the refreahments, I never asked anybody or
asked them for one pecny. Then I had a birthday and I, -happened t- be-
meeting at night, and the ge p, Efrom tha r -came to the meeting and I
/11 had a great big but then after I gave up that, nobody ever,
they let the- emple pay for the food!
P: ei by a rmbc the social, th com mittee? Was it part of the
sisterhood?
B: Yes. It was the sisters.
P: Um-um, and you are one of the social...
B: Yes.
P: ~~l of the women. Well what did you all do at these meetings? Did you?
Ut\ (, ijI
B: oj thz .wouldn't h.ve te-.ir regular meeting and then after the meeting, we
would have the refreshments.
P: Oh I see, um-rm.
A,-, l /i
B: That tas the
P: Then?
B: This was, I think thie-wae Benjamin/J'resident. And the theP traveler's
aid/ started here. They had took different women from the differnet churches
and she asked me to represent the emple, o the sisterhoo& on the traveling
aid and I've been a member on that organization all my life, you might ver
50 years.
P: And what is the traveler's aido they?
B: They at t- ift- when I went down. At that time, 4 had
a office at the Union Station and they helped all the Cl V^ a young
people, children and they were right there to watch the gi ls that got on the
trainland the men would be there, to grab them ou know f-u1 TkiT
,.,tf .and that's what they made me love travel thought that was
wonderfulan I've been on many organizations thIt'get off ell o hem, get out
of theu, traveler's aid, I've been on all of them.
P: Do you remember when Rabbi
B: Oh yes.
P: What was it like, what wa-i what was it like when to Jackeonville?
B: Well he and _pL were wonderful people. I don't heeeLjaad-you hae
trouble %"V even if you didn't have trouble, they visited you. 7'/ r/e /
P: cc, Sr
B: I know it but listen they don't, now we've got, I hope this won't go on. We've
got a new Rabbi Green.
P: Greene'.
B: Well I met him quite a few times and somebody said Mrs. Barwald knows all
about Jacksonville." Oh he said p/L/t ItS I TCi 4 I n never heard from
him and when I go to Temple he don't even know me and I have lost / 7/' ',, *.
P: It r .. '.
B: Yes. And V/' /te/VU- were wonderful.
P: Were yo-p?
B: They entertained)they did everything.
P: Did you walk with Rabbi /__k___ in Ja sonville on the community
B: In / what? In the Jewish part?
P: Yes.
B: No. I didn't, I think maybe that was w I was, I don't whether that's
anything or not hen I was.,, Now what was I looking up, something of the
temple? I got the temple back L- it's all garden I was a big gardener.
P: Um.
B: My mother and I organized and we were fourth, hhird club
that was organized.
P: Is that the garden club on Riverside?
B: It was, no, at that time, Mrs. _who was, had a garden cluB and she
belonged to the first one. She lived eSed back of us and she said to mther
"hy don't you organize a garden'~r a so her garden circle was made up $f her
-- friends, Mrs. /*Iif.fhy5, Mrs. jY e-tr s ta e we four hundred Y
P, .and u know what /& O '
P: Yeah.
7?-
7 7
- Z-
-LJ.
B: And we asked our Jewish friends, 'cause I wasn't going, I was going with a few
entilebut we didn't ask them, I did ask theme they wan/ to un, hey were
having babies and they couldn't but our circle was a Jewiih circle.
P: Yeah.
B: And taht was the only reason it was.
P: / when you married Mr. Barwald what business was he in?
L,?- B: He was in the, a e w-ft ( A/ iv And he worked for him so&
______ad he went into the tapl~.l, e was auditor for the county
commissioner. His, his brother's wife, dy c 4a sister married to
/ ,J t .And she died during the e idemic flu. Anyway, when he
became, e ran for office and went in AS3 r -. L C/rcu ,1c he asked
S to come own and help him get e office stra ten nd 4-1 .
E U To / s1- t/ one- /S vSidand he a et J Il Pand he said
Well Edy I don't want to stay just to get the office running /A1t-. and
Mr. Barwald was there for ( years, e--ehen he retired.
P: Oh, that's marvelous.
B: A,)J h P the temple, I've got / fr -,' This is my niece
I-was telling you about that was fAg W Z, X g. was at the Would's fair.
She was iin thein 4 in t"
P: Would you say that the people from the temple had a close knit group when you
were younger)that?
B: Yes. 1eJy did, there was a close knit, everybody was friend &nd now it's
gotten so bigthe temple, I don't know when I go to Temple, I don't know half
the people, I don't know #ut&, I can count them on my one hand, that I know.
P: Yeah, you were talking about the line between the Orthodox and the Beformik.
B: Yeah.
P: Do you ever, do you think they ever, when did they get together when did you
makwe that line#,,, ,
B: I think when Dr. /
B: I
P: Dr. ,"-'-^-
P: Do you think he helped tker o together/ 1
B: Yes, umram. I can remember more from Dr. pan than Katz But I think /'
sGe i mta /ith
m must have been a i1 and he had more people that were Orthodox
or .a4- Orthodox, &amz= temple than reform I really do.
P: 1%?-.^ ^ Q^ -vbj a ?
B: Yeah, all of them, yeah. But course I don't know what happened. I guess the/
4 P1
young ones of the Reform married out of their religious I, I,I don't know.
0?-4-7 1= *k C U/1-0
P: It's 4&am interesting ye Jo t- happen here.
B: Yes. I thought I had something about it I I have an awful lot about
___,_________ ohA., Gome--of tfhom t-ave -4.g-a round. S
L114,
P: Did.
B: ` e to read them when I'm gone?
P: I'll read them.
B: Will you? I ought to say R want you to get the book.
P: O.K. I'll be glad to get them.
B: I-may paut 4!t '4 ) jAvn 4czj(L6r-U '.
P: When-you went to school did you go to school in public school in Jacksonville?
B: Oh yes. I went to grammr school on Duval SIr elY hurch/S/y-'
B: 1 &ea
B: $sd wy down, A way down on church street between is ase __ _,
,t- /Icr ,. I went there and I graduated, I went to the high school then it moved over on the
corner of Ocean and, was it Ocean and Beaver, they built that while we were
graduating, and I graduated 4" there.
P: When you, when your family moved to this house in 1912..,
B: Yeah.
P: .. ere most of the Jewish people moving to Riverside?
;^U-r. eA.c^rC vcr<'ry *fc^^~,
B: t, wa-eyJe
P: S it was.
B: t that time.
P: Yeah, um When did everybody start moving there? ?
B: Yes. And these streets here were dirt roads when we moved out here. I don't
lJ^ j __. I know I've got some things, f ulfare:Board, I was on
that.
P: What was the Jewish Velfare goard?
B: Now what do you call it now? Still, it's still t organization. What is
4feht Jewish?
P: The 671,~tnr tfe Ld//d S ?
B: Yes. I think hat was//;
P: Wdre you on it when it began? The Jewish welfare Association?
B: No. I'm on th s /0'/ L- 4 it his was, '4is-beeerhow long
P: 1928...
B: 1928. 0r /
P:,. ou were on the board of directors. .-.
KwishW a fare
B: I ok great pleasure in i /d wish Wlfare At
P: There was this, at, at.
S-- B: ., *; 5r yes.
P: Was the secreiaryl
B: Yes, and Jhe was a, 'related to the Benjamin s, his sister married a Benjamin.
Brcn amines' t zhz irKclp hdy-r Q,-I ,*1L
Benjamin ng74 /
D: ?0l Ma Ishe?
FP--. Bi--e. .
B: l=ngt5 aph zI
H e was president Allilfi h- '
B: and Fin stein.
0'- C rL^\ ^ i i t,''1
P: heet=was /; f ?Hamy/.l'^ .I_______
B: I- di d- 5i-e Joel, do you remember? You don't remember her.
Oh she's been dead all the time, she was the sweetest thing. Joel and f'7 a
.d ,, fCz ..4 Nr1 FT 'I y-e-r' F
VSerson2 /7.-r'-. / :'f-;: that, they, .th wTht- nam i, ly-e-r
4 4"0" .0 :_ .:.r I
s-o-n, aed the ~person's. You know Hefe Myerson?
P: Yeah.
B: Well this was his see. And this is Max, he was a wonderful man.
P: This is the Jewish Welfare Assocailtion/.,
B: Yes.
P:,,, hat met at 54 Mutual Life Building in Jacksonville.
B: e&l-lehatt'e/3.a .ift.t. t I think that on the corner of
if I'm not mistaken on the corner of Main and Main and Forsyth.
P: Main and Forsyth?
B: I think that was it. Let me see.
P: And this was the forerunner tp the community council?
B: Yes. Um~m.
P: What, what did the Jewish Welfare Board do? What was their activities?
B: They did an awful lot for and helped adong just like the community aee-ee.
IA 1 i. ,I h *.,, .rt, ;..i
6/t 4 f\lIc I know we had a wib~ ( 4 iM i b A, and I told t-;m 4 .
,W6took the children to the bo-nA ~ t like to come to 2or house. And
I lived on 4,he 6PCt)1 and &.--ta+ d ___ '-_ _/_ _
-ir 5r, C K, -5and one little boy brought me, I still have it, a little B.-/
-_ and I'eold -still got it. A little tiny bwl.
17 and I've still got it. A little tiny bowl. I
P: Oh.
B: I don't why that's in there.
P: Now what's this ?______
B: Yo/u know that was a terrible thing when youftw r m-- =- 4-9 that you didn't
put the dates, cut the dates, tAtm-e.SEVt .
P: Um .
B: Jut. the tes--, thy- r now cut every date out and paste it and then they didn't
do it.
P: Yeah. Now you have the date on here.
B: Yes.
P: 1930.
B: 30-. Mrs. P Barwald, chairman of -4- andChri nine of
the memberS ~hee everyone was on the / o /ntd asked that
they live up to this, live up, live upnf_;_e_ __ 11( 4 t e all
e,,ts7 TFe~' The meeting adjourned for the social half hour) during which time Mrs. Barwald, 4
/ /OS/)~d't Si A'v I f -At ecelebrated her birthday by giving the sisterhood a
birthday party. Everyone e enjoyed the surprise party and a vote of
thinks to Mrs. Barwald for her fine qeStrZ C - e- the evening
____ (vy-L M irs." 4 jo 1rS--Jt.CK-e and Mrs. ,,
P: -s a Rabbi k was going to start an adult study class?
B: Yes.
a-
P: Was that e-t4e- or do you remember?
B: Yes itdwas for a long time. We studied and you know he
use to started the thing don't give rr mmuch credit for it now. Where they
on Thanksgiving they get together with other churches and he started that.
P: Um7 Yeah, I've heard that.
U- ,jm.Y heccrd YA4
B: Yeah,. he..Lte- s- G'-
P: Did, did you attend these study groups zaw-studied history and _'6 C- ..,?
/t
B: No, I'm sorry. I didn't. _-vat at date was that? 19.
P: 1930. Jf
B: I'm trying to think. My mother was ill and I was wondering if /o, she
becamee ill in 3QP 31, I think. s U}(L5 I^- V IA 141, ( /LJ .
or- aard party
P: Was the card party, was it at the Hotel\ ?
B: Yes, --*B i now that was the os /a&s/
P: Oh that was 1(X /A) d(e^Pseei.
B: You see, see my cousin built that, Dave Myerson. And then I think this
.ca. 1 in Atlanta must have helped e financeyae something bec~iae they
named it &lLfi'i. Then when it was sold why they changed the name to POo eeVZ/V,
P: Well did you have a lot of social functions at the hotel /f '-~
B: Oh yes I gave them, I gave them andnow let me see if ts is the one, 1el
And the had one at the Seminolea big affair.
P: Was that common that a lot of the were have 47L &I, ?
B: Yes, /<5 yes. And the hotels were f/Cr -/ there.
P: You just rent a room.
B: 4A f had a room we didn't even rent it. They gave it to us.
P: Oh.
B: Didn't have to pay a thing. 9A
P: You didn't have to pay them.
B: You sure do have to pay now for anything you get.
P: What kind of aff s were these did you have weddings at this hotel and.
B: Yeah the5'most.~.ly-L4 vaeddingn, ___
P: Um-um.
!t-cCV t I rr, ,
B: Windsor Hotel and the Seminole Hote]nd oh people gave parties just like they do
now 'neo
P: Did you have any social life that took place at the temple other than..your
-4 I
sisterhood meetings?
B: Yes we had different aeetts.
P: Were they well aqairtfed?
B: Yes. They were.
P: Um-?m.
B: And I can remember one affair we were there, and they raffled off a tableand
I heard hoW good that table was. I'm at one end of the roomand Ed's at another.
And he and I, or they 1eZtioned off and peed each, what do you call it?
P: Set/aa J/a/
B: Jy-~w9 4 and we got the table. Well I come to find out, he and I
ere bidding against wh*e& was a 4b-g tabl3 t-e-gXatit /was worth every cent of it.
- LLL S'C -. I wonder what came out of their ust have been s qithing,
(hen anybody wanted anything .,
P: What were the prominent in Jacksontilleysay around 1930?
B: Well there's quite a few. ow you go back to when I was a little girl I can
tell you more.
P: Alright.
B: There were the Jct-L rie the Walters and our grandpa was a Halley,$nd
.W /_ .. And ot of them that are not here now.
P: You said you went around with a lot of gentiles so you didn't find any anti-
emetism in Jacksonville?
B: I never did. Isn't that funny. Maybe I was too naive.
P: But not if they were your friends) h?
B: Well)I don't kno here were 4ot of things that went on and I never knew they
were going on.
P: You didn't know there was anti-5emetism anywhere- or just towards you?
B: No, I didn't notice it. And even towards me. 'hs-~ L the,school t'
they brought the j (t from Atlanta. Oh one of the big colleges and
V2
`d
YU
I _do_'t balcic4-z- I l f girls to go along they gave a
and I was invited W0l and went with al/entile girls, and these boys and.
they said the one that I went with he was the biggest gun in Atlanta'/ don't 1iW
how I got him. Would you like a drink?
"P: No thank you. Do you member Mayor Hanseer, do you remember the fft V ?
B: Yes, yes1 end C / e only him. I, now where did I see something about /
Si.r ''ff He, his a, he was a wonderful man and he had a daughter by the
name of -11ey. She was married to an sley I can remember them I guess
when you're gone I'll, I'll think of many things that I didn't say, to you.
P: I'll be glad to come back.
B: Will you?
P: Yes. Do you remember that he was active in, in the *
B: Oh he was active in : It was in oh he was considered, he, everybody thought
well of him. He was a wonderful man.
P: Your family was close to him?
B: Yes. You know that time they were in a group like this. Now my grandmother's
U -ame next door was-a Collins. Well you, you don't remember that name?
P: No.
B: Well he became a senator and they were very big people. But they were
neighbors and very friendly with my grandparents 'cause then it was amallyou
know when 4ther was growing up.
\4 -
P: Yes. Do you remember wherthe, when the 4epie started moving to Riverside.
Wh they built tLire build-irg?-
B: Yeah.
P: What year was that?
B: They didn't build ve t' hat was a house they bought. It
was owned by _LrdtC1jI I think, Citi,teIbz. the -big lumber man. And
the emple bought that.
Oi~
P: What year was that?
B: I don't, I don't remember. But it was, we were living here then in this
house.
P: Um um. Wel was everybody glad that the temple was moving to Riverside (canse
they lived over here or did the temple r ?
B: I don't know, I can't, I guess they would. Somebody wanted to sell the Lemple
downtown.
P: The one on Laura and Ashley.
B: HAh?
P: The one that's standing there on Laura and Ashley?
B: Yes. Yes. It was politics. Some real estate, Jewish man, was getting, selling
it and getting the commission.
P: Who was that?
i'4
B: I can't say. I don't want/to go into that.
P: Well you could tell me.
B: He's dead.
P: Oh I won't put it on.
B: He's dead but that's what happened, and that shouldn't have been sold.
P: It's a beautiful building.
B: It island it was a big Temple. t had like, like here they got to move it to
the Southside.
P: Yeah.
B: I'm very much against that.
P: Yeah.
B: This is a beautiful temple out here and if people want to go-thre-go. And th J
pane down, look at the cathe-dral7the episcopal cathedral downtown. The people
go to that .4em-e mn .
P: Yes there's a lot of churches downtown.
)
B: Yes, they go to theq. Methodist, that-8ig Methodist h church, but no they-
7 h butno )they 'a
.\e and yet I hear I don't go at night because I don' live alone and I don't
gounless somebody goes takes me and I don't go at night but ey say P, at
our .emple they have crowd every riday night? But I go on Saturday mornings
an count the people / ne hand-e S da
P: Do you think the slay have changed aot?
B: Yes.
SP: think it's the newjabbi or just modern times?
B: I don't,.it must be modern times beca e I said, well we never had this and that
and the other thing in the Temple before and I went up to Atlanta and I saw
tes w '
they have the same ffting.- new trend and of course they're trying to get the
people to attend. I guess you all have that, you belong, you don't belong?
P: I'm at the Center.
B: You belong to the Center,do you all have crowds?
P: Sometimesand sometimes not. f
B: On the holidays you can't get a ride. ,, C Aui r56qS but that's what
-f Lwasa J but the only go in the holidays.
P: Were you ever a member of r '.-,. ?
tlf, 6 2-A^-^^/e ,
B: No, I wasn't, I sent donations to t-hv // -.7 k-f e-
SlprfC < ^r& I A- e t'r ^^ /
o i I dor'/ ever their name or see) e are they in existence? Mr. and Mrs.
S3fw'- And 6^ never seen i Abw there was one /'ffin:r family that
was in the wholesale business. My father was very friendly with them but ,Vr(/A
was the older tempe th/nb my father.
P: What was their fist name?
B: NI never been a member.
P: You main group as~ the Center, the temple sisterhood?
/ fI \
B: Yes, and I don't, don't &f ai t "ri- ," *C' 1"-.S .i.-Qi t.a a ,' .
P: Will you ever president of the sisterhood?
B: No but I was asked to be. I, I thought I couldn't do it and I didn't. And I
can remember I was right here in the side yard and Mrs. f/-r- F Fink itein
came or, I know thaf and some other I thought they just c eto visit me.
We stood out there and talked, / "We want you to be president" h &, I shook,
I said o, Isohat's too big p job. I was erG-aNi- the arden nnth p
P: You the Fy ae was If /l~e h
U6Lum. W ,, ,,,,,L j., 4m e-f J
B: )7es. Um-tum. And .. -hey put me on the finance
and I don't why they did. I can hardly take -e-' wn affairs. I said I guess
they just put me on there for)you know o.._y e ut ie was three men and me.
And then we had a board meeting on Friday.
P: When, when you were growing up)say around 1920, what was the theatre like at-0-te-
B: Woder, wonderful theatre/ Ad somedayy aad if rgdt the attic and seethe
books,-that I, programs that I saved. We have wonderful .
6Lf -F1i5 aQ4,s dz-p-
P: Like,jdid anybody-eay-an-ti hing?
r 1as "rnccfi -r--s S ..4
B: Yes. Who was that aetr.-that went bk 3, you wouldn't remember. e was
noted. S CSAnL o lvnderful/"/ &r-
P: And it was well 5S / rr/ ?
B: Oh yes. The theatre was in the well on the corner of Main and Monroe. They
called it the Masonic building, I don't know whether you remember that. And
Shad the theatre ,e l / '/..
P: Did they have opera?
B: No. No. Uh-uh. dftf ?R/ '."/.* (;/,(. Qaey had to go to Atlanta/ -r 4 ,
P: Were most of the business' downtown, were they mostly owned by Jewish people?
Or, what, what, what, what was the main profession? //
B: My father was in the clothing business. There were ot of Qt-ig and there
was ladies ready-to.-ear, d ALtqf I rzt5t /I i .t
(I
B: And Cohen's, were there. Firat the were on the corner and on the corner of
Main, aon, dar,.,
-- P: Did you remember the Elizabeth Edgar Home?
B: It was a boarding house for girls that would come to Jacksonville and have
no place to stay but the YW~ nd I was a member quite a few years until I
no pstS 40"S 7t^ ?
couldn't take what they were doing. During the war, during the war 19382
P: 1938.
B: No the war hadn't come ye pEut I was on quite while and I w/ in the kitchen
onet day, with looking over like everybody)and there was the cook with a bowl
this big, making whip. Whipping up the whites of eggs, she must of
had a couple of dozen eggs, eggs were( 0 a dozen and I got so, I, I su]aa d
the meeting, afterwards. I said "Listen, you give a dessert that-doesn't have
to cost that much." So that was one of the thing and then Christmas came along.
And they wanted to give the matrons a present and I said5 / I- S each
I think there were twenty-five oe-e moe / -'rtfr "Let's each give a dollar
rtwo dollar~ "No go take it out 4a-tere." Well that was the thing that
/ / (4 (Ji2 U: -, _
broke the camel's back. BecaAje "hey weeul working with the community chest
and I didn't think we should do thatSo I sent my resignation. Everytime I
come home I would be so upset and Ed said to me "You've got to resign." So I
did.
P: You said this was a boarding- for girls?
B: Girls. Yes.
P: Do you remember any boarding houses when you were a child that existed in
Jacksonville that helped the Jewish people come into Jacksonville?
B: No, I only know one boarding house which was a Mrs. Put I don't think
she helped anybody only herself.
: But she, she justhad a regular boarding house
P: But she, she just had a regular boarding house?
A
B: Boarding house.
d( P: a- d-- Pr IaIf, S relatives?
B: Her husband was 44e brother of the mayor. And he J0c & / , ? e /, 1 '1
P: And that's the only one you remember? ; -- 'i ''; rAS I ,p .
B: Yes. S-was a Mrs. hfT k__ that had one too but I don't, I think she just...
7 Lfpf C IraLii4 /
P: T'hre-wa"84- regular boarding--
B: Regular boarding ousa I don't, I don't think they did thae:.hey would help
jw iin the society t t thgwelfare. 6 would help them, get to-tie"
to placeSand so forth and so on. But it was no place ///&r OrJ //'c"I. C^"-CC- oQ
S --- P: Do you remember when Rabbi eIjOt' T- came to Jacksonville? '
B: Yes.
P: Were, were ya'll glad that he came or was it a hardship or/,, ?
B: Well I'm very fond of Dr. Aeit but I, I just felt that Dr. 4/4- wasn't
ready to be Ameoican. And I didn't like that* Dr. i
wonderful JA I -.
P: Why did they bring in Dr. '{ AO)J ?
Cf-B: Oh I don't, ^,d tI I/1 tw
B: Oh I don't, I 4. i aybe they thought 'LL i'tL bhild the Temple with
younger people.
P: But yet.,,
B: iL~/) cut this of minute. bI !'-t
P: Do you feel that Dr. uL4At helped the temple? Sa. dL-he. bring in more
people?
B: I don't know, some peoplejhe7just wanted t change that's all. / ou know
how it is. You don't know but you will know. You can hear somebody say "Well
so and so has bee office so long we need a new, we need a chang "jon't make
any difference if they're good or n t. 1
P: There were some prominent members of the)i 1 ,
B: Yeah.
P: That you remember.
B: Mre Joj.-l c F Benjamin, 3 iCr 1 rWCCj.. When I was a little girl it was
'' Mr. Mosely.
P: Who was Mr. Mose/y? e .!j
B: Well, he was a tailor here and A wJ'AS Temple.
Do V yv rp-e'd r( -Js -kz V
P:
B: Um-.uan-
P: About what year was that?
B: -they, they lived herelong -rhat was and they were here when
JID on siey and.,.
P: Laura? '
B: 041 j. remember hii)I can remember Mr. Benee .-
P: He was a tailor in Jacksonville?
B: Yes. He made u 4 coats.
P: Do you know where his shop was?
B: No. I forgot.
P: Were there alot of tailors, Jewish tailors in Jacksonville?
B: Well, I don't think so, I don't think so. d a place where they sewed' the
material and made the suits for men.
P: Custom made them
B: Yes, that's more than you know .sdaE, altering and doing things like that. And
416 ,A/, 1. (4,
P-I bout /.I ':.1). Were you active in r r< ~j ?
B: No. My husband was a member.
P: Was he active iit?
B: He f, ~t didn't do much VgeT going around, he really didn't. His only
pleasure ara hunting and fishing. qte-. 1-vCr'- do .'
P: Io lil? to d-that. Wis thaty a hobby tha SES
af ob /' _____________
B: /V b& (C ^ c Qh. '. i Oh ey)- I know Lillian &f ,,M S husband,
__ __, ___________ a
Dr. Wi-eeo neen, wh ,was in _/ iUXe, he was a hunter and there
are few buriee Ed loved to hunt.' *(
P: Did he ?
ort\/. jyi/ ,l- ',.r i ,I.'. _. __ _.,,,_ _ _,l_,._._
B: d here an
then he'd go with C aI ./ n / C,/ an' ..
he said rs. Barwald.,, Oh you better turn it.
Side Two-Tape A
B: And this, that was thl --Aeem-it- I was on the OMmeek board.
zrn.'U-tt on/ heck b
P: flha.e you mentioned that e at the beach?
B: Yes.
P: You had a house at the beach?
B: Yes d TC)
P: Did jot of Jewish people live at the beach at that time?
B: There were a few, not as many as, I think there's just as many now as when
we moved down there. And at my boother-in-law, W 8nr~e/ had a home. And
the Myerson's 4/~ ,,they had a home, the -aP4idooeeni had a home Fin tein's
had a home. And that's just about all, and then later on course, the ~ e&IC t/S
built a home down there.
P: They still have it? '~ "Jl f"t
B: Yes. 4-c gorgeous, beautiful. And ihan the/ e' /S .
P: umr g IA^tg _Voxr /'/'
B:,,nd then they sold it to "-f f,-_ I/7) and ._'_-". __. Weeoq s had
one, the l had one, that was, I think there were moee of them then,
thin now.
P: Could be. Did youge to the beach Wi-h the wh4e S~e~-ly?
B: Yeah, whole -famr1y. We built the house ty/ tA rMr/ f W
/I 7 oh from June until September Or C.i ^- .
P: During the World War II?
B: Yes.
P: Were there ot of)you know servicemen stationed in Jacksonville?
B: Yes.
P: Did the /j f. Lr,, n t r E ;1) ?
B: Yes. They, they were very lucky.
P: Did they have an organization that helped them?
B: I don't whether it was an organization or not but whether they Q01f1i T7W4(lid
// / ,h /, Pr .' . r .I.-
C}lP^y / 7orld War 1&1 gave a friend
,,... av e 'Norc-
/ / / '' /' 4s enrC
of mine Ida / #. /''/, and we so/ l-'eJ/
k- S:",c /, ,i ./i.:*.,r :."'' .. \__" So I went to her and I said to the
group 411i you come to my house next week? And they said yes. They were all
these boys So the next week and a cousin of mines5
brother-in-law was out .in the Oatlo, and I invited him. t2 come and bring a
__/// _J__6 _r__ffi __ /__ __ _ Ed Morgan, you remember Ed Morgan?
P:
B: Well he was a Lutheran7 and he raised ane because I /- i S / affair.
So Lk Il didn't say anything but I 4e 1' A
fi s /j 5 A ,C4 ., __ A
_Cl_ _J_ S__ __A _1_ _How dare you insult those boys that are
fighting _
P:
B: say you know you know V' ?__
P: Yes.
B: Well her mother that was her father.
P: Oh.
B: Their name was Moe-iy. ht ,/ L
K' / *
P: -Thrat waia t in World War I ya'll entertained '.f ?
B: Oh yes. l h.isten my mother during the Spanish-American War, would have
her dining room full of boys, I mean soldiers.
P: Yeah. They were.
B: home.
P: /tesx.
B: I, I, I ttr tf my brother and I to the car. But
that was Q r k._ but then one of the neighbor boys went along and
he sai o the soldiers "Come to my house. I'll tell you where I live,~d /L -
i /)>. ', o I said "Well you come and see us too'' t 7,-(. .. 53 West State
Street. That was you know1 on Laura and :-A where he house was on.
And that Sunday, 9 SO 'Je(S /( ." ;. .,roe jbig affair for the soldiers during
the war. U ltr ,- ,. r.. I.41 /' f /C C.t .~ And this soldeir
came e a'L YAnd said to .oe I'r-Ive come to see Hannah Myerson. And mother
said sW8, Is "Well I come t see your daughter ,he
Se'tr \ftS.VCCkf4C0t qn f r
si __d __v_ _,_/_/cf,._ _a_ 7_' "' So my father was coming home and met
this first soldier-on the street, and he said ome on boy, come home
with mnd get a glass of iestf. ,I i i- ,7., /
__L_ stayed for dinner. OrA 5 ^ 6tQ .-8A:
\.L.L A / 4'/ I was on the O, :.'. .f. Oh this was
my decal_
P: Oh.
B: I wondered where that was.
P: Is this ?
B: Yes.
P: A nice big house
B: /4 A i
P:
B:
P:
B: No and you know why they had cut glass fhet some of th/_:'_l :,'._.
P: No) didn't know that.
B: You didn't?
P: No, and I'd remember that, I didn't ee -the.
B: Well, how, how long 4 0 ?
P: It hasn't been too long. %1
B: Well they've taken it out it was on \nd they told me when I gavit. I said
ohey told me when
)_r-_C__- / -_- __ ___ .I've got all that silver, I'll show it to
you before you leave. And I said '~T 4~ i^ he' sai d" ^. /r "
\ ipA- silver )?" I said "No, I h"*ie "--h.t-s. antiques.
For silver". So I that night or a few nights later and I said "Well,
you got all that cut glass piled up on the shelf, why don't you give them
that cut glass?" So I (C'" ./ [./'., I put it all olut on the
dining room table, np all but Lot of it and that
P: Do they still have the cut glass now?
B: Um? That, that cut glass is packed away, for awhile then they bring it out.
They said to me that's what I was talki4 1 &Plr ,, ",,Y they said to me,
-, *-' "^ r -t /
P: You're not going to give anyI
B: Um m. And they, they appreciated it. 6 161 CC /o i
UL ,. r (.;t\ cl ,ts -...: i ,,who was president of the J-< Ie and so fortand
so or1hen yoi),came here, when you came who was the\ Abbi?
/.- When I cnme it s Rabbi c ;f/i-, 1 ,
B: Yes.
f A.ttd i-T AdU I C, r 'r m 'i-6j
Yeah, that's true.
B:
;I:
B:
B:
P:
B:
P:
B:
Yeah.
Yes I know.
Who was your grandfather?
j 1 4
S*'n~l- ,.?~- i
DUV 8A
It appears that the interview with Hannah Myerson Barwald will
have to be repeated. As the interview progressed, the batteries
in the tape recorder gradually grew weaker, causing the tape to
run slower and slower. As a result, when the tape is played at
a constant standard speed, the dialog increases in speed until it
is completely unintelligible.
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