Using online photos to build a visual narrative of an ancestor can be a powerful way to gain insight and bring their past to life. With only an address and a photo available, I began a search to uncover more information about a set of great-grandparents.
Siegfried and Mina, two young immigrants, arrived in New York City's Lower East Side during the late 1800s. This overcrowded city was a major destination for people from all over the world seeking a better life through new opportunities. They each came from different regions in Germany. Siegfried, still a teenager, arrived first, sailing with his cousin across the Atlantic, while Mina left Europe a few years later and arrived with her siblings.
At the beginning of their marriage, Siegfried and Mina made their home in a tenement apartment at 129 Clinton Street, conveniently located between Broome and Delancey Street. To learn more about their life on the Lower East Side, I used online resources, specifically photographs of Clinton Street and neighboring areas. The objective was to find images captured within a close time frame to when Siegfried and Mina lived there. By examining these pictures, I hoped to find out about their daily experiences and obtain a visual representation of their surroundings.
The first image, courtesy of the New York Transit Museum, captures Davis and Gold, a clothing store situated at 118 Clinton Street. This photograph offers a vivid depiction of Siegfried and Mina’s everyday surroundings. The trolley tracks and horse drawn cart reveal that they were able to walk right outside of their apartment building and conveniently catch a ride if their destination was beyond walking distance. The presence of uneven cobblestone bricks on the street and the worn appearance of the buildings indicate that this was an older neighborhood. The image also reveals the use of brick buildings to showcase advertisements, turning their facades into expansive billboards amidst the crowded streets and sidewalks. The glow of street lamps would have illuminated the sidewalks and streets at night.
By referring to the map below, Siegfried and Mina's apartment building is shown to be located diagonally across the street from the Davis and Gold boutique and they would have seen this exact spot, in the image above, when outdoors. Their building was surrounded by other multi-storied tenements.
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The next image, a 1904 advertisement for the sale of the 129 Clinton Street building, shows that they lived in a five-story tenement structure, further adding to the architectural context of the neighborhood.
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The next photo shows the intersection of Clinton and Delancy Street, with the photographer's back facing the street where my great-grandparents resided. After locating this photo, I searched for written material pertaining to this location and discovered that this particular section of Clinton Street was renowned for its stores specializing in wedding dresses, ladies hats, and accessories. This neighborhood and many surrounding it were popular areas for ground floor shops lining the streets and apartments occupying the floors above. Additional observations suggest that this may have been a noisy area to live in since it was a main thoroughfare and shopping area. It was most likely crowded with pedestrians at different times of the day.
The next photo, dated 1906, was captured in front of 24 Cherry Street, just a short distance away from Siegfried's business, a butcher shop at 46 Cherry. This image portrays the hardships faced by immigrants, including poverty, unsanitary streets, overcrowded neighborhoods and a lack of play areas for children. Based on this photo, it seems likely that Siegfried's rental expenses were lower compared to more well-maintained areas.
The map below shows the exact location of 46 Cherry Street where Siegfried spent long hours working at his butcher shop. This image also reveals that the shop was in a narrow corner building located at the intersection with Roosevelt Street.
The building depicted prominently in this 1860 lithograph was located directly across the street from Siegfried's business.
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The final photo was captured in 1898, at the corner of Norfolk and Hester Street. This image captures the vibrant essence of a diverse city filled with pedestrians, vendors, shoppers, and a lively atmosphere. The streets were congested with people, hindering the passage of horse-drawn wagons, as market days drew crowds to these thoroughfares. The clothing of the era reflects the prevailing conservative fashion trends, with men adorned in hats and women attired in long skirts and dresses. This snapshot offers a glimpse into the dynamic energy and diverse community that defined the Lower East Side at that time.
Despite the challenges, many immigrants were able to achieve success in New York City. My great-grandfather was no exception. His hard work paid off, enabling his family to be able to move out of this area and purchase a home in Brooklyn.
In conclusion, online photos can be a valuable resource for learning more about our ancestors and their lives. By examining these images, we can gain insight into their daily experiences, surroundings, and the challenges they faced. In the case of Siegfried and Mina, these photos provided a glimpse into their life on the Lower East Side of New York City in the late 1800s. Despite the hardships they faced, they were able to succeed. Their story is a reminder of the resilience and determination of immigrants who came to America seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
About the author:
Wendy Werner is a family history researcher with a passion for helping others locate their roots. She has eighteen years of genealogy research experience.
You can email Wendy at: gentrees@live.com
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