Haas, Hannah_1976, Oral History, February 3, 1976

Can be found in full in People and Individuals File and in the following location: V:\Oral Histories\Oral History Transcripts\Haas, Hannah_1976.doc.

My name is Franchon Title and I am here to see Mrs. Haas for the Jewish Historical Society. Now Mrs. Haas is a very dear friend of mine and I must say at the same time that Mrs. Sandra Epstein is recording this for us and ______ been a long-time friend of mine and my family and your first name is Hannah. Mrs. Haas, just tell us, when were you born? HH: I was born in 1881. FT: May 7? HH: May 7. FT: I thought that was the date. Tell me a little bit about were you born in Hartford? HH: I was born in Hartford, in Capitol Avenue and I lived on Capitol Avenue for a great many years and went to the South School and then I we moved to Collins Street and I went to the West middle School and I was married from FT: Well, we won’t get there so fast. We are going to talk about getting married a little later. HH: Oh, I see. FT: I want to know something about your childhood. Now where abouts on Capitol Avenue was that? Was it near Main Street? HH: It was between Main and West, I think it was. FT: And was it a single house? HH: No, it was a block. It was a block house. FT: Like 6 flats in it or HH: Yes, 6 or 8 flats, yes. FT: And were there other Jewish people in the neighborhood? HH: No, no there were no other Jews FT: Well where were the people living at that time when you were born? I mean were they down around that area, the South part of Hartford? HH: That I really don’t remember. FT: Well about how long HH: Because I was very young. We left there when I was 8 years old. FT: Oh, yes. And up to that time you went to the South School? HH: Yes. FT: Right. And what did your father do, what business? HH: My father kept a shoe store on Main Street. FT: About where would that be now on Main Street? HH: That would be about the corner on Kingsley Street and Main. FFT: Oh, where Brown Thompson is and Foxes now, that’s right. And you were not an only child. HH: I had two brothers. FT: Two brothers. What were their names? HH: We all lived together. FT: Surely. I know they were older than you were. One was younger than you were, wasn’t he. HH: My brother Louiy Samuels was younger, and Sam Samuels, was two years older. FT: And what did your father make shoes or just sell shoe? HH: No he just sold then. FT: Sold shoes. HH: Samuel’s Shoe Store. FT: Ya. And your father I remember was a very tall handsome man. HH: Yes he was. FT: And your mother’s name? HH: My mother’s name was Annie. FT: And was she a Hartford woman? HH: No. She was born in Scotland. She died, yes. FT: And where was your father born? HH: My father was born in England. FT: And when did they come to this country? HH: When they were young, very young. FT: And Sam was born in this country also. HH: Sam was born in this country in the old __________________ FT: Yes, yes. What sort on home life did you have at that time? Were you very busy? Did you have a lot of friends? Were there a lot of people they met with? HH: Yes. A lot of girls and boys, but not Jews. FT: No Jewish? HH: No Jewish people. FT: But on Collins Street was a pretty fancy neighborhood at that time, wasn’t it? HH: Yes it was very nice. FT: What kind of a house did you have there? HH: A single house and a good size house. I remember FT: Did you have a lot of fun? I mean were there lots of things going in Hartford, parties, things like. That’s all right, you don’t have to remember everything. Where did you go for amusement? Were there theaters in Hartford to go to? HH: Yes. There were theaters and, movie theaters, there was the _____________ at that time for FT: And the Iron Horse was a very nice hotel? HH: It was a very nice hotel. FT: Now when you wanted to go downtown was there a trolley car, or how did you HH: A horse car. FT: A horse car. Could you describe it a little bit because many people have never even seen a horse car? HH: A hose car would be like a small bus driven by a horse, drawn by a horse. FT: One horse? HH: One horse. Yes. And ____ size would be similar to a trolley car. FT: And did just one man drive it? HH: Yes. And FT: He took the fares? HH: Yes. FT: How much was the fare? Could you remember? HH: I think it was 5 cents. FT: Was it? HH: Ya. FT: Then after the horse cars left were there other trolleys? HH: Then there were trolley cars. FT: And in summer did they have the open trolley cars? HH: Yes, they had the open trolleys. FT: Where the motorman was outside? HH: The motorman was in front. And the seats were in back and each seat held about 6 or 8 people. FT: And the conductor had a board that went across and he collected the fares? Wasn’t that the way it went? HH: I think so. FT: But that, where did that trolley run from at that time? HH: That trolley ran Farmington Avenue, Asylum Avenue and just the main streets. FT: Yes. And were there many automobiles at that time? HH: No. There were practically no automobiles. FT: No automobiles. When did you were you quite grown up before the automobile first appeared? HH: I think when I was about 7 or 8 years old, Dr. Wolf had about the first auto that I can remember. FT: You know that’s really no the point. Dr. Wolf was a very important man in Hartford, wasn’t he? Would you tell us something, a little bit about him. HH: Yes. He was, they had the St. Francis Hospital, the head of the operating room and was very well thought of. FT: He was a blood specialist, wasn’t he? Wasn’t he a specialist in blood? HH: No. FT: Well now he was related HH: He was a general practitioner. He was my mother’s brother-in-law. FT: Your aunt was married to Dr. Wolf. Now there weren’t too many Jewish doctors Hartford at that time HH: There was Dr. Mayo. FT: Ya. HH: And I don’t know of any other. FT: And I remember the you lived near the hospital also on Collins Street, right? HH: Right. FT: What did your parents have a large group of people that they went with. Who would you socialize with? HH: Later, my mother had a group. It wasn’t my group, it was my mother’s group. She FT: Oh, sure. We love to hear the names of other people. HH: NOT UNDERSTANDABLE – Mrs. Rothschild, FT: Now those are all old names in Hartford history. And were they the group that started the club that you belonged to, the 15 ______? HH: Yes. They started and belonged to the 15 club. FT: I think we ought to have some record of the 15 club. Can you tell us little bit about it? It was philanthropic wasn’t it? I mean you just gave your money to the poor and HH: Yes. We didn’t pay dues of anything. But we use to help different families that we would hear about. FT: Because there were no organized Jewish charities at that time. HH: No, no. FT: So you ladies, 15 of you, were there really 15? HH: There were 15. FT: And you started this club and you gave money to the poor. Did you also go to visit them? HH: Yes. We also worked at the FT: And you did a lot of good in those days because they had no charities. HH: The 15 club was very useful to a great many people. FT: Where did you get your money from if you didn’t pay dues? HH: We didn’t need money for the club. We’d meet in each others’ homes. FT: Yes. And then if somebody needed something you got it for them? HH: Yes we would get it for them. We would donate so much money. Each one would give what they wanted to and they would buy what this family or person wanted. FT: And you helped a lot of people. Did you keep records of that? Were there any records kept of the people you helped? HH: I guess somebody must have kept the records but I don’t know who it was. FT: The club is no longer in existence? HH: No it hasn’t been in existence many, many years. FT: Well, up to the time it went out of existence you continued to do these good deeds? HH: Yes. FT: Right. Tell me a little bit. Did you go to Talmud school? HH: NOT UNDERSTANDABLE – Will Rogers Talmud School. It was on Charter Street in the basement of Temple Beth Israel and Mr. ________ was my teacher. FT: Mr. ________ And they met in the basement, there must have been quite a few Jewish children then? HH: Yes there were. _____ different ages and they had different groups. FT: Now, you also went to services there at the Temple. That Temple I believe was built on Charter Oak Avenue in 1876. So you and your family went to services there? And did a lot of people go on Saturday night or Saturday mornings? HH: Saturday morning they did. FT: And the holidays? HH: Yes.. FT: And do you remember the Orthodox temple HH: NOT UNDERSTANDABLE FT: The rabbi HH: Rabbi Elkins. FT: Myer Elkins. And he was the rabbi for a number of years, wasn’t he? He was the first one you remember. HH: The first one I remember. FT: And did they have confirmation in those days? Were you confirmed? HH: Yes, yes. They did. I never was confirmed. FT: You weren’t? HH: No, no. FT: Would you call your family very religious? HH: My father was very religious. But my mother was not. FT: Your mother was not. I think your father was on the board of trustees at the temple, wasn’t he? HH: My father was quite active. FT: What do you think today, is family life very different than it was in those days? Were you kept very strictly, were you, did you go out on your own? HH: Children do not. I think we ere more confined to our family and home than we are now. We didn’t go out with boys or later with young men. FT: Did you have to be chaperoned? HH: No, never. FT: Never? HH: Never with chaperones. FT: Maybe you didn’t need to be? Let’s get on a little bit. Unless there is something else you want to tell me about your young life in Hartford. Did you _______ people in West Hartford, were any of your friends living there. When you lived on Collins Street where did most of your friends live at that time? HH: Well, Lena _________ lived on _____ Street and I don’t remember my ______ FT: Well Lena was one of your friends HH: Lena was one of our FT: She was the mother of Henrietta and Charlotta. Now to get on. How did you meet your husband? Where did you meet him? HH: He used to come to call on my family. He came very early and And one night he came, and I called mother, Leo is here. He said I didn’t come to see your mother, I came to see you. But then we became engaged it was on the grounds of McCooks at Crescent Beach. Well known at that time. FT: And there is a childrens’ sanitorium there right now. HH: Yes, FT: Well now, his name was William P. Harris. Where did he come from? HH: He came from Kansas City, MO. FT: With his family? Did he live in Hartford after that? HH: No. Mr. Haas lived in Hartford and he came to visit them and to work at the L. B. Hasdon Company. FT: Tell us a little bit about L. B. Harris. Somebody who’s listening might not know who it was. HH: L. B. Harris was a fine old _______. And he kept this cigar store and farm. He grew tobacco. FT: He always grew tobacco from the time. HH: Yes. FT: Did he come from Kansas City too? Well he was a great philanthropist, Mr. Harris. HH: Yes. FT: Wasn’t he? HH: Yes, FT: In the early days of Hartford. This was your husband’s uncle? HH: My husband’s uncle. FT: Uncle HH: Yes. FT: So your husband came to visit him and then work here? HH: And went into the business. FT: Yes. HH: And it came out ____________ I think at that time it was the only Jewish tobacco concern in Hartford. And I think shortly after the Hoffman Tobacco Company FT: Well now, when he came here he was a very young man, how old was he when you became engaged then? HH: My husband? FT: Yes. HH: He was born in 1871 and I was born in FT: He was 10 years older than you? HH: He was 10 years older than I was. FT: And so how old was he when he came courting you? HH: Oh, about 18 FT: 18, 19 years old at that time? How old was he HH: He was older than that. FT: Oh, he was. HH: Ya. He was a grown man. FT: How long were you engaged HH: I was married in 1900 FT: And then what happened? I mean did you have a big wedding? HH: Just a family wedding. FT: And where did you have it? HH: It was at the Turo Club. FT: Oh, tell us a little bit about the Turo Club. Where was that? HH: I think that was the first Jewish club and it was on Prospect FT: Was it there? HH: Yes. It was a very lovely club and most of the Jewish people who could afford to belong did. FT: Were you married upstairs in the large hall at the top of the building? HH: I remember downstairs after I was ready to be married. FF: Did Rabbi Elkins marry you? Would it have been Rabbi Elkins? HH: Yes. Rabbi Elkins did marry us. He did, yes. FT: And did you go away somewhere on your honeymoon? HH: We did. We went to Florida. FT: You did? HH: We went to Florida. FT: On a train? HH: On a train, ya. FT: Do you remember where in Florida? HH: Hollywood. FT: Oh, my. That was a very nice vacation. HH: It certainly was. FT: Ya, nice wedding trip. Well now, at the wedding did you have bridesmaids and how were weddings in those days? HH: Minnie Iseberg was my maid of honor. FT: Now Minnie was the sister of ____ Iseberg who also had a shoe store in Hartford. HH: Yes, that’s right. FT: Did you have other attendants? HH: Yes. Ruth Atkins who FT: Ruth Sadler Atkins, she was your flower girl? HH: She was my flower girl. FT: She lived on Farmington Avenue. HH: Yes. FT: We are going to an interview with her soon. Did you have any other attendants? HH: FT: Who was the best man for Mr. Haas? Do you remember? HH: My brother Louis Samuels. FT: Was he? HH: Ya. FT: Now Lou was a merchant here in Hartford for many years, wasn’t he? HH: He was with my father. FT: And what did Sam do I don’t seem to remember here? HH: Sam was ill and lived in Denver? FT: Is that so? Well, you had a big wedding trip and then you came home and where did you live? HH: FT: You didn’t go to Oxford Street then, did you? Later you lived on Oxford Street. HH: I think we lived in an apartment house on Whitman Street. FT: Oh, did you? HH: And from there we moved to Oxford Street. FT: I remember you on Oxford Street. You had a house there. HH: Then our house burned down. We had a fire on Oxford Street and lived at the hotel for a year and then we built a house FT: Now, what hotel did you live at? HH: That was the Bond. FT: Well the Bond Hotel is no more. What was the Bond Hotel like? HH: It was a very nice hotel. And it still is standing but it is used I think for sisters FT: St. Francis Hospital bought it. Yes. But it was a lovely hotel. HH: Very lovely hotel. FT: And you lived there until you moved to this house at 228 Fern Street. HH: Right, ya. FT: And your family was born in the Oxford Street or in the apartment? HH: No, the family was born on Prospect Avenue before coming to Oxford Street FT: Ya. HH: We lived at Prospect Avenue. FT: Where abouts on Prospect? HH: Opposite the cemetery FT: Was it South Prospect or north of Farmington Avenue? What was that, an apartment there. HH: It was 562 FT: 562, well that’s South of the _______ HH: Yes. FT: Well did the Foxes live there at that time when you lived there? They lived on Prospect Avenue, too. HH: Yes, they did. FT: They did. HH: Yes. FT: And you lived there and then you moved to Oxford Street? HH: Yes. FT: I see. Well that was all and then you came into West Hartford after that because 562 would be Hartford, a Hartford number. Meanwhile was your husband a religious man? Did he go to services a lot HH: Yes. He wasn’t overly religious but he was FT: Well now were you connected with any of the organizations at a temple? HH: Mother belonged to the Devorah Society FT: Ya. Now tell us a little about that. The Devorahs were a philanthropic organization also, weren’t they? They did good work. HH: They did good work. FT: Ya. And they are still in existence. HH: And they are still in existence FT: Right, right. Since 1854. HH: I was only a member. FT: Well you were busy. I read about you in the records. You did a lot of things. I remember you ran bridge parties, and fundraising things. I see your name in the record. You are too modest. HH: No I am not I just don’t remember, I wish I did. FT: And how about the temple organizations, the ladies organization at the temple which is now the _____________ HH: _____________ FT: Yes. You belonged to that, and anything else that you were interested in. Any other organizations that you did work in besides that and the 15 _____________ which was quite a bit? HH: Yes. FT: So it kept you busy. HH: Ya. FT: Right. HH: I wish I could help you a little but FT: I think you are doing very well. What do you think? FROM THE AUDUENCE: I am quite surprised at her memories. FT: Oh, it’s wonderful the way you remember things. Now what do you think today? Do you think that Jewish people are different than they were in those days? Did your mother keep a kosher house? HH: No. Never, never. FT: Did you know people that did keep a kosher home? Did you know HH: Well, I do now. FT: You do now. But you didn’t then? HH: But I didn’t then. FT: Well do you think people are more religious now or what is it? HH: No. I don’t think they are so religious. FT: You don’t? HH: No. I think there are more Reformed Jews now. FT: Ya. I mean in your home did you observe the holidays? HH: Yes. My father always said services for Pesach. FT: Did you have a seder in your house? HH: Oh ya. We always had a seder. FT: You did. How about other holidays? Did you fast on Yom Kippur for instance? HH: My family did, buy I didn’t. FT: You didn’t? HH: No. FT: How about Mr. Haas. When you were married did you have a religious house, I mean did you observe the holidays the way your father had? HH: Yes. FT: You did? HH: Yes. My husband gave seder. FT: He did? HH: Yes he did. FT: Did he fast on Yom Kippur? HH: Yes. He did FT: He did. And I know he was very active in the Jewish community HH: Yes. FT: And his family were all very active and he was a very fine gentleman and everybody respected him very, very much including me. HH: You remember? FT: I certainly do. Well he has not been dead so long. How many years? HH: He’s been gone 11 years. FT: That’s not so long. He was such a fine looking many. HH: We were married 69 years. FT: Before he died, 69 years? HH: That is today FT: Oh that is, today it would be 69. Because if you were married in 1900 though you would have been a little mixed up on the dates. He lived 11 years ago? HH: Yes. FT: Yes, so you were married a long time. Not many people are privileged to be married so many years. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself? Any interesting experiences you had? Anything exciting in the Hartford community? What do you remember as an exciting event? HH: FT: Well was it an exciting event when you remember an exciting event. They used to have charity balls here. Do you remember the charity balls in the Armory and Foot Guard Armory? HH: Yes, I do. I remember, I don’t remember anything about them except I remember there were charity balls and I know we went FT: And they were very beautiful? HH: Very beautiful and very dressy. FT: Everybody got very dressed up? HH: Everybody got very dressy. FT: Much more than people dress today? HH: Right. FT: Didn’t you? HH: Ya. FT: And then you had a whole circle of friends with my mother and my father and everyone? And they were all very social and had lots of parties. HH: I think your mother and I but your mother and mine Well I was very close to your mother. FT: Yes, I know and you used to call it your crowd. But who was in that little group that you saw most of in your married day? My mother and father and Mr. and Mrs. ______, and the Atkins HH: The Atkins and the Al______ FT: Then there was your sister-in-law, Frieda HH: Frieda and Christine Atkins. She was ______________ FT: Wasn’t Christine the one who brought the National Jewish Council here? Wasn’t she the head of the Council? HH: Yes. FT: And started it in Hartford? And she was the head of many organizations. HH: Yes. FT: And Frieda was a poetist HH: Yes FT: We have a book of her poems at the Jewish Historical Center HH: Yes FT: And Ben Haas was a very good ______ HH: He was ill FT: The last many years. But for many years didn’t he start the Jewish Charity here in Hartford, when they first started or had to have organized Jewish charity wasn’t he the head of it HH: Yes he was FT: Ben Haas HH: I think he was FT: Yes. HH: And I think my father was very influential in the cemetery FT: In the cemetery HH: Yes FT: Well he didn’t stay in the shoe business til the end of his days, did he? HH: Yes FT: He did, he was active until he died? HH: Yes. FT: And then you had an aunt who was very active HH: Minnie Sandler FT: Minnie Sandler and she was in all the different charities on all the boards and everything. HH: Yes. FT: So you come from busy but interesting family. HH: I am sorry but I am not able to tell you more, really. FT: I think you are telling us a lot. Don’t you? In the summer the Jewish people used to go away. Didn’t they for all summer? Most of the Jewish people didn’t they go to the beach? HH: Yes. FT: Now can you tell us a bout it? HH: Well, I know that a good many went to Crescent Beach. FT: Well where was Crescent Beach? How did you get there? HH: Crescent Beach is between Hartford and New London and you go through Colchester to get to Crescent Beach. The Leventhals had a cottage there and the Rosows from Hartford and the ______ and the Wolfs. FT: There was a large group that came. ________ were there and the HH: I was 5 or 6 then. FT: And it was down on the shore. HH: Down on the shore FT: And how did you get there in the first place? HH: By FT: Train HH: and horse and carriage FT: Horse and carriage, well how long did it take you? HH: Well and we went by steamboat. FT: Well for heaven’s sake HH: we would take a board from ____ and State Street and that would take us about, oh, 6 or 7 hours and when we landed at Crescent Beach there would be a car drawn by an ox cart FT: An ox cart? HH: And our furniture and anything that we took with us would be put on the cart and the oxen would take us to our cottage. FT: Oh for heaven’s, I never knew that. HH: And our cottages were, we cooked with coal FT: You owned your own houses down there? HH: Yes. And we used kerosene lamps. FT: You really roughed it? HH: Ya. At the beach. FT: Well then afterwards I tried to remember there was a time it left at 6 o’clock in the morning HH: Yes. There was a train that FT: Did that go right into Crescent Beach? HH: Yes it did. Right into Crescent Beach station. FT: And then you went bathing. I can see you bathing in the long black stockings. Did you wear those? HH: We didn’t wear stockings but we wore bathing suits with skirts FT: Ya. HH: And either barefoot or bathing shoes. FT: You wore bathing shoes? HH: Ya. FT: And you took your dip every day? HH: We certainly did and I was considered the best diver of anybody down there. FT: Oh good. HH: I really was a beautiful diver. FT: How about the swimming? HH: I was a very good swimmer. FT: Good swimmer too. Well did you do anything else athletic? I mean wer you a tennis player? HH: Croquet. FT: Croquet? HH: No. FT: People did play croquet a lot. Did you have one in your backyard? HH: No FT: You didn’t have a croquet set. Did you play golf? Did you ever play golf? HH: At the start of the Tumblebrook Country Club I played for about a moment but I don’t like to walk. FT: Any other sports you were interested in? Nothing. I know you are a pretty good card player and you still play a lot of cards don’t you? HH: I am not even a good card player. FT: I think you are. HH: I like to play. I am sorry that I can’t think of any sports FT: Was baseball HH: I was never in a sport team. FT: Never go to the baseball games or anything like that? HH: I watch them sometimes FT: And now you are still connected with Temple Beth Israel and you still go. HH: I still go FT: Did you want to say something else? HH: I was going to say that I only go on holidays but when my mother was alive I always went every Saturday morning. FT: And did she do a lot of charity work also, your mother? HH: No, not so much. FT: No HH: I think her sister Minnie Samuels did the charity work FT: When did they give up that Collins Street house? How long ago was that? HH: That was ______ FT: Yes, I know but then they lived there after you moved away. HH: FT: Well it’s not important. You know because Collins Street is so changed now. HH: Oh yes. FT: And most all the houses are torn down. Now when you lived there was there the Asylum now called the Mala____ on North Main Street, they used to call it for the deaf and dumb. Was that up there when you were there? HH: Yes, isn’t it still there? FT: No, no just where was that in relation to your house? HH: There was a reservoir there and just in back of the reservoir in back of Grone’s was the FT: They called it the deaf and dumb asylum. And it was right up there as you turned the corner to go to Collins Street. HH: Right. FT: And then they moved to North Main Street and they call it, they don’t call it the deaf and dumb they say the deaf. And so that the whole city has changed HH: The whole city has changed because the ___________ is not there anymore. FT: The Hotel Bond is not there, the reservoir, the institution now there is a big insurance company there, you know. And the whole street has changed and then Sumner Street was very near you and that has gone. HH: Oh yes. Well it’s still there FT: But St. Francis Hospital was always at the of your street. Even though it was a small hospital, one where Dr. Wolf was. Right, right and you see other hospitals come in existence. Was there a hospital HH: Mt. Sinai FT: Yes, and you are quite interested in Mt. Sinai. Your family I know. You have a son there HH: Yes, yes. FT: It’s beautiful. And it is very busy. It is the busiest hospital in the city now. Well is there anything else that we can talk about? We have covered your whole life. HH: No I feel that I’ve made a big failure. FT: No you have not. You have given us so many things. You have given us a picture of Hartford. And how the population has moved and especially the Jewish population because they lived around Capitol Avenue when you were a child. HH: Yes. FT: In the South End. Now it’s all out west. Anything else that you think would be important for us to have on our records. I’d like to describe you before we finish the interview because your hair is so beautiful. It’s white. You just look beautiful today. And you are beautiful. HH: I will tell you folks something. I used to weight over 180 pounds and today I weigh 120. FT: Well, that’s what everybody is trying to achieve. HH: Well I am not trying, the doctor’s begging me to eat more and take milk shakes and do everything on purpose and in fact I haven’t a speck of fat on my body. FT: Well, you look just lovely and you have really __________ things and we appreciate it.