Notes for William (Aka Bill) Barit Baritompa: BILL BARIT IS A MATHMATICIAN IN NEW ZEALAND. HE IS, INDEED, A GENIUS (LITERALLY)IN THIS AREA AND WAS A SORT OF CHILD PRODIGY. MY BROTHER IS ALSO PROBABLY A GENIUS AND MY YOUNGER SISTER MAY BE, AS WELL. WE ARE NOT SHORT ON BRAINS IN OUR FAMILY, BRIGHTER THAN THE AVERAGE JEWISH BRAIN, I THINK, AND THAT IS PRETTY BRIGHT. (via e-mail 2004 from Jane Reiser Williams, cousin of Bill Baritompa, New Zealand)
Dorothy Reiser, daughter of Oscar and Clara Heller Reiser, was born and bred in Detroit, Michigan. She married Julian Barit, and they had two children, William, aka Bill Barit aka Baritompa, and Kathleen aka Kathi Barit. Letter from Mrs. Mildred Heller/ Herman Davidson 13720 Shaker Blvd. Cleveland, OHio 44120 Tuesday 1979 Dear Elaine Reiser Williams, A long time ago you asked for information abut our family. I have a little information for you: Our grandfather's name was Feikisch (which somehow becomes William) Heller. He was a scholar, possibly a chasid. Our grandmother, Elaine (AKA Elsa Ella ) kept a confectionery store, and, on market days, sold liquor to the peasants who came to town, Gryzmalov. This town was a fishing village. Marshall (AKA Mechel) Heller and his family lived on a farm just outside the town limits. He was supposed to be a scholar, but he rebelled and ran away from his family. Your mother, Clara Heller, was brought over by her mother (I think about 1912 0r 13)* who stayed with her for a few months. There was an uncle, Marcus* Heller, who suffered brain damage as a result of an injury, and as a result of that, our grandparents, William and Elaine (Feikisch and Elka) stayed in Eurpoe with him. He was killed by soldiers during WW l. This information came from Newt Heller (one of Marshall and Zlata's sons), who now lives in Ft. Lauderdale, (Florida). It was like pulling teeth to get any information from him. Hannah Heller Zabell Koplin (daughter of Zlata and Marshall Heller) died last month in Akron, Ohio. She had had cancer for about 3 years. Her daughter, Jackie Cooperman, had lived in Cleveland for a few years, but moved to the NY area last month. Her husband (Dr. Avram Cooperman) has been appointed chief of surgery at Columbia University Hospital in New York. What is new with you and your family? Somehow or other time just seems to get away from us and we never get caught up with family unless they are under our noses. Herm sends his best wishes - Fondly, Mildred (Heller, daughter of Jacob and Frieda Heller)
* Yonina Heller Lamdan adds....According to Ellis Island.Org web site, Elsa and Clara Heller arrived by boat from Hamburg (port of exit) to Ellis Island in 1908. That would have made Elsa 59 and Clara her youngest daughter, 11 years old.
Feikisch William Heller, husband of Elka (AKA Elsa, Elaine Bernstein) They lived in Gryzmalov, Austria-Hungary, Galicia, now Ukraine. The Heller family had several children: Rose Heller, who later married Charles Tilles, from Kalaharovka, Ukraine. Charlotte Heller, who married Samuel Mintz. Jacob "Jake" Heller, who married Frieda Rothkop. Marshall (Mechel) Heller, who married Zlatta Blitz. Marcus (or Philip?) Heller, who was ill and did not marry, nor leave Europe. Clara Heller*, who married Oscar (Usher) Reiser. * (Information gathered by Yonina Joanne Phyllis Heller Lamdan during 14 years of research FTM)
Copy of letter to Bill Barit (Baritompa) New Zealand, from Elaine Reiser Williams, daughter of Clara.*
My mother's family: Nana (Clara Heller) lived in a section of Europe that moved back and forth during the various wars, from Russia to Poland to Galicia to Austria-Hungary. There was so much shifting of the borderlines that one never knew in the morning in what country he or she lived on any one day! When my mother, Clara, was there, it was Austria-Hungary.
She lived in a tiny village (1400 population) named Gryzmalov (Griz-mal'ov): It was near a river, and her mother, Elka (Bernstein), sold fish! Her father, Fiekisch (William) Heller, was a very religioius man. Her father's name was Phillip (well, it was probably a Hebrew name that sounded like Phillip) and that is who you (Bill Barit) are named for. (*Y.L.I also had Phyllis as a second name in his honor). William is for my dad,Oscar Reiser's brother, who was killed in a car accident en route to the World's Fair in Chicago. We called him Uncle Will (Reiser)- really nice guy.)
My mother, CLARA HELLER REISER, had two sisters: Charlotte and Rose, and three brothers: Jake, Marshall and Marcus Heller. She was a "menopause baby", much younger than her sibs. When she was very young (11*), she came to America where two brothers (Jake and Marshall) lived, and one sister, Rose Heller Tilles. The Heller parents stayed in Europe, because the other brother, boy,was handicapped in some way that would make him unacceptable to thhe immigration requirements (USA). (* According to Ellis Island records Elsa Heller came with her daughter, Clara to the new country). Nana (Clara) came to Cleveland where she lived with her sister's family. Her sister, Rose (whom she had never even seen before!) was twenty years older than Nana, with a son who was older than Nana. And Nana never saw her parents again. The two sisters didn't get along very well, so Nana moved from Cleveland to Detroit to be with her other sister, Charlotte Heller Mintz. They were very compatible, and eventually my mother met my dad- and there we are! Dorothy (Reiser Barit) and me (Elaine Reiser Williams) and you (Bill Barit) !
It is interesting to note, in one of the maps I am sending you, that my dad lived about 60 miles away from my mother - and they crossed an ocean to find each other! Destiny!
There was a branch of my mother's family that I can't figure out, so I've just decided to shelve it. To wit: Her maiden name was Heller, but there is a Weitzman family that was related to her. I once asked her, "If these guys were your brothers or cousins, how come their name is Weitzman and not Heller?" It had something to do with keeping out of the (Russian) army: She said that when her cousin, a Heller, was called up for service in the army, he gave a different name, "Weitaman", and declared he was the oldest son, which exempted him. Apparently, it was a fairly common practice - anything to avoid being in the army! But I can't figure out where they come in on the tree. Ergo, you don't have the Weitzman family to consider. Sorry 'bout that. They're still around, I guess, but I haven't seen them for years and years. I think it might be interesting to follow through. Maybe some day when I have a month off to make the calls...
OSCAR REISER My dad was from Russia, also living in a small town named Sudilkov (Soo-dill'-kov). His name was Usher Reiser - USHER was a quick translation to OSCAR - and his whole family came to America. They were apparently pretty well off: his father had a shop where he manufactured: "CLOAKS AND SUITS" and they travelled first class on the boat to America! My dad had one sister and two brothers - he was the youngest in his family, as was my mother, Clara Heller, in hers.
Grandpa Oscar's father established the business of MAX REISER AND SONS. CLOAKS AND SUITS in Cincinnatti, Ohio. Your Grandpa Oscar was 13 when he came to this country, and in time he became a traveling salesman. He was on a trip to Detroit, Michigan, when he saw your Nana Clara (very pretty) in a phone booth, and that was it. They married and lived in Cinci until Dorothy was 8 and I (Elaine) was 3, and then we moved to Detroit. His brother, Uncle Will Reiser, also moved here with his family. They both went into clothing businesses. My dad, Oscar Reiser, sold ladies' clothing and my uncle, Will Reiser, manufactured uniforms. The rest of his family stayed on in Cincinnatti.
My dad, Oscar Reiser, was completely, totally, utterly in love with America. To him, it was the greatest country in the world. My mother, Clara, embroidered a picture of the American flag for him (very corny). He treated it as if it were a Congressional Medal of Honor. HE was so proud of it, and my mother was very pleased at his enthusiasm.
My Mom and Dad were great. Elaine Reiser Williams
More About Elsa AKA Elka Elaine Bernstein: Immigration: 1908, Ellis Island from Poland.
Children of Elsa AKA Elka Elaine Bernstein and Feikisch AKA William Heller are: +Charlotte Heller, b., Gryzmalov, Galicia (Ukraine). +Jacob Heller, b., Gryzmalov, Poland (Galicia), d. January 08, 1956, Cleveland, Ohio. +Rose Heller, b. 1870, Grymalov, Austria, d., Cleveland, Ohio. +Marshall (Michael) (Michel) Heller, b. Abt. 1882, Gryzmalov,Poland (Galicia)290, 291, 292, 293, 294, d. January 05, 1931, Cleveland, Ohio. Phillip Heller, b. Abt. 1882, Gryzmalov, Austria, Galicia (Ukraine). Rachel Heller, b. 1894. +Clara Heller, b. 1897, Gryzmalov, Poland (Galicia), d. 1977, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
William (Aka Bill) Barit Baritompa (b. June 15, 1945)
Notes for William (Aka Bill) Barit Baritompa: