[Cz-L] New member info- David Brener

My interest is in the WOLKENSTEIN family who came from Czernowitz.

Two brothers emigrated to the US. Ernest Wolkenstein (1889-1978) arrived in
NYC in 1905. He married and moved with his young family to Detroit and then
returned to NYC after 1930. He was an executive in the cigar industry. In 1919
he legally changed his name to WOLTON.
About 1912, he married Mildred Adler daughter of Jacob and Rosa Botte Adler.
There were three children to the union whose surnames were Wolton: Howard,
Richard and Eleanor. I know little about the children.

Brother Jean Wolkenstein (1889-1937) was quite a bit more colorful and
mysterious. He came to the US in 1905 using his younger brother's
first name. He
married Lily Adler a sister of Mildred about 1908. He made three trips back to
Europe between 1910 and 1920. At various times he claimed to be the
President of a Railroad, manager of a steel mill, stockbroker etc.

He was associated with several companies post WW I. (Chayes Dental
Instrument; Standard Radium Corporation and Julius Schmid Inc, drug
importers.) He
was apparently rather wealthy and continued to pretend to be after he lost his
fortune after the crash. He never became a citizen. There are more stories
and inconsistencies about him.

He changed his name to John Van Wolkenten sometime in the 1920s. He had a
son Raymond who retained the Van Wolkenten name. A lawyer, he was a career
officer in the Navy. He also had twins Walter and Helene who used the WOLTON
surname. Walter, with Ernest help, became a executive with
Consolidated Cigar and
lived his life in NYC. He married Helen LEVY of Lancaster, PA, no children.
Helene never married and lived in NYC.

My relationship is non blood. Jean (John) and Lily separated around 1930.
She married my grandfather Joseph Jacobs (born NYC) who was a widower. He had
married Irene Levy of Lancaster, PA. She was the daughter of Morris and Carrie
HOFFMAN Levy. Lily was my step-grandmother. The Helen Levy above was Irene's
niece.

Jean (John) did remarry a much younger gal, Alice Lee HOARY from a long time
Irish family in NYC. When widowed in 1937, she apparently did not re-marry
and died a Van Wolkenten in 1986.

Of course, for those interested, I have details of the above.

I hope to learn more about the Wolkenstein roots. I do not know anything
about Jean and Ernest's parents or if they had siblings. Jean's son
Walter would
never talk about his father. There were even rumors who was some kind of
German agent. Both he and Ernest were living in Berlin prior to emigrating.

Thanks for allowing me to join the group.

David Brener, Fargo, ND
Received on 2006-07-25 07:35:17