Solomon J.
& Rose
Goldstein

SOLOMON JOSEPH and ROSE ZUCKERMANN GOLDSTEIN arrived in Baltimore, Maryland by 1880 and their names appear in the Baltimore city directories of the period.  Solomon Joseph became a United States Citizen by appearing before the Court of Common Pleas, in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of the State of Maryland on the 21st of August, 1886.  His appearance was before Edward L Duffy, Associate Judge, Supreme Bench, Baltimore City, Maryland.  As was usual in these proceedings at this time, a witness appeared to confirm the character of the applicant for citizenship. Morris Davis supported the petitioner. 

Solomon Goldstein while living at several locations in the city of Baltimore worked with several other businessmen in selling dry goods and sundries at locations in the city and, when his associates set up a permanent store they wanted Solomon Joseph to work on Saturday, which he refused, and he left their partnership.

Hyman I. Goldstein, the first child of Rose and Solomon was born on November 2, 1887, and by the early 1890s, Solomon and Rose moved to Camden concurrently with the birth of a daughter, Sadie.

The Goldstein family settled at 903 Kaighn Avenue in a house that, like many others of the time lacked indoor plumbing.  They shared an outhouse with other families on the ethnically and racially mixed block. In 1899, Leopold was born, followed by Henry in 1902.  Solomon and Rose operated a number of businesses on Kaighn Avenue in the 1890s and early 20th century, including dry goods, notions, and a grocery. Business was good and by 1910 the family moved to 1441 Broadway. By 1915 Solomon and Rose Goldstein also owned 1439 and 1437 Broadway.  The family business, simply known as Goldstein's, advertised regularly in the Camden Post-Telegram during the summer and fall of 1918. By 1920 the Goldstein family had built a large house at 1425 Broadway, on the corner of Broadway and Atlantic Avenue.

Rose Goldstein immigrated to the United States from Kamyanets Podilskiy a city over 900 years old located 90 km northeast of Chernivtsi. The city has been under the control of the Lithuanians, Tartars, Moldavians, and Ottoman Turks. In 1672 it fell to a Turkish siege, but in 1699 was returned to Poland.  It then fell to Russia in 1793 and became a major center of trade, culture and education.  The town is noted for its magnificent castle and early buildings that date from the middle ages.  The city was occupied by the Germans during WWII, and a section of the Old Town was made into a Nazi ghetto where 23,600 people, mostly Jews were murdered.  The war saw intensive fighting in the area where three quarters of the priceless architectural monuments of the pre-war period were destroyed.  With the break-up of the Soviet Union, the city is now part of the independent Ukraine, since 1977 the whole town is in the National Historical and Architectural Preserve.

 Rose’s family was middle class, in business and, she had the opportunity to attend a gymnasium (university preparatory school) where she obtained knowledge of high German, Polish, Russian and Yiddish.  She understood the basics of mathematics, had a firm grounding of the sciences of the time, and, according to her grandson, was highly verbal and analytical.  These were some of the attributes she used in Camden where she, on her own, established and managed a number of business activities.

Solomon Joseph’s national background stems from the Eastern parts of the Austrian Empire and, emigrated from Europe as a German citizen with his home city being Dresden.  In America he was bi-lingual, a good businessman whom others in his community sought for advice.  In fact, by family story, it is told that he was asked to give advice to a native of Ethiopia, newly arrived in America for what type of business to enter, where, when and how?  The individual did not look like he had any resources, and Solomon Joseph explained to him that he needed capital for such a venture.  The man said he had money. Solomon Joseph asked where is it?  The man lifted up his shirt and indicated a money belt that he opened briefly, and stated that he had close to $100,000.  This was in the early 20th century.

All of the Goldstein children excelled academically with the three sons all attending and graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Hyman in 1909, Leopold in 1920, and Henry in 1926. Daughter, Sadie married Dr. David E. Cooper, a dentist.

At 1425 Broadway, Dr. Hyman I. Goldstein had an office and home from 1920 until about 1951.  This was a large brick building that was both home and office for Dr. Goldstein and his wife, the former Dorothy Wessel, and his three children, Joan, Alice and Louis Marshall. Marshall, later also became a physician, practicing in Miami, Florida. 

Dr. Goldstein was always on the cutting edge of medicine, and, in 1937 was doing clinical testing for one of the new sulfa type chemicals that was produced by the American subsidiary of a German company (Northrop) that was of great help in curing a very bad strep throat infection of grandson, Joseph Cooper.

The Camden city directories from 1910 down through the early 1930s show that Solomon Joseph, Rose and Hyman I. Goldstein owned or were located at 1441, 1439, 1437 and 1425 Broadway. Solomon Joseph Goldstein died in 1925 and is interred in Philadelphia.

Rose Goldstein was very active in the civic life of Camden’s Jewish community. She was one of the people behind the establishment of B’nai B’rith in Camden, and the Jewish Women’s Social Club, which conducted rummage sales to raise money for charitable purposes, while Solomon Joseph was a key founder of the Liberty Street Shul. Rose knew and was well known by many in the Camden Jewish community."

Rose had a very interesting background in that one of her brothers, Isidor Zuckermann (1866-195   ), became very involved in the wood industry, and established a reputation as an expert on the economics of wooded lands and lumber, and, according to his late son, Dr. Frederick Zuckermann Reitler, was one of the co-developers of types of plywood.  According to the corporate and business records in Vienna, Austria, Isidor Zuckermann was born on May 21, 1866 in the town of Zhvanets (Zwaniec in Polish), that was within the Austrian Empire at that time, and settled in Vienna in 1913, living at Vienna 1 Bilberstrasse 14.  The Vienna records further indicate that he was CEO, and chairman of the Board of Directors of the "Aktiengesellschaft fur Muhlen-und Holzindustrie."  This company was founded in 1894 and appears to have been a vertically integrated lumber, wood and wood products company.  All of the Goldstein brothers stayed with Mr. Zuckermann when they traveled from Camden to Vienna for graduate studies in medicine during the 1920s."

With the German annexation of Austria, Isidor and his family went to Paris, and then some went to the United Kingdom and others to the United States.

It is interesting to note that Rose Zuckermann married and traveled to the United States at the age of 17, even though her parents argued that America was a place of wild Indians, gamblers, criminals, ne’er-do-wells, etc. etc. However, love conquerors over all. Rose died on June 3, 1953, and is interred with Solomon Joseph in a Jewish cemetery in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.

circa 1920

1927
The family seeing
Dr. Henry Goldstein
off for graduate medical study
in France and Vienna.

Atlantic City
circa
1920

1920
Camden High School
Yearbook Photo

1917

Camden Courier-Post * June 23, 1933