Nechemye (Nachmiel) Brettschneider
Nechemye was born in 1858 in Nowosiolka, Austria which is now Novosilka, Ukraine. His father was Yehuda Leib Brettschneider. We know of his siblings Leib born 1851 and Moses born 1866.
Esther (Esta) Apfulbaum Brettschneider
Esta Afelbaum was born in 1855 in Austria. Her father was Avraham Afelbaum. She married Nechemye Brettschneider in Austria.
Their first child, Pauline was born in 1883. Their son, Jacob, was born in 1884. Rebecca in 1888, and Louis Brettschneider was born in 1890. They had twin sons Harry and Hymie in 1895 and Benjamin in 1905.
Three of the Brettschneider siblings wound up marrying their cousins! Pauline Brettschneider married her cousin Louis Brettschneider, Becky Brettschneider married Max Brettschneider. Jacob Brettschneider married Gussie (Gittel) Apfelbaum.
Pauline, Rebecca, Jacob and their spouses were the first to emigrate to America.
Paulie’s husband Louis started as a waiter. They decided to move to Willimantic, CT and opened a grocery store which catered to the larger Polish population working for American Thread Company.
Jake and his wife Gussie opened a grocery store in New York. They later moved to Willimantic to open a tavern. When prohibition began, they went back to New York and went into the retail grocery business.
Becky’s husband Max started out in the fur business in New York. After developing respiratory issues, he and Becky also moved to Willimantic and opened a grocery store. Eventually, they owned a tavern and liquor store that was run by their son Sollie.
Nechemye and Esther’s son, Louis Brettschneider came to America at age 15 with his cousin of the same name age 16.
Twins Hymie and Harry came to America at age 12 in 1907. Nechemye, Esther, Mollie and Benny joined the rest of their family in Willimantic. As you can see from the manifest, they sailed on the Potsdam from Rotterdam in May of 1913.
was a brother Moses.
Sadly, Nechemye survived only 4 years in America dying from a foot infection at age 59 on October 15, 1917.
were living with Mollie’s family
Despite being blind and bedridden her last several years, Esther Apfelbaum Brettschneider lived until she was 93. She passed away on October 2, 1948.