Israel (Trenin) Greenberg (abt. 1874 - 1957)

Born about 1874 in Vitsyebskaya, Belarus

Husband of Lena (Walovitth) Wallof — married 30 Dec 1897 in New Britian, Hartford, Connecticut

Husband of Sarah (Wallof) Wallovitth — married about 1907 in New Britian, Hartford, Connecticut

Husband of Freda Finkelstein — married about 1910 in Waterbury, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 13 Feb 1957 at about age 83 in Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut

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Biography

Max Greenberg was born Israel Trainin (pronounced Tren-yun) in Vitebsk, Russia in 1874.

According to family lore, he escaped to avoid the army draft. He was afraid of being found and returned to Russia, so he picked a different name. He just gave the same name as the person in front of him in line, when he was waiting to register upon arrival in the United States. He lived in Connecticut at least from 1900 onward. He made a living working with his hands. He spoke Yiddish best. He was married three times and lived with a fourth partner after that. The first marriage was December 30, 1897 to fellow Russian immigrant Lena Wallof. She passed away around 1905, leaving two children, Dorothy and Abe. He was soon married to Lena's sister Sarah. She bore two children Leon and Ruby, and also died very young, around 1909. Both sisters had worked in sweatshops and died of lung diseases. Max was unable to take care of the four youngsters. He placed three of them in other homes to be cared for and lived with son Abe as a boarder in the house of another family. Then, he married for a third time to widow Freda Shulman (nee Finkelstein), who had three children of her own. They were married in 1910 or 1911, until her death in 1941. They together raised the seven children.

Sources

• Miram Hodes Sussman
• Rebecca Krupp
• marriages - https://connecticutgenealogy.org lists marriage to Lina Dallof (misspelled) as 12/30/1897, New Britian, CT.
• marriages - https://connecticutgenealogy.org lists marriage to Sarah Holoff (misspelled) as 09/21/1906, New Britian, CT.
• marriages - https://connecticutgenealogy.org lists marriage to Fannie Shulman as 06/25/1910, New Haven, CT.