Researched and written by Harriet Robinson, September 1999

George Blumberg was born in 1852. His wife Ida Levine was born in 1854. They had four children. George died August 13, 1914. Ida died October 16, 1920, in the Richard Gundry Home in Catonsville, Maryland, a private sanitarium, established in 1891, for the treatment of nervous diseases, etc. They were buried in the Mikro Kodesh Beth Israel Congregation section of Hebrew Herring Run Cemetery on Bowley's Lane in East Baltimore.

According to some family memories, George and Ida immigrated from Russia (Nabolnick or Kovna Gubernia (Province)) with their first three children in 1892. They lived in Annapolis and had a store on West Street.

The 1900 Census lists George age 44 (June 1855), Ida 45 (May 1855), Hannah 16 (March 1884), Sarah 12 (July 1887) & Bennie 11 (Dec. 1888). George's occupation was merchant. They had 4 children. Lived on Calvert St., Annapolis, MD. Immigrated from Germany 1891. [Vol. 4, ED 16, Sheet 25, line 51]. See other census data for the Blumbergs and other family members.

According to a deed dated February 28, 1920, Ida (a widow), Mollie Applestine (sic) and James I. Applestine of Annapolis, MD, Hannah Robinson and Harry M. Robinson, of Annapolis, MD, Sarah Margolis and Simon Margolis of Montgomery, WV and Benjamin Blumberg, unmarried, of Montgomery, WV sold property on Calvert Street and Northwest Streets (57 Calvert St.) in Annapolis to Bernard J. Wiegard and Annie Laurie Wiegard. This property had been conveyed to George Blumberg by Susan Foos and Israel Foos on September 1904. [This must be George Blumberg's store.]

A property in Munroe Estates (No. 26) off West Street in Annapolis was purchased by James I. Applestein on May 17, 1922 from Charles Lee (with a mortgage assigned to Michael Applestein on November 4, 1922 and released January 20, 1937), and sold by James and Mollie Applestein of Annapolis and Emanuel and Sarah Applestein of Montgomery, WV, to James Brooks in January 1937. [These transactions took place after both George and Ida had died. Did George and Ida rent this property or did they live somewhere else?]

Jeanette Cotler says she was told that she and her family moved to Annapolis from Washington, DC, when she was six months old, after George Blumberg died, so her mother Mollie could run the store. Ida lived with them.

The death certificate for Ida Blumberg indicated she resided at the Richard Gundry Home in Catonsville from March 17 until her death on October 16, 1920. The cause of death is listed as recurrent mania, manic depression, and insanity. Her birthplace was Russia; her father Jacob Levine; her mother was unknown. Her brother A. (Abe) Levine, who resided at 927 Pennsylvania Avenue, Baltimore, was listed as Informant.

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Children and Other Descendants

George and Ida Blumberg's children were Mollie, Hannah, Sarah and Benjamin.

Mollie - (1879-Nov. 13, 1963); born in Keyes, Russia; married James Israel Applestein (also spelled Applestine in some documents) (1877-Jan. 22, 1949) in Baltimore in June 11, 1899. They are buried in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, Windsor Mill Road, Baltimore.

According to Jeanette Cotler, Mollie immigrated with her family when she was about 15 (which may have been 1894). She married in Baltimore at age 19. Her first child Emanuel was born one year and one day after Mollie married. Mollie and James Israel Applestein moved back to Annapolis to run George Blumberg's store after he died (August 1914).

Their children are Emanuel, Rose, Hilda and Jeanette.

Emanuel Frank (June 12, 1900-September 20, 1983). He was born in Baltimore or Washington (1930 Census). He worked as a salesman and then opened College Drug Store in Montgomery, West Virginia. Emanuel registered for the draft on September 12, 1918 at age 18 in Montgomery, WV. His occupation was manager and his employer was Ben Blumberg. His nearest relative was Mrs. Mollie Applestein of 95 West Street, Annapolis. His features were blue eyes, light hair, tall and slender. In the 1920 Census, he and Benjamin Blumberg were roomers at a residence on Fifth Avenue in Montgomery. He married Sarah Ruffner (May 3, 1902 - June 1983) about 1929 and had one daughter, Betty (abt. 1931-1953). Betty married Richard Hornstein and had children Allen, Susan, and Lisa. Betty died soon after Lisa was born. When Emanuel died he was buried in King David Cemetery in Falls Church, VA, and Sarah's ashes were placed in his casket. Both Sarah and Betty were cremated and could not be buried in Beth Tfiloh with the rest of the family.

Rosalie Rebecca (Rose) (August 29, 1901-May 13, 1975). Born in Baltimore. She moved to Washington, DC and where she worked for the Hecht Company. Buried in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, Baltimore.

Hilda (October 29, 1905-Feb. 23, 1995). Born in Washington, DC. She worked at the Navy Yard in Annapolis. Buried in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, Baltimore.

Jeanette married Lou Cotler. They have a daughter Sandra. Jeanette lived in Annapolis from age 6 months until she graduated high school. She worked there for 2 years and moved to Washington, DC.

Hannah Rae - (Dec. 16, 1886- June 25, 1950); born in Nabolnick, Russia; married Harry Monroe Robinson Feb. 27, 1906. Buried in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, Baltimore.

According to George Robinson, Hannah immigrated in 1892. Jeanette Cotler says the family came in 1894 and the 1900 census says 1891.
Hannah had worked at her father's store on West Street in Annapolis, but had a "falling out" and went to work for Harry Robinson at his store on Main Street. After they married, they lived on Conduit Street and then moved in above the store, where their children were born. They moved to Baltimore around 1920.

Hannah had a large wedding with 200 guests in Annapolis. The Evening Capital, Feb. 28, 1906, described the bride as "a very pretty blonde and very popular amongst a host of friends…. Her marriage to Mr. Robinson is the culmination of an acquaintance formed some years ago, and their close friendship was the source of much comment amongst their friends, who have long anticipated the event last night."

Hannah and Harry's children are: Jeannette, Ellis and George.

Jeanette (July 13, 1907-Sept. 14, 1991) married Harry Sherry (Sept. 6, 1905-July 1990) on January 1, 1931. Ellis A. (March 7, 1910-July 22, 1989) married Edyth Appel (d. 2001) on June 14, 1936. Their daughter Lana is married to Jack Parham and her children are: Warren and Howard Parham (father Allan Trager). George married Dorothy Lipsitz. Their daughters are Harriet (married to Donald Jennings), Leslie, and Barbara (married to Peter Robinson). Harriet and Don's daughter is Amelia Robinson Jennings.

Sarah - (July 1887-March 19, 1973). Born in Russia (Elaine Margolis Wickens thinks she was born in U.S.). Met Simon Margolis (1886-Oct. 4, 1942) in Baltimore and married in Annapolis. Simon was born in Kovina, Lithuania. They lived in Montgomery, West Virginia, where Simon and his brothers had a business.

According to Elaine, Simon Margolis' father began as a peddler in the Chesapeake Bay area. Simon was a teenager when he immigrated to Baltimore. Bert told stories of his grandfather (Simon) peddling beaver hides and getting to touch them. Simon had brothers Morris, Sam and Mike. Newton Margolis is the son of Mike. The Margolises had four to five stores in Charleston and Montgomery, West Virginia. Elaine said she remembers that Sarah was also mentally ill ("she talked in numbers") and died of a stroke.

According to George Robinson, George and Lester (twins) and Bert came to visit Baltimore often when they were young. George and Lester lived with Harry and Hannah Robinson when they attended Johns Hopkins University. They attended Duke Medical School. Bert owned Camp Graylock in the mountains of Massachusetts and was married twice.

Sarah and Simon are buried in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, Baltimore.

Their children are George and Lester (twins), Bertram and Elaine.

George (Dec. 12, 1914-April 25, 1996) was a physician. He married Ann Margolis. They lived in Durham, NC, Richmond, VA, and Lynne Center, NH. Their children are Susan, George (Mac), Joshua and Dan. Lester (Dec. 12, 1914-June 20, 1998) was a physician. He married Patsy Kahn. Their children are Kitty and Peter. They have no grandchildren.

Bertram (May 12, 1917 - Feb. 19, 2002) was married to Barbara Richland Margolis. Bert has four children from a previous marriage: Margaret (Maggie), Katherine (Katie), Victoria, Elizabeth and nine grandchildren. According to his obituary, Bert graduated from Johns Hopkins University and studied for a doctorate at Columbia University. He was the director of Camp Greylock for 50 years, where he was a pionee in children's camping.

Elaine Wickens lived in Montgomery, West Virginia, as a child. She has been married twice and is an educator.

Benjamin - (1895-July 22, 1969). Born in Baltimore. Although Ben never married, he had a daughter he supported who lived in Delaware. When Emanuel was in the Army in WWI as messenger in France, Ben went to Montgomery, West Virginia, to run the family store. Elaine Wickens says that Ben was on Johnson Island near Pearl Harbor during WWII and was a construction worker at the time of the bombing. He was gassed in the war and had breathing problems later. When he returned from the war, Ben lived with the Margolis family in Montgomery and worked in the Margolis family store named Embee's. The George Robinson family visited him in a Miami, Florida Veteran's Hospital in early July 1969. Buried in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, Baltimore.

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Jacob Levine and Descendants

Ida's father was Jacob Levine, who was born in Lithuania. He and his wife had two children, Ida and Abraham (about 1870-July 17, 1936), both born in Lithuania. Abraham married Mollie Kramer in 1890. She died in 1944. They lived in Chestertown, Maryland. Their children were Hilda (d. 1932), Reba (b. 1893), Sophie Kramer (b. July 4, 1895), Rose (b. abt. 1897), Henry (b. May 12, 1901 in Kent County, Maryland), Mary Levine (May 12, 1901 in Chestertown, MD-March 20, 1988), and Mabel Ida (September 6, 1905 in Chestertown, MD-May 13, 1989).

Mary and Mabel married brothers Alex and Herman Lipsitz (uncles to Dorothy Lipsitz who married Hannah Blumberg's son George Robinson) and are buried in Ahoskie, North Carolina.

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For the descendant chart, photos and stories about the family members, click on the links above.

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