Researched and written by Harriet Robinson, June 2000

Mamie Stokvis Rice's family can be traced back to Holland. Her grandmother, Sarah Marx (1810- Aug. 11, 1905), and grandfather (name unknown) immigrated to the U.S. before the Civil War. They lived in Norfolk, VA. Mr. Marx fought in the Civil War, and there is a monument to him (with his name?) in Norfolk, according to his great granddaughter Selma Shenker Goodfriend as reported by her sister Vicki Wittner.*

The 1870 census has two entries for an Aaron, Sarah and Lana/Lenia Marks that seem to be the same family but at different addresses one month apart. The Baltimore City Directory of 1866-68 lists Aaron Marks, peddler, and Sarah Marks, nurse, at 34 Ensor Street. In 1871-72, Aaron Marks resides at 222 Orleans and is a cigarmaker.

Sarah Marx died August 11, 1905, not 1906 as on her marker in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery. Her obituary in The Baltimore Sun, Aug. 12, 1905:

MARKS On August 11, 1905 SARAH MARKS grandmother of Mrs. A.J. Rice and Mrs. Sadie DeBeire. The funeral will take place from No. 2419 Woodbrook Avenue on Sunday morning at 9 o'clock. (No flowers.)

The Marx' daughter was Leona (b. abt 1853 in the Maryland, d. ?). She married Harry Stokvis about 1872 (b. 1849 in The Hague, Holland and immigrated in 1869). They had two children: Mamie (1873 in Brooklyn, NY-1950) and Sadie (1875 in Maryland or Virginia-Sept. 6, 1957).

Harry left (separated from) Leona when the children were young. Leona opened a brothel (where?) to support herself (according to Selma). Mamie was raised by her maiden aunts Rosie and Mary Stokvis in a strict environment. Sadie was brought up by other relatives (whom?) in a more permissive environment. Mary age 7 (probably Mamie) is listed in the Stokvis household in the 1880 census.

Harry lived in Baltimore in 1879 and 1880 according to the Baltimore City Directory which listed Stokvis, Harry, tailor, and Stokvis, Moses, peddler, both at 125 Chew. In 1887, the Stokvis listings include: Abraham, Mrs. Mary, Rosa (clothing), Sarah (notions, city mkts), and Soday (scourer) all at 818 s. Charles. The Stokvis listing in 1890 has Mamie (dressmaker), Mrs. Mary, and Soday (saloon), all at 643 Ensor. Moses and Mary were Harry's parents and the others were siblings according to the 1880 census. Henry Stokvis was listed in 1897, but at a different address from the other Stokvises, so this may not have been Harry.

Rosie Stokvis (1841- Oct. 20, 1941) was little, wizened with narrow, pinched face. Her occupation was sitting with the dead. She had long white hair that she let down at night. She was committed to mental institution before she died. Dorothy Lipsitz Robinson remembers that Rosie gave her lots of gifts including china dolls. Rosie had long white hair and wore high-buttoned shoes. She ate her meals in her room. She particularly liked Dorothy and her father Dave Lipsitz. Rosie is buried at Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery (her grave marker gives 1940 as the year of her death but the cemetery records give 1941).

Mary Stokvis lived in New York and worked in the shoe department in the basement of the John Wanamaker Department Store. Her great-nephew Robby Shenker remembers her visits to New Rochelle, where she would read him the funny papers.

Mamie married Abraham Rice in 1893 and had seven children: Amelia, Sylvia, Hilda, Jeannette, Harold, Irvin and Jesse (see Rabbi Rice Descendants). Rosie lived with Mamie and Abe on Norfolk Avenue in Baltimore. Sarah Marx also lived with Mamie and Abe at one time, as did Sadie's daughters Ruth and Lucy, when Sadie was traveling. Mamie was fragile, quiet, low-key and sweet, according to Carol Siskind Fensterwald. On the other hand, Sadie was worldly and oozed confidence and energy.

Sadie had bump on the front of her forehead, which her family called the "Stokvis bump." She worked as a nurse at some point. She had several husbands (she was a "swinger"). One husband was a Methodist minister. Sadie's husband Arnold DeBiere was a magician, and Sadie traveled with him in Europe giving performances. Her grandson Bob Saks recalls hearing that they performed before the royalty or the King of England. Her last husband was _____ Gobel. DeBiere was likely the adoptive father of Sadie's daughters Ruth (abt 1894 in Virginia-late 1950s) and Lucille (Lucy) (August 6, 1895 in Norfolk, VA- May 1987 in Honeybrook, PA). Their father's name may have been Frido, which Ruth's son Ted says is on her birth certificate. In the 1910 census, Arnold and Sadie DeBiere lived in Manhattan and his occupation was actor and Sadie's was actress. Ruth, age 16, worked as a bookkeeper for a tailor. At that time, Arnold and Sadie had been married for five years. According to Robby Shenker, Sadie lived with his family in New Rochelle for a while when he was a teenager.

Ruth and Lucy lived in Norfolk for about 15 years. Then their mother sent them on their own to New York to work. (However, in the 1910 census, 16-year-old Ruth and 15-year-old Lucy were living with their mother and step father in New York.) At some point, according to Dorothy Lipsitz Robinson, Ruth and Lucy lived with Mamie and Abe Rice and Sarah Marx. In New York, Ruth worked at Altman's and Lucy worked in wholesale shoe houses.

Sadie Gobel died Sept. 6, 1957 at age 82 and was buried in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery on October 1, 1957. She is in the Rice plot according to cemetery records, but there is no marker. She may have been cremated. She may have been living in Pennsylvania when she died.

Ruth married Willam Saks (Sakowitz, d. 1953) in 1921. She met him when she worked in Baltimore at Van Tinnes in cosmetics around 1919. She remembered scrubbing the marble steps. Children: Ted (b. July 12, 1922 in Brooklyn, NY, d. - March 21, 2001 in Georgia) and Robert (Bob).

Ted married Mary Ann. Children: Becky (adopted), Marna (died of leukemia at 4), Karen, William (Billy).

Bob married Lila Blankstein. Children: Stephen, Victoria, Lisa. All are married. The grandchildren: Rachel, Kaila, Lizzy, Kody, Mathew.

Lucy married Simon Shenker, who was a dentist in about 1917 (Simon - May 7, 1894 in Romania-November 1980 in New Rochelle, NY). Children: Victoria m. Howard Wittner, Leona (1920-1985), Selma (September 1921 - June 2000) m. _____ Goodfriend, and Robert (Robby). The Shenkers lived in New Rochelle, NY.

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

If you a have any information to add or correct, please contact

*So far, I have been unable to identify Sarah Marx's husband or verify that he fought in the Civil War or find any monuments in Norfolk that list names of soldiers. One Civil War researcher suggested that it may have been her son that fought in the war because her husband would have been too old. The other possibility is that her husband was part of a local home guard or militia unit, which often had underaged and elderly members. Most records of these units are sketchy if they exist at all.

Other recent notes I found from a conversation with Hilda Rice Tiefenbrun says that Sarah Marx's husband may have been in Napoleon's Army. More research is needed.