The Poirier's, the Levy's and the Dunn's somewhere in Punta Arenas, about 1909. Herman Poirier, his wife Sarah (nee Romanofsky) Joseph Leszerovich Levy, his wife Golda, and her sister Rebecca Dunn with her husband Simon, Emanuel's oldest son. The children are Arturo (Arthur) and Carmelita Poirier, Mary (Maria), Rebecca and Anita Levy, and Millie (Amelia), Robert (Roberto), Mary (Ana Maria) and baby Sophie (Sofia) Dunn. Frances (Fanny) and David are not in the picture, so one has to assume they are merely twinkle's in their father, Simon (Shimon ben Yaoshua Lieb's) eye...

Location:The Family Portrait a century ago

A better quality image of the photo which is shown on the introductory page to this blog. Here are the three youngest Dunn siblings Sophia, David and Mary, with their Uncle Charlie.


It would be suggested the photo was taken around 1918-19 while Charles Jacob Dunn, Simon's half brother was visiting the family in East London, while returning from military action in France or Germany.

Charles was a G.I. in the United States Army, enlisting in 1917. He lived in Manhatten, New York, emigrating there in 1906, from Lithuania then part of Russia, via the port of Liverpool in England. It is likely he stayed in London for a while before leaving.

He worked as a store keeper dealing in stationary, on the Lower East Side of N.Y. City. He later lived in the Forest Hills area of Queens, New York at 66-78 Selfridge Street, as shown on his WW2 registration card, when he was called up for "the draft" in 1942, after the destruction of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, when America entered the war. He was by this point middle aged, at 53. His date of birth was March 23rd 1889.

Living with Charles at this time was his sister Rose Dunn, who was by now about 49 years old.

Charles' employer is given as a Mr Aaron H. Rubin, of 484 Madison Avenue, New York.

Lithuanian District Map

A map of the districts between Kovno (Kaunus) and Vilno (Vilnius) where the Dunn's, Epsteins and Romanofsky's amongst others hailed from.

A railway line from Kovno-Vilna was laid down during the second half of the 19th century which rapidly sped up migration and settlement patterns, leading to increased commerce, wealth and prosperity for some Landsmen.







More information can be gleaned by reading an article about Koshedar (Kaisiadorys) which can found at http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Koshedar/koshedar1.html

The Noble Savage

One of the portraits of Native Indigineous Chlilean people which Henry Poirier produced in his curiosity shop.

People of Punta Arenas, a cenury ago.

Town and Country, Magellan Life...

More from a selection of early 20th Century photographic postcards, from Punta Arenas Tierra Del Fuego, Chile. Some actually bear the name of Henry Poirier, the man who produced them in his curiosity shop and photographic postcard studio shop.

Postcards from Punta Arenas

A selection of early 20th Century photographic postcards, from Punta Arenas Tierra Del Fuego, Chile. Some actually bear the name of Henry Poirier, the man who produced them in his curiosity shop and photographic postcard studio shop.

Old Punta Arenas Postcards

Chilean Native Tribes-people, of the Punta Areanas Tierra Del Fuego region, circa 1910.

Family Reunion Booked for end of July

A family reunion has been booked in a central London venue near Marble Arch, for Sunday 24th July 2011. It is for several first cousins, whose parents were all born a Dunn, (the sons and daughters of Simon and Rebecca) their partners as well as honoury Romanofsky-Poirier descendants. Other family members are of course welcome but I need to know numbers in advance to plan for catering.

For more details email me personally.

Klezmer Klub: Yiddish songs from London's East End

London based Yiddish song revivalists Klezmer Klub perfectly encapsulate the lost life and spirit of a time and place long since passed. Their second album "Whitechapel Mayn Vaytshepel" cuts a cross section through the musical back alleys and main streets of a Whitechapel in London's Jewish East End, rich with the aroma of freshly cooked bagels and fetid with the stench of rancid, rotting fish. A world of bustling cobbled streets, heaving with optimistic, yet poor and lowly Eastern European immigrants. Hopes and aspirations dashed by the harsh realities of life in the sly and often sordid big city. Tales of a vanished streetscape abound on this collection of songs, sung by Yiddish language revivalist Vivi Lachs, while backed by an energetic ensemble of technically proficient Klezmatists.

It turns out that Vivi's grandfather who worked for the London shechita board, koshering cows and chickens, lived over the road to Simon and Rebecca Dunn, at number 13 Dunk Street, though not necessarily at the same time.


http://www.myspace.com/klezmerklub

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=wbFN9txT1AI