Aaron Minkowsky and the Pandemic of 1918
Aaron Minkowsky: husband of Edith Greenberg/ father of Samuel & Norbert Mink/ grandfather of Sharon Mink Rosenthal, Susan aka Nancy Mink Davis. & David Mink
Born: April 13, 1884 / Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Died: October 7, 1918 /Philadelphia, PA.
From L to R: Sam, Edith, Aaron
I was thinking about who to write about next. And I thought it would be appropriate, given the current coronavirus pandemic, to write about my grandfather, Aaron Minkowsky who died in the influenza pandemic in 1918. He is one grandparent about whom I know very little. I know he was born in Zhytomyr near Kiev and he came to the United States in 1905.
Aaron arrived in Philadelphia at the Immigrant Pier at Delaware and Washington Ave., sailing from Liverpool, England, on the SS Haverford. I don’t know how he got from Zhytomyr to Liverpool but I assume he first made it to the port on the Eastside of England and then made his way to Liverpool and then Philly. It’s an arduous path and one many people followed in order to emigrate. The ship manifest for the SS Haverford shows Aaron’s destination as 304 South St. the home of his first cousin William Weintraub ( ne´: Zev Minkowsky ).
Immigrant Pier Delaware & Washington Ave.
Declaration of Intent
From South Street, Aaron moved deeper into South Philadelphia. He was following the pattern of migration that the wave of Eastern European immigrants created looking for a fresh start in Philadelphia.
The Jews lived between 3rd and 7th St all the way up and down a 2 mile corridor from South St. to Porter or Shunk. In 1908 Aaron was living at 1516 S. 5th ST. & later that year, after he was married, he moved in with Edith Greenberg ( his wife) at 1728 S. 7th ST.
All documents show Aaron’s profession as being a merchant or salesman which was a good compliment to Edith who was a Milliner. We’ll learn more about Edith in future posts.
In the Fall of 1918, life in this burgeoning immigrant community was about to change. The influenza epidemic that was plaguing Europe, arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. *1 By mid-September several hundred cases were found clustered around the Port and a few neighborhoods in deep South Philadelphia. Also in September, Philadelphia hosted a grand parade to sell Liberty Bonds to help finance the debt from WWI. Some 200,000 people attended and it’s reasonable to think that Aaron and Alex Greenberg ( Aaron’s brother in law) were there. “In the week following the parade, authorities counted over 1,100 deaths.”*2 The next week was much worse with 3,000 deaths followed by 4,000 the following week. By the first week of October, “Philadelphia’s mortality rate accelerated in a climb unmatched by any other city in the nation - Perhaps by any major city in the world.”** Alex Greenberg died from influenza, October 3rd, 1918 at age 25. Aaron died from influenza, October 8th, 1918 at age 34. Surviving were his wife Edith, (my grandmom) sons Samuel ( my dad), age 9, and Norbert ( my uncle), age 4.
Alex Greenberg’s ( Edith’s Brother) Grave
Edith & Aaron’s Grave
*1.James Higgins, “Homefront Casualties,” Legacy (Spring 2019): Pg. 21
*2 Higgins, “Homefront Casualties,” Pg. 21
