The preview image below links to a long interview focused on my grandfather Joseph Indig and his early life in New York City. A table of contents of sorts is shown here below, and it's also in the first comment on the YouTube post, where you can click on any of the time codes and the video will jump to that point. I've been holding onto this video considering how to share it, and considered creating shorter segments of individual stories. I decided to post the entire piece as it was recorded, with just about no editing. Although not "perfect," with with some pauses and stammering, it retains Joe's charming style of speaking and story telling, which I'm sure those who knew him will remember fondly.
My own family lived in Schenectady, New York until I was 10, which was close enough to New York City to allow many visits over the years to spend time with my grandparents. Grandpa Joe and Grandma Ruth also enjoyed flying to visit us in California later. My dad and mom loved showing off their new home state, and when they visited we took them many places, including Yosemite, Hearst Castle, Monterey, Muir Woods, etc. Much later, when my dad visited them in NY, he discovered they were losing their ability to care of themselves and each other well on their own, and he talked them into moving to Fremont, where initially they moved into a regular apartment, and my parents looked in on them pretty much daily. This video is the result of my dad pointing a video camera at Joe, in our family home in Fremont, in 1995, when Joe was 90. His wife Ruth had died the previous year, and Joe would live 4 more years, passing away peacefully on June 8, 1999 in Fremont at the age of 94.
Joe was a fascinating and much loved person. He was a hard worker, independent, devout Jew, and a sweet grandpa. [video link: https://youtu.be/L7USEOSpe_A]
JOE INDIG INTERVIEW
00:00 – Maurice Indig intro/lead-in
00:30 – Joe starts with birth info, moves to Brooklyn at 12, goes to school and graduates
01:28 – Maurice asks Joe for early life history
01:48 – Joe: lived on Lower East Side, Lewis Street tenement. Childhood games in street.
04:10 – Memory of Sammy Cohen, became boxer
04:50 – Learns to daven at schul, including another schul on Sherrif Street (after moving from Lewis Street)
06:44 – At 8 or 9 years old, sold Jewish Forward newspapers on the street
08:00 – Maurice asks about Joe’s brothers & sisters
08:15 – Brother Izzy /Itchy (Isadore "Irving”) born at 86 Lewis Street – circumcision story
09:30 – Mother combs Joe’s long blondish hair
10:30 – Sabbath story of hired man to light the stove
11:15 – Buying coal; picking up coal that dropped from the coal wagon
12:50 – Sundays: play, gamble with pennies
15:00 – Play Johnny-on-the-pony
15:25 – Maurice asks Joe about school: PS 22 on Sheriff Street, near Hamilton Fish Park
16:20 – Hamilton Fish Park & roller skating
17:12 – Maurice asks about street lights; Joe explains gas lighting on street and inside, putting quarters in gas meter
18:43 – Maurice asks about siblings; Joe mentions Eva, discusses Itchy
19:18 – moved to Brownsville/Brooklyn
19:50 – story of Itchy’s friend Harry “Heshy” Cohen; Itchy entered builder’s union with help of Heshy’s friend. Needed $300 – Ruth had Joe pawn her wedding ring to give Itchy the money. Eventually Itchy repaid the money and ring was retrieved.
21:04 – Maurice interrupts and prompts Joe back in time.
24:42 – Story of Itchy/ring/union ends; Maurice prompts to earlier time. Meeting Ruth: Joe about 16, approx. 1920. Goes further back, talks about his father, first wife in Europe who presumably died. 4 children from first wife: Gussie, Esther, Harry, Liebwolf – children came to US; Harry youngest. Liebwolf stayed back in Europe. Joe was friendly with half-brother Harry.
26:40 – His family came from Dukla; discussed Dukla, Poland, Russians, pogroms
28:12 – Immigrants from Dukla settled in Lower East Side, coming through Castle Garden in Battery Park
29:00 – Saturday night dance at Clinton Hall (Clinton Street), attendees were the immigrants from the similar hometowns. Joe’s brother Harry encouraged him to go to the dance, and he met Ruthy. He kept taking her out, and he became to feel they were made for each other.
30:52 – Maurice asks about his cars. Joe: we married in 1929. Ruth lived in Williamsburg, I lived in Brownsville. I took the train to meet her; we would take the train over the East River Bridge. First stop was Delancey Street subway station.
32:55 – Ruth lived at 16 Belvidere St. We would walk to Essex Street to eat at Chinese restaurant on the corner “my courtship days”
33:52 – Maurice asks about early jobs. Joe: when I lived on Lewis Street, between Rivington & Delancey. Rivington was “pushcart street” – carts with produce. Someone referred Joe to Mrs. Pollack (sp?) fortune teller who needed her cards passed out to women/girls, coming out of Delancey Street subway. Joe befriended Mrs. Pollack’s son Izzie – they would listen to phonograph player.
41:08 – Izzie Pollack stories – in the “new” automobile business. Maybe in the “underworld”. Izzie would take Joe to a restaurant on Sheriff Street – 7 course dinner – when Joe was about 10 years old
43:42 – Maurice asks about running into Mrs. Pollack later. When later going to Coney Island with Ruthy before they married, he found Mrs. Pollack. Story of earlier time when Mrs. Pollack said she wanted to set him up with her daughter Hasha when they were older. Now at Coney Island she wanted to introduce her to Hasha, who was now married and “twice my size.”
46:25 – Maurice asks about Morris Taubman. Joe was friends with him around age 15-16. Morris lived on the East Side on East 8th Street near Tompkins Square Park. He was a couple years older – they would shoot pool at pool hall across from movie house (sounds like
Loew's Avenue B Theatre, 72 Avenue B at East 5th Street), in basement. Remember record player that played Al Jolson.
49:26 – Joe worked at dental lab, making $6/week, about 16 years old. The business closed suddenly, and Joe got job as errand boy for Shulte’s bookstore on 4th Avenue “Book Row, near Wanamaker building. Joe ended up working in printing shop in the basement. The pressman would get drunk and not come to work, so there was no work for Joe – he was sent to his apartment to bring him back to work.
54:20 – Next printing job on Sixth Avenue stationary store, where he learned more print shop tasks. “Didn’t work too long there either.”
55:30 – Next job at insurance company on Cedar Street, printing their forms, on a Gordon press. Details on the printing process.
[times below should be accurate]
59:00 – Joe got a job at the printer for Morris Taubman. He quit because he didn’t like working hard.
59:40 – Foreman named Maher; his son also worked there, bullied Joe, and threatened him with a fight. Joe fought him, hit him in the stomach, that ended the fight, and the guy became Joe’s friend.
1:01:32 – Next printing job: East Fourth St. big printing shop with big presses.
1:02:10 - Brother Itchy worked in leather belt factor, which was hard and unhealthy work. Joe arranged for Itchy to work at the printer: Streep & Hill.
1:03:26 – Maurice asks about Harry and sisters Gussie & Esther; and Jessie. Joe: Jessie was older that Joe, and they lived together. Jessie bullied Joe, called him names. Also mentions Eva.
1:05:00 – discussion of siblings living. Gussie & Esther married and lived elsewhere. Gussie married Jake, theatre carpenter, in Jewish theatres. Lived on Prospect Place in Brooklyn.
1:06:53 - Esther married Ben Honig, moved to Port Jervis – had a food business. Sold produce to Catskill hotels.
1:08:43 - Joe visited Esther there; taking the train, with Harry. Esther’s children were Izzy (became a judge), Nathan (insurance), Lewis (passed away), girl [probably Fay], living in California.
1:10:38 – mentions “Lipton” [Hilda], Jessie’s daughter
1:11:05 – Joe & Ruth’s honeymoon in mountains. Gussie came with her daughter. Also came with Lillie’ daughter Lucille – “honeymoon baby” 3-4 months old. Other children: Arthur (youngest, not born yet), Irving, Eleanor, Sonny/Albert.
1:14:00 – Maurice asks family of boys and one girl that Joe was friendly with. Morris Taubman’s sister married man named Solowitz – had a stable to rent horse & wagons. They had a number of boys and one girl. After Joe’s retirement in 1976, he would go to programs offered from his union. Woman in the dancing class turned out to be Solowitz’s daughter.
1:20:04 – Ruth lived on Belvedere, with her siblings, father, and step-mother from remarriage after her mother’s death when Ruth was young. Two boys born from step-mother: Izzy & Hymie. Joe was very friendly with Izzy, who was a plumber. Izzy got a big Studebaker car from someone. Izzy taught Joe to drive and gave him the car.
1:23:32 - One of Solowitz’s sons asked Joe to borrow the Studebaker, and he never gave it back.
1:25:36 – Maurice: today is January 24, 1995. Asks about time of marriage to Ruth.
1:26:22 – Worked at that time at book binding company working a universal press. Got the job from answering ad in NY Times. Talked about details of job.
1:29:56 – Maurice asks about wedding – hired synagogue in Brownsville - went with Ruth’s father Morris Rich. Most relatives attended, included Uncle Louis who had a hat store
1:31:22 – Before marriage, lived at 53 Grafton in Brownsville/Brooklyn. Mother had passed away; lived there with father and Itchy. Sister Eva had passed away.
1:32:15 – More on wedding: music, food. Reception in basement of synagogue. Joe put up $300.
1:33:11 – Honeymoon in Monticello in Catskills. Spoke to his sister Esther, who would also visit, with daughter Fay. Stayed at Barsalee Hotel [possible – this was in White Sulphur Springs]. Took train there – New York-New Haven-Hartford railroad. Also took Lucille, Lillie Geduldig’s baby daughter. Lillie & Dave Geduldig lived on Ditmars Street; in house they owned with Dave Geduldig’s father. Lucille had illness with a rash.
1:38:08 – We lived with Ruth’s parents, Morris & Eva/Chuva. Lillie’s neighbor next door sold them furniture, including beautiful couch made of mahogany with embroidered velvet – Mrs. Kingburg. Bought rest of furniture on Essex Street on Lower East Side.
END: 1:40:19
