Who Is This Man

Charles Eckert's Father

Charles Eckert's father (top photo) moved to Colorado because he suffered from Tuberculosis. He was a haberdasher by occupation. Charles's older brother, Lester, was born in New York City around 1911, so the move to Colorado occurred after that.

Charles (bottom photo) was born in Colorado in 1914. His full name on his birth certificate is Charles Leonard Eckert. His father died when Charles was one year old, in 1915 or 1916. I do not know his name, and of course would love to identify him. Charles's mother was a Russian Jew. Charles's adoptive father was a Russian Jew. One must assume that this man was also.

Anna Wolkin

Charles's mother was Anna Wolkin. After her first husband died, she moved back to New York City, although we are not certain when, and married Dr. Milton Eckert around 1929. Dr. Eckert adopted both sons.

According to the 1930 Census, Anna Wolkin was 36 in 1930. This would mean her year of birth was around 1894.

Charles's birth certificate gives her age at Charles's birth as 26, which would mean her year of birth was around 1888.

The Census also asks her age at her first marriage. The response was that she was 17. One must assume she had become well prepared on this issue if she indeed lied about her age in the Census. The statement in the Census is consistent with the fact of Lester's age. If she were really 36 and married at age 17, that was 19 years prior to the Census, and Lester was 19 at the time of the Census. On the other hand, if the birth certificate is correct, then she was around 22 at the time she was married and Lester was born, and actually around 41 at the time of the 1930 Census.

Anna died around 1939, possibly from heart problems. Thus she died at age 45 or 50.

I found a draft registration card for World War I dated 1917 for a Jacob Wolkin in Pueblo, Colorado. He is described as a short, slender build, single, 24 year old with brown eyes, brown hair, born December 25, 1892, a naturalized citizen who came from Petrograd (St. Petersburg), Russia. He notes that he is staying with his "sister & her two children." It is impossible at this time to tie him more closely with Anna, Charles Eckert's mother, but there were not an abundance of Wolkins in Pueblo, Colorado at this time and the facts seem to point to Anna being that sister, and Charles and Lester being the children.

If Jacob and Anna were indeed brother and sister, it would be important to determine their family group more fully. Jacob Wolkin would have been around 17 in 1910. I looked for "Wolkin" in New York in the 1910 Census.

There is a record for a family named Wolkin in Bronx Borough, NY. The members are as follows. Isaac Wolkin, 55; Celia Wolkin, 54; Morris Wolkin, 22; Rose Wolkin, 18; and Jacob Wolkin, 16. Anna is not mentioned. If this is her family, perhaps she was married already. The family emigrated in 1904 from Russia -- as I understand it, Wolkin is a Russian name. All of them say that they and their parents were born in Russia. (Anna claimed in the 1930 Census to have been born in New York, but there seem to be several items of problem data in that record.) The primary language of the parents was Yiddish.

Another probably family member is listed on a ships register, arriving in 1904 from the St. Petersburg area, Isak Wolkin, age 28.

It is clear someone knows who this family is, because a family tree with Selma, Rose, and Sophie Wolkin was being worked on at ancestry.com as of summer 2008. (But I don't have access to it.) Furthermore, messages regarding this family have been posted (example) at ancestry message boards for the family "Wolkin". I have been unable to contact the authors of the messages (June A. Gordon; staceyw174). Whoever you are, please contact me. If I am in this family, I would like to know more. If I am mistaken, I would like to stop chasing the wild goose.

Milton Eckert, Charles's adoptive father, was the oldest known child of Samuel Eckert and Ray or Kay Eckert, who were both born in Russia, spoke Yiddish, and immigrated in 1882. (I have been unable to locate immigration records.) Milton himself was born in New York around 1889 or 1890. He became a medical doctor. Milton had siblings Bertha, Dora, Sadie, Herman, Ester, Ruth and Irving. He married Anna Wolkin in 1929, and it was his first marriage. He was 40. In 1930 Milton and Anna Eckert were living in Manhattan. In earlier censuses, when he was living with his parents, he was living in the Bronx. I believe his full name was Meyer Milton Eckert. I was under the impression that he died around 1949, but there is a clip from the Tucson Daily Citizen of October 22, 1952 that states that "The bride was given in marriage by Dr. M. Milton Eckert of New York City." This is almost certainly the man, but that is the extent of the clip available on the internet and no further information is available to me.

• Lester Eckert. Charles's brother Lester was born around 1911. He may have worked for Otis Elevator Company. He may have had two children, a daughter and a son. The daughter attended State University of New York at Albany in the 1960's or 1970's. The son's name may have been William.
• Ann Bassin and Mollie Bassin. In 1956 Charles received a letter from Ann Bassin saying she was writing for her mother, Mollie Bassin, who was the administratrix of the estate of "Uncle George Wolkin." Bassin, like Wolkin, is a Russian name. (It is also the surname of one of the family members mentioned in one of the ancestry.com letters referred to above.) Although neither Mollie nor George Wolkin are listed in the census with the Wolkin family described above, they may have been older children who had moved out by the time of the census.

I have included on this site a proposed family tree for Charles Eckert showing these various individuals.

Have more info?

Last Revised: December 18, 2008