Starr Family
Brothers Harry and Benjamin Levi came to America as young men. Harry was born in Poland in May 1872.[1] Benjamin’s birth was five years later, on 15 June 1877,[2] also in Poland.[3] Information varies on when they arrived in the United States, and whether they came together. Harry arrived sometime between 1887[4] and 1893,[5] and Benjamin between 1892[6] and 1895.[7] Benjamin became a citizen in 1906.[8] Harry stated he was naturalized in 1900,[9] but the record has not yet been found. So far neither man has been found on a ship’s passenger list.
Harry is first found in downtown Minneapolis in 1893. He was the proprietor of a tailor shop on Western Avenue and boarded nearby on South Fifth Street.[10] Benjamin appears in 1894, working in Harry’s shop and boarding with him.[11] By 1897 the shop had moved a few blocks away, to 620 Hennepin Avenue.[12] The shop was still at that address in 1899, but the tailor’s name was now Harry H. Starr.[13] The next year Harry H. Starr the tailor moved next door, to 622 Hennepin Avenue.[14] Benjamin Starr was an employee at the same place in 1901.[15] Harry and Benjamin Levi are not found in any Minneapolis directory or census after 1898, while Harry and Benjamin Starr do not appear in the city prior to 1899. From all indications, the two brothers changed their surname from Levi to Starr about 1898 or 1899. Harry partnered with Joseph Silverman for a short time at 622 Hennepin Avenue, but in 1902 they dissolved the business. Harry moved a block away, to 711 Hennepin, and called his shop the Starr Steam Cleaning and Tailoring House.[16] Meanwhile the Star Tailoring Company, Simpson and Silverman, proprietors, successors to Starr & Silverman, remained at 622.[17] The similarity in names must have been confusing for their customers. Over the next 20 years Harry’s business, which included dry cleaning and shoe repair, was located at several addresses in the same neighborhood: 1903 Starr Steam Cleaning & Tailoring House, 711 Hennepin Avenue[18] 1905-1912 Harry H. Starr, 711 Hennepin Avenue[19] 1913-1914 Starr Brothers, tailors, 725 Hennepin Avenue[20] 1915-1918 Harry H. Starr, merchant tailor, French dry cleaning and repairing, 2 Western Avenue[21] 1919-1921 Starr & Evidon (Harry H. Starr and Harry Evidon), merchant tailors, French dry cleaning, 813 Hennepin Avenue[22] 1922 Harry H. Starr, merchant tailor, French dry cleaning, 6 South Third[23] 1923 Harry H. Starr, merchant tailor, French dry cleaning, 665 Second Avenue[24] 1924-1929 Harry H. Starr, merchant tailor, French dry cleaning, 667 Second Avenue North[25] 1930 Harry H. Starr, clothes cleaner, 667 Second Avenue North[26] 1934 Harry H. Starr, tailor, 667 Second Avenue North[27] 1938 Harry H. Starr, tailor, 2021 Plymouth Avenue.[28] Benjamin worked for Harry until 1906, when he moved to his own tailor shop. As noted above, he was in business again with his brother from 1913 to 1914. He, too, operated several different locations in the same general area in downtown Minneapolis: 1906 Benj Starr, tailor, 107 Sixth Street South[29] 1908 Benj Starr, tailor, 707 First Avenue South[30] 1909-1912 Benj Starr, The First Avenue Tailors, 707 First Avenue South[31] 1915 Benj Starr, tailor, 725 Hennepin Avenue[32] 1916 Benj Starr, tailor and shoemaker, 826 Hennepin Avenue[33] 1917-1918 Benj Starr, tailor, 402 South Tenth.[34] Benjamin H. Starr registered for the draft in World War I. The form describes him as 41 years old, of medium height and build, with brown eyes and dark brown hair, partially bald.[35] In 1919 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived the rest of his life. He remained in the tailoring and dry cleaning business: 1920-1926 Benj H. Starr, tailor, 605 South Hope[36] 1927-1929 Benj H. Starr, clothes cleaner, 1381 Sunset Boulevard[37] 1932 Levin & Starr (Philip Levine, Benj H. Starr), 1006 West Pico[38] 1936 Benj Starr, clothes cleaner, 722 ½ West Pico[39] 1938-1939 Benj H. Starr, clothes cleaner, 1255 South Figueroa[40] Harry married Dora Levey about 1902.[41] No marriage record has been found for them. They had three daughters: Ruth (1903), Loretta (1905), and Jeannette (ca 1911).[42] The family resided at 261 Aldrich Avenue North until about 1909,[43] when they moved to a home at 267 Dupont Avenue North.[44] Between 1938 and 1941 they resided at 1224 Logan Avenue North.[45] Harry died 15 October 1941 in Hennepin County and is buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Minneapolis.[46] Dora died 22 August 1961, also in Hennepin County.[47] Benjamin married Florence Rose 22 November 1904 in Minneapolis.[48] They had three sons: Sherman (1905), Charles (1910), and Jack (1912).[49] They resided at 918 Bryant Avenue until 1909;[50] at 320 Colfax Avenue North from 1909 to 1911;[51] and at 622 Fremont Avenue North until about 1919,[52] when they moved to Los Angeles. There they resided at 502 East 21st in 1920;[53] at 809 East 28th in 1926;[54] at 3002 South Normandie in 1930;[55] and 2524 Rimpau Boulevard in 1942.[56] Benjamin died there 1 January 1946 and is buried in Beth Olam Cemetery.[57] Florence died 14 October 1972 and is buried next to her husband.[58] Harry’s death certificate gives his father’s name as Hersh Starr and his mother’s name as unknown,[59] while the death certificate for Benjamin states his parents were Benjamin Starr and Ruth Kirshnoff.[60] Evidently the family members who gave the information did not know that their original surname was Levi. __________________________ [1] 1900 U.S. census, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, enumeration district 50, sheet 11B, dwelling 101, entry for H.H. Starr, boarder; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); citing Family History Library microfilm 1240767. [2] “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K87K-V21 : accessed 19 Apr 1014, Benjamin H. Starr, 1917-1918; citing Minneapolis City no 3, Minnesota, United States, NARA microfilm publication M 1509, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1675613. [3] 1920 U.S. census, Township of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, California, enumeration district 378, sheet 12A, dwelling 236, family 356, entry for Benjamin Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); NARA microfilm T625, roll 113. [4] “Minnesota, State Census, 1895,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MQ8B-X6W : accessed 24 Apr 2014), Harry Levi, Minneapolis city, Ward 05, Hennepin, Minnesota; citing State Library and Records Service, St. Paul; FHL microfilm 000565778. [5] 1920 U.S. census, 6th Precinct, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, enumeration district 70, sheet 10B, dwelling 151, family 229, entry for Harry Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); NARA microfilm T625, roll 833. [6] 1920 U.S. census, Township of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, California, enumeration district 378, sheet 12A, dwelling 236, family 356, entry for Benjamin Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); NARA microfilm T625, roll 113. [7] 1910 U.S. census, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, enumeration district 69, sheet 11B, dwelling 173, family 227, entry for Benjamin Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); Family History Library microfilm 1374714. [8] Benjamin Starr naturalization, U.S. District Court, Hennepin County, Minnesota, 29 June 1906, volume 5, p. 71. [9] 1920 U.S. census, 6th Precinct, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, enumeration district 70, sheet 10B, dwelling 151, family 229, entry for Harry Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); NARA microfilm T625, roll 833. [10] Minneapolis City Directory for 1893-94 (Minneapolis: Harrison & Smith, 1893), 884. [11] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory for 1894-5 (Minneapolis: Harrison & Smith, 1894), 581. [12] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory, Vol. XXV, 1897 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1897), 714, 1417. [13] Ibid, (1899), 1211, 1542. [14] Ibid, (1900), 1301, 1652. [15] Ibid, (1901), 1259. [16] “Notice to the Public,” The Minneapolis Journal, 15 May 1902, p. 10. [17] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory, Vol. XXX, 1902 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1902), 20. [18] Ibid, (1903), 1526. [19] Ibid, (1905), 1656; (1906), 1794; (1907), 1579; (1908), 1472; (1909), 1497; (1910), 1472; (1911), 1689; (1912), 1787. [20] Ibid, (1913), 1763; (1914), 2376. [21] Ibid, (1915), 1898; (1916), 2018; (1917), 2043; (1918), 1655. [22] Ibid, (1919), 599, 1708, 2123; (1920), 1893; (1921), 1993, 2467. [23] Ibid, (1922), 1936. [24] Ibid, (1923), 2096. [25] Ibid, (1924), 2132; (1925), 2062; (1926), 2183; (1927), 2205; (1928), 2256; (1929), 2217. [26] Ibid, (1930), 1498. [27] Ibid, (1934), 1227. [28] Minneapolis Directory Company’s Minneapolis (Minnesota) City Directory Vol. 1938 LXVI (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1938), 1401. [29] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory, vol. XXXIV, 1906 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1906), 1794. [30] Ibid, (1908), 1472. [31] Ibid, (1909), 1497; (1910), 1472; (1911), 1689; (1912), 1787. [32] Ibid, (1915), 1898. [33] Ibid, (1916), 2018. [34] Ibid, (1917), 2043; (1918), 1655. [35] “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K87K-V21 : accessed 19 Apr 2014), Benjamin H. Starr, 1917-1918; citing Minneapolis City no 3, Minnesota, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1675613. [36] “Los Angeles Directory Co’s Los Angeles City Directory (Los Angeles: Los Angeles Directory Company, 1920), 2054; (1921), 2378; (1923), 2091; (1926), 1890. [37] Ibid, (1927), 1856; (1929), 2025. [38] Ibid, (1932), 1266, 2012, 2582. [39] Ibid, (1936), 1727. [40] Ibid, (1938), 1961; (1939), 1984. [41] “United States Census, 1930,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X3ZF-F5H : accessed 18 Mar 2014), Harry H Starr, Minneapolis (Districts 1-250), Hennepin, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0063, sheet 10A, family 173, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1092. On the census, Harry’s age is given as 56 and Dora’s as 48. He said he was 28 at the time of marriage, and she was 20. That computes to a marriage date of about 1902. Also, their daughter Loretta married Morris Hainrick on 18 September 1927 at Minneapolis: Minnesota Association of County Officer, Minnesota Official Marriage System, index, (https://www.moms.mn.gov : accessed 24 Apr 2014), Loretta Starr and Morris Hainrick, Hennepin County, 18 Sep 1927. Also, Loretta’s death record gives her mother’s maiden name as Levey: Ancestry.com. Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc. 2001, entry for Loretta Hainrick, state file number 2001-MN-501821, Hennepin County, 24 Jan 2001. [42] 1920 U.S. census, 6th Precinct, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, enumeration district 70, sheet 10B, dwelling 151, family 229, entry for Harry Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); NARA microfilm T625, roll 833. The daughters are ages 16, 14, and 9 on the census. [43] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory, Vol. XXXIII, 1905 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1905), 1656; Ibid, (1906), 1794; (1907), 1579; (1908), 1472. [44] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory, Vol. XXXVII, 1909 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1909), 1497. They are found at that address as late as 1934. See Minneapolis Directory Company’s Minneapolis (Minnesota) City Directory (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1934), 1227. [45] Minneapolis Directory Company’s Minneapolis (Minnesota) City Directory, 1938 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1938), 1401. Harry’s death certificate (1941) gives the same address. [46] Minnesota State Department of Health, death certificate no. 223353 4248 (1941), Harry H. Starr; Division of Birth and Death Records and Vital Statistics, St. Paul. [47] “Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V44V-RNL : accessed 18 Mar 2014), Dora Starr, 22 Aug 1961; citing “Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002,” Ancestry.com; Hennepin Minnesota, record 1476195, certificate number 025304, Department of Health, Minneapolis. [48] “Minnesota, Marriages, 1849-1950,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FD8R-GQW : accessed 18 Mar 2014), Benjamin Starr and Florence Rose, 22 Nov 1904; citing FHL microfilm 1380445. [49] 1920 U.S. census, Township of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, California, enumeration district 378, sheet 12A, dwelling 236, family 356, entry for Benjamin Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); NARA microfilm T625, roll 113. [50] Davison’s Minneapolis City Directory, Vol. XXXIII, 1905 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Directory Company, 1905), 1656; (1906), 1794; (1907), 1579; (1908), 1472. [51] Ibid, (1909), 1497; (1910), 1472; (1911), 1689. [52] Ibid, (1912), 1787; (1913), 1763; (1914), 1924; (1915), 1898; (1916), 2018; (1917), 2043; (1918), 1655. [53] Los Angeles Directory Co’s Los Angeles City Directory, 1920 (Los Angeles: Los Angeles Directory Company, 1920), 2054. [54] Ibid, (1926), 1890. [55] 1930 U.S. census, Los Angeles Township, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, enumeration district 19-265, sheet 14A, dwelling 151, family 362, entry for Benjamin Starr; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2012); Family History Library microfilm 2339878. [56] Los Angeles Directory Co’s Los Angeles City Directory, 1942 (Los Angeles: Los Angeles Directory Co., 1942), 2285. [57] California Department of Public Health, death certificate no. 46 001471 3827 (1972), Florence Starr; State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Sacramento. [58] California Department of Public Health, death certificate no. 7097-041760 (1946), Benjamin H. Starr; State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Sacramento. [59] Minnesota State Department of Health, death certificate no. 223353 4248 (1941), Harry H. Starr; Division of Birth and Death Records and Vital Statistics, St. Paul. [60] California Department of Public Health, death certificate no. 46 001471 3827 (1946), Benjamin H. Starr; State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Sacramento. |