Samuel Sobel

My grandfather was a barber, so he worked with the public.

North Philadelphia

I don’t have much information but I’ll share what I know.

My grandfather, Samuel Sobel, was a barber, so he worked with the public. He developed the flu as well as his son, my Uncle Lou, who was 6. Both were hospitalized at the old Lankenau Hospital. My uncle did not do well and they were told he would die.

Postcard image of Lankenau Hospital, previously known as German Hospital, circa 1912. Via Old Images of Philadelphia on Facebook.

He did turn around and recover, but my grandfather, who was in his early 30’s suddenly worsened and died. My grandfather was an immigrant from Hungary and my grandmother was an immigrant from Russia. She went to work cleaning houses.

Death Certificate of Samuel Sobel. Courtesy of the PA Department of Records via Ancestry.com.

My uncle and my father, ages 6 and 7 were sent to the Jewish Orphan Home in Germantown and my aunt who was a baby, stayed with my grandmother as she worked. I’m not sure how long my father and my uncle stayed in “the home”. I know they went to Pierce Elementary school and Gratz HS. My father quit HS in his sophomore year and started working.

Contributed by Barbara Sobel Roumaya, Granddaughter of Samuel Sobel.