I was told by Martin Cohen who had lived at 1818 Mohegan Avenue (near Crotona Park) in the Bronx along with Harris and Uncle Itchy that Itch was physically a very strong man. He would sleep in the attic (not wanting to impose on anyone) but in the summer when it was too hot up there he would sleep on the porch. As he had no money, he would wake up in the morning and go looking outside the cigar shops for any scraps of cigarettes and what not to smoke or to form together into a new cigarette to smoke. He would also go to the bakery to find any crust of bread they had thrown away so he could eat something. He did not want to free-load on his relations. Martin had a completely fond memory of the man, and the mere mention of his quirky name brought him a smile. He seemed to admire Itch. I also have a vague recollection that Marty said Itch once fell from a great height but was not injured. Interesting since he was a man of advanced years. Itch would also wander off for days at a time.
My mother told me that she heard that Itch ran a junk yard, seeling scrap metal etc.
Some other stories are that Harris wanted very much to marry Ida (Ita) Markowitz whose family was very poor, as were probably most all the Jews then in lower Manhattan. Her father refused, obstensibly because Harris was not religious enough for him. (Also the daughter was apparently less than interested.) Harris prevailed by promising to set up each of the Markowitz's in businesses. They married and Ida was probably not very happy. But Harris was good on his word. He set up all the Markowitz's in business. Sometimes even for cousins of the original family. Bib felt his father helped them too much, and to the detriment of Harris's own children. When one of the Markowitz's changed his name to Markham to sound less Jewish, Bib remarked that he had traded his wits and gotten ham.
Another story took place in the cellar of the house, perhaps 1818 Mohegan Avenue. Harris was down there turning the coals to get the last extra bit of burn out of them when Bib came down to discuss going to Cornell. Harris said he would have fifty dollars sent up each month and Bib could retrieve it from the Dean. Bib was upset at being treated like a child. He felt he should be given a lump sum so he could take more control of his life. Harris refused, and so Bib decided not to go to Cornell under such conditions. He took all sorts of work instead. He was a councellor at Camp Swago where he met Hilda, the owner's daughter. He hiked the Apalachian Trail. And eventually he was his father's driver.
Bib's mother died when Bib was about 12 years old. Bib resented that his father made him go to synagogue to say kaddish when he himself didn't go. This accounts, in part, for Bib's distain for or at least lack of interest in religious affairs. Truth be said, and in Harris's defense, saying kaddish by the husband is only for 30 days whereas the son should say kaddish for eleven months, though we still cannot explain why Harris wouldn't accompany his son to shul.
The story of the courtship of Hilda is generally understood to have been that they corresponded from 1926 till 1930. That the status of there relationship was unclear and that the correspondance really consisted of Hilda sending Bib a birthday card each year. But one year, 1930 probably, she didn't send one. Bib got nervous and immediately went to her to propose.
Hilda was receptive, but Harris did not councel the idea. Hilda's family was out of money and not worthy to marry into his family. So Bib and Hilda eloped. [Gabriel is sure that Bib was the one sending the birthday card. And when Hilda didn't receive one one year, she got nervous that Bib had gotten engaged to someone else. It was she who rushed to see him and precipitate their marriage. ]
But some physical evidence has come into my hand which tells a slightly more weighty story. In May of 1926, sometime after their meeting in Swago, Hilda gave Bib a gold filled waltham watch inscribe H.B. to A.D. May '26. (The watch has since been stolen). This seems to be the usual sort of thing given as an engagement present. This suggests that Bib and Hilda must have met with Harris's refusal in 1926 and decided to hold off and wait for HD to come-around. But after four years Hilda must have started to despair of this ever happening. When Bib realized this from the lack of the birthday card, he must have gone to elope with her. I have a New York State marriage license dated 5 Feb. 1930 and a Jewish Ketubah dated 16 Feb. 1930. The latter may indicate that after the marriage was a done deal, Harris agreed to have a Jewish ceremony. Harris only gave them a set of silver place setting after they had a son. This may have been simply vanity, or it may have been evidence of Harris's resistance to accepting the marriage which was only overcome by the cementing nature of a first child.
It is telling that Harris married a poorer woman by using his wealth, but wanted his son to marry only a wealthy woman. Embarrassment at his own deed? A Feeling of having reached a higher class now? A natural tedency of people to use their money only for themselves. It at least show the Harris felt money should be the factor on which a marriage should be based, which ever way the money was flowing.
I have found a Harris Danzig burried at Mount Judah Cemetery in plot number 1-W-032 by the Society named UZDA A'A'A' whatever that means. Date of death given is 9/12/1941 which is plausible, but I have no way to confirm this.
I visited the grave in July 2008 and found that it is in fact his. The death date is given as September 11th, 1941 and the Hebrew name is Zvi Hirsch Ben Abraham. No birth date is given but it is written age 71 years.
The plot is located in the back in section W6.
The address of the Mount Judah Cemetery is
81-14 Cypress Avenue
Ridgewood, NY 11385
718-821-1060
1818 Mohegan Avenue is where Harris lived, in the Bronx. Marty Cohen lived there with him for most of the 30's and forties along with I think Abe Cohen, Marty's dad, our great uncle.
Hilda and Bib lived on 48th street near 13th avenue in Brooklyn, what is now subnamed Bobov Place, after the Bobov Hassidim that live thereabouts. They then moved to Washington Square where Elanore Roosevelt resided also.
The story goes that little Phillip was going to school one morning - he must have been 6 or 7 - and he met Mrs. Roosevelt in the vestibule. She said to him, "Little boy, can I give you a ride to school?" Phil responded, "No thank you. My mother told me never to go with people who talk like that." Mrs. Roosevelt laughed.
After about 6 months Belove informed Bib that he was moving the operation and all his machinery to a new location. Thus leaving Bib without his tenent. So did Belove trick Bib. Bib then had to look for a new renter. Eventually he found a Church that want to rent the space. He rented it to them but they were inconsistent with their payments. Eventually, they told Bib they wanted to buy the space, and Bib sold it at a very low price.
By 1960 Bib had $60,000. A third he gave to his old friend Salwin Shufro to invest for him. With a third he bought land in Florida , which turned out to be swamp and he lost entirely. And a third he used to buy the apartemnt at 70 East Tenth Street, Apt 7W. Hilda would live off that money with Shufro and her Social Security for over 20 years.
When HD died he left his children equal shares in a Building on Union Square Park. They rented the store front to a shoe store. I think it was called something like Kiddy Shoes. At some point the sisters decided they wanted to sell the building and get the money. So Bib being the only man was given the duty of selling it. Bib turned to a relative, a Markowitz to help him find a buyer. Markowitz found a buyer and they sold it. It later turned out that this buyer was in partnership with Markowitz and they in turn sold the building immediately to a different person for twice the price, or there about. Thus Bib was swindled by his relative.
When HD died the house he had been living in at 1818 Moheegan Avenue was given to Abe and Belle Cohen since they had been living there with HD at that time. At some point they sold that house. Belle also died in the 1950's and Abe remarried.
Near the end of 1940 while Bib was still working at Belove he bought a new Cadillac. It was the first automatic transmission, called a "hydromatic." It was a pretty fancy car and he and my father were very proud of it. Within a short amount of time, World War II was declared and all automotive factories stopped producing cars and produced tanks, jeeps and planes instead. Thus noone had new cars anymore, except Bib, who had gotten just about the last new car made. But Bib felt guilty to be driving a nice new cadillac when the country was in a period of austerity, so he sold the car. Later Hilda joined a volunteer women's auxiliary which collected junk metal for war use.