This is a timeline of known major events in Sprinze’s life. Sprinze was wife to Sam Rothman, and mother to Morris Rothman.

I don’t have a lot of concrete, detailed information as yet on Sprinze. Her name was sometimes spelled Sprintze or Sprintza (as it appears on her gravesite). There were an incredible number of Rothmans in New York City around the time of his arrival and that of Sprinze’s family in the early 1900s. It appears that Sprinze is the original birth name, which was never Americanized after her arrival from Russian Poland. Sprinze and one of her children, Rachel, emigrated from Russian Poland via Rotterdam aboard the S.S. Potsdam (arriving in New York City on 16 May 1907. Sprinze was about 49 years old at that time. SPrinze reported her destination was to meet her husband, care of Max Vatenburg (or Wattenburg). During my research into the movements of Sprinze’s husband, Sam, who arrived before her and also listed Max as his USA sponsor, it was noted that Max was Sam’s son-in-law. Max’s wife, Molly, was Sam and Sprinze’s daughter, and had arrived in the USA prior to her parents’ arrival. (Another sister, Rose, seems to have accompanied her, and the couple’s son, Morris – our direct ancestor – traveled separately to the USA and arrived a few months after his father but before his mother and sister Rachel). Max and Molly had only been in the USA for a year or two before Sam arrived.

The 1910 U.S Federal Census shows that Sprinze reported having given birth to 15 children, but only five were living at that time. I have identified four of those five living children in the USA. Molly (1885-1968) was the eldest, followed by Rose (abt. 1889-1959), then our direct ancestor Morris (1889-abt. 1971 – still trying to pin his death date down), and then Rachel “Ray” (1891-?). It is possible the fifth living child may have been older and elected to remain in Russian Poland rather than emigrating, since when Sam and Sprinze left the country, they were already in their 40s. That would make sense, given the ages of the couple, and the deceased children were also all likely born and buried in Russian Poland. Again, should I come across additional information to confirm these suppositions, I will be updating accordingly.

As mentioned in the Milgrom discussions, people often listed the nearest large city or well-known region as their place of birth on documents or in conversation when in fact they may have been born in a shtetl (small village, usually one or just a few families strong). I have not seen any documentation for either Sprinze, her husband Sam, or their children that states any other birth location for any of them other than Lodz. “Grodno” is mentioned at least once (in some of the documentation for Rose), but that refers to something more akin to a county/province/regional government designation rather than a town or city. Lodz was, at that time, located with the Grodno region. Neither Sprinze nor Sam were ever naturalized as American citizens, although Henry Milgrom was and by extension, so was his wife Mary. Both Sam and Sprinze’s son Morris (our direct ancestor) did naturalize, as did Henry and Mary Milgrom’s daughter, Beatrice (another direct ancestor, who married Morris).

Sprinze and daughter Rachel arrived 16 May 1907 on the S. S. Potsdam, sailing from the port of Rotterdam. Morris had already arrived separately (15 Oct 1906 on the S. S. Nieuw Amsterdam out of Rotterdam), not long after his father, Sam, on 22 July 1906.

In the 1915 New York State Census, Sprinze does not appear in the record with her husband, Sam, though he is listed as married and father-in-law to the head of household (Hymen Cohen, married to Sam’s daughter Rose). I have not located Sprinze yet in the census record for that year, but her death certificate index states she died at the Beth Abraham Home. At that time, the Beth Abraham Home was more of an institution than a hospital. Information on the history of the Beth Abraham Home located on their website shows that in the early 1900s, the Beth Abraham Home was known as the “Beth Abraham Home for Incurables.” It is pure speculation on my part, but I can’t help but think perhaps Sprinze had developed a condition such as early-onset Alzheimer’s or something else of significance, and was moved there or somewhere else for care between the 1910 federal census (she was with Sam in their home there) and the 1915 census. Sam’s residence with his daughter and her husband was located not too far from where the Beth Abraham Home for Incurables was situated, which would mean it would have been easy for him (and Rose, perhaps) to visit Sprinze relatively often. Sprinze was 68 years old when she passed away on 21 December 1926.

I have not yet ordered the death certificates for either Sprinze or Sam. Having ordered the death certificate for Mary (Wolkowitz) Milgrom, who died in 1924, I know that formal death certificates of the type we are used to now were really relatively new at that time – less than 5 years old, in fact. Sprinze died in 1926. Because New York City is so large, it is much easier and quicker to receive vital records if you have the actual certificate number. If you do, it can be simply located, pulled, copied or scanned, and that’s that (after receiving payment, of course). I have heard of people who have paid for certificates of various kinds without the number, and paid money for a fruitless search. One of the genealogical societies to which I belong is the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, which is one of (if not THE) oldest such societies in the USA. The NYG&BS keeps members up to date on scanning and archiving progress, among other things, so although I do not yet have the death certificate numbers for Sprinze or Sam, I do have the death dates and burial information. I am watching to see when the index with certificate numbers will pop up, and I will be ordering their death certificates at that time.

Sprinze (Markowitz) died on 21 December 1926 and is buried in the Mount Hebron Cemetery, located in Flushing (Queens), New York. She and her husband, Samuel, are both buried there, in the section sponsored by the Lodzer True Brothers society. Sprinze’s name on the gravesite as shown on the Mount Hebron Cemetery website along with BillionGraves+ and Find-A-Grave is spelled “Sprintza.”

Sprinze (Markowitz) Rothman’s parents:

• Father: Leibush Markowitz
• Mother: Esther (maiden name unknown) Markowitz