Helen and Abraham, Circa 1920

Here's a quick note from Uncle Danny...

My grandfather, Nathan, came to this country sometime between 1880 and 1890. - figure 1885. My father was born in 1895 in New York City. My father was originally named Abraham (Not Abram or any other config).

However, he was also called "Alter."
Why ? Because he was the first baby of this union between my grandfather, Nathan and his first wife (who died relatively young) and lived. There were about 3-5 children who did not survive their first year prior to his birth. However, "Alter" translates also to Elder and frequently, in that society, the first-born were nicknamed Alter, after all, they were the oldest of that family's children. Further, the name "Alter" also translates to "Arthur". Arthur became his name to all who knew him, but his official Hebrew/Jewish name was Abraham.

Now, when my father was on his death-bed, the ultra-religious Jews (on my mother's side) decided that the Angel of Death was coming to get him (and after all, he did die ultimately). To fool the Angel of Death, they officially changed his Jewish/Hebrew name to Alter - Arthur from "Abraham". That should clear up the misconceptions.

From Neal, He Died 1945 or 1946, Interred at Welwood Cemetery, NY 

Mother: 

Father: Nathan Lipner

Brother: 

Spouse:Helen Rachael Feuer 

Children: Bernice, Daniel, Judy, Scott