Gruskins as Whitneys

Question

I have been trying to improve the biography of Anne Fogarty, a notable fashion designer, born Minnie Janet Gruskin.

It appears that she sometimes, including in her Social Security records, used the surname Whitney in place of Gruskin.

Her biographies at Wikipedia and encyclopedia.com (also here) and that of her sister offer no satisfactory explanation for the change of surname.

Can anybody come up with a proper rationale for this?

Answer 1

On reading Anne Fogarty's bio I see it says that on Social Security documents it lists her parents as Robert Whitney and Marion Bosaroneff, which as you will see is entirely correct. The profile research notes discuss the entry for Minnie by encyclopedia.com which "seems" to conflate the Whitney and Groskin families.

However when you read the Wikipedia entry for Minnie it explains it clearly in the para "Early Life". When Robert Whitney and Marion Bosaroneff immigrated about 1908/09 (before Minnie was born) from Cape Town, they changed their names to Robert and Henrietta Groskin.

That seems to explain it. Her last name at birth might still be Whitney if the parents did not do a legal name change. So Groskin would be considered an Alias.

Comments

You're right, Lorraine - the primary sources are more consistent with a change of surname from Whitney to Gruskin than from Gruskin to Whitney, as is stated in the secondary sources.

But there must be some deeper explanation, given that only the father's first name matches between Anne Fogarty's birth record and her social security record:
Robert Gruskin & Henrietta Lipschiitz on the birth record are Robert Whitney and Marion Bosoroneff in the social security record.

I was initially reluctant to make a profile for Anne's mother, but have now done so, using the name on her two American-born children's birth records.

---

I wonder if Marion just felt like being a Henrietta or if she did not want any of her german family to find her. Robert Whitney does not sound like a Lithuanian name and you wouldn't think he would want to change it, but Isaac Reuban (Robert) Gruskin seems more fitting? Is the Lithuanian background made up too? He kept Robert as a nickname, interesting.

---

I haven't found any German connection.

I've updated the father's biography to say that he appears to have been born in present-day Lithuania, in what was then part of Russia. The passenger list^[2] documenting his arrival in the United States gives his birthplace as Kroki, Russia, apparently the small town now known as Krakės. His petition for naturalization^[1] gives his birthplace (and that of his second wife) as Kovna, Lithuania, apparently the large city now known as Kaunas, over 70km to the south.

---

Sorry, I have too many balls in the air. But I have more time now. I was on Robert's profile and was reading the naturalization paperwork, thinking that the dots don't line up. Robert was a Groskin when he arrived in NY in 1908 but his wife was neither Henrietta or Marion. She was Essie Minnie Grosnik.

In the naturalization records Robert says he entered the U.S. at New York in 1911 seeking permanent residence, his first two children, Lillian b. 1908 and Cecilia b. 1912, were both born in South Africa.  Then Max b 1916 and Minnie b. 1918 in Pennsylvania. The paperwork was done in 1940 so his memory wasn't so great. 

But his immigration record (1908) shows Isaac Reuben Groskin , Citizen of England (this must be an error, unless he resided in Southhampton, England for some time before immigration), Race: Hebrew, last residence was Clermont South Africa where they stayed with family.  He was traveling with his wife Essie Minnie Groskin age 25, b. 1883,  and two children, Chai? Liha? Groskin age 2, b. 1906, Feigi Terne? infant <12 months b. 1907/8. (assuming these are Cecilia and Lillian)

So Isaac would have left England before 1906 if both children were born in South Africa. He was 20 years old in abt. 1900, so he left Lithuania (which was part of Russia until 1917) sometime between abt 1900 to 1905. 

Essie Minnie Grosnik died in Pennsylvania sometime before 1922, which is the date that Robert remarried to Sarah. 

This is interesting http://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGPR-N74N

---

That seems to be a completely different Isaac and Sarah having children in Philadelphia, as they had a child there in 1906:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBT3-GTS

See also

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K9V-TX1P

and

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HFQX-743Z

---

Yes after looking at it for a while I see that is the case. This whole "Whitney" thing seems a bit of a rabbit hole. If you are to find an answer then I think you would have to trace them in South Africa before they "supposedly" changed their name.  It makes no sense. Whitney is hardly a Lithuanian name. If not Lithuanian, why would an Englishman by the name of Whitney become Gruskin of Lithuania? You would think if it was a thing in the family that some relative would have spilled the beans by now?? Wikipedia doesn't seem to have any primary sources to support their article, they are simply repeating what others have written

---

I'm beginning to suspect that it was Poppy and/or Anne who changed surnames from Gruskin to Whitney after they left home in the 1920s and 1930s respectively, and before the first of their many marriages. I found Anne as Whitney in the 1940 census, and Poppy's obituary may just have understandably wrongly inferred her parents' names from the facts that she was Anne's sister and that Anne had changed her name.  But why change her mother's maiden surname as well as her own name?

---

Could Minnie Gruskin have been an admirer of an earlier Anne Whitney (whose own WikiTree profile could use some TLC)?

---

In the 1940 census she is a model. (? how do we know for a fact that the Anne Whitney on the 1940 census is the same person? ) Perhaps it was decided that "Minnie Gruskin" as a name wasn't going to help her further her career. She may have chosen " Anne Whitney" as more american and more memorable, an artist alias? And the age thing, a models curse.....not surprised she was fudging that. But giving incorrect names for her parents is odd, was it a done thing back then? The census could have been an error but not with the name showing up in the social security application as well. Wonder what year she made the social security application? Her father was still alive in 1940, so even odder.

Your bio for Minnie is coming along nicely. That other Anne Whitney died in 1915, can't imagine it was on Minnie's radar but you never know.

---

Here is an interesting entry by user Malabu in 2012 (4th entry) "Anne Fogerty/Poppy Cannon parentage confusion" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012_April_18

Answer 2

This is very interesting. Remember the immigration document for Robert Gruskin. He states he was visiting a relative by the name of A. Pollock who was a cousin and uncle. I searched for Janet Gruskin in Kittaning Pennsylvania on FS and up popped this 1920 census record for a Jennie Gruskin married to Arthur Gruskin (possibly a brother to Isaac Rueben Gruskin? his sister is also in the household, Anna Gruskin). The family tree attached to this record is for a Jennie POLLOCK. 

Census https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6TX-271

Pollock Family Tree http://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KGXM-4WB

Comments

Isaac Reuben Gruskin - parents Chaim Zelig Gruskin and Chaya Sorre Nurrick. -grandparents Meyer Chaim Grussky and Tserne! 

On the immigration record the 2yr old has the same designation of "Chai" followed by Liha (Lillian?). And the baby (Feigi Terne?) had the same name as her paternal gx2 grandmother Tserne.

Isaac Reuben "Robert" Gruskin's whole family (including his parents) immigrated to the US, all ending up in Pennsylvania. I also see his brother John M. Gruskin in Kanning in 1920.

Here is Minnie in the 1910 Census, proving her birth date of 1910. Also Robert's brother John is in the household. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGHJ-LY8

From all of this I don't think that Robert was ever a Whitney. He is without a doubt a Grusnik. Is it possible that somehow the Anne Whitney on the 1940 Census has been conflated with this family?? That Minnie is not Anne Fogarty at all!

---

I think we need a sticker for rabbit holes.

---

Yes!... 

Answer 3

Robert Gruskin and Sarah in 1940 Census

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQMD-DPG

This is likely Sarah Gruskin's naturalization. Date of marriage to Robert Gruskin given as 1922 in Pittsburgh, placing the divorce of Robert and Ette Minna "Henrrietta" Lipschitz sometime between the 1920 census and 1922.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z2H4-KL6Z

This one has a picture of Sarah! https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99HF-TPCQ?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AZ2ZH-L4W2&action=view

Have not been able to find them yet in the 1930 census. Robert's naturalization says he was residing in the Bronx since 1928. But possibly he was still in Pennsylvania?? 

Robert Gruskin was never Robert Whitney, and he was never married to a Marion. But what if his first wife remarried after the divorce? The divorce happened before 1922 when Robert marries Sarah. In 1926 Lillian lists her mother as Henrrietta Basarnif and her father as Robert Whitney. Minnie lists her mother as Marion Bosordonoff and her father as Robert Whitney. Ette Minna Gruskin often went by Henrrietta, can't explain the Marion that Minnie used.. What if she remarried, first to an Unknown Basarnif or Bosordonoff,  but then married again to a Robert Whitney by 1926 that would explain this. But Ette shows up in the 1930 census as divorced, using the name of Gruskin and Minnie doesn't make her social security application until 1937. So married to Whitney before 1926 and divorced by 1930. Minnie must have felt Whitney was more of a father to her than Robert Gruskin. 

I have looked for a marriage record for "Henrrietta" Etta Minna using all her surnames (Lipschitz, Gruskin, Basarnif etc.)  but no luck. So can't prove any of it, but it seems a more likely explanation than the "name change" thing that seems to have become an urban myth!

The only two children, that I have found so far, that have listed their parents this way are Minnie and Lillian. 

Comments

This may not be the same person as Robert Gruskin but it looks likely. I was not able to find any reference to him being a photographer but the name, location all match. https://patents.google.com/patent/US1372347/en

Update , Lillian's Find A Grave Bio mentions he was a photographer. The patent is his!

 Also says Ette Minna Gruskin spent time in a mental institution, must be why I can't find her in the 1940 census? https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172870414/lillian-cannon-white