• This Day in Goodlove History, September 7
• By Jeffery Lee Goodlove
• jefferygoodlove@aol.com
•
• Surnames associated with the name Goodlove have been spelled the following different ways; Cutliff, Cutloaf, Cutlofe, Cutloff, Cutlove, Cutlow, Godlib, Godlof, Godlop, Godlove, Goodfriend, Goodlove, Gotleb, Gotlib, Gotlibowicz, Gotlibs, Gotlieb, Gotlob, Gotlobe, Gotloeb, Gotthilf, Gottlieb, Gottliebova, Gottlob, Gottlober, Gottlow, Gutfrajnd, Gutleben, Gutlove
•
• The Chronology of the Goodlove, Godlove, Gottlob, Gottlober, Gottlieb (Germany) etc., and Allied Families of Battaile, (France), Crawford (Scotland), Harrison (England), Jackson (Ireland), LeClere (France), Lefevre (France), McKinnon (Scotland), Plantagenets (England), Smith (England), Stephenson (England?), Vance (Ireland from Normandy), and Winch (England, traditionally Wales), including correspondence with -George Rogers Clarke, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.
•
• The Goodlove/Godlove/Gottlieb families and their connection to the Cohenim/Surname project:
• New Address! http://www.familytreedna.com/public/goodlove/default.aspx
•
• This project is now a daily blog at:
• http://thisdayingoodlovehistory.blogspot.com/
• Goodlove Family History Project Website:
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/g/o/o/Jeffery-Goodlove/
•
• Books written about our unique DNA include:
• “Abraham’s Children, Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People” by Jon Entine.
•
• “ DNA & Tradition, The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews” by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman, 2004.
“Jacob’s Legacy, A Genetic View of Jewish History” by David B. Goldstein, 2008.
•
• My thanks to Mr. Levin for his outstanding research and website that I use to help us understand the history of our ancestry. Go to http://thisdayinjewishhistory.blogspot.com/ for more information. “For more information about the Weekly Torah Portion or the History of Jewish Civilization go to the Temple Judah Website http://www.templejudah.org/ and open the Adult Education Tab "This Day...In Jewish History " is part of the study program for the Jewish History Study Group in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Happy Birthday MOM!
Birthdays on this date; Mary T. Winch, Susan Truax, Michael Stewart, Raymond McKee, Harry Godlove, Connie L. Edgington
Weddings on this date; Danna Davis and Duane R. Perius, Harriet E. Booth and George F. LeClere, Eliza C. LeClere and Morris Bebb, Cynthia A. Craig and John Bates.
In the News!
Israel troops kill Gaza gunman in incursion
First Posted: 9/6/11 04:05 PM ET Updated: 9/7/11 01:30 AM ET
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed a Palestinian gunman and wounded two civilians during an incursion into the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, militants and medical sources said.
The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an armed faction largely independent of Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers, said its men battled Israeli troops who crossed the border near Khan Younis and that one militant died in an air strike.
Hospital officials said two Palestinian civilians, a father and son, suffered shrapnel wounds in the incident.
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed that troops had operated inside Gaza, calling it "a routine operational activity following an operational assessment" but giving no more details.
Previously such incursions have been mounted to clear suspected gun nests or mines laid by militants to ambush Israeli border patrols.
After the soldiers came under mortar attack, Israel's air force struck the Palestinians responsible for the launch, the military spokesman said.
Israel blamed the PRC for a cross-border raid last month in which eight Israelis died.
The PRC, which lost its top leaders in a retaliatory Israeli air strike, denied involvement, and Gaza saw a surge of fighting in which Hamas rocket crews also took part.
The PRC member killed on Tuesday was identified by the group as a commander of its rocket crews.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams)[1]
In a message dated 9/6/2011 7:16:15 P.M. Central Daylight Time, JPT@donationnet.net writes:
I Get Email!
“If the Christians make problems, I will
exterminate them”
Dear Jeffery,
Sheikh 'Adel Shehato, a senior official in Egyptian Islamic Jihad, told an Egyptian newspaper that though his group is running a slate in the Egyptian elections, he doesn’t believe in democracy. “It is not the faith of Muslims, but the faith of Christians and Jews. Once Allah's law is applied, the role of the people will end, and Allah will reign supreme,” he said. He further promised that if the terrorist organization gains power, they will launch a worldwide armed campaign to institute Islamic sharia law. “The Christian is free to worship his God in his church, but if the Christians make problems for Muslims, I will exterminate them.”
Shehato, along with many other Egyptian candidates, has called for the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel to be revisited. Israel shares a 150-mile border with Egypt, and recent terrorists have taken advantage of the desert regions of Sinai to infiltrate Israel. Israeli troops and warships have been assigned to the region, and tension between the two nations is rising. Israel faces this looming threat at the same time it is facing the crucial UN vote on Palestinian statehood in just a few days.
Your ambassador to Jerusalem,
Dr. Michael Evans
This Day…
September 7, 1191: During the Third Crusade, King Richard, the Lionhearted, captured Jaffa but throughout the remainder of 1191 and into the summer of 1192, he was unable to realize his ultimate goal of recapturing Jerusalem. Richard was facing Saladin, the Muslim leader who readmitted the Jews to Jerusalem in 1190. Richard would leave the Holy Land and end up in an Austrian dungeon. His brother Prince John would pillage the English people to raise the ransom; the Jewish people were a special target for the Richard’s avoricious brother who would one day become King of England.[2]
September 7, 1533
On September 7, 1533 Queen Elizabeth was born.[3]
1533
The Hungarian version of the Bible by Benedek Komjatie (1533) was based on Erasmus.[4]
September 7. 1654: Twenty-three of the Jews aboard ships eventually arrived in New Amsterdam (New Netherland/New York) on September 7, 1654. There are at least two versions of the story of how these Jews came to settle in New Amsterdam. One version is that the original ship was captured by pirates at one point. The Jews were subsequently taken aboard the French ship the St. Charles, and this ship brought them to New Amsterdam. According to Wiznitzer, there was no capture by pirates. Instead, the Jews were driven by adverse winds to Spanish-held Jamaica. From there they boarded the small French frigate, Sainte Catherine, which took them to New Amsterdam.”[5]
September 7, 1654 Jews expelled from Recife, Brazil, forced to leave by the Catholic Portuguese. THESE WERE THE FIRST JEWS IN AMERICA, the sefardins, who settled in Manhattan.[2][6] Arriving in what was then Called New Amsterdam, they became the pioneers of the American Jewish community. They arrived on a French frigate called the St. Catherine. Their unofficial leader was Asser Levy. Governor Peter Stuyvesant did not want the Jews to remain. Eventually they were allowed to stay with the stipulations that “The poor among them shall not become a burden to the community, but be supported by their own nation.” This statement would find fulfillment in a variety of Jewish immigrant aid societies and other such philanthropic endeavors. [1][7]
September 7, 1654: A petition by Jacques de la Motthe, the French master of the ship St. Charles requested payment for Jews and their freight which he brought to New Amsterdam from Cape St. Anthony. He said there were “23 souls, big and little, who must pay equally.” After a week passed, the Jews belongings were put up for auction, and it was said many Christians bought the Jews belongings only to give them back to the Jews.[8]
September 7, 1762: At court held in Frederick County, Virginia, September 1762.
This indenture made the 7th, Sept.(September 7, 1762) in the year of our Lord 1762 between Valentine Crawford and Sarah his wife of the County of Frederick and Colony of Virginia of one part and Jacob Townsend clerk and Batchelor of Arts of the other part... in consideration of 30 Ls. current money... a certain tract of land granted to said Valentine Crawford by patent bearing date the 21st day of June, 1754 lying and being situate in the county upon the east side of Opeckon joining Jacob Hite’s late survey Dr. Stephen’s Hollings— worth and John McMahan and Opeckon and bounded as by a survey made by John Daylis showeth begining at 3 pines on the east bank of Opeckon and runnng thence N 61 E 61 ‘ 27 poles to a red oak said to be the corner of Stephen Hollingworth’s land thence with his line A 41 poles to a Spanish oak red oak and white oak saplins corner to John McMahan’s late survey thence with his line 13° E202 to 2 locust, corner to the said McMahan .. . Colonel Adam Stephen’s line thence with Colonel Stephen’s line S 70 34 poles to 2 hicc— orys (hickorys) white oak and red oak saplins corner to said Stephen’s in line of Jacob Kite’s late survey thence with Mr. Hite’s lines No. 1 30 W 84 poles to red oak and hiccory on the bank of Opeckon thence down the meandore of the same N 23 W 25 poles N 61 JV 30 poles to the begining containing 100 acres together with an entry warrant for one hundred and 70.0 acres of land adjoining Mr. Jacob Hite’s southwards and the said granted tract and all improvements, waters water courses...
Signed Valentine Crawford
Sarah Crawford
Witnesses: Thomas Specke
David Shepherd
Elijah Isaacs
At court held for Frederick County, Va. September 7, 1762 the same was ordered to be recorded.
James Keith, C.C~.[9]
September 7, 1769; Dined alone. Val Crawford’s wagon came up for my goods in the evening.[10]
September 7, 1771; Rid into the Neck in the morning early from thence to the mill. Mr. Crawford came here in the afternoon.[11]
September 7, 1777
On the afternoon of the 7th, several battalions from Newark were seen in the vicinity of our outposts, whereupon the entire army received orders to march at once. Toward evening the army set out in three divisions in the following order:
First Division
1. The dismounted Jager Corps, and one officer with
twelve mounted jägers.
2. The two battalions of light infantry. Under
3. The two English and the three Hessian Lord
battalions of grenadiers. Cornwallis
4. The English Guards Brigade.
5. The mounted jagers.
Second Division
1. Two troops of the 16th Regiment of Dragoons.
2. The 1st Brigade of English artillery.
3. The 1st and 2d brigades of English infantry.
4. The 2d Brigade of artillery. Under
5. The 3d and 4th brigades of English General
infantry. Grant
6. The war chest, ammunition, provisions, and hospital wagons.
7. The 3d Battalion of the 71st Scottish
Regiment covered the right flank.
Third Division
1. The 3d Brigade of English artillery.
2. The Stirn Brigade of the four Hessian regiments.
Under
3. Two troops of the 16th Regiment of Dragoons.
General
4. The 40th Regiment.
5. The 1st and 2d battalions of the 71st Knyphausen
Scottish Regiment.
6. The Queen’s Rangers and Ferguson’s Corps.
The Pioneer Corps was divided into four divisions, with the first marching at the head of the English grenadiers and the remaining three in front of each artillery brigade.
The army marched past Newark and toward morning on the 8th crossed the White Clay Creek, which was surrounded on both sides by steep, rocky heights that formed a most frightful defile half an hour in length.[12][13]
September 7, 1780
On 7 September Ferguson invaded North Carolina and occupied Gilbert Town. Many of the locals appeared to rally to him and came to take the oath of allegiance to the Crown…. Three days later, on September 10, Ferguson left with his troops in the hope of intercepting Elijah Clarke, who wassupposed to be withdrawing northward after an unsuccessful attempt to capture Augusta. He failed to find Clarke and returned to encamp at Old Fort, twenty-two miles northwest of Gilbert Town. Things appeared to be quiet throughout the area. Beyond the Blue Ridge, however, and unknown to Fergfuson, things were stirring. [14]
September 7, 1784: Having hired three Pack horses to give my own greater
relief I sent my Baggage of this day about one Oclock, and ordered those
who had charge of it, to proceed to one Headricks at 15 Miles Creek, dis-
tant ab* ten Miles, to night, and to the old Town next day. September 8.
Set out about 7 oclock with the Doct r (Craik) his son William and my
Nephew Bushrod Washington, who were to make the tour with us, about
ten I parted with them at 15 Miles Creek, & recrossed the Potomack
(having passed it ab* 3 Miles from the Springs before) to a tract of mine on
the Virginia Side, which I find exceedingly Kich, & must be very valuable.
. . . After having reviewed this Land I again crossed the River [to Mary-
land] & getting into the waggon Road pursued my journey to the old
Town where I overtook my Company & baggage lodged at Col [Thomas]
Cresaps ab l 35 Miles this day.[15]
September 7, 1798, Adams County, Manchester, It appeared to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that John Crawford, of Iron Ridge Township, who was taxed as a single man is married, and that his property is taxed and paid by his son Moses Crawford; ordered to refund the money.[16]
September 7, 1801: Benjamin Harrison, Gent., of Harrison County, conveyed to Samuel Rawlings of same, 100 acres in Harrison County. Beginning on Nailor's line at the northeast corner of Widow Curry's land, etc. Consideration £20. Witnesses - Michael Rawlings, Robert Rankin, John Boney. Proved September 7, 1801 by Rawlings and Rankin. Acknowledged in Harrison County September 3, 1804 by Benjamin Harrison. (Harrison County Deed Bk. 1, p. 825)
New Madrid District, Upper Louisiana
Gen. Benjamin Harrison was among the most prominent men of the New Madrid settlement. He came from Kentucky where he had distinguished himself in the border wars. He was a man of property, a slave owner, and had a large family. He fully entered into the plans of Col. George Morgan* and proposed to bring a large number of settlers into the country. His sons, Lawrence and William, were among Morgan's followers. Another son, Benjamin, Jr. was also at New Madrid. With Gen. Harrison came Benjamin Hinkston, his son-in-law and son of the celebrated John Hinkston (or Hinkson) who himself came to New Madrid from Kentucky. In 1802 while Gen. Harrison was absent on a trip to Kentucky, George N. Reagan forced his son to surrender a negro slave, claimed as part payment of land bought of Reagan, but afterward Harrison recovered the slave by suit. (Houck, v. 2. p. 125)
*The influence of Col. George Morgan in bringing many of his old companions in arms from Pennsylvania to the Spanish province of Louisiana induced Gen. Benjamin Harrison, of Pennsylvania, and Col. John Harrison, who had settled in Kentucky to come to the new country with him. Both the Harrisons afterwards removed from New Madrid to the Ste. Genevieve District. (Houck, V. 3, p. 83)
September 7, 1827: The Russian government decreed the draft of Jewish boys at the age of 12.This was part of the Russian government’s plan to deal with the Jewish problem. This early draft was intended to separate the youngsters from their homes and families and force them to eventually adopt the Christian religion.[17]
September 7th, 1838
WIDOW'S PETITION
State of Virginia, County of Pendleton, ss: On this 7th day of September 1838 personally appeared before me, Jesse Henkle, a Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid, Nancy Vance, aged eighty-two years, who being first duly sworn according to law: doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 4th 1836.
That she is the widow of John Vance who served as Sargeant Major, and marched from the county of (left blank) in the the state of Pennsylvania to Winchester, VA, and from there to Winchester, VA, and from there to Williamsburg and from thence into the state of Georgia in this tour he was under the command of Capt. John Stinson and Lt. Rice and Lt. Robt. Bell. Her memory will not permit her now to state the year that above tour was performed in, but she well recollects that in this tour he served twelve months. She further declares that her husband the aforesaid John Vance performed several tours of duty and she believes always went as Volenteer, that he was in the battle of Germantown and was there wounded. She is not now abhle to state how long he serveed in the other tour of duty, but she does well know that he was in the war nearly all the time from the beginning to the ending of it, and she believes he served as a Sargeant Major during the time he was in the service, and she refersw to proof now on file of her late husband John Vance, who was an Invalid Pensioner of the United States upon the Virginia agency.
She further declares that she was married to the said John Vance on the (left blank) day of October 1773. She was married by Col. William Crawford who was a magistrate of the county where she resided and who was an officer of the Revolutionary War and was afterwards taken a prisoner by the Indians and burnt. She has no record of her marriage, and does not know if any can be found, that her husband the aforesaid John Vance, died on 8th day of Feb (February 8) 1827, leaving her his widow and that she has remained his widow ever since that period.
Nancy Vance (her mark)
Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year written above before me, Jesse Henkle, J. P.
TESTIMONY OF JESSE HENKLE
I certify that was well-aquainted with John Vance during his lifetime and I am now well-aquainted with Nancy Vance, his widow. I know that John Vance was a pensioner of the United States upon the Virginia agency, that the said John Vance has been dead eleven or twelve years, leaving Nancey Vance his widow and that Nancy Vance still continues the widow of the above-mentioned John Vance. I further certify that I have been acquanited with JOHN VANCE AND NANCY VANCE HIS WIFE FOR THE PERIOD OF FORTY-TWO OR FORTY THREE years, and they havfe always lived together as man and wife, that I am fifty-six years of age and I am well-aaquainted with the children of John Vance and Nancy Vance, his wife, and I know they have three children older than myself. And believe that the above named Nancy Vance was married at the time which she states in the declaration given under my hand the day and year before written. The words the and tho interlined before signing.
Jesse Henkle[18]
September 7, 1876: Daniel "Sugar Tramp" GUTLEBEN was born on October 5, 1878 in Colmar,Upper Rhine,Alsace and died on September 5, 1969 in ,Contra Costa,CA at age 90.
Daniel married Miriam Eunice CHURCH on September 19, 1905 in St Louis,Gratiot,Michigan. Miriam was born on September 7, 1876 in Elsie,Clinton, MI and died on May 14, 1961 in ,Contra Costa,CA at age 84. [19]
Wed. September 7, 1864:
Clear and warm went to harpers ferry
With J Bundy[20] after rations broke our wagon
Down had quite a time heard Morgan was killed[21]
September 7, 1899
(Jordan’s Grove) Jessie Goodlove started school at Anamosa, Monday, and Dick and Charles Bowdish at Springville.[22]
September 7, 1905
Miss Jessie Goodlove left Monday for Cedar Rapids to teach in the Jefferson School.[23]
September 7, 1936: A 25-percent tax is imposed on all Jewish assets in Germany.[24]
• September 7, 1939: During World War II, the Polish air force was now completely destroyed after less than a week of combat. Germany began plans to move troops to the West (French Border.) Despite being sworn to support Poland, France declined to attack or militarily engage Germany. This inaction was a prelude to the France’s feebl resistance to the German attack in the Spring of 1940 and the willingness with which many Frenchmen would collaborate with the Nazis.[25]
• September 7, 1940: In a speech to a special SS Squad, Himmler said that there was only one goal, “…To create an order that will spread a consciousness of Nordic blood until we draw to us all the Nordic blood in the world. [26]
• September 7, 1940: Romania cedes southern Dobruja to Bulgaria.[27]
• September 7, 1941: British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden notes that “if we must have preferences, let me murmur in your ear that I prefer “Arabs to Jews.” This strain of anti-Semitism was acceptable at certain levels of British society and certainly was part and parcel of the British Foreign Office. Eden was Churchill’s protégé. Supposedly he was responsible for the policies that kept the British from doing more to rescue the Jews of Europe and to admit them to Palestine. [28]
Convoy 29, September 7, 1942
For Convoy 29, the Germans specified the nationality of 893 deportees. There were 242 Poles; 188 Germans; 104 Austrians; 56 French; 24 Russians; 24 Czechs; 8 Luxemburgers; 8 Dutch; 6 Belgians; 3 Romanians; 2 Lithuanians; 1 Serb; 6 stateless; and 317 undetermined. The high proportion of “undetermined” is probably due to the Nazis’ haste. They did not examine the backgrounds of the deportees who arrived from the unoccupied zone a few hours before departure for Auschwitz. For this group, not even the age was recorded.
On board convoy 29 was Isaac Gottlieb born October 31, 1900, in Dzwatoszycs, Poland. [29]
The convoy contained 435 women and 565 men. The age is unknown for 130 women and 145 men. Among the 725 deportees whose age we know, 122 were children under 17 (71 girls and 51 boys). The largest age group among the men was the late thirties (157 in this group); among the women, the thirties (87 were between 31 and 40.)
This list is on onionskin. It was typed partly with blue carbon and partly with black, and is in very poor condition. It is divided into seven sublists.
1. Drancy—111 names. Among them were single people, including children, couples; and families.
2. Various camps==29 names. These were twenty four men, women, and children from Le Vernet and five from Gurs.
3. Belfort==9 names, all Dutch.
4. Unoccupied Zone—283 names. Family and first nbames were given, without any not of age or nationality. There were many families and many children.
5. Volunteers—32 names, without date of birth. Some had to have been children. The majority came from the camp of Rivesaltes.
6. Les Milles camp—488 names. One page with 16 names (number 524 to 540) is missing; 81 names are crossed out. The page covered letters SZ to WE. Many children were on this list.
7. Last minute departures—77 names from various camps in the south. Among them were families. Among these last minute departures there were undoubtedly mothers who fought to leave with their children from whom they had been separated.
On September 7, 1942, Ernst Heinrichsohn composed the telex (XXVb-155) which his superior officer Heinz Rothke signed. It announced to Eichmann, to the IOnspector of Concentration Camps, and to Auschwitz that convoy D 901/24, carrying 1,000 Jews, left the station at Le Bourget/Drancy at 8:55 AM under the supervision of Sergeant Kruger.
The convoy arrived in Auschwitz on September 9. Before arrival, an undetermined number of men were selected in Kosel (see Convoy 24). In Auschwitza itself, 59 men were selected and given numbers 63164 through 63222; 52 women were given numbers 19243 through 19294. The rest were immediately gassed.
The registry of the Ministry for War Veterns shows 12 survivors, all men. In Belgium we found nbames of 22 additional deportees, also all men, who returned to Belgium in 1945 without going first through France. Thus there were 34 survivors of record.[30]
• September 7, 1942: Anna Gottlieb, born April 4, 1877 in Eisenach. Resided Leipzig. Date of death: September 7, 1942, Leipzig. Suicide.[31]
September 7, 1942: At least 7000 Jews from Kolomyia, Ukraine, are deported to Belzec, 1000 are killed in the Kolomyia Ghetto itself.[32]
September 7, 1942: The main article on the foreign page of the Time of London was headed “Vichy’s Jewish victims, children deported to Germany. Where they were deported was not stated. There was plenty of information floating around that England’s newspaper of record” could have at least speculated as to their fate.[33]
September 7, 1944: The V2 is deployed for the first time. London, Paris, Antwerp. Over 2400 missles kill more than 5,000 people.[34]
September 7, 1944 Hungarian authorities permit Otto Komoly, a Jew, to rent buildings in Budapest to be used for the protection of Jewish children. Komoly will ultimately protect 5000 children in 35 buildings.[35]
September 7, 2010
http://30mosques.com/archive2010/2010/09/day-25-iowa-cedar-rapids/
Day 25: Iowa, The Mother Mosque in Cedar Rapids
07
Sep
By Bassam Tariq | 45 Comments »
Aziza Igram, a first generation Muslim American, shares a photo of the Mother Mosque, or as it was called back in the 1930's the "Moslem Temple"
Note: There are many families that have helped build the Cedar Rapids Muslim community. Unfortunately, I was only able to meet with a small portion of them. So please take these small accounts and stories as part of a larger history.
Many mistake the Mother Mosque as being the first mosque in North America, but as we blogged a couple of days ago, Ross, North Dakota was the site of the first mosque in 1929. What makes the Mother Mosque so important though is that it’s the longest standing mosque, established in 1934.
Throughout the 1800′s there were many Muslims that emigrated to the states to work at factories, railroads, etc., but very few of them were able to create sustainable communities. The Mother Mosque is a nationally recognized historic site and is preserved by Imam Taha. Since the Cedar Rapids Muslim community moved to a larger mosque, the Mother Mosque now serves more as a historical landmark and cultural information center.
The Mother Mosque was known by a couple of names: Naadi (club or hangout) by the Arab youth and Moslem Temple by the sign outside.
The basement of the Mother Mosque is lined with photos and news pieces showcasing a rich history covered by the local papers and tv outlets. From the first news clipping and photo of the congregants outside of the mosque to pictures of the aftermath of the drastic Iowa floods that desecrated hundreds of important books, Imam Taha and the community have done a great job preserving the history of the mosque.
The Mother Mosque is now a nationally recognized historic site.
In the basement of the Mother Mosque Imam Taha shows Aman and I a local news story covering the mosque in the early 90's.
Imam Taha leads a small congregation inside the Mother Mosque. The Mother Mosque is not a functioning mosque, it moved in the 1970's to a larger building.
The large mosque was built in the 1970s when the congregation grew out of the Mother Mosque.
Unlike most of the Muslim communities in America, Cedar Rapids is home to a large community of third, fourth or even fifth generation American Muslims. Aman and I, both coming from largely first generation Muslim communities, wanted to learn more about these folks.
Today, on a cloudy Labor day, we sit with Fatima Igram, a third generation American Muslim, at her house as she shares some important photos with us from her community. .
Fatima, daughter of Aziza Igram, smiles at the camera as she shows significant photos from the family albums.
***
A social gathering inside the Mother Mosque in the basement. Fatima sits in the middle, uneasy because the boy to her right always tries to sit next to her.
Her father, Abdullah Igram, was in the military and was stationed in New Guinea during World War II. When he was getting his dog tag made, he was asked to claim his religious affiliation with either a P for Protestant, J for Jewish, or C for Catholic. Abdullah said he was a Muslim and asked for an M to be engraved. The military couldn’t produce an M on the tag, so decided to leave it blank. For Abdullah, the idea of dying abroad and not receiving the right burial was terrifying.
Thankfully, Abdullah safely arrived back to Iowa after the war. A couple of years later he wrote a letter to President Eisenhower persuading him to add the M option on military dog tags. Soon enough, Abdullah received a letter from the President’s secretary thanking him for the suggestion and the M option was added.
Abdullah Igram, a Syrian American, was born in America and became somewhat of an ambassador for the Muslims to the larger community. He was one of the first kids in the community to complete the Quran in Arabic. Afterwards, he taught basic aAabic and Qur’an classes in the basement of the mother mosque.
Abdullah Igram and the Mother Mosque was featured in the Iowan Magazine. Here, he is smiling in front of the Mother Mosque
Qur'an lessons taught by Abdullah Igram and a peer.
Abdullah Igram's fight for the M option on the dog tag garnered a lot of media attention. Headline reads: "Vet Leads U.S. Moslems In Fight For Recognition."
Abdullah Igram sits with the local pastor in Cedar Rapids.
Aziza Igram, Abdullah’s wife and Fatima’s mother, came to the US when she was nine years old. She is now 82 and has been working at the Yonkers department store for the last 31 years.
“Uf, I think I’m going to quit soon.” she says to me.
Aziza is a petite Lebanese lady who loves talking about her kids, grandkids and, well, great grandkids. She is a hard worker and Fatima, her daughter, has been trying to convince her for years to leave her job.
Aziza Igram sits with her two daughters, Fatima and Lila, on one of the many Thursday social gatherings at the mosque, circa 1950's.
*
Aziza and Fatima Igram, Mother and daughter look over photos from the past together. Present day.
Aziza has a large collection of her husband’s letters and documents. There was one letter written to an official in DC talking about the lack of unity when it comes to moon sightings during the month of Ramadan – the letter was written in 1954. So, yes, ease up fellow Muslim readers, your local uncle was not the pioneer of moon sighting quarrels. We learned it from our forefathers, clearly.
On our way out of Iowa, we stop at a furniture shop owned by Naji Igram, a third generation Lebanese American Muslim. Back in his day, Naji was a body builder who entered competitions regularly. At one point, he became the third runner up in Mr. Midwest.
“Ahh, I stopped it,” Naji shrugs, “there were more important things for us to spend our time on.”
Naji is a laid back guy who is known for his large hands. In fact, before knowing his names and his accomplishments, I was told about how large his hands are. Though he wouldn’t want me saying it, Naji has been integral in helping the Muslim’s in Cedar Rapids progress.
“Our families didn’t know much about Islam. They just knew the bare basics.” Naji says to me sitting a nice dining table on display, “They came to America as peddlers and grocery store owners, they were busy trying to survive.”
Many of the Lebanese families ran grocery stores in Iowa. Naji himself owned a grocery store, but, like many muslims, left because of the conflict of selling alcohol and lottery.
At the time, the Mother Mosque had a small turnout for Friday prayers, and small lectures on Sundays. There were makeshift arabic and quranic lessons, but nothing substantial was happening.
“That wouldn’t have been enough for our community to survive. We needed more.”
In the 1960′s and early 1970′s, the small Iowan Muslim community found a large number immigrants coming from South Asia for work.
“Many of the Pakistanis would try to correct us, or tell us what to do.” says Naji. A classic example of the clash of Immigrant v. Indigenous.
“but they were kind of right. We didn’t know much and needed to learn more.”
“We had a big divide around then, those that liked the way things were before, and those that were willing to progress in their Islam and their practice.”
According to Naji, those that were okay with the earlier ways of the community left and those that were willing to progress stayed and built the mosque into what it is now.
The Cedar Rapids Muslim community is large and vibrant. Aman and I joined them last night for dinner and were amazed by the diverse congregation we saw. For dinner, we had rice pilaf, tandoori naan, butter chicken, goat with gravy and rice pudding for dessert. It was clearly a Pakistani/Indian menu and a meal the entire congregation seemed to enjoyed.
“I’m optimistic about where our community is going,” Naji says, “our kids, they know more than we do. Actually, our kids’ kids know more than us. And that’s promising.”
posted on September 7th, 2010 under Featured, Popular.
I Get Pictures!
In a message dated 8/23/2010 11:34:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Hey Dad! First Day of School! From Jacqulin
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[3] Trial by Fire by Harold Rawlings, page 86
[4] Trial by Fire, by Harold Rawlings, page 68
[5] http://thisdayinjewishhistory.blogspot.com/
[6] [2] http://christianparty.net/jewsexpelled.htm
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[10] Washington’s Journal, From River Clyde to Tymochtee and Col. William Crawford, by Grace U. Emahiser, 1969, page 108.
[11] (From River Clyde to Tymochtee and Col. William Crawford, by Grace U. Emahiser, 1969, page 119.)
[12]About one and a quarter miles long. The heights along the creek rise one to two hundred feet.
[13] Diary of the American War: a Hessian Journal by Captain Johann Ewald
[14] Battles of the Revolutionsary War 1775-1781 by W.J. Wood pgs. 189-192.
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[20]There are two J. Bundy’s. Bundy, Joel. Age 23. Residence Springville, nativity Ohio. Enlisted August 11, 1862. Mustered September 3, 1862. Taken prisoner May 16, 1863 Champion’s Hill, Miss. Mustered out July 17, 1865, Savannah, Ga.
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/books/logan/mil508.htm
Birth, Feb 12, 1839 in Ohio, Death: June 22, 1913. Occupation, ditcher. Burial Barclay, Osage County, Kansas. According to his grave stone, Joel Bundy was a member of Company h, 24th http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=treadway&id=I8804
Bundy, Josiah. Age 31. Residence Springville, nativity Ohio. Enlisted August 11, 1862. Mustered September 3, 1862. Promoted Fifth Corporal June 20, 1864. Taken prisoner October 19, 1864, Cedar Creek, Va. Mustered out May 25, 1865, Davenport, Iowa.
[21] William Harrison Goodlove Civil War Diary by Jeff Goodlove
[22] Winton Goodlove papers.
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[33] This Day in Jewish History.
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[35] This Day in Jewish History
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