Etie Chaies was born on April 21, 1879 in Bucharest, Romania
to Moses David Chaies and Sheva (maiden name
unknown.) Etie's family then moved to Botasani, Romania.
where she eventually became engaged to her future husband
Isak Jakob Neuburger from Saveni, Romania.
Etie told her daughter-in-law that she never laid eyes upon
Jakob until the day before the wedding. It was an
arranged marriage.
Jakob emigrated to America and New York on Sep l900, leaving
behind his wife Etie and his seven month old daughter Tuvia
(later called Tillie.) He left Romania in order to escape
the army. Etie (or by now Yetta) followed Jakob to New York
in l90l along with their daughter Tillie.
Etie and Jakob had Tille and two other children, Joseph and
Hyman. With all three children and pregnant with a fourth
child, Etie went back to Botosani, Romania, leaving Jakob
in New York to work on obtaining his U.S. citizenship. It
isn't known why she made the arduous voyage back to Botosani,
Romania with her three children. It is speculated that
either one of her parents were ill, or that one of her sons
was needing the hot springs baths back in Romania that so
many people believed in, would help them--or that she simply
wanted to show her children off to their grandparents.
In any case, while Etie was in Botosani she gave birth to a
fourth baby. She named him User Zelig Neuburger,
which later on became Sigmund Jack Neuburger. Etie resided
in Botosani until baby Sigmund was two years old. She then
traveled back to America with her four children, also taking
Jakob's sister Hanna Neuburger along with her. It is
believed that Etie waited to come back to Jakob until he got
U.S. citizenship. She arrived less than two months after he
had become a citizen..
Jakob and Etie settled in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York
where Jakob had many businesses including a hot dog stand
and then a restaurant. He listed himself as a merchant, then
in real estate. They moved into a very large rooming house
at 2854 W. l9th St. Brooklyn, NY. A sign on the front of the
house read "Neuburger's Furnished Rooms - Rent by the day,
week, or month."
With the building of the subway, people were able to
come down to Coney Island in the summertime to enjoy the
cool ocean breezes. They rented rooms at the "Neuburger
House," as it was referred to. Yetta did all the washing and
providing of linens by hand -- sheets and towels for this
large house and their roomers.
Yetta and Jakob had three more children: Jennie born in
l909, Michael born in l910, and Louis born in 1913. Things
went along well until their eldest daughter, Tillie died
suddenly in 1924. She was only twenty-four years old. Family
lore says she died of a broken heart. Her death certificate
states that Tillie died of intense excitement due to manic
depression.
Yetta herself also died suddenly of bilateral pneumonia.
Some think she died of an overdose of insulin which was a
new drug in those days. It was a shock to the family when
she passed away unexpectedly before her sixtieth birthday
on April 12, 1939. Jakob remained a widower until his death
in Jan l952.