SHEINAUS, Abraham

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Electrical engineer. Worked w/ Thomas Edison
• Occupation: Portrait artist. Same source lists him as a manufacturer whose business is at 49 Essex St., NY in 1897
• Residence: 451 Van Buren P, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, USA
• Birth: 1867, Kishinev, Russia
• Arrival: 18 Aug 1891
• Arrival: 1893
• Arrival: 1894
• Immigration: 1896
• Occupation: 1897, Portrait artist
• Naturalization: 3 Mar 1897
• Naturalization: 3 Mar 1897, Supreme Court, NYC
• Occupation: 1900, "Factory Head" in Hartford, CT
• Residence: 1900, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut
• Residence: 1910, 194 Audobon Ave. #78 Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York
• Residence: 1910, 506 W. 179th St. 12-Wd Manhattan, New York, New York
• Residence: 1920, 481 Van Buren St. apt. 78. Brooklyn Assembly District 6, Kings, New York
• Residence: 1930, 1330 Eastern Parkway #408 Brooklyn, Kings, New York
• Arrival: 31 Mar 1936, New York, New York, New York

Notes:

When he arrived in the United States -- through Castle Garden, not Ellis Island, he told his grandson, Pete Scheiner -- he recalled walking across a bridge into Manhattan "and didn't know what the hell he was doing."

In the 1940s, Abraham wrote his memories of meeting his wife, Fannie Orel (Little Bubbe). He also published a series of paperback pamphlets called "Hodge Podge," filled with useful advice, like Poor Richard's Almanac.

He was an inventor, an artist, and electrical engineer. He worked with Thomas Edison, who is said to have given Abraham a gold watch when he retired (although Edison, born in 1847, was older).

Abraham invented a car battery.

In addition to painting, Abraham carved beautiful walking sticks, the best of which were stolen from the nursing home where is son, Louis, lived in the late 1970s.

His granddaughter, Ruth Sheinaus Asimov, said that when Abraham arrived in the US, "he opened a little art store doing portraits...eventually he sent for his family. I don't know the chronology, but eventually, I know he gave up the art store and worked on electic automobiles in Hartford, where my father went to elementary school. (Either the "Brown School" on Darling street, or the "Darling School" on Brown St.) Abraham's collaborator was Mr. Landau," after whom a style of car was named.

Also from Ruth:
"They also lived in Elizabeth, NJ, where Lizzie was born, and Washington Heights where Rosie
was born. (Liz was the youngest.) Abraham worked for the Edison company, had
met Thomas Edison on a number of occasions, and became foreman of the battery
department. He invented some kind of storage battery that they used there. When he
retired, he got either a gold medal or a gold watch, neither of which are
around."

"After he retired, he and his wife, Fannie took a trip back to Kishinev. (1936) They traveled to Europe on the Ile de France, via Rome. I still have the bracelet they brought me from Rome."

Where did the name Sheinaus come from? Ruth says that Abraham made it up. He was originally "Schinder," and changed his name apparently to avoid being conscripted into the Russian Army. By taking the name Sheinaus, he could pretend to be a family's only son, and the Russian Army was thought not to take only sons.

CENSUS ADDRESSES:
1920: 481 Van Buren St. Brooklyn. With Fannie, Esther Sheinaus Lerner, Henry Lerner, Louis Sheinaus (sp Schanaus), Nettie Pollakoff Sheinaus (sp Schnaus) Rose Sheinaus Karshmer (sp Kosmer), Louis Karshmer (sp Kosmer)
1925: 481 Van Buren St. Booklyn. With Fannie and Elizabeth
1930: 1330 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn. With Fannie.

Arrival:
But his wife and family arrived July 24, 1893

Immigration:
But his wife and family arrived July 24, 1893

Abraham married OREL, Frima (Little Bubbe) (Fannie) on 26 Aug 1884 in Russia. Frima (daughter of OREL, Saul and ADLER, Rose) was born in 1867 in Tiraspol, Russia; died on 15 Aug 1949 in Jewish Sanitarium & Hospital for Chronic Diseases, Brooklyn, NY; was buried in Washington Cemetery, Brooklyn, N. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. SHEINAUS, Esther was born in Jul 1887 in Russia; died on 22 Nov 1972 in Miami, Florida, USA.
2. SHEINAUS, Louis (Foff) Pinkas was born on 11 May 1892 in Russia (Kishinev, Moldava), then Roumania; died in Oct 1979 in Larchmont, NY.
3. SHEINAUS, Rose was born on 16 Dec 1895 in New York; died on 27 Jul 1987 in Los Angeles, California.
4. SHEINAUS, Elizabeth was born on 16 Aug 1901 in Elizabeth, New Jersey; died about 1980 in Sunnyside, Queens, NY.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: ? 1870, Pryluky, Ukraine

Notes:

"Alte" means "father." His son, Abraham, changed his name to Sheinaus after arriving in the U.S.

Residence:
He built a nice house there. Not clear how long he kept it.

Israel married UNKNOWN, Rosa about 1855 in Kishinev, Moldava. Rosa was born about 1840 in Kishinev, Moldava. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Though it's not known when Rosa was born, her younger child, Faiga, was born about 1880, according to the 1940 federal census. Her son, Abraham, was born sometime between 1857 and 1870, depending on which document he filled out. So a guess of 1840 for their mother's birth seems possible.