Age 72 on tombstone. Son of Louis Scher and Lena Evelyn. Husband of Celia Gruskin. Hebrew name was Moshe Leib ben Leizer. Tombstone inscription is "beloved father."
Birth city of Kaunas, Lithuania previously Kovno, Russia per father's 1920 US Census record as city of origin.
Per memoirs by Harvey Fader titled: "Double Duck", Morris Scher sang tenor with the D'Oyle Carte Opera Company while he was living in England.
Note: Came to the United States from England in 1901 via ship RMS Lucania of the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company. Year of birth is off as listed as 21 years old in 1901 which would put his year of birth as 1880. However other facts in the Ellis Island record confirm family records by Sylvia Fisher Scher. These include: occupation listed as "cap maker". And the fact that under the "Last Residence" column it says "2 years in Manchester".
1984 writings by Sylvia Fisher Scher the grandparents and father of her husband Robert Scher:
"Dad's Family - His Paternal Grandparents - They were born in Russia. The grandfather was Leo Scher and the grandmother was Eva Scher. The grandfather was an extremely orthodox person and Dad can only remember from hearsay that because of his orthodoxy he was forced to walk in the street away from everyone, instead of on the sidewalk. On one such occasion, he was run over by an auto and killed. Dad’s father, Morris, was also born in Russia as were his 3 brothers and 2 sisters. At age 11, he migrated to London alone in order to study music and hope to become a Cantor. In order to earn his keep, he apprenticed to a cap maker and became adept at that. He never realized his dream to become a Cantor and at age 27 he came to the U.S. where he worked in a cap factory. While in England he would sing in Church choirs to earn money."
With his wife, owned a grocery business called "Schers Delicatessen" on 990 Sutter Avenue in Brooklyn, New York for many years. Per Harvey Fader memoirs, the extended family lived in two 5-room apartments immediately above the store. He writes that Morris Scher regularly attended religious services at the Linwood Street synagogue.
Fader writes that by the time of the 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Scher had sold Schers Delicatessen but the family continued to live at 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn NY. This account is confirmed by the 1940 US Census which lists that residence but no mention of the delicatessen in the occupation column.
According to Fader, Scher invested his name and funds in his son Robert Scher's burgeoning liquor business, named Morris Scher Liquors and located in Queens, New York.
Fader would later himself become bar-mitzvah at the Linwood Street Synagogue in January 1944. He was only 12 years old but Morris Scher arranged for an early bar-mitzvah which was customary for a boy to count in a minyan of ten Jewish men and recite the Kaddish for his father's memory -- as Fader's father Sidney Fader had died in 1935.
Sources and chronology per confirmed documents:
1879 - birth year per 1901 England and Wales Census.
31 March 1901 - Morris Sher. England and Wales Census, 1901. Name Morris Sher. Event Type Census. Event Date 31 Mar 1901. Event Place North Manchester, Lancashire, England. County Lancashire. Civil Parish North Manchester. Ecclesiastical Parish St Albans. Sub-District Cheetham. Registration District Prestwich. Residence Note Haworth Street. Gender Male. Age 22. Occupation CAP CUTTER. Relationship to Head of Household Visitor. Birth Year (Estimated) 1879. Birthplace Russia (Russ Sub). Schedule Type 110. Page Number 21.
30 November - 7 December 1901 - Ellis Island record. Morris Scher. Passenger ID: 102825080226. Frame: 242. Line Number: 14. Ship Name: Lucania. Arrival Date: December 7, 1901. Port of Departure: Liverpool. Age: 21 years. Married or Single: Single. Calling or Occupation: Cap Maker. Nationality: Russian. Last Residence: 2 years in Manchester. Final destination in the United States: Chicago. SS Lucania. Sailing from Liverpool. Departed November 30, 1901. Arrived port of New York on December 7, 1901.
1903 - year of marriage to Celia Gruskin Scher per 1910 U.S. Census.
1908 - year naturalized as a United States citizen, per 1920 U.S. Census.
1910 US Census - listed in this record with spelling as "Morris Schor". Confirmed as indeed same Morris Scher as married to Celia, with children listed as Rebecca, Ida, and Sadie. Profession listed on 1910 US Census as "Delicatessen Store". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1911 - sale of property at 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn from "N Gruskin & w" to "M Scher". Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (August 3, 1911). page 3. section: "Transactions in the Real Estate and Building Field". subsection heading: "Conveyances". Text: "Sutter Av, No 990, N Gruskin & w to M Scher, 990 Sutter Av, subj to morts ... nom".
1918 - Morris Scher. World War I Draft Registration card. Address given: 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. Wife: Celia Scher. Present occupation: Owner Delicatessen Lunchroom. Date of birth given as: April 1, 1873.
1918 - Business property rental newspaper posting. Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (November 16, 1918). page 13. Section: "To Let - Business Property". Text: "Store to rent, size 20x45; nice location; reasonable rent; suitable for grocery, dairy, pool room or any other business. Apply store, 990 Sutter av, near Linwood st. 15-3".
1920 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1920 Census with wife Celia. Children: Bekie, Ida, Sadie, Robert and Evelin. Profession listed as "Delicatessen Store - Own Business". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1920 - probate death document file on his father Louis Scher - listing children of deceased:
New York, Kings County Estate Files, 1866-1923. Louis Scher, 1920; Surrogate Court, Brooklyn; FHL microfilm 4318028. Digital Folder Number: 4318028. Name: Louis Scher. Event Place: Kings County, New York. Event Date: 1920. Schedule Type: Administration of the Goods, Chattels and Credits. Court: Surrogate's Court. Event Type: Administration (without a valid will). Number of Images: 6. First Image Number: 202. Last Image Number: 207.
This 1920 document lists several children of their deceased father Louis Scher, with their ages and addresses at that time:
Morris Scher, son. 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. 46 years.
Max Scher, son. 356 Kosciusko Street, Brooklyn NY. 30 years.
Paul Scher, son. 129 Ellery Street, Brooklyn NY. 40 years.
Joseph Scher, son. 30 Bartlett Street, Brooklyn NY. 43 years.
Sarah Goldenberg, daughter. 482 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn NY. 33 years.
Ida Klein, daughter. 360 Stockton Street, Brooklyn NY. 36 years.
1930 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1930 Census with wife Celia. Children: Robert and Evelyn. Profession listed as "Owner Manager Delicatessen". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1940 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1940 Census with wife Cecilia. Daughter: Sadye Fader, and grandson listed as Harvey Fader. Place of birth listed as "England" [although this is inaccurate and perhaps a miscommunication at the time as 1910, 1920, 1930 census records and 1910 ship's manifest show he was born in Russia and spent 2 years in England before immigrating to the United States.] Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Listed at same residence in 1940 is his daughter Evelyn Scher Useloff, her husband Meyer Useloff and their son Norman Useloff.
1945 - Death year and date as given on tombstone at gravesite. Additionally confirmed by record: "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949". Morris Scher, 30 Aug 1945; citing Death, New York City, Queens, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,194,314. Reference ID cn 6778. GS Film Number 2194314. Morris Scher. New York, New York City Municipal Deaths. Name: Morris Scher. Event Type: Death. Event Date: 30 Aug 1945. Event Place: New York City, Queens, New York, United States. Address: 990 Sutter Ave. Residence Place: N.Y., Kings, N.Y. Gender: Male. Age: 72. Marital Status: Married. Race: White. Occupation: Delicatessen Store. Birth Year (Estimated): 1873. Birthplace: Russia. Burial Date 31 Aug 1945. Cemetery: Mt Lebanon Cem. Father's Name: Louis. Father's Birthplace: Russia. Mother's Name: Lena Evelayn Schek. Mother's Birthplace: Russia. Spouse's Name: Celia. Frame Number: 1682.
Birth city of Kaunas, Lithuania previously Kovno, Russia per father's 1920 US Census record as city of origin.
Per memoirs by Harvey Fader titled: "Double Duck", Morris Scher sang tenor with the D'Oyle Carte Opera Company while he was living in England.
Note: Came to the United States from England in 1901 via ship RMS Lucania of the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company. Year of birth is off as listed as 21 years old in 1901 which would put his year of birth as 1880. However other facts in the Ellis Island record confirm family records by Sylvia Fisher Scher. These include: occupation listed as "cap maker". And the fact that under the "Last Residence" column it says "2 years in Manchester".
1984 writings by Sylvia Fisher Scher the grandparents and father of her husband Robert Scher:
"Dad's Family - His Paternal Grandparents - They were born in Russia. The grandfather was Leo Scher and the grandmother was Eva Scher. The grandfather was an extremely orthodox person and Dad can only remember from hearsay that because of his orthodoxy he was forced to walk in the street away from everyone, instead of on the sidewalk. On one such occasion, he was run over by an auto and killed. Dad’s father, Morris, was also born in Russia as were his 3 brothers and 2 sisters. At age 11, he migrated to London alone in order to study music and hope to become a Cantor. In order to earn his keep, he apprenticed to a cap maker and became adept at that. He never realized his dream to become a Cantor and at age 27 he came to the U.S. where he worked in a cap factory. While in England he would sing in Church choirs to earn money."
With his wife, owned a grocery business called "Schers Delicatessen" on 990 Sutter Avenue in Brooklyn, New York for many years. Per Harvey Fader memoirs, the extended family lived in two 5-room apartments immediately above the store. He writes that Morris Scher regularly attended religious services at the Linwood Street synagogue.
Fader writes that by the time of the 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Scher had sold Schers Delicatessen but the family continued to live at 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn NY. This account is confirmed by the 1940 US Census which lists that residence but no mention of the delicatessen in the occupation column.
According to Fader, Scher invested his name and funds in his son Robert Scher's burgeoning liquor business, named Morris Scher Liquors and located in Queens, New York.
Fader would later himself become bar-mitzvah at the Linwood Street Synagogue in January 1944. He was only 12 years old but Morris Scher arranged for an early bar-mitzvah which was customary for a boy to count in a minyan of ten Jewish men and recite the Kaddish for his father's memory -- as Fader's father Sidney Fader had died in 1935.
Sources and chronology per confirmed documents:
1879 - birth year per 1901 England and Wales Census.
31 March 1901 - Morris Sher. England and Wales Census, 1901. Name Morris Sher. Event Type Census. Event Date 31 Mar 1901. Event Place North Manchester, Lancashire, England. County Lancashire. Civil Parish North Manchester. Ecclesiastical Parish St Albans. Sub-District Cheetham. Registration District Prestwich. Residence Note Haworth Street. Gender Male. Age 22. Occupation CAP CUTTER. Relationship to Head of Household Visitor. Birth Year (Estimated) 1879. Birthplace Russia (Russ Sub). Schedule Type 110. Page Number 21.
30 November - 7 December 1901 - Ellis Island record. Morris Scher. Passenger ID: 102825080226. Frame: 242. Line Number: 14. Ship Name: Lucania. Arrival Date: December 7, 1901. Port of Departure: Liverpool. Age: 21 years. Married or Single: Single. Calling or Occupation: Cap Maker. Nationality: Russian. Last Residence: 2 years in Manchester. Final destination in the United States: Chicago. SS Lucania. Sailing from Liverpool. Departed November 30, 1901. Arrived port of New York on December 7, 1901.
1903 - year of marriage to Celia Gruskin Scher per 1910 U.S. Census.
1908 - year naturalized as a United States citizen, per 1920 U.S. Census.
1910 US Census - listed in this record with spelling as "Morris Schor". Confirmed as indeed same Morris Scher as married to Celia, with children listed as Rebecca, Ida, and Sadie. Profession listed on 1910 US Census as "Delicatessen Store". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1911 - sale of property at 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn from "N Gruskin & w" to "M Scher". Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (August 3, 1911). page 3. section: "Transactions in the Real Estate and Building Field". subsection heading: "Conveyances". Text: "Sutter Av, No 990, N Gruskin & w to M Scher, 990 Sutter Av, subj to morts ... nom".
1918 - Morris Scher. World War I Draft Registration card. Address given: 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. Wife: Celia Scher. Present occupation: Owner Delicatessen Lunchroom. Date of birth given as: April 1, 1873.
1918 - Business property rental newspaper posting. Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (November 16, 1918). page 13. Section: "To Let - Business Property". Text: "Store to rent, size 20x45; nice location; reasonable rent; suitable for grocery, dairy, pool room or any other business. Apply store, 990 Sutter av, near Linwood st. 15-3".
1920 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1920 Census with wife Celia. Children: Bekie, Ida, Sadie, Robert and Evelin. Profession listed as "Delicatessen Store - Own Business". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1920 - probate death document file on his father Louis Scher - listing children of deceased:
New York, Kings County Estate Files, 1866-1923. Louis Scher, 1920; Surrogate Court, Brooklyn; FHL microfilm 4318028. Digital Folder Number: 4318028. Name: Louis Scher. Event Place: Kings County, New York. Event Date: 1920. Schedule Type: Administration of the Goods, Chattels and Credits. Court: Surrogate's Court. Event Type: Administration (without a valid will). Number of Images: 6. First Image Number: 202. Last Image Number: 207.
This 1920 document lists several children of their deceased father Louis Scher, with their ages and addresses at that time:
Morris Scher, son. 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. 46 years.
Max Scher, son. 356 Kosciusko Street, Brooklyn NY. 30 years.
Paul Scher, son. 129 Ellery Street, Brooklyn NY. 40 years.
Joseph Scher, son. 30 Bartlett Street, Brooklyn NY. 43 years.
Sarah Goldenberg, daughter. 482 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn NY. 33 years.
Ida Klein, daughter. 360 Stockton Street, Brooklyn NY. 36 years.
1930 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1930 Census with wife Celia. Children: Robert and Evelyn. Profession listed as "Owner Manager Delicatessen". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1940 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1940 Census with wife Cecilia. Daughter: Sadye Fader, and grandson listed as Harvey Fader. Place of birth listed as "England" [although this is inaccurate and perhaps a miscommunication at the time as 1910, 1920, 1930 census records and 1910 ship's manifest show he was born in Russia and spent 2 years in England before immigrating to the United States.] Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Listed at same residence in 1940 is his daughter Evelyn Scher Useloff, her husband Meyer Useloff and their son Norman Useloff.
1945 - Death year and date as given on tombstone at gravesite. Additionally confirmed by record: "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949". Morris Scher, 30 Aug 1945; citing Death, New York City, Queens, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,194,314. Reference ID cn 6778. GS Film Number 2194314. Morris Scher. New York, New York City Municipal Deaths. Name: Morris Scher. Event Type: Death. Event Date: 30 Aug 1945. Event Place: New York City, Queens, New York, United States. Address: 990 Sutter Ave. Residence Place: N.Y., Kings, N.Y. Gender: Male. Age: 72. Marital Status: Married. Race: White. Occupation: Delicatessen Store. Birth Year (Estimated): 1873. Birthplace: Russia. Burial Date 31 Aug 1945. Cemetery: Mt Lebanon Cem. Father's Name: Louis. Father's Birthplace: Russia. Mother's Name: Lena Evelayn Schek. Mother's Birthplace: Russia. Spouse's Name: Celia. Frame Number: 1682.
Age 72 on tombstone. Son of Louis Scher and Lena Evelyn. Husband of Celia Gruskin. Hebrew name was Moshe Leib ben Leizer. Tombstone inscription is "beloved father."
Birth city of Kaunas, Lithuania previously Kovno, Russia per father's 1920 US Census record as city of origin.
Per memoirs by Harvey Fader titled: "Double Duck", Morris Scher sang tenor with the D'Oyle Carte Opera Company while he was living in England.
Note: Came to the United States from England in 1901 via ship RMS Lucania of the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company. Year of birth is off as listed as 21 years old in 1901 which would put his year of birth as 1880. However other facts in the Ellis Island record confirm family records by Sylvia Fisher Scher. These include: occupation listed as "cap maker". And the fact that under the "Last Residence" column it says "2 years in Manchester".
1984 writings by Sylvia Fisher Scher the grandparents and father of her husband Robert Scher:
"Dad's Family - His Paternal Grandparents - They were born in Russia. The grandfather was Leo Scher and the grandmother was Eva Scher. The grandfather was an extremely orthodox person and Dad can only remember from hearsay that because of his orthodoxy he was forced to walk in the street away from everyone, instead of on the sidewalk. On one such occasion, he was run over by an auto and killed. Dad’s father, Morris, was also born in Russia as were his 3 brothers and 2 sisters. At age 11, he migrated to London alone in order to study music and hope to become a Cantor. In order to earn his keep, he apprenticed to a cap maker and became adept at that. He never realized his dream to become a Cantor and at age 27 he came to the U.S. where he worked in a cap factory. While in England he would sing in Church choirs to earn money."
With his wife, owned a grocery business called "Schers Delicatessen" on 990 Sutter Avenue in Brooklyn, New York for many years. Per Harvey Fader memoirs, the extended family lived in two 5-room apartments immediately above the store. He writes that Morris Scher regularly attended religious services at the Linwood Street synagogue.
Fader writes that by the time of the 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Scher had sold Schers Delicatessen but the family continued to live at 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn NY. This account is confirmed by the 1940 US Census which lists that residence but no mention of the delicatessen in the occupation column.
According to Fader, Scher invested his name and funds in his son Robert Scher's burgeoning liquor business, named Morris Scher Liquors and located in Queens, New York.
Fader would later himself become bar-mitzvah at the Linwood Street Synagogue in January 1944. He was only 12 years old but Morris Scher arranged for an early bar-mitzvah which was customary for a boy to count in a minyan of ten Jewish men and recite the Kaddish for his father's memory -- as Fader's father Sidney Fader had died in 1935.
Sources and chronology per confirmed documents:
1879 - birth year per 1901 England and Wales Census.
31 March 1901 - Morris Sher. England and Wales Census, 1901. Name Morris Sher. Event Type Census. Event Date 31 Mar 1901. Event Place North Manchester, Lancashire, England. County Lancashire. Civil Parish North Manchester. Ecclesiastical Parish St Albans. Sub-District Cheetham. Registration District Prestwich. Residence Note Haworth Street. Gender Male. Age 22. Occupation CAP CUTTER. Relationship to Head of Household Visitor. Birth Year (Estimated) 1879. Birthplace Russia (Russ Sub). Schedule Type 110. Page Number 21.
30 November - 7 December 1901 - Ellis Island record. Morris Scher. Passenger ID: 102825080226. Frame: 242. Line Number: 14. Ship Name: Lucania. Arrival Date: December 7, 1901. Port of Departure: Liverpool. Age: 21 years. Married or Single: Single. Calling or Occupation: Cap Maker. Nationality: Russian. Last Residence: 2 years in Manchester. Final destination in the United States: Chicago. SS Lucania. Sailing from Liverpool. Departed November 30, 1901. Arrived port of New York on December 7, 1901.
1903 - year of marriage to Celia Gruskin Scher per 1910 U.S. Census.
1908 - year naturalized as a United States citizen, per 1920 U.S. Census.
1910 US Census - listed in this record with spelling as "Morris Schor". Confirmed as indeed same Morris Scher as married to Celia, with children listed as Rebecca, Ida, and Sadie. Profession listed on 1910 US Census as "Delicatessen Store". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1911 - sale of property at 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn from "N Gruskin & w" to "M Scher". Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (August 3, 1911). page 3. section: "Transactions in the Real Estate and Building Field". subsection heading: "Conveyances". Text: "Sutter Av, No 990, N Gruskin & w to M Scher, 990 Sutter Av, subj to morts ... nom".
1918 - Morris Scher. World War I Draft Registration card. Address given: 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. Wife: Celia Scher. Present occupation: Owner Delicatessen Lunchroom. Date of birth given as: April 1, 1873.
1918 - Business property rental newspaper posting. Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (November 16, 1918). page 13. Section: "To Let - Business Property". Text: "Store to rent, size 20x45; nice location; reasonable rent; suitable for grocery, dairy, pool room or any other business. Apply store, 990 Sutter av, near Linwood st. 15-3".
1920 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1920 Census with wife Celia. Children: Bekie, Ida, Sadie, Robert and Evelin. Profession listed as "Delicatessen Store - Own Business". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1920 - probate death document file on his father Louis Scher - listing children of deceased:
New York, Kings County Estate Files, 1866-1923. Louis Scher, 1920; Surrogate Court, Brooklyn; FHL microfilm 4318028. Digital Folder Number: 4318028. Name: Louis Scher. Event Place: Kings County, New York. Event Date: 1920. Schedule Type: Administration of the Goods, Chattels and Credits. Court: Surrogate's Court. Event Type: Administration (without a valid will). Number of Images: 6. First Image Number: 202. Last Image Number: 207.
This 1920 document lists several children of their deceased father Louis Scher, with their ages and addresses at that time:
Morris Scher, son. 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. 46 years.
Max Scher, son. 356 Kosciusko Street, Brooklyn NY. 30 years.
Paul Scher, son. 129 Ellery Street, Brooklyn NY. 40 years.
Joseph Scher, son. 30 Bartlett Street, Brooklyn NY. 43 years.
Sarah Goldenberg, daughter. 482 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn NY. 33 years.
Ida Klein, daughter. 360 Stockton Street, Brooklyn NY. 36 years.
1930 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1930 Census with wife Celia. Children: Robert and Evelyn. Profession listed as "Owner Manager Delicatessen". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1940 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1940 Census with wife Cecilia. Daughter: Sadye Fader, and grandson listed as Harvey Fader. Place of birth listed as "England" [although this is inaccurate and perhaps a miscommunication at the time as 1910, 1920, 1930 census records and 1910 ship's manifest show he was born in Russia and spent 2 years in England before immigrating to the United States.] Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Listed at same residence in 1940 is his daughter Evelyn Scher Useloff, her husband Meyer Useloff and their son Norman Useloff.
1945 - Death year and date as given on tombstone at gravesite. Additionally confirmed by record: "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949". Morris Scher, 30 Aug 1945; citing Death, New York City, Queens, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,194,314. Reference ID cn 6778. GS Film Number 2194314. Morris Scher. New York, New York City Municipal Deaths. Name: Morris Scher. Event Type: Death. Event Date: 30 Aug 1945. Event Place: New York City, Queens, New York, United States. Address: 990 Sutter Ave. Residence Place: N.Y., Kings, N.Y. Gender: Male. Age: 72. Marital Status: Married. Race: White. Occupation: Delicatessen Store. Birth Year (Estimated): 1873. Birthplace: Russia. Burial Date 31 Aug 1945. Cemetery: Mt Lebanon Cem. Father's Name: Louis. Father's Birthplace: Russia. Mother's Name: Lena Evelayn Schek. Mother's Birthplace: Russia. Spouse's Name: Celia. Frame Number: 1682.
Birth city of Kaunas, Lithuania previously Kovno, Russia per father's 1920 US Census record as city of origin.
Per memoirs by Harvey Fader titled: "Double Duck", Morris Scher sang tenor with the D'Oyle Carte Opera Company while he was living in England.
Note: Came to the United States from England in 1901 via ship RMS Lucania of the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company. Year of birth is off as listed as 21 years old in 1901 which would put his year of birth as 1880. However other facts in the Ellis Island record confirm family records by Sylvia Fisher Scher. These include: occupation listed as "cap maker". And the fact that under the "Last Residence" column it says "2 years in Manchester".
1984 writings by Sylvia Fisher Scher the grandparents and father of her husband Robert Scher:
"Dad's Family - His Paternal Grandparents - They were born in Russia. The grandfather was Leo Scher and the grandmother was Eva Scher. The grandfather was an extremely orthodox person and Dad can only remember from hearsay that because of his orthodoxy he was forced to walk in the street away from everyone, instead of on the sidewalk. On one such occasion, he was run over by an auto and killed. Dad’s father, Morris, was also born in Russia as were his 3 brothers and 2 sisters. At age 11, he migrated to London alone in order to study music and hope to become a Cantor. In order to earn his keep, he apprenticed to a cap maker and became adept at that. He never realized his dream to become a Cantor and at age 27 he came to the U.S. where he worked in a cap factory. While in England he would sing in Church choirs to earn money."
With his wife, owned a grocery business called "Schers Delicatessen" on 990 Sutter Avenue in Brooklyn, New York for many years. Per Harvey Fader memoirs, the extended family lived in two 5-room apartments immediately above the store. He writes that Morris Scher regularly attended religious services at the Linwood Street synagogue.
Fader writes that by the time of the 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Scher had sold Schers Delicatessen but the family continued to live at 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn NY. This account is confirmed by the 1940 US Census which lists that residence but no mention of the delicatessen in the occupation column.
According to Fader, Scher invested his name and funds in his son Robert Scher's burgeoning liquor business, named Morris Scher Liquors and located in Queens, New York.
Fader would later himself become bar-mitzvah at the Linwood Street Synagogue in January 1944. He was only 12 years old but Morris Scher arranged for an early bar-mitzvah which was customary for a boy to count in a minyan of ten Jewish men and recite the Kaddish for his father's memory -- as Fader's father Sidney Fader had died in 1935.
Sources and chronology per confirmed documents:
1879 - birth year per 1901 England and Wales Census.
31 March 1901 - Morris Sher. England and Wales Census, 1901. Name Morris Sher. Event Type Census. Event Date 31 Mar 1901. Event Place North Manchester, Lancashire, England. County Lancashire. Civil Parish North Manchester. Ecclesiastical Parish St Albans. Sub-District Cheetham. Registration District Prestwich. Residence Note Haworth Street. Gender Male. Age 22. Occupation CAP CUTTER. Relationship to Head of Household Visitor. Birth Year (Estimated) 1879. Birthplace Russia (Russ Sub). Schedule Type 110. Page Number 21.
30 November - 7 December 1901 - Ellis Island record. Morris Scher. Passenger ID: 102825080226. Frame: 242. Line Number: 14. Ship Name: Lucania. Arrival Date: December 7, 1901. Port of Departure: Liverpool. Age: 21 years. Married or Single: Single. Calling or Occupation: Cap Maker. Nationality: Russian. Last Residence: 2 years in Manchester. Final destination in the United States: Chicago. SS Lucania. Sailing from Liverpool. Departed November 30, 1901. Arrived port of New York on December 7, 1901.
1903 - year of marriage to Celia Gruskin Scher per 1910 U.S. Census.
1908 - year naturalized as a United States citizen, per 1920 U.S. Census.
1910 US Census - listed in this record with spelling as "Morris Schor". Confirmed as indeed same Morris Scher as married to Celia, with children listed as Rebecca, Ida, and Sadie. Profession listed on 1910 US Census as "Delicatessen Store". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1911 - sale of property at 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn from "N Gruskin & w" to "M Scher". Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (August 3, 1911). page 3. section: "Transactions in the Real Estate and Building Field". subsection heading: "Conveyances". Text: "Sutter Av, No 990, N Gruskin & w to M Scher, 990 Sutter Av, subj to morts ... nom".
1918 - Morris Scher. World War I Draft Registration card. Address given: 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. Wife: Celia Scher. Present occupation: Owner Delicatessen Lunchroom. Date of birth given as: April 1, 1873.
1918 - Business property rental newspaper posting. Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (November 16, 1918). page 13. Section: "To Let - Business Property". Text: "Store to rent, size 20x45; nice location; reasonable rent; suitable for grocery, dairy, pool room or any other business. Apply store, 990 Sutter av, near Linwood st. 15-3".
1920 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1920 Census with wife Celia. Children: Bekie, Ida, Sadie, Robert and Evelin. Profession listed as "Delicatessen Store - Own Business". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1920 - probate death document file on his father Louis Scher - listing children of deceased:
New York, Kings County Estate Files, 1866-1923. Louis Scher, 1920; Surrogate Court, Brooklyn; FHL microfilm 4318028. Digital Folder Number: 4318028. Name: Louis Scher. Event Place: Kings County, New York. Event Date: 1920. Schedule Type: Administration of the Goods, Chattels and Credits. Court: Surrogate's Court. Event Type: Administration (without a valid will). Number of Images: 6. First Image Number: 202. Last Image Number: 207.
This 1920 document lists several children of their deceased father Louis Scher, with their ages and addresses at that time:
Morris Scher, son. 990 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn NY. 46 years.
Max Scher, son. 356 Kosciusko Street, Brooklyn NY. 30 years.
Paul Scher, son. 129 Ellery Street, Brooklyn NY. 40 years.
Joseph Scher, son. 30 Bartlett Street, Brooklyn NY. 43 years.
Sarah Goldenberg, daughter. 482 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn NY. 33 years.
Ida Klein, daughter. 360 Stockton Street, Brooklyn NY. 36 years.
1930 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1930 Census with wife Celia. Children: Robert and Evelyn. Profession listed as "Owner Manager Delicatessen". Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
1940 US Census. Listed as "Morris Scher" on 1940 Census with wife Cecilia. Daughter: Sadye Fader, and grandson listed as Harvey Fader. Place of birth listed as "England" [although this is inaccurate and perhaps a miscommunication at the time as 1910, 1920, 1930 census records and 1910 ship's manifest show he was born in Russia and spent 2 years in England before immigrating to the United States.] Residence listed as 990 Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Listed at same residence in 1940 is his daughter Evelyn Scher Useloff, her husband Meyer Useloff and their son Norman Useloff.
1945 - Death year and date as given on tombstone at gravesite. Additionally confirmed by record: "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949". Morris Scher, 30 Aug 1945; citing Death, New York City, Queens, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,194,314. Reference ID cn 6778. GS Film Number 2194314. Morris Scher. New York, New York City Municipal Deaths. Name: Morris Scher. Event Type: Death. Event Date: 30 Aug 1945. Event Place: New York City, Queens, New York, United States. Address: 990 Sutter Ave. Residence Place: N.Y., Kings, N.Y. Gender: Male. Age: 72. Marital Status: Married. Race: White. Occupation: Delicatessen Store. Birth Year (Estimated): 1873. Birthplace: Russia. Burial Date 31 Aug 1945. Cemetery: Mt Lebanon Cem. Father's Name: Louis. Father's Birthplace: Russia. Mother's Name: Lena Evelayn Schek. Mother's Birthplace: Russia. Spouse's Name: Celia. Frame Number: 1682.
Family Members
Siblings
