Abraham Koppelmann oral history interview

Segment Synopsis: Abraham Kopplemann was interviewed in his office (at the H. P. Kopplemann Company) on Van Block Avenue in Hartford, on Tuesday morning July 11, 1972. The interviewer was Emma Perlstein Cohen, on behalf of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford.

Keywords: H.P. Kopplemann Company; Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford

Segment Synopsis: Koppelmann describes conditions in Odessa, Russia, including persecution and massacres by Czarist agents, that led to father's decision to emigrate to U.S.A. in 1882. Koppelmann relates that the government did not allow Jewish children to attend school, so they were taught clandestinely in the Jewish community. Koppelmann's father was educated, and was a teacher, but had no trade, so did odd jobs. He bribed officials for permission to leave Russia. The voyage took two months, and they were in steerage. They had no money and few possessions. The Koppelmann's had two children when they left Russia: Marcus, the eldest, and Herman, 2 years old. The mother was pregnant and gave birth to a girl, Rebecca, on Ellis Island [actually probably Castle Clinton]. She later had two more daughters, Dora (?) and Sarah, and then Abraham in 1889 in Hartford. Kopplemann states that his family arrived at the Ellis Island, New York immigration center in 1882, with no money, and few possessions carried in pillowcases [however, Ellis Island was not an immigration station until 1892. The Kopplemanns undoubtedly arrived not at Ellis Island, but at Castle Clinton in New York.]

Keywords: Castle Clinton; Czarist Russia; Ellis Island; Odessa, Russia; pogroms

Segment Synopsis: The Jewish Immigration Society steered them to Hartford, Connecticut. At first, Koppelmann's father peddled pots and pans, and the family took in boarders to pay the rent. Koppelmann's father later found a steady job at the Colt Patent Firearms Company, where he worked for 23 years. They lived on the east side of Hartford in a cold-water flat.

Keywords: Colt Patent Firearms Compay; Hartford, Connecticut, east side; Jewish Immigration Society; peddling

Segment Synopsis: Koppelmann's father did not teach in America. He worked 6 days per week; if he had time off, would go to the synagogue to discourse with other learned men. Before the Rumainishe Shul was built, they attended a storefront synagogue, and met at various halls. On high holidays they met at the Germania Hall [Germania Hall is a German-American community center] on the corner of Morgan and Village streets. The congregation could not afford a rabbi, so men who knew something of the Torah read to them. Koppelmann's mother was orthodox and kept kosher. The father worked on the sabbath by necessity. Koppelmann remembers opening of Rumainishe Shul, and President Kempmer. They auctioned off "privileges" to raise money for the synagogue. Koppelmann attended a storefront religious school as a boy.

Keywords: Agudas Achim; President Kempmer; Rumainishe Shul

Segment Synopsis: The Koppelmanns lived at several different addresses, including on Front Street and on Sheldon Street. Koppelmann's father had a house built at 23 Pawtucket Street. They sold the house and moved again. Abraham Koppelmann went to the old South School, and attended Hartford High School. He later went to Huntsinger's Business College (Located at 30 Asylum Street).

Keywords: Front Street; Hartford High School; Huntsinger's Business College; Pawtucket Street; Sheldon Street; South School

Segment Synopsis: When Abraham Koppelman was four years old, living on Sheldon Street in an Irish Jewish area, he sold day-old newspapers. His brother Herman was a newsboy, and whatever papers he did not sell, Abraham would take them the next day and sell them on Main St. When Abraham was eleven or twelve, he got a job on Saturdays working for a store, for 50 cents a day. He worked from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., but often did not get home until 11:00 pm or 12:00 am, because he would get sent on a special delivery; they gave him a trolley ticket for the delivery, but he had to walk home afterward. He then would have to pick up the Sunday newspapers at 3:00 or 4:00 am.

Keywords: Irish-Jewish neighborhood; Marcus Kopplemann; Working life; newsboy; the H. P. Kopplemann company

Segment Synopsis: Brother Herman, ten years older than Abraham, became an agent (wholesaler) for the New York Journal, marking the beginning of the H. P. Koppelmann Company. Herman dropped out of Hartford high school to pursue his career. Herman created a scholarship. Herman entered politics. Herman started another branch of his company in New Haven and Abraham ran it for a year. Then brother Marcus, who had been in the army during the Spanish-American War, came home, and he ran New Haven for two years, but then left for New York to work in the printing business.

Segment Synopsis: Koppelmann's mother was one of founders, and the president, of the Hebrew Ladies’ Old People’s Home Association, on Washington Street, where she did cooking and cleaning. She raised money from the Jewish community, who were mostly peddlers, and eventually got a gold medal for her charitable work. She took mentally challenged women who had been put in the insane asylum and brought them to the home. The mother eventually spent her own last days there. The Jewish community took care of their own, and Abraham could not recall any Jews accepting public support.

Keywords: Barney Rappoport; Hebrew Home; United Zionist Appeal; Zionism

Segment Synopsis: Herman and their mother very active in Zionist movement. Abraham also worked for Zionist cause, helping his mother, and raising money with Barney Rappaport for the United Zionist Appeal. Abraham and Herman donated their own money, and Abraham was later made an honorary member of the board of trustees of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, for his work.

Segment Synopsis: Koppelmann says, when he was 17 or 18 years old, there were no social clubs for young Jews, so he and his friends decided to rent a place where they could have dances and suppers and other leisure activities. They needed a name, and Rabbi Elkin suggested "Octa," meaning "human," so they called it the Octa Club.

Keywords: Octa Club; Rabbi Elkin

Segment Synopsis: Koppelmann found a job, at around 16 years old, at a printing plant located in the old Pope Manufacturing Company factory building on Asylum Street; he learned to set type. He met Sam Clemons (Mark Twain), when the manager, Mr. Brown, who was Twain's friend, brought him by. Apparently Twain bet Brown a dollar that he could set his name in type, and Twain lost the bet.

Keywords: E. Gundlach and Company, Jewelers; Huntsinger's Business College; Pope Manufacturing Company

Segment Synopsis: Koppelmann next got a job as elevator operator at the Hartford Courant on State Street, where he earned the money (at six dollars per week) to attend the Huntsinger's Business College [30 Asylum Street] at night after work. Koppelmann at one time worked for a year at Gundlach's jewelry store [E.Gundlach & Co., 20 State Street]. One day he was sweeping the floor, and found some diamonds, which he turned over to the manager. Miss Gundlach arrived and heard the story, which spread through the store, and one of the employees dubbed him "Honest Abe." Next, Koppelmann worked as a salesman at (?) for about 6 years, driving across the country in a company car.

Segment Synopsis: Herman Koppelmann was elected to city council in Hartford at around 21 years old, elected president of the Board of Aldermen in 1901, and president of the Hartford City Council in 1911. He was the first or second Jewish member of the City Council in Hartford. Elected to Connecticut House of Representatives 1913, and to CT senate in 1917. First Jew from Connecticut to be elected to U.S. House of Representatives in 1933, and was re-elected for four additional terms. Member of Metropolitan District Commission, and elected chairman. Instrumental in having dikes built in Hartford. He was a New Deal Democrat. Herman died in 1957. Sponsor of FDIC insurance bill, insuring people's bank deposits, when he was in U.S. Congress. Stanley High worked with him on that bill. Herman also supported the Social Security act. He was instrumental in forming the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Keywords: Connecticut House of Representatives; FDIC; Hartford City Council; Politics; United States House of Representatives