I am so excited! I received Charles Jellen's naturalization file in the mail yesterday. I had to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the British National Archives to get the file because it was too recent. These naturalization files usually contain a lot of interesting information. Charles' didn't contain too much new info, however, but it's still pretty interesting to read. Anyway, here's a bit on Uncle Charlie! Charles was the first child of Issac and Rachel that was born in Belgium on August 3, 1886 in Antwerp. He was named Christianus on his birth certificate. How in the world did a Jewish boy of Polish descent end up with such a name? I guess it’s possible that this was phonetically how his name sounded when pronounced by his Polish/Yiddish/Russian speaking parents. Here's a picture of Charles when he visited New York around 1935 - Felice is on the left and my mom Iris is on the right.
Charles moved with his parents to the Jewish neighborhood of Gorbals, Glasgow in 1895. In 1910, 24 year old Charles left Glasgow and moved to Brussels, Belgium. His brother Simon stayed in Glasgow with his wife and child. Issac, Rachel and the younger children Bernard and Anna moved to Edinburgh around the same time. I'm sure that Cecile and Henry Reichman were then living in the Anderlecht, Brussels because Charles was listed as Cecile’s nearest relative when she immigrated in 1912. (The ship manifest lists his address as 1 Rue de Prairie (sic), Brussels). On August 4, 1914, Charles moved back to Scotland, this time to Edinburgh where he lived throughout the rest of his life.
Charles applied for naturalization in 1920 and six years later, on January 29, 1926, Charles became a British citizen. Charles path to citizenship took a lot longer than his brothers Jack and Bernard, who had both become citizens years earlier, in 1914 and 1919 respectively. I’m not sure why. Jack had applied for citizenship so he could enter the British army during WWI and Bernard, was eligible for citizenship since he served in the military during the war. Britain must have changed enlistment requirements sometime after 1914, probably because they needed all the recruits they could get to fight in the war.
Interestingly, though Charles was born in Belgium, his application noted that his nationality flowed from his parents, who were both born in Russia. However, neither Jack nor Bernard’s application contained a similar statement – it commented that their parents were born in Russia, but did not state that they automatically were considered Russian citizens. Maybe it just depends on who handles the case?
Previous occupation was listed as Polish manufacturer and publisher of a sports (?) paper. During WW1 he provided material for making gas masks and also glass for making photographic plates for the air force. His reason for wanting to become naturalized was “His home and all his interests being here, having had free education and the benefit and protection of the laws and institutions of this free country which he admires and loves, he would like some of the responsibilities and privileges.”
His occupation was listed on this document as manufacturer’s representative, though for which company or product it is unknown. (I did find an ad in the Scotsman where the firm of Robertson and Jellen was looking for people to distribute Tartan polish, whatever that is! On the 1901 census, however, he was working as a cabinetmaker’s apprentice. I don’t know what he held during his 4 years in Brussels.
Charles, however, made most of his money as a bookie. Janet remembers being told that although Charles was a bookie, it was legal in Scotland, which it certainly was not! Charles was cited, convicted and fined every year between 1928 and 1939 for using his residence at 29 Elder for ready-money betting. He used an alias, Jack Cassel, which is an inversion of his initials CJ to JC. After being fined in 1932 (his fifth offence) he pled for leniency saying that business was very bad, the ‘punters’ getting more or less their own way.”
Charles never married. He died on July 27, 1948 at the age of 61. The cause of death was listed as malignant hypertension.
Charles moved with his parents to the Jewish neighborhood of Gorbals, Glasgow in 1895. In 1910, 24 year old Charles left Glasgow and moved to Brussels, Belgium. His brother Simon stayed in Glasgow with his wife and child. Issac, Rachel and the younger children Bernard and Anna moved to Edinburgh around the same time. I'm sure that Cecile and Henry Reichman were then living in the Anderlecht, Brussels because Charles was listed as Cecile’s nearest relative when she immigrated in 1912. (The ship manifest lists his address as 1 Rue de Prairie (sic), Brussels). On August 4, 1914, Charles moved back to Scotland, this time to Edinburgh where he lived throughout the rest of his life.
Charles applied for naturalization in 1920 and six years later, on January 29, 1926, Charles became a British citizen. Charles path to citizenship took a lot longer than his brothers Jack and Bernard, who had both become citizens years earlier, in 1914 and 1919 respectively. I’m not sure why. Jack had applied for citizenship so he could enter the British army during WWI and Bernard, was eligible for citizenship since he served in the military during the war. Britain must have changed enlistment requirements sometime after 1914, probably because they needed all the recruits they could get to fight in the war.
Interestingly, though Charles was born in Belgium, his application noted that his nationality flowed from his parents, who were both born in Russia. However, neither Jack nor Bernard’s application contained a similar statement – it commented that their parents were born in Russia, but did not state that they automatically were considered Russian citizens. Maybe it just depends on who handles the case?
Previous occupation was listed as Polish manufacturer and publisher of a sports (?) paper. During WW1 he provided material for making gas masks and also glass for making photographic plates for the air force. His reason for wanting to become naturalized was “His home and all his interests being here, having had free education and the benefit and protection of the laws and institutions of this free country which he admires and loves, he would like some of the responsibilities and privileges.”
His occupation was listed on this document as manufacturer’s representative, though for which company or product it is unknown. (I did find an ad in the Scotsman where the firm of Robertson and Jellen was looking for people to distribute Tartan polish, whatever that is! On the 1901 census, however, he was working as a cabinetmaker’s apprentice. I don’t know what he held during his 4 years in Brussels.
Charles, however, made most of his money as a bookie. Janet remembers being told that although Charles was a bookie, it was legal in Scotland, which it certainly was not! Charles was cited, convicted and fined every year between 1928 and 1939 for using his residence at 29 Elder for ready-money betting. He used an alias, Jack Cassel, which is an inversion of his initials CJ to JC. After being fined in 1932 (his fifth offence) he pled for leniency saying that business was very bad, the ‘punters’ getting more or less their own way.”
Charles never married. He died on July 27, 1948 at the age of 61. The cause of death was listed as malignant hypertension.
1 comment:
My mother, Felice-(pictured below) told me that Great Uncle Charlie was a bookmaker. I guess she thought that was more legal than bookie. My Uncle Johnny, on my father's side was a bookie in this country and we all knew that was illegal.
Uncle Charlie took me to the movies when he was here and wrote me a letter when he returned to Scotland about our date seeing Snow Dwarf and the Seven Whites. I still have that letter.
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