University of North Carolina at Asheville
D.H. Ramsey Library
Special Collections/University Archives

Manuscript and Photograph Register
for

M2007.5.virtual

"Jake Rosen in his Russian Army uniform,"Jacob Rosen Family Papers,
  D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, UNC Asheville

Jacob Rosen and his wife Bessie came to Asheville around 1922 from Poland on a ship that left from Hamburg, Germany (a busy port where ships full of immigrants, embarked for America). Jacob had served in the Russian army during World War I.  They had five children: Philip was a child and Ida an infant when they arrived in America. The other three children Robert, Sam and Janette were born in Asheville. Jacob’s brother, Max Rosen and his wife Annie were already living in Asheville.  Max was first listed in the City directory in 1912 as a coppersmith at 59 North Lexington Avenue, residing at 51 South Grove in Asheville. In 1914 Max was in the produce business at 82 Lexington. In 1920 Max had a junk business at 84 Lexington and a produce business at 86 Lexington. In 1924 Max had just a poultry business at 84 Lexington. In 1925 the City Directory lists Jacob and Bessie living at 11 Cumberland Avenue in Montford and Jacob working as a clerk for Max whose wholesale business was at 84 North Lexington. Max and Annie were listed living at the same address. In 1931 the directory lists Max as president and Jacob as vice president of Rosen wholesale produce at 86 Lexington. In 1935 they had separate businesses. Jacob had a produce business at 90 Lexington and Max and Jacob had a wholesale produce business at 86 Lexington. In 1936 Max was president, Annie C. vice president and Sol Rosen secretary; treasurer of a poultry business at 86 North Lexington. After Max died, in 19xx his wife Annie returned to New York to live. "I believe Max had three children, two boys and a girl from the first marriage and none from the second.  To my knowledge (Janette Krupsaw) they were never active in the businesses."

Jacob was called "Jake" until shortly before he died.  He was given the name change to stop the angel of death from finding him, an old custom from Europe.  In 1939 Jake was at 88 Lexington and he listed Phillip as his assistant manager. The family lived at 13 Cumberland Avenue in the Montford neighborhood of Asheville.  His wife Bessie opened a grocery store on Lexington below the Chicken Alley space where Jake slaughtered kosher and nonkosher chickens. She would sit and knit between customers until one day a salesman came into the store and said that while she was there she should try selling some canned peas. This worked and she added more canned goods and eventually had the largest grocery store on the street. The grocery closed during World War II when  there were not enough men to drive delivery trucks, work as clerks or butchers.

 All  Jake's children graduated from Lee H. Edwards High School and went on to college.

 Ida's husband, Martin Belovin,  opened a shoe store on Biltmore Avenue near Pack Square in the late 40's and move to Haywood Street across from Bon Marche in the 50's as Marty’s Cancellation Shoes.  Philip (the oldest of Jake's children) and his wife Evelyn took over the store from the Belovins when they retired.  It closed when Phil and Evelyn retired.  Phillip's son Richard and his wife, Susan had a shoe store that went into the Winner's Department store location on Haywood Street.

Janette left Asheville in 1948 to go to the University of Michigan. She married the summer after graduation at the old Synagogue, Bikor Cholim, and never lived in North Carolina afterwards.  Her "Ktuba" was signed by David S. Schandler, Samuel Robinson and Charles Heilpern, Rabbi on it dated June 12, 1951.

In an email from Janette: I remember in the '30's that Uncle Max and Aunt Anna lived on Chestnut Street (177 according to the City Directory)  but I do not remember the number.  The folks did live at 11 Cumberland (also 13 Cumberland according to the City Directory),  in the Montford section of town and Dad was working for Uncle Max.  He  went into his own poultry and produce business about 1932.  He started at 90 Lexington and then moved to 88.

Don't know how to express how I as a child remember the businesses.  Dad had a flat bed truck that he sent out to the country, I don't know where, to bring back crates of live chickens.  They were tied on with ropes.  The place was dirty.  Chicken droppings everywhere.  A large pot of boiling water was near a table that was used to kill the non-kosher chickens and after they were dipped in it, there was a rotating wheel with fingers sticking out that pulled the feathers off.  There was a separate area and a barrel to put the kosher chickens into and they were dry picked.  I remember Daddy doing them by hand.  He hired "Black" men to do the non-kosher ones.  The farmers would come in with home churned butter, eggs and produce and Daddy would always buy these items.  The best quality was put downstairs for the retail market and he sold the rest to restaurants and hotels.  He had to deliver early in the morning so he would leave home "during the night" about 5 a.m.  He did not drive so he walked from the house to the store.  His shoes were very dirty as were his clothes because of the blood and droppings.  I still remember the box with a single round
hole that had a light bulb in it that he used to hold the eggs up to, to make sure the eggs were not spoiled.  Double yolks were always taken home, for the children.

Mamma ran the retail store downstairs.  I loved the store.  There were open packages of things like candy that were sold by the ones.  Cigarettes were a penny apiece, a package was a dime.  There were sales books with names on the top because credit was given.  The big customers, like the Blombergs were sent a bill each month, others would come in each week, mainly the "Blacks" and pay off and then start a new bill until the next payday.  There was a great variety of items for rich and poor alike. Bread and deli was shipped in from Baltimore and Cincinnati each week. There was a special display case and slicer for the kosher items. We sold non-kosher meat.  You had to buy a side or a quarter of the beef or lamb.
So you had cheap and expensive cuts available.  The can goods and fresh produce were the same way.  Leftovers were taken home and were often the more expensive items that had not sold.  It was always a busy place. Orders were phoned in and bicycles were used to deliver small orders nearby, the truck was used for larger orders to the wealthy areas such as Beaver Lake and Kenilworth.  All the merchants on the street were friendly and would borrow items needed to make up orders if they were out of stock. The stores across the street were open stalls.  Groceries were at the back and fresh fruits and vegetables were put out front each morning.  Our store was enclosed and Mom bought equipment that was up to date at the time.  Shelves lined one wall for can goods of all varieties and there was a refrigerated open case for the produce.  At the back was the meat counter with butcher blocks and a walk in cooler.  Phil helped in the store.  We all did something; I remember using the old adding machine to add up the tickets so that the bills could be sent out. After everyone else was gone, Phil and Sam to service, Ida was in Chicago and Robert went off to work for the Army and then Medical School it was left to Mom and myself and so Mom felt she had to close  down, it was around 1944 because the two of us couldn't do it.  I was in school and always went in late and came back to the store in the afternoon.

Living on Cumberland Avenue before the highway cut it off from town was wonderful.  I could walk everywhere and catch a bus at the top of the hill on Haywood to go anywhere in town.  Across the street from the house was an empty lot that let me see the back yards of the "colored" section of housing that was between Cumberland and Montford.  At the corner of Cumberland and Cherry Streets was another Jewish family, the Books.  They had the neighborhood grocery store and lived in an adjoining house. Because I was so young, we had a maid, nanny, whose name was Nettie.  She took care of me and did the house work.  She was off on Thursday afternoons and I frequently went home with her.  She lived in a house that was down the alley in the "colored" section.  It had a dirt floor and I always felt very much at home with her.  When she didn't take me home, I got to go to the store which I also enjoyed.  Summers were fun, I loved to walk down to Montford Park.  There was a wading pool and always some one to play with.  Mom sent me at three to nursery at a small private school in a house on Flint Street.  Mrs. Hensley and Mrs. Young ran it and I remained there until third grade when I went to William Randolph, the old building.  Living where we did was wonderful, there was always a house full of people of all ages.  We were close to town and transportation.  If Rabbi's came to town to solicit funds for yeshivas, Daddy was always the one they called on.  Mom would give them a meal and Daddy would call someone else to give them bus fare to the next town.  With Phil and Ida in college and Robert, too in the 30's, there was no money to spare.  I did not realize it because I always got what I wanted.  I went to dancing school and because there was a cash register with money in it, I figured we had money.  Our friends were always welcome and during the war the Jewish soldiers always seem to find their way to our house for Sunday dinner.

Daddy was active at the synagogue but also belonged to the temple so that we as young people could participate.  He was all for the Jewish Community Center and my wedding reception were held in the old building.  He liked the idea that all Jews could get together there and for several years both congregations had a joint Sunday school there.  I still have some of the text books that were used. The library at the synagogue (Beth Israel) was dedicated in Dad's memory.  His portrait was still hanging in it when we were there in 2001 for our 50th wedding anniversary.