This is a photo of the members of the D.O.R.R.S. - the name of the “cousins club” of my extended paternal family.  They met the first Saturday of every month for years, taking turns as hosts for the evening.  I have such fond memories of these events when they took place in my home.  I can remember my father testing me all the time on their names and the names of their children.  His family meant everything to him.

The paternal side of my family was born in Russia in the 1880’s and came to the United States in the early 1920’s, settling in East New York, Brooklyn with their five sons.   One of those sons was my grandfather.  All five sons went on to have families of their own and raised their families in the same neighborhood.  The five sons had a total of thirteen children.  All thirteen children also started their families in the same neighborhood.  At some point in the 1950’s, some of the thirteen cousins started to relocate to other places in the tristate area.  The families were so close and wanted to remain close, so they started a cousins club called the D.O.R.R.S. (Descendants of Rachel Rosenman and Spouses).

It is sad that the cousins club ended with the generation of the thirteen cousins.  I can’t remember the last time that I saw any of the descendants of those thirteen cousins.  I know it was a very important part of my father’s life and I am sorry that I did not have that experience as an adult. 

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant