Samuel (“Sam”) Hencken and Nadja (“Nellie”) Entin emigrated from Russia to New York in 1905 or 1906, fleeing pogroms. Both were committed socialists and remained active throughout their lives, especially through the Workmen’s Circle. Sam worked as a house painter. 

Their son Bernard (“Ben”) was born on November 16, 1907, in the family’s apartment at 101 Norfolk Street. He later attended P.S. 171 and Townsend Harris Hall. Sam and Nellie had three other children: Jack, Eileen, and Irving. The family eventually moved to Detroit, while Sam later returned to New York. 

Sam’s departure strained family relationships. In 1955, he wrote his children a long letter in ornate Yiddish, trying to explain his choices and to be understood. He listed the socialist and Jewish organizations he belonged to, taking pride in his leadership. The first page of this letter and an English translation survive. 

Nellie remained in Detroit with the children. She was active in the Workmen’s Circle, the Socialist Party—running for Michigan Secretary of State—and other Jewish causes. She lived with her daughter Eileen and helped raise Ben’s daughter Joan after Joan’s mother died. Sam and Nellie divorced in the 1950s. 

Ben married Bessie Norman in 1940; they had two children, Robert and Marilyn. Ben and Jack became pharmacists and owned a successful drug store. Sam returned to Detroit in 1970 because of his health. Nellie died in 1974 and Sam in 1976. Both are buried at the Workmen’s Circle Cemetery near Detroit. 

– Robert Hencken

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