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Esther Goldman
Written by Meyer Denn
Esther Goldman was born Esther Gittle Schwartz/Schwindler on August 28, 1889, in Certizne, Slovakia, in the old
Austro-Hungarian Empire, present-day Slovakia.
Her father was Mordchai Schwindler (aka Markus Schwartz) (1839-May 1942)
born in Baligrod, Galicia (Southern Poland in 2013). Her
mother was Feige Perl Josefovics (March 15, 1854-November 21,
1924), daughter of Abraham Josefovics (1831-March 28, 1918) of Certivne, Slovakia, and Beile Neumann
(1830-1899) of Baligrod, Galicia. All were Chassidic
Jews.
In 1903, Esther Schwindler came to New York, where she married
Julius Goldman on February 21, 1911. They moved to Wharton, Texas, where her brother, Joe
Schwartz, had already established his dry goods business. Esther
and Julius opened a store in Wharton, which they operated until 1925
when they moved to Bay City. Following their move
to Bay City, they opened J. Goldman Grocery at 1904 Seventh Street.
The Goldmans divorced in 1929 and Esther purchased Julius' share of
the business which then
operated under the name of E. Goldman Grocery. Julius Goldman
died on October 17, 1938 and was buried at the Shearith Israel
Cemetery in Wharton. On June 1, 1940, Esther Goldman was naturalized
as a citizen in Houston, Texas. In 1947 Esther's three
nephews, Herman, Sidney, and Manuel Denn opened their business, Bay
City Surplus Sales Company, in a part of her store.
In 1948 Esther Goldman retired to care for her sister, Bertha Denn,
who was dying of cancer. After Berta’s death in 1954, Esther moved back to
Wharton where she opened a second-hand clothing store with another
of her sisters, Dora Wadler. Dora Wadler died in 1965, and Esther
closed that business in 1966.
Esther died on September 24, 1969, and was buried at
Shearith Israel
Cemetery in Wharton.
The Goldmans were members of Shearith Israel Congregation of
Wharton, where Julius served on the board of directors. Esther
Goldman was a charter member of Hadassah, and had the opportunity to
meet its founder, Henrietta Szold. Esther was also a charter member
of Beth David
Center in 1947, a Jewish community center in Bay
City which was used for both religious and social purposes.
Historic Matagorda County Volume II Typed for this page by Faye
Cunningham.
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