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Elihu Stone Papers

 Collection
Identifier: P-555 and P-555A

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains speeches, essays, correspondence, resolutions, and photographs documenting the professional, political, and personal life of Elihu David Stone. Included are materials pertaining to Stone's Zionist activities and his associations with the New England Zionist Region, World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization of America, Jewish National Fund, Keren Hayesod, and the passing of the Palestine and Lodge-Fish resolutions; correspondence, speeches, position papers, and other materials related to the numerous political poisitons he held; professional papers related to his legal work and involvement in various Jewish organizations; as well as various speeches, essays, addresses, personal correspondence, and photographs. Some material is in Hebrew, Yiddish, and German.

The addendum contains materials from members of the Monteveleska and Stone families. The majority of the material are photographs of the eight Stone siblings and their families, the bulk being from the family of Julius Stone and his wife Mamie (Monteveleska) Stone. Photographs include the Stones in the Boston area, Meretz, and Israel. Other items include descendent charts, news articles, various organization memberships, certificates, correspondence, religious objects, financials, and passports. The bulk of the material dates from the 1930s-1960s. Some material is in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian. Of note is correspondence written by Elihu while he was attending the 17th Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland and the 1881 Russian military draft of Reuven Tzerelstein.

Dates

  • undated, 1881-2015

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in English, German, Hebrew, Russian and Yiddish.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for researcher use. Please contact us to request access or to make an appointment to view this collection at jhcreference@nehgs.org.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of this collection. For more information contact jhcreference@nehgs.org.

Biographical Note

Elihu David Stone

Elihu David Stone was born in Meretz (Merkinė), Lithuania on July 18, 1888 to Elchannan and Chana Tzerelstein (at some point, Elihu, his mother, and his siblings took the surname Stone). He arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1906 and attended Roxbury High School while working as an instructor in a Hebrew religious school. He continued this work while attending Boston University Law School, and also worked as a reporter for The Boston Journal. He received his LL.B. in 1915 and established a law office in Boston. In 1918 he was appointed to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he completed two terms, serving on the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Judiciary Committee, and as Chair of the Committee on Elections. In 1920, he was on a Special Committee to revise and consolidate the laws of Massachusetts, and he served as Assistant U.S. District Attorney for Massachusetts from 1922 to 1934. In this capacity, he was responsible for the prosecution of cases violating the National Prohibition Act and the narcotic laws. Following his retirement from office, he continued his private law practice.

Elihu was active in the Zionist movement, and, in 1919, was responsible for the passage of a resolution in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, urging American Delegates to the Paris Peace Conference to support the establishment of a Jewish commonwealth in Palestine. He was largely responsible for the passage of the Palestine Resolution by the Massachusetts Legislation on March 29, 1922, which in turn led to the Joint Resolution passed by the U.S. Congress later that year, favoring the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. He was one of the American members of the Administrative Committee for the Jewish Agency of Palestine, a member of the Actions Committee of the World Zionist Organization, and vice-president and life member of the Zionist Organization of America, which he had helped re-organize in 1918. He was a founder of the New England Zionist Region, served as its president for 13 years, and was declared an honorary president for life of the organization. He was also national vice-chairman and New England chairman of the United Palestine Appeal, and a director of the Jewish National Fund.

Elihu was active in community affairs and served as president of Congregation Mishkan Tefila for over 10 years. In 1938, he was awarded a distinguished service award as a result of his efforts on behalf of the people of Lithuania. He married Esther Israel in 1917 and had two sons, Theodore Mordecai and Judah Meir. He died in 1952.

Elchannon and Channa Libe (Goldberg) (Tzerelstein) Stone

Channa Libe (Goldberg) Stone was born to Eliezar and Bayle Goldberg, circa 1860, in Lithuania. She married Elchannan Tzerelstein and started a family in Meretz. Elchannan was a pioneer Zionist and disciple of Theodor Herzl, as well as a distinguished Hebrew teacher and scholar. The couple had eight children: Louis, Elihu, Julius, Sarah, Moses, Florence, Aaron, and Sidney (see above and below). Following Elchannan's death in 1910, Channa immigrated to Boston to be with her children. Once in the United States, she went by Hannah or Anna Libby Stone. Channa descended from a rabbinical family and took over the religious leadership of her family after her husband died. She was member of Congregation Beth El in Dorchester, Massachusetts; the Beth El Sisterhood; and the Home for the Aged. She died October 4, 1937 at Beth Israel Hospital.

Louis Gottlieb and Esther (Goldberg) Stone

Louis Gottlieb Stone was born on November 15, 1883 in Meretz. In his youth he attended the Vilna Yeshiva in Vilnius, Lithuania. He immigrated to the United States in May of 1904 and settled in Massachusetts, where he worked as a salesman for a time. Louis graduated from Suffolk Law School and was an attorney for more than 35 years. He was an active Zionist and was a member of the Brookline-Brighton-Newton Zionist District. He was also a member of the New Century Club, served as president of the Lithuania Federation of Jews in America and the Meretz Relief Association, and helped establish the Meretz Free Loan Association in Israel in 1951. On September 1, 1912, he married Esther Goldberg, daughter of Isaac and Leah (Badanes) Goldberg. Esther was born circa 1884 and emigrated from Lithuania with her family. Together they had three children: Albert, Phoebe, and Isaac. Esther died on June 19, 1951, and Louis died on April 23, 1954.

Julius Yehuda and Mamie Mikel (Monteveleska) Stone

Julius Yehuda Stone was born on April 18, 1889 in Meretz. He attended the Vilna Yeshiva, and, in 1909, immigrated to the United States and lived with his older brothers Louis and Elihu in Dorchester. Julius was a member of the Choral Group of the Dorchester-Roxbury-Mattapan-Milton Region and sang in other synagogue choirs in his youth. He was an ardent Zionist and worked in the Jewish newspaper business. On May 21, 1916, he married Mamie Mikel Monteveleska. Mamie was born in Lithuania on January 18, 1892 to Jacob Yankel and Chane (Fagel) Monteveleska. They had four children: Beatrice, Charlotte, Harmon, and Irwin Both served in the U.S. armed forces during WWII, Julius in the Army Engindeering Corps. and Mamie in the Navy. Julius died on April 7, 1963, and Mamie died on May 30, 1978.

Sarah M. (Stone) and Abraham Wagman

Sarah M. Stone was born on March 15, 1891 in Meretz. She immigrated to Boston in 1910. Sarah was active in the women’s division of Israel Bonds, was elected vice president for life of the Chelsea Hadassah, and served as president of Chelsea Hebrew School Women’s Auxiliary. She was member of the Chelsea Auxiliary of the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged and the Shurtleff Street Shul. On August 11, 1914, she married Abraham Wagman, a dry goods merchant who was born in 1894 and had emigrated from Lithuania in 1905. The couple eventually settled in Chelsea and had three children: Theodore, Barbara, and Deborah. Abraham died on March 15, 1969, and Sarah died on September 13, 1987 in Virginia.

Moses Jacob and Miriam (Cushing) Stone

Moses Jacob Stone was born on August 8, 1895 in Meretz and immigrated to the United States in 1911. He graduated from Tufts Medical School in 1921 and interned at the Rutland State Sanitorium in Vermont. He later became chief of staff of the Jewish Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Rutland and chief of the outpatient chest clinic at Beth Israel Hospital. In addition to writing a book on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, he was an assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine and an instructor at Tufts Medical School. On February 17, 1927, he married Miriam Cushing, born in 1899 to Benjamin and Rebecca Cushing. Together they had three children: Elhanan, Harris, and Syril. Moses died December 13, 1952. Miriam remarried in 1955 to Dr. Maurice Berlin and died in 1997.

Florence Rose (Stone) and Bernard Abrams Kaplan

Florence Rose Stone was born Frume Razel on January 15, 1896 in Meretz. She immigrated to the United States in 1908 and in 1920 married Bernard Abrams Kaplan. Bernard was born in 1895 and immigrated to the United States from Vilna. They had two sons: Reuben and Harold. Bernard died May 18, 1951, and Florence died June 21, 1964 in Miami, Florida.

Aaron Hirsh and Ida (Silverman) Stone

Aaron Hirsh Stone was born circa 1898 in Meretz. He immigrated to Boston in 1911 and attended Dorchester High School and later graduated from Tufts School of Dental Medicine in 1921. He was Zionist leader, helping organize the Mattapan-Dorchester-Roxbury Zionist District and serving as its first secretary, and later as president. He was editor of the M-D-R Zionist Bulletin and was one of the cofounders of the Mattapan-Zionist-Hadassah Choral Group, serving as its president for 15 years. Aaron also served as New England Zionist Region secretary and was a member of the National Zionist Organization of America Executive Committee. He was also a member of the Massachuseets Dental Society, American Dental Association, and Tufts Dental Alumni Association, and was affiliated with Mishkan Tefila and Temple Beth Hillel. In 1923 he married Ida Silverman, born circa 1898 to David and Lena (Goldman) Silverman. Together they had two sons: Allan and Raymond. Aaron died June 14, 1961, and Ida died April 23, 1962.

Sidney Phineas and Rhoda (Freedson) Stone

Sidney Phineas Stone was born Zelig Pinchas in 1900 in Meretz. He graduated from Tufts Dental School in 1922 and Harvard Graduate School of Dentistry in 1933. He practiced dentistry for more than 35 years. Sidney was a member of the Zionist Organization of America, Temple Mishkan Tefila, Congregation Beth El Brotherhood and Everett Lodge AF & AM. He also served as president of the Greater Boston Dental Society, Harvard Society of Orthodontists, fellow of the American Academy of Dental Science, among other dental affiliations. In 1929 he married Rhoda Freedson, born in 1906 to Abraham and Minnie (Kebow) Freedson. They had two children: Beverly and Eliot. Sidney died June 11, 1968, and Rhode died February 13, 1983.

Goldie (Monteveleska) and Sam Lacob

Goldie Monteveleska, sister of Mamie (see above), was born on January 15, 1898 to Jacob Yankel and Chane (Fagel) Monteveleska in Meretz. She immigrated to the United States in 1913 under the name Golde Matwelishaja. In 1918 she married Sam Lacob. Botn in 1891 in Witebsk, Russia (present-day Vitebsk, Belarus, Sam immigrated to the United States circa 1911 under the name Shamel Liacov and worked as a presser in a dress shop. They had two children: Koppel and Esther. Sam died April 11, 1964, and Goldie died October 7, 1993 in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Rachel (Monteveleska) and Eliezar Mann

Rachel Monteveleska, sister of Mamie (see above), was born to Jacob Yankel and Chane (Fagel) Monteveleska. She immigrated to Israel and married Eliezar Mann. Together they had three children: Reuven, Jochanam, and Chienna.

References

  1. Material from the collection.
  2. Obituaries from The Boston Globe.
  3. Obituaries from The Jewish Advocate.

Chronology

1860
Channa Libe (Goldberg) Stone is born.
November 15, 1883
Louis Gottlieb Stone is born.
1884
Esther (Goldberg) Stone is born.
July 18, 1888
Elihu David Stone is born.
December 23, 1888
Esther (Israel) Stone is born.
April 18, 1889
Julius Yehuda Stone is born.
1891
Samuel Lacob is born.
March 15, 1891
Sarah M. (Stone) Wagman is born.
January 18, 1892
Mamie Mikel (Monteveleska) Stone is born.
August 8, 1895
Moses Jacob Stone is born.
January 15, 1892
Florence Rose (Stone) Kaplan is born.
1894
Abraham Wagman is born.
1895
Bernard Abrams Kaplan is born.
1898
Aaron Hirsch Stone is born.
1898
Ida (Silverman) Stone is born.
January 15, 1898
Goldie (Monteveleska) Lacob is born.
1900
Sidney Phineas Stone is born.
1906
Rhoda (Freedson) Stone is born.
1906
Elihu Stone immgrates to the United States.
1910
Elchannan Tzerelstein dies.
1915
Elihu Stone receives his LL.B.
1918
Elihu Stone is appointed to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
1922-1934
Elihu Stone serves as Assistant U.S. District Attorney for Massachusetts.
October 4, 1937
Channa Libe (Goldberg) Stone dies.
May 18, 1951
Bernard Abrams Kaplan dies.
June 19, 1951
Esther (Goldberg) Stone dies.
December 23, 1952
Moses Jacob Stone dies.
April 23, 1954
Louis Gottlieb Stone dies.
June 14, 1961
Aaron Hirsch Stone dies.
April 13, 1962
Ida (Silverman) Stone dies.
April 7, 1963
Julius Yehuda Stone dies.
April 11, 1964
Samuel Lacob dies.
June 21, 1964
Florence Rose (Stone) Kaplan dies.
June 11, 1968
Sidney Phineas Stone dies.
March 15, 1969
Abraham Wagman dies.
May 30, 1978
Mamie Mikel (Monteveleska) Stone dies.
February 13, 1983
Rhoda (Freedson) Stone dies.
September 13, 1987
Sarah M. (Stone) Wagman dies.
October 7, 1993
Goldie (Monteveleska) Lacob dies.
1997
Miriam (Cushing) Stone dies.

Extent

6.2 linear feet (7 manuscript boxes, 1 document box, 1 oversized box)

Abstract

This collection contains speeches, essays, correspondence, resolutions, and photographs documenting the professional, political, and personal life of Elihu David Stone. Included are materials pertaining to Stone's Zionist activities and his associations with the New England Zionist Region, World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization of America, Jewish National Fund, Keren Hayesod, and the passing of the Palestine and Lodge-Fish resolutions. Also included are speeches from Louis Lipsky, Henry Cabot Lodge, Congressman John C. McCormack, Colonel Josiah Wedgewood, and Governor Frank G. Allen. Addendum materials mainly include photographs of the Stone siblings and their families in Massachusetts, Lithuania, and Israel. Items also include 19th-century Russian military conscription papers and correspondence from the 17th Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland.

Physical Location

Located in Boston, Mass.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Carol Stone in 1983, with additional material donated by Lois Stone in 1987 and Natalia Gouse Prokesch in 1990. Addendum material donated by Betsy Shaw Kramer in 2015.

Processing Information

Reprocessed by Susan Earle, 2004. Addendum processed by Kelsey Sawyer, 2018. Edited to include the military service of Julius and Mamie Stone by Gabrielle Roth, 2024.

Title
Guide to the Elihu David Stone Papers, P-555 and P-555A
Author
Reprocessed by Susan Earle. Addendum processed by Kelsey Sawyer. Edited by Gabrielle Roth.
Date
2004, 2018, 2024
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at American Ancestors Repository

Contact:
99-101 Newbury Street
Boston MA 02116 United States
617-226-1245