For many years, the fate of Louis Doniger was unknown or unconfirmed. He was either the second child (born 1884-1885) or the third child (born 1888-1891) of Wolf Doniger and Lieba Gurwitch Doniger, and was certainly born in Manhattan, where the family lived during this period. Compounding efforts to trace him was that, after his mother died in 1894, the family was separated. His sisters Mary and Celia went into the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Manhattan and brother Harry eventually went to live with a Wolbarst family; but Louis' fate was unknown, although it was speculated that he initially went into an orphanage of some sort.
No birth record has been found for Louis, either, so there is no date to confirm whether he was the second or third child, nor to match to other records to confirm his fate, and there only speculative records for Louis in the 1900 US Census, the 1905 New York State Census, and the 1910 US Census. Louis always stated his birth date as 08 July, with years varying from 1895 to 1898, which is impossible; if born between Celia and Harry, he must have been born between 1887 and 1891. The 1900 US Census and the 1905 NY State Census suggest his birth year was 1890 or very close to it.
The Doniger family belief was that Louis suffered from the Doniger curse, tuberculosis or another pulmonary issue, went to Colorado for his health, and died about 1930, a story repeated by his brother, Harry, in a letter to a family member in the 1970s, although Colorado has no record of his death. In a 2003 telephone conversation, Louis' niece Lillian Fox Stoneman (Mary's daughter), repeated the Colorado story, and that Louis may have died before 1920, or as early as 1914, before Lillian was born. She also stated that Louis may have been married. This "knowledge" suggests some contact between Louis and at least one family member, but perhaps not.
Besides the letter from Harry Doniger, and until 2018, there were only three known documents that confirmed Louis' existence: (1) Wolf Doniger's Letters of Administration for his estate, which mention all of his children, including Louis; (2) the probate papers for Louis' brother Michael, which mention Louis as a brother; and, (3) the newspaper notice regarding a search for Louis as part of the probate of Michael's will, which refers to him as "Louis A. Doniger".
Two records may help identify Louis. First, the Social Security application for his sister, Mary, refers to her parents as "William" and "Lillian" (really Wolf and Lieba). Then, the marriage application for a Louis A. Doniger in 1926 in Indiana, which also refers to his parents as "William" and "Lillian", and almost certainly provides the confirmation needed to identify Louis' fate.
Here, in chronological order, are the facts that strongly suggest what happened to Louis:
On 17 January 1894, shortly after his wife died, Louis' father, Wolf, put daughter Celia into the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Manhattan, followed by daughter Mary on 04 June 1894. They were discharged to Wolf on 10 October 1898. The Asylum has no records for Louis.
The 1900 US Census, taken on 01 June, shows a 9-year-old boy named "Louis Donninger" as an inmate at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in Manhattan. The record shows his birth as June 1890, in New York to parents born in Russia. If this is Wolf's son, then he was born just before Harry. If this is Louis, it confirms the family belief that he went into an orphanage after his mother died, and not the one into which his sisters Mary and Celia were placed. The HSGS records for this time period no longer exist, so Louis' admission and discharge cannot be confirmed.
The 1905 New York State Census, taken on 01 June, shows a Louis Doniger, age 13, living with the N(athan) Doniger family at 522 Court Street in Brooklyn. Besides the age, which is in the correct range for Wolf's son Louis if born in 1890, he is listed as "boarder", not a member of the immediate family. This Louis matches the age of the boy at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in 1900. Louis' father, Wolf, had an older brother Aron, and one of Aron's sons was Nissen, known as "Nathan". Thus, Nathan was Louis' older first cousin. Nathan never had a son named Louis.
In 1910, Louis is no longer with this family, and there are no marriage or death records for him in New York, nor is there any listing in the 1910 US Census in any state. This is the period in which he may have been traveling to Denver, because he next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory. Louis' father died 02 December 1909, and because Louis was living with his cousin Nathan, it is likely that he knew of his father's death. This may, or may not, have contributed to him leaving New York for Colorado.
A Louis Doniger next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory, as a student, living at 1908 22nd Ave. He appears in the 1912 Directory as a telephone operator, in 1913 through 1917 as an operator for Western Union Telegraph
There is a marriage record report and license application for a Louis A. Doniger of Denver and a Rose Goldberg of St. Joseph, MO, who were married in Denver on 06 October 1915 by Rabbi Charles Kauvar, a communal leader and educator at Beth HaMedrosh Hagadol Congregation in Denver and who helped found the Jewish Consumptive's Relief Society in 1904 to aid Jews who came to Denver for a tuberculosis cure. Perhaps Rabbi Kauvar introduced Louis to Rose, who may also have gone to Denver for her health (she died of tuberculosis in 1918). In any case, the records of the Relief Society show no records for a Louis Doniger, Rose Goldberg, or Rose Doniger as patients.
The 1917 Denver City Directory shows Louis and Rose living at separate addresses; perhaps they were separated. And that is likely, because Louis is not in the 1917 Denver City Directory, although Rose is. Louis' World War I draft registration on 05 June 1917 shows him living in Chicago, and still working for Western Union (the signature matches the one on his marriage certificate); the 1918 Denver City Directory shows Rose still living in Denver. The 1917 Draft card shows that Louis had no dependents, was single, but he was, in fact, still married to Rose, which we know because Rose died 29 December 1918 at her parents' home in St. Joseph, MO, and her death certificate states she was still married to Louis (Colorado has no divorce record for the pair).
There is a record for a Louis A. Doniger, age 24, living at the YMCA on Wilson Avenue in Chicago, Cook Co., IL on 16 January 1920. The record states that he was single, that he and his parents were born in New York, and that he was an accountant at a heating company. In that year, Louis joined a Masonic lodge in Chicago. The record shows an 08 July 1895 birth date in New York, that he was an accountant, and had changed his name; it also gave a date of death (see below).
In the Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) student yearbook, 'The Syllabus', the list of members of the 1921 Junior Class show a "Louis Arthur Doniger." The university reports that, based upon this yearbook listing, he was in the School of Commerce, most likely at the Chicago campus, in a one- or two-year program, and apparently no record exists other than this yearbook page. This is the first known use of the middle name, Arthur.
In 1923, the Chicago City Directory, page 1230, shows a commercial listing for a "Louis Donigar", secretary of the Red Sun Products Co., makers of malt products. The residential listing for this person is the Brewster Hotel. Incredibly, the listing just below is for a "Michl Doniger, a laborer renting at 1910 Bissell Ave. There is only one other listing for a "Louis Donigar" in all of ancestry.com's records, and that is in Wilkes Barre, PA, in 1892 (certainly not Louis Doniger); and there no other records for a Michael Doniger in this time frame, except for Louis's brother. However, in 1923 there is also listing for a Michael Doniger, a chemist in Taunton, MA, and a 1926 record for Michael Doniger, a chemist, in Toledo, OH - Louis' brother, Michael, was a chemist, and was later part-owner of the Empire State Varnish Co., in New York City.
Louis married Eleanor E. Shay on Christmas Day, 1926, in Lake County, IN. The application is the only known record where Louis names his parents, and refers to them as "William" and "Lillian".
There is a 1930 US Census record at the Seneca Hotel at 200 East Chestnut Street in Chicago, Cook Co., IL for Louis Doniger, white male, age 32, married, born in New York, an 'investment lawyer'. His wife was Eleanor S. Doniger, a white female, age 31.
Louis signed his Last Will and Testament in 1931 as "Louis A. Doniger"; Eleanor signed hers on the same day.
In 1938, in Chicago, the Donigers legally changed their names to Lewis A. Donaldson and Eleanor Shay Donaldson.
The 1940 US Census, taken on 08 April, show the Donaldsons having lived in Los Angeles for the previous five years, which may contradict the 1938 record above, but either the Census is wrong or the pair were living in both places. The Census states that he was born in New York and she was born in Illinois, with are both correct. He is listed as an accountant. Research has discovered that Eleanor's grandfather and several of her aunts and uncles moved to California (San Jose and San Francisco) in 1890, thus a possible motive for the Donigers/Donaldsons residing in that state.
On 27 April 1942, Louis filled out his World War II draft registration as Donaldson. He gave only a post office address in Hollywood, CA, stated his birth as 08 July 1895, and named an executive at the First National Bank of Chicago as the person who would always know his address. The registration was signed by the draft registrar of Houston, TX, which might suggest he was in Houston when he filled it out - although the card has the Los Angeles draft board stamp on it. The card shows that he was five feet-eight inches tall and weighed only 98 pounds and wore glasses. It also shows that the registration was canceled for the reason given below.
Less than a month after filling out his draft registration, Lewis and Eleanor attempted suicide in San Gabriel, CA on 23 May 1942. Louis died, but Eleanor survived and tried again, successfully, 11 days later in Los Angeles. In his suicide note, Lewis asked that someone contact his Chicago bank, his Masonic Lodge, and Dudley Wendt of San Jose, CA. Dudley's wife was Eleanor's first cousin, part of the family who had gone to California 50 years before.
On 14 June, the Daily Tribune of Chicago published a brief obituary, announcing the death of Lewis A. Donaldson, formerly Louis A. Doniger, and Eleanor Shay Donaldson, formerly Eleanor Shay Doniger.
Louis and Eleanor were entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA, Gardenia Terrace, Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Loyalty; wall crypts 9217 (Lewis, entombed on 26 May 1942)) and 9224 (Eleanor, entombed 03 June 1942). There are memorial vases for the crypts, but no name plaques.
Lewis and Eleanor created a trust fund, which exists to this day, and provides funds for disbursement to people of need.
When Louis' sister, Mary Doniger Fox, filed her Social Security claim on 25 April 1972, she referred other parents as "William" and "Lillian", which helps tie Louis' 1926 marriage application to Mary and her family
Finally, to help confirm that the Louis Doniger from Colorado was the Louis Doniger from Chicago and the Lewis Donaldson from Chicago and California, signature comparisons were made. The 1915 signature from his Colorado marriage application, the 1917 signature from his World War I draft registration in Chicago; the 1926 abbreviated signature on his Indiana marriage application, and his 1942 signature as Donaldson on the California draft registration, plus his 1938 signature on his last will and testament, all bear great resemblance, and almost certainly demonstrate that one person made all these signatures.
No birth record has been found for Louis, either, so there is no date to confirm whether he was the second or third child, nor to match to other records to confirm his fate, and there only speculative records for Louis in the 1900 US Census, the 1905 New York State Census, and the 1910 US Census. Louis always stated his birth date as 08 July, with years varying from 1895 to 1898, which is impossible; if born between Celia and Harry, he must have been born between 1887 and 1891. The 1900 US Census and the 1905 NY State Census suggest his birth year was 1890 or very close to it.
The Doniger family belief was that Louis suffered from the Doniger curse, tuberculosis or another pulmonary issue, went to Colorado for his health, and died about 1930, a story repeated by his brother, Harry, in a letter to a family member in the 1970s, although Colorado has no record of his death. In a 2003 telephone conversation, Louis' niece Lillian Fox Stoneman (Mary's daughter), repeated the Colorado story, and that Louis may have died before 1920, or as early as 1914, before Lillian was born. She also stated that Louis may have been married. This "knowledge" suggests some contact between Louis and at least one family member, but perhaps not.
Besides the letter from Harry Doniger, and until 2018, there were only three known documents that confirmed Louis' existence: (1) Wolf Doniger's Letters of Administration for his estate, which mention all of his children, including Louis; (2) the probate papers for Louis' brother Michael, which mention Louis as a brother; and, (3) the newspaper notice regarding a search for Louis as part of the probate of Michael's will, which refers to him as "Louis A. Doniger".
Two records may help identify Louis. First, the Social Security application for his sister, Mary, refers to her parents as "William" and "Lillian" (really Wolf and Lieba). Then, the marriage application for a Louis A. Doniger in 1926 in Indiana, which also refers to his parents as "William" and "Lillian", and almost certainly provides the confirmation needed to identify Louis' fate.
Here, in chronological order, are the facts that strongly suggest what happened to Louis:
On 17 January 1894, shortly after his wife died, Louis' father, Wolf, put daughter Celia into the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Manhattan, followed by daughter Mary on 04 June 1894. They were discharged to Wolf on 10 October 1898. The Asylum has no records for Louis.
The 1900 US Census, taken on 01 June, shows a 9-year-old boy named "Louis Donninger" as an inmate at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in Manhattan. The record shows his birth as June 1890, in New York to parents born in Russia. If this is Wolf's son, then he was born just before Harry. If this is Louis, it confirms the family belief that he went into an orphanage after his mother died, and not the one into which his sisters Mary and Celia were placed. The HSGS records for this time period no longer exist, so Louis' admission and discharge cannot be confirmed.
The 1905 New York State Census, taken on 01 June, shows a Louis Doniger, age 13, living with the N(athan) Doniger family at 522 Court Street in Brooklyn. Besides the age, which is in the correct range for Wolf's son Louis if born in 1890, he is listed as "boarder", not a member of the immediate family. This Louis matches the age of the boy at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in 1900. Louis' father, Wolf, had an older brother Aron, and one of Aron's sons was Nissen, known as "Nathan". Thus, Nathan was Louis' older first cousin. Nathan never had a son named Louis.
In 1910, Louis is no longer with this family, and there are no marriage or death records for him in New York, nor is there any listing in the 1910 US Census in any state. This is the period in which he may have been traveling to Denver, because he next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory. Louis' father died 02 December 1909, and because Louis was living with his cousin Nathan, it is likely that he knew of his father's death. This may, or may not, have contributed to him leaving New York for Colorado.
A Louis Doniger next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory, as a student, living at 1908 22nd Ave. He appears in the 1912 Directory as a telephone operator, in 1913 through 1917 as an operator for Western Union Telegraph
There is a marriage record report and license application for a Louis A. Doniger of Denver and a Rose Goldberg of St. Joseph, MO, who were married in Denver on 06 October 1915 by Rabbi Charles Kauvar, a communal leader and educator at Beth HaMedrosh Hagadol Congregation in Denver and who helped found the Jewish Consumptive's Relief Society in 1904 to aid Jews who came to Denver for a tuberculosis cure. Perhaps Rabbi Kauvar introduced Louis to Rose, who may also have gone to Denver for her health (she died of tuberculosis in 1918). In any case, the records of the Relief Society show no records for a Louis Doniger, Rose Goldberg, or Rose Doniger as patients.
The 1917 Denver City Directory shows Louis and Rose living at separate addresses; perhaps they were separated. And that is likely, because Louis is not in the 1917 Denver City Directory, although Rose is. Louis' World War I draft registration on 05 June 1917 shows him living in Chicago, and still working for Western Union (the signature matches the one on his marriage certificate); the 1918 Denver City Directory shows Rose still living in Denver. The 1917 Draft card shows that Louis had no dependents, was single, but he was, in fact, still married to Rose, which we know because Rose died 29 December 1918 at her parents' home in St. Joseph, MO, and her death certificate states she was still married to Louis (Colorado has no divorce record for the pair).
There is a record for a Louis A. Doniger, age 24, living at the YMCA on Wilson Avenue in Chicago, Cook Co., IL on 16 January 1920. The record states that he was single, that he and his parents were born in New York, and that he was an accountant at a heating company. In that year, Louis joined a Masonic lodge in Chicago. The record shows an 08 July 1895 birth date in New York, that he was an accountant, and had changed his name; it also gave a date of death (see below).
In the Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) student yearbook, 'The Syllabus', the list of members of the 1921 Junior Class show a "Louis Arthur Doniger." The university reports that, based upon this yearbook listing, he was in the School of Commerce, most likely at the Chicago campus, in a one- or two-year program, and apparently no record exists other than this yearbook page. This is the first known use of the middle name, Arthur.
In 1923, the Chicago City Directory, page 1230, shows a commercial listing for a "Louis Donigar", secretary of the Red Sun Products Co., makers of malt products. The residential listing for this person is the Brewster Hotel. Incredibly, the listing just below is for a "Michl Doniger, a laborer renting at 1910 Bissell Ave. There is only one other listing for a "Louis Donigar" in all of ancestry.com's records, and that is in Wilkes Barre, PA, in 1892 (certainly not Louis Doniger); and there no other records for a Michael Doniger in this time frame, except for Louis's brother. However, in 1923 there is also listing for a Michael Doniger, a chemist in Taunton, MA, and a 1926 record for Michael Doniger, a chemist, in Toledo, OH - Louis' brother, Michael, was a chemist, and was later part-owner of the Empire State Varnish Co., in New York City.
Louis married Eleanor E. Shay on Christmas Day, 1926, in Lake County, IN. The application is the only known record where Louis names his parents, and refers to them as "William" and "Lillian".
There is a 1930 US Census record at the Seneca Hotel at 200 East Chestnut Street in Chicago, Cook Co., IL for Louis Doniger, white male, age 32, married, born in New York, an 'investment lawyer'. His wife was Eleanor S. Doniger, a white female, age 31.
Louis signed his Last Will and Testament in 1931 as "Louis A. Doniger"; Eleanor signed hers on the same day.
In 1938, in Chicago, the Donigers legally changed their names to Lewis A. Donaldson and Eleanor Shay Donaldson.
The 1940 US Census, taken on 08 April, show the Donaldsons having lived in Los Angeles for the previous five years, which may contradict the 1938 record above, but either the Census is wrong or the pair were living in both places. The Census states that he was born in New York and she was born in Illinois, with are both correct. He is listed as an accountant. Research has discovered that Eleanor's grandfather and several of her aunts and uncles moved to California (San Jose and San Francisco) in 1890, thus a possible motive for the Donigers/Donaldsons residing in that state.
On 27 April 1942, Louis filled out his World War II draft registration as Donaldson. He gave only a post office address in Hollywood, CA, stated his birth as 08 July 1895, and named an executive at the First National Bank of Chicago as the person who would always know his address. The registration was signed by the draft registrar of Houston, TX, which might suggest he was in Houston when he filled it out - although the card has the Los Angeles draft board stamp on it. The card shows that he was five feet-eight inches tall and weighed only 98 pounds and wore glasses. It also shows that the registration was canceled for the reason given below.
Less than a month after filling out his draft registration, Lewis and Eleanor attempted suicide in San Gabriel, CA on 23 May 1942. Louis died, but Eleanor survived and tried again, successfully, 11 days later in Los Angeles. In his suicide note, Lewis asked that someone contact his Chicago bank, his Masonic Lodge, and Dudley Wendt of San Jose, CA. Dudley's wife was Eleanor's first cousin, part of the family who had gone to California 50 years before.
On 14 June, the Daily Tribune of Chicago published a brief obituary, announcing the death of Lewis A. Donaldson, formerly Louis A. Doniger, and Eleanor Shay Donaldson, formerly Eleanor Shay Doniger.
Louis and Eleanor were entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA, Gardenia Terrace, Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Loyalty; wall crypts 9217 (Lewis, entombed on 26 May 1942)) and 9224 (Eleanor, entombed 03 June 1942). There are memorial vases for the crypts, but no name plaques.
Lewis and Eleanor created a trust fund, which exists to this day, and provides funds for disbursement to people of need.
When Louis' sister, Mary Doniger Fox, filed her Social Security claim on 25 April 1972, she referred other parents as "William" and "Lillian", which helps tie Louis' 1926 marriage application to Mary and her family
Finally, to help confirm that the Louis Doniger from Colorado was the Louis Doniger from Chicago and the Lewis Donaldson from Chicago and California, signature comparisons were made. The 1915 signature from his Colorado marriage application, the 1917 signature from his World War I draft registration in Chicago; the 1926 abbreviated signature on his Indiana marriage application, and his 1942 signature as Donaldson on the California draft registration, plus his 1938 signature on his last will and testament, all bear great resemblance, and almost certainly demonstrate that one person made all these signatures.
For many years, the fate of Louis Doniger was unknown or unconfirmed. He was either the second child (born 1884-1885) or the third child (born 1888-1891) of Wolf Doniger and Lieba Gurwitch Doniger, and was certainly born in Manhattan, where the family lived during this period. Compounding efforts to trace him was that, after his mother died in 1894, the family was separated. His sisters Mary and Celia went into the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Manhattan and brother Harry eventually went to live with a Wolbarst family; but Louis' fate was unknown, although it was speculated that he initially went into an orphanage of some sort.
No birth record has been found for Louis, either, so there is no date to confirm whether he was the second or third child, nor to match to other records to confirm his fate, and there only speculative records for Louis in the 1900 US Census, the 1905 New York State Census, and the 1910 US Census. Louis always stated his birth date as 08 July, with years varying from 1895 to 1898, which is impossible; if born between Celia and Harry, he must have been born between 1887 and 1891. The 1900 US Census and the 1905 NY State Census suggest his birth year was 1890 or very close to it.
The Doniger family belief was that Louis suffered from the Doniger curse, tuberculosis or another pulmonary issue, went to Colorado for his health, and died about 1930, a story repeated by his brother, Harry, in a letter to a family member in the 1970s, although Colorado has no record of his death. In a 2003 telephone conversation, Louis' niece Lillian Fox Stoneman (Mary's daughter), repeated the Colorado story, and that Louis may have died before 1920, or as early as 1914, before Lillian was born. She also stated that Louis may have been married. This "knowledge" suggests some contact between Louis and at least one family member, but perhaps not.
Besides the letter from Harry Doniger, and until 2018, there were only three known documents that confirmed Louis' existence: (1) Wolf Doniger's Letters of Administration for his estate, which mention all of his children, including Louis; (2) the probate papers for Louis' brother Michael, which mention Louis as a brother; and, (3) the newspaper notice regarding a search for Louis as part of the probate of Michael's will, which refers to him as "Louis A. Doniger".
Two records may help identify Louis. First, the Social Security application for his sister, Mary, refers to her parents as "William" and "Lillian" (really Wolf and Lieba). Then, the marriage application for a Louis A. Doniger in 1926 in Indiana, which also refers to his parents as "William" and "Lillian", and almost certainly provides the confirmation needed to identify Louis' fate.
Here, in chronological order, are the facts that strongly suggest what happened to Louis:
On 17 January 1894, shortly after his wife died, Louis' father, Wolf, put daughter Celia into the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Manhattan, followed by daughter Mary on 04 June 1894. They were discharged to Wolf on 10 October 1898. The Asylum has no records for Louis.
The 1900 US Census, taken on 01 June, shows a 9-year-old boy named "Louis Donninger" as an inmate at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in Manhattan. The record shows his birth as June 1890, in New York to parents born in Russia. If this is Wolf's son, then he was born just before Harry. If this is Louis, it confirms the family belief that he went into an orphanage after his mother died, and not the one into which his sisters Mary and Celia were placed. The HSGS records for this time period no longer exist, so Louis' admission and discharge cannot be confirmed.
The 1905 New York State Census, taken on 01 June, shows a Louis Doniger, age 13, living with the N(athan) Doniger family at 522 Court Street in Brooklyn. Besides the age, which is in the correct range for Wolf's son Louis if born in 1890, he is listed as "boarder", not a member of the immediate family. This Louis matches the age of the boy at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in 1900. Louis' father, Wolf, had an older brother Aron, and one of Aron's sons was Nissen, known as "Nathan". Thus, Nathan was Louis' older first cousin. Nathan never had a son named Louis.
In 1910, Louis is no longer with this family, and there are no marriage or death records for him in New York, nor is there any listing in the 1910 US Census in any state. This is the period in which he may have been traveling to Denver, because he next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory. Louis' father died 02 December 1909, and because Louis was living with his cousin Nathan, it is likely that he knew of his father's death. This may, or may not, have contributed to him leaving New York for Colorado.
A Louis Doniger next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory, as a student, living at 1908 22nd Ave. He appears in the 1912 Directory as a telephone operator, in 1913 through 1917 as an operator for Western Union Telegraph
There is a marriage record report and license application for a Louis A. Doniger of Denver and a Rose Goldberg of St. Joseph, MO, who were married in Denver on 06 October 1915 by Rabbi Charles Kauvar, a communal leader and educator at Beth HaMedrosh Hagadol Congregation in Denver and who helped found the Jewish Consumptive's Relief Society in 1904 to aid Jews who came to Denver for a tuberculosis cure. Perhaps Rabbi Kauvar introduced Louis to Rose, who may also have gone to Denver for her health (she died of tuberculosis in 1918). In any case, the records of the Relief Society show no records for a Louis Doniger, Rose Goldberg, or Rose Doniger as patients.
The 1917 Denver City Directory shows Louis and Rose living at separate addresses; perhaps they were separated. And that is likely, because Louis is not in the 1917 Denver City Directory, although Rose is. Louis' World War I draft registration on 05 June 1917 shows him living in Chicago, and still working for Western Union (the signature matches the one on his marriage certificate); the 1918 Denver City Directory shows Rose still living in Denver. The 1917 Draft card shows that Louis had no dependents, was single, but he was, in fact, still married to Rose, which we know because Rose died 29 December 1918 at her parents' home in St. Joseph, MO, and her death certificate states she was still married to Louis (Colorado has no divorce record for the pair).
There is a record for a Louis A. Doniger, age 24, living at the YMCA on Wilson Avenue in Chicago, Cook Co., IL on 16 January 1920. The record states that he was single, that he and his parents were born in New York, and that he was an accountant at a heating company. In that year, Louis joined a Masonic lodge in Chicago. The record shows an 08 July 1895 birth date in New York, that he was an accountant, and had changed his name; it also gave a date of death (see below).
In the Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) student yearbook, 'The Syllabus', the list of members of the 1921 Junior Class show a "Louis Arthur Doniger." The university reports that, based upon this yearbook listing, he was in the School of Commerce, most likely at the Chicago campus, in a one- or two-year program, and apparently no record exists other than this yearbook page. This is the first known use of the middle name, Arthur.
In 1923, the Chicago City Directory, page 1230, shows a commercial listing for a "Louis Donigar", secretary of the Red Sun Products Co., makers of malt products. The residential listing for this person is the Brewster Hotel. Incredibly, the listing just below is for a "Michl Doniger, a laborer renting at 1910 Bissell Ave. There is only one other listing for a "Louis Donigar" in all of ancestry.com's records, and that is in Wilkes Barre, PA, in 1892 (certainly not Louis Doniger); and there no other records for a Michael Doniger in this time frame, except for Louis's brother. However, in 1923 there is also listing for a Michael Doniger, a chemist in Taunton, MA, and a 1926 record for Michael Doniger, a chemist, in Toledo, OH - Louis' brother, Michael, was a chemist, and was later part-owner of the Empire State Varnish Co., in New York City.
Louis married Eleanor E. Shay on Christmas Day, 1926, in Lake County, IN. The application is the only known record where Louis names his parents, and refers to them as "William" and "Lillian".
There is a 1930 US Census record at the Seneca Hotel at 200 East Chestnut Street in Chicago, Cook Co., IL for Louis Doniger, white male, age 32, married, born in New York, an 'investment lawyer'. His wife was Eleanor S. Doniger, a white female, age 31.
Louis signed his Last Will and Testament in 1931 as "Louis A. Doniger"; Eleanor signed hers on the same day.
In 1938, in Chicago, the Donigers legally changed their names to Lewis A. Donaldson and Eleanor Shay Donaldson.
The 1940 US Census, taken on 08 April, show the Donaldsons having lived in Los Angeles for the previous five years, which may contradict the 1938 record above, but either the Census is wrong or the pair were living in both places. The Census states that he was born in New York and she was born in Illinois, with are both correct. He is listed as an accountant. Research has discovered that Eleanor's grandfather and several of her aunts and uncles moved to California (San Jose and San Francisco) in 1890, thus a possible motive for the Donigers/Donaldsons residing in that state.
On 27 April 1942, Louis filled out his World War II draft registration as Donaldson. He gave only a post office address in Hollywood, CA, stated his birth as 08 July 1895, and named an executive at the First National Bank of Chicago as the person who would always know his address. The registration was signed by the draft registrar of Houston, TX, which might suggest he was in Houston when he filled it out - although the card has the Los Angeles draft board stamp on it. The card shows that he was five feet-eight inches tall and weighed only 98 pounds and wore glasses. It also shows that the registration was canceled for the reason given below.
Less than a month after filling out his draft registration, Lewis and Eleanor attempted suicide in San Gabriel, CA on 23 May 1942. Louis died, but Eleanor survived and tried again, successfully, 11 days later in Los Angeles. In his suicide note, Lewis asked that someone contact his Chicago bank, his Masonic Lodge, and Dudley Wendt of San Jose, CA. Dudley's wife was Eleanor's first cousin, part of the family who had gone to California 50 years before.
On 14 June, the Daily Tribune of Chicago published a brief obituary, announcing the death of Lewis A. Donaldson, formerly Louis A. Doniger, and Eleanor Shay Donaldson, formerly Eleanor Shay Doniger.
Louis and Eleanor were entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA, Gardenia Terrace, Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Loyalty; wall crypts 9217 (Lewis, entombed on 26 May 1942)) and 9224 (Eleanor, entombed 03 June 1942). There are memorial vases for the crypts, but no name plaques.
Lewis and Eleanor created a trust fund, which exists to this day, and provides funds for disbursement to people of need.
When Louis' sister, Mary Doniger Fox, filed her Social Security claim on 25 April 1972, she referred other parents as "William" and "Lillian", which helps tie Louis' 1926 marriage application to Mary and her family
Finally, to help confirm that the Louis Doniger from Colorado was the Louis Doniger from Chicago and the Lewis Donaldson from Chicago and California, signature comparisons were made. The 1915 signature from his Colorado marriage application, the 1917 signature from his World War I draft registration in Chicago; the 1926 abbreviated signature on his Indiana marriage application, and his 1942 signature as Donaldson on the California draft registration, plus his 1938 signature on his last will and testament, all bear great resemblance, and almost certainly demonstrate that one person made all these signatures.
No birth record has been found for Louis, either, so there is no date to confirm whether he was the second or third child, nor to match to other records to confirm his fate, and there only speculative records for Louis in the 1900 US Census, the 1905 New York State Census, and the 1910 US Census. Louis always stated his birth date as 08 July, with years varying from 1895 to 1898, which is impossible; if born between Celia and Harry, he must have been born between 1887 and 1891. The 1900 US Census and the 1905 NY State Census suggest his birth year was 1890 or very close to it.
The Doniger family belief was that Louis suffered from the Doniger curse, tuberculosis or another pulmonary issue, went to Colorado for his health, and died about 1930, a story repeated by his brother, Harry, in a letter to a family member in the 1970s, although Colorado has no record of his death. In a 2003 telephone conversation, Louis' niece Lillian Fox Stoneman (Mary's daughter), repeated the Colorado story, and that Louis may have died before 1920, or as early as 1914, before Lillian was born. She also stated that Louis may have been married. This "knowledge" suggests some contact between Louis and at least one family member, but perhaps not.
Besides the letter from Harry Doniger, and until 2018, there were only three known documents that confirmed Louis' existence: (1) Wolf Doniger's Letters of Administration for his estate, which mention all of his children, including Louis; (2) the probate papers for Louis' brother Michael, which mention Louis as a brother; and, (3) the newspaper notice regarding a search for Louis as part of the probate of Michael's will, which refers to him as "Louis A. Doniger".
Two records may help identify Louis. First, the Social Security application for his sister, Mary, refers to her parents as "William" and "Lillian" (really Wolf and Lieba). Then, the marriage application for a Louis A. Doniger in 1926 in Indiana, which also refers to his parents as "William" and "Lillian", and almost certainly provides the confirmation needed to identify Louis' fate.
Here, in chronological order, are the facts that strongly suggest what happened to Louis:
On 17 January 1894, shortly after his wife died, Louis' father, Wolf, put daughter Celia into the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Manhattan, followed by daughter Mary on 04 June 1894. They were discharged to Wolf on 10 October 1898. The Asylum has no records for Louis.
The 1900 US Census, taken on 01 June, shows a 9-year-old boy named "Louis Donninger" as an inmate at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in Manhattan. The record shows his birth as June 1890, in New York to parents born in Russia. If this is Wolf's son, then he was born just before Harry. If this is Louis, it confirms the family belief that he went into an orphanage after his mother died, and not the one into which his sisters Mary and Celia were placed. The HSGS records for this time period no longer exist, so Louis' admission and discharge cannot be confirmed.
The 1905 New York State Census, taken on 01 June, shows a Louis Doniger, age 13, living with the N(athan) Doniger family at 522 Court Street in Brooklyn. Besides the age, which is in the correct range for Wolf's son Louis if born in 1890, he is listed as "boarder", not a member of the immediate family. This Louis matches the age of the boy at the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society in 1900. Louis' father, Wolf, had an older brother Aron, and one of Aron's sons was Nissen, known as "Nathan". Thus, Nathan was Louis' older first cousin. Nathan never had a son named Louis.
In 1910, Louis is no longer with this family, and there are no marriage or death records for him in New York, nor is there any listing in the 1910 US Census in any state. This is the period in which he may have been traveling to Denver, because he next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory. Louis' father died 02 December 1909, and because Louis was living with his cousin Nathan, it is likely that he knew of his father's death. This may, or may not, have contributed to him leaving New York for Colorado.
A Louis Doniger next appears in the 1911 Denver City Directory, as a student, living at 1908 22nd Ave. He appears in the 1912 Directory as a telephone operator, in 1913 through 1917 as an operator for Western Union Telegraph
There is a marriage record report and license application for a Louis A. Doniger of Denver and a Rose Goldberg of St. Joseph, MO, who were married in Denver on 06 October 1915 by Rabbi Charles Kauvar, a communal leader and educator at Beth HaMedrosh Hagadol Congregation in Denver and who helped found the Jewish Consumptive's Relief Society in 1904 to aid Jews who came to Denver for a tuberculosis cure. Perhaps Rabbi Kauvar introduced Louis to Rose, who may also have gone to Denver for her health (she died of tuberculosis in 1918). In any case, the records of the Relief Society show no records for a Louis Doniger, Rose Goldberg, or Rose Doniger as patients.
The 1917 Denver City Directory shows Louis and Rose living at separate addresses; perhaps they were separated. And that is likely, because Louis is not in the 1917 Denver City Directory, although Rose is. Louis' World War I draft registration on 05 June 1917 shows him living in Chicago, and still working for Western Union (the signature matches the one on his marriage certificate); the 1918 Denver City Directory shows Rose still living in Denver. The 1917 Draft card shows that Louis had no dependents, was single, but he was, in fact, still married to Rose, which we know because Rose died 29 December 1918 at her parents' home in St. Joseph, MO, and her death certificate states she was still married to Louis (Colorado has no divorce record for the pair).
There is a record for a Louis A. Doniger, age 24, living at the YMCA on Wilson Avenue in Chicago, Cook Co., IL on 16 January 1920. The record states that he was single, that he and his parents were born in New York, and that he was an accountant at a heating company. In that year, Louis joined a Masonic lodge in Chicago. The record shows an 08 July 1895 birth date in New York, that he was an accountant, and had changed his name; it also gave a date of death (see below).
In the Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) student yearbook, 'The Syllabus', the list of members of the 1921 Junior Class show a "Louis Arthur Doniger." The university reports that, based upon this yearbook listing, he was in the School of Commerce, most likely at the Chicago campus, in a one- or two-year program, and apparently no record exists other than this yearbook page. This is the first known use of the middle name, Arthur.
In 1923, the Chicago City Directory, page 1230, shows a commercial listing for a "Louis Donigar", secretary of the Red Sun Products Co., makers of malt products. The residential listing for this person is the Brewster Hotel. Incredibly, the listing just below is for a "Michl Doniger, a laborer renting at 1910 Bissell Ave. There is only one other listing for a "Louis Donigar" in all of ancestry.com's records, and that is in Wilkes Barre, PA, in 1892 (certainly not Louis Doniger); and there no other records for a Michael Doniger in this time frame, except for Louis's brother. However, in 1923 there is also listing for a Michael Doniger, a chemist in Taunton, MA, and a 1926 record for Michael Doniger, a chemist, in Toledo, OH - Louis' brother, Michael, was a chemist, and was later part-owner of the Empire State Varnish Co., in New York City.
Louis married Eleanor E. Shay on Christmas Day, 1926, in Lake County, IN. The application is the only known record where Louis names his parents, and refers to them as "William" and "Lillian".
There is a 1930 US Census record at the Seneca Hotel at 200 East Chestnut Street in Chicago, Cook Co., IL for Louis Doniger, white male, age 32, married, born in New York, an 'investment lawyer'. His wife was Eleanor S. Doniger, a white female, age 31.
Louis signed his Last Will and Testament in 1931 as "Louis A. Doniger"; Eleanor signed hers on the same day.
In 1938, in Chicago, the Donigers legally changed their names to Lewis A. Donaldson and Eleanor Shay Donaldson.
The 1940 US Census, taken on 08 April, show the Donaldsons having lived in Los Angeles for the previous five years, which may contradict the 1938 record above, but either the Census is wrong or the pair were living in both places. The Census states that he was born in New York and she was born in Illinois, with are both correct. He is listed as an accountant. Research has discovered that Eleanor's grandfather and several of her aunts and uncles moved to California (San Jose and San Francisco) in 1890, thus a possible motive for the Donigers/Donaldsons residing in that state.
On 27 April 1942, Louis filled out his World War II draft registration as Donaldson. He gave only a post office address in Hollywood, CA, stated his birth as 08 July 1895, and named an executive at the First National Bank of Chicago as the person who would always know his address. The registration was signed by the draft registrar of Houston, TX, which might suggest he was in Houston when he filled it out - although the card has the Los Angeles draft board stamp on it. The card shows that he was five feet-eight inches tall and weighed only 98 pounds and wore glasses. It also shows that the registration was canceled for the reason given below.
Less than a month after filling out his draft registration, Lewis and Eleanor attempted suicide in San Gabriel, CA on 23 May 1942. Louis died, but Eleanor survived and tried again, successfully, 11 days later in Los Angeles. In his suicide note, Lewis asked that someone contact his Chicago bank, his Masonic Lodge, and Dudley Wendt of San Jose, CA. Dudley's wife was Eleanor's first cousin, part of the family who had gone to California 50 years before.
On 14 June, the Daily Tribune of Chicago published a brief obituary, announcing the death of Lewis A. Donaldson, formerly Louis A. Doniger, and Eleanor Shay Donaldson, formerly Eleanor Shay Doniger.
Louis and Eleanor were entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA, Gardenia Terrace, Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Loyalty; wall crypts 9217 (Lewis, entombed on 26 May 1942)) and 9224 (Eleanor, entombed 03 June 1942). There are memorial vases for the crypts, but no name plaques.
Lewis and Eleanor created a trust fund, which exists to this day, and provides funds for disbursement to people of need.
When Louis' sister, Mary Doniger Fox, filed her Social Security claim on 25 April 1972, she referred other parents as "William" and "Lillian", which helps tie Louis' 1926 marriage application to Mary and her family
Finally, to help confirm that the Louis Doniger from Colorado was the Louis Doniger from Chicago and the Lewis Donaldson from Chicago and California, signature comparisons were made. The 1915 signature from his Colorado marriage application, the 1917 signature from his World War I draft registration in Chicago; the 1926 abbreviated signature on his Indiana marriage application, and his 1942 signature as Donaldson on the California draft registration, plus his 1938 signature on his last will and testament, all bear great resemblance, and almost certainly demonstrate that one person made all these signatures.
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