Mike's Genealogy Site

Marriage Contract (Ketuba)
Thompsonville, July 24, 1916

Our groom Chaim Faibush and our bride Sarah Gnendel make presently between themselves a marriage agreement as follows:

Our groom Chaim Faibush takes it upon himself to support his wife Sarah Gnendel with at least one meal a day and also with a room and a bedroom on the top floor in Ludlow Street, and once a year during vacations to take her to Coney Island to see people bathe, but not to bathe themselves. This is on the groom's part. Now on the bride's part.

Our bride Sarah Gnendel takes it upon herself to have babies for as long as possible, at least to a dozen children. She also takes it upon herself to cook and bake for her husband and children if there is what to cook, and if there isn't she must take care of it and borrow from the butcher, the grocer, the milkman, and from where possible and to promise to pay them when her husband wins a jackpot in the lottery - despite the fact that he never buys a lottery ticket, and should they stop lending her, she should

immediately move to a new neighborhood where they do not know her, and begin the borrowing all over again. And that’s how she should blacken her name until she drops dead. Amen.

Witnesses:

Gimpel Todres
Gamliel Yoine

Settling of the Groom

Young groom, begin to contemplate,
What is going to happen to you as of now.
You are going to become a man,
And very soon a father too.
And as soon as this happens,
You’ll never be able to be rid of either of these.
The woman, to whom you are going to tie yourself,
Does have a beautiful face,
But she will skin you,
This very witch, this accursed one.
Your world will become a dark place,
She will ask money of you day and night,
For groceries, for the butcher, money without an end.
For sweaters, for hats, and for other such rubbish,
And also a few dollars for a game of poker,
And a few hundred dollars to go to the country.
She will make of you a joker,
You will have shortened years.

There is only one way for you,
That you shouldn’t be such a wonderful man.
Make her understand that with your issues,
You alone are the boss.
Because you are giving her the ring
You have to have all the knowledge,
And she has to watch and be silent
And keep her head bowed.

Settling of the Bride

Listen here, beautiful young woman,
You are going to share your life’s fortune
With a very fine young man.
There is nothing better for him.
He is a first class gambler.
Does not allow any woman to pass in the street without looking at her.
He’s a terrible drunkard, without limit.
And it’s this kind of person that you are now making your boss.
You’ll have to learn how to handle him,
You’ll have to change him from a tiger into a lamb.
Wake him up early tomorrow,
Do not let him sleep late,
Let him make for you coffee or tea,
And then put you to bed.
Ask him for money without an end,
Do not repay him with any interest.

That’s what you should do all the time,
And then it will be good for your whole life.
To picnics, and to balls, go many times,
And if he does not want to go with you,
Then you can choose another person for yourself,
As long as you don’t stay at home.
Do not have any dinners, nor any suppers, and don’t look for great things,
You can always send your husband to the restaurant.
And if, Heaven forbid, his stomach will be upset,
You don’t have to bemoan this too much.
Because if he dies,
And goes off the market,
And you inherit his prepared bank account,
Then you can marry another man right away.

Sheva Brochos (Seven Blessings)

Blessed are You, that everything is in Your word,
If you, my young boy, will be good,
Then I will be pious.
I will think of you every minute,
And will take you everywhere,
To theaters and to balls,
To concerts and to movies,
I will be a good fellow,
And will pay all your debts.
But, if I will come home for supper
And find that there is nothing to eat,
Then I will truly be a stingy relative to you,
And you can forget about me entirely.