Birthname: Roman Israelson.

Email, Elizabeth Bransford Elson Morse, April 2003: Original name Roman Israelson (no middle name). With his brother Joseph, 'rode the rails' during the Depression. This could not have been easy and was probably scary, but Robert always talked about it matter-of-factly. Robert and Joseph were finally offered jobs in New York by distant relatives, but they had to change their last name from Israelson to Elson.
Joseph was bar mitzvahed but Robert wasn't, reportedly a source of anguish for Robert. Also, Robert was not given a Hebrew name because he was not raised Jewish; his parents did not think it was 'modern' or 'American'. Robert was raised on Ukrainian food, about which his daughter had no idea until after her mother died and they started going together to Ukrainian restaurants in New York City. One of Robert's aunts got deported during the Palmer raids but returned to the US when Stalin was in power.

As reported to GSC by Robert Elson: During the Depression, joined the Civilian Conservation Corps; helped pick noxious weeds in forests of Northern Idaho, based in a CCC camp near Onaway, near Potlatch, Idaho. (In 1991, Robert Elson and GSC drove through Onaway, where Robert pointed out where a hall was located where CCC'ers had fun on Saturday nights.

GSC: Robert served in the US Navy aboard ships in the Pacific during World War II. He worked in the 1950's and 1960's as a typesetter or engraver for Horan Engraving Company, New York City, which produced fancy engravings for magazines.

SSDI: Robert Elson, b 3 Mar 1911, d 14 Oct 1991, SSN 111-03-3452, issued in New York, Death residence locality Manhattanville, New York, New York, zip code 10027.

Genealogy table from Phyllis Anne Bransford July 2003
b: 3 Mar 1911, Chicago, Cook Co., IL

• Married: 31 Jan 1953 in 26 Holly St, Cranford, NJ

1. Living ELSON