Pearl Anne Bornstein and Joseph Mandell Family Papers

Pearl Anne Bornstein was born in Medford, Massachusetts on October 4, 1902, the third of four children of Philip Bornstein and Minnie Bornstein. She graduated from Medford Grammar School in 1916 and Medford High School in 1920. Pearl received a Bachelor’s of Secretarial Science as a member of the second graduating class of Boston University’s College of Secretarial Science (also known as the College of Practical Arts and Letters) in 1924. While at Boston University, she was a member of the Mandolin Club, which performed regularly. Pearl was involved in philanthropic work with Hadassah and Hecht House and was also interested in theater, saving many programs of performances in Boston and the surrounding area.

Pearl’s parents were Philip (Kornfass) Bornstein (1870-1953) and Minnie (Fischman) Bornstein (1872-1948). Philip immigrated to Boston from either Ukraine or Russian-controlled Poland in October 1890, possibly to avoid conscription into the Tzarist army, and changed his name to Bornstein at some point. Minnie immigrated from Kiev, Ukraine in 1893. Philips’s father, Samuel (Shepsel Kornfass) (1841-1930) arrived in summer 1892 and lived with Philip in Boston’s West End. Two years later, in 1895, Samuel’s wife, Sadie (Tzeitl Ziegler) (1851-1937), who was Philip’s stepmother, arrived in Boston with several of her and Samuel’s children. Philip and Minnie were married on October 20, 1895 in Boston. Philip’s mother is listed as Mare on his wedding certificate, while Minnie’s parents are listed as Luis and Bake, although these names may not be accurate.

Philip Bornstein became a naturalized citizen on April 4, 1896. He worked as a peddler, junk dealer, grocer, salt hay dealer, a self-employed contractor in the sand and gravel business, and he later owned the Woburn Concrete Block Company. In 1899, Philip, Minnie, and their two oldest children, Mamie (Miriam) (1896-1912) and Paul (1897-1979), moved from Boston to Medford. The Bornsteins lived in Medford for almost 30 years, and Pearl and her younger brother, Louis (1907-2001) were both born there. Pearl’s older sister, Miriam, died at age 16 from sarcoma and complications from an unsuccessful amputation of her leg. After their children had grown up, Philip and Minnie moved, first to Brookline in 1928, then to Allston in 1936, where they lived for the rest of their lives.

Joseph Mandelbaum (Mandell) was born February 1, 1900, in Boston, and grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the second of four children of Harry (1869-1945) and Rose (Rachel Rozenburg) Mandelbaum (1871-1938). His siblings were Edward Isadore (1895-1989), Susan (1903-1993), and Benjamin Henry (1905-1996). Harry immigrated from Ukraine in 1888 (naturalization papers say 1885) with his father, Barnett Mandelbaum (1846-1921), mother, Fannie (Rich) Mandelbaum (1849-1918) and his siblings, one of whom was Sarah Mandelbaum, the mother of child prodigy William Sidis and his sister, Helena. Barnett owned a candy store in Chelsea, and Harry worked as a tea dealer. Rose Rozenburg was born in Poland and immigrated to the Boston area in 1891. Harry and Rose Mandelbaum were married on October 26, 1894, in Chelsea.

After attending preparatory and commercial schools in Boston, Joseph Mandelbaum entered the University of Maine in 1921, having been told that the Jewish quota at Harvard University was filled for that year. While in Maine, Joseph played jazz trumpet in Rudy Valee’s band and pledged the Phi Epsilon fraternity. The following year, Joseph entered Harvard University, where he studied economics and history and pledged the Phi Sigma Delta fraternity while continuing to support himself by playing the trumpet. By the time he graduated from Harvard in 1925, Joseph had changed his last name to Mandell, as had the rest of his family.

Pearl Bornstein and Joseph Mandell were married in Brookline on March 21, 1928, then took their honeymoon in Bermuda. They lived in New York City for the first few years of their marriage before returning to Medford. Joseph went into the wholesale floor coverings business with his brother-in-law, Louis Bornstein. Joseph developed Guillain-Barre syndrome in 1943, after which he somewhat curtailed his work, although the family continued to travel. Pearl Mandell died on August 7, 1992, and Joseph Mandell died on August 9, 1996.

Pearl and Joseph’s son, Stephen Allen, was born on March 4, 1933, and their daughter, Merle Judith, was born on September 24, 1934. Both children attended overnight summer camps, Camp Wah-Kee-Nah in Bristol, New Hampshire for Stephen, and Camp Trebor in Fryeburg, Maine for Merle. The Mandell family attended Temple Israel in Boston, where Stephen was one of the first bar mitzvahs in March 1946, a practice introduced by Rabbi Joshua Loth Leibman earlier that year. Merle had a certificate of approbation as Temple Israel did not celebrate bat mitzvahs for girls until the 1956/1957 academic year.

Stephen and Merle attended elementary school in Newton, MA, then Stephen went to Roxbury Latin and Newton High School, class of 1950, and Merle attended Brimmer and May School for eighth grade, where she had a pen pal through her French class and one through her English class. Merle attended Newton High School, graduating in 1952, before attending Smith College. Stephen attended Harvard University, graduating in 1954 and receiving his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1957. Merle graduated from Smith College in 1956, soon after having married her college sweetheart, E. Donald Shapiro (1931-2010), who had graduated from Harvard Law School, also in 1956. Merle Shapiro received her master's degree in education, and she and Donald had four children, Rachel, Richard, Felicia, and Carol. Stephen married Marion Davidson in 1962, and they had three children, Stephanie, David, and Joyce. Stephen had a stroke in 1974 at the age of 40, from which he did not fully recover. He died on September 19, 2022.

1894

Harry Mandelbaum and Rose Rozenburg marry October 26 in Chelsea

1895

Minnie Fischman and Philip Bornstein marry October 20 in Boston

1900

Joseph Mandelbaum (Mandell) is born February 1 in Boston

1902

Pearl Anne Bornstein is born October 4 in Medford

1919-1921

Joseph Mandelbaum (Mandell) attends preparatory schools

1921-1922

Joseph Mandelbaum attends University of Maine

1924

Pearl Anne Bornstein graduates Boston University with a Bachelor of Secretarial Science degree

1925

Joseph Mandell graduates from Harvard University

Susan Mandell graduates from Radcliffe College

1928

Pearl and Joseph marry on March 21, honeymoon in Bermuda

1933

Stephen Allen Mandell is born March 4 in Boston

1934

Merle Judith Shapiro is born September 24 in Boston

1943

Stephen Mandell attends Camp Wah-Kee-Nah

Merle Mandell attends Camp Trebor

Joseph Mandell is diagnosed with Guillain-Barre

1946

Stephen Mandell has his bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in Boston on March 2

1947

Merle Mandell receives a Certificate of Approbation from Temple Israel in Boston

1954

Stephen Mandell graduates Harvard University

1956

Merle Mandell marries her college sweetheart, E. Donald Shapiro

Merle Mandell Shapiro graduates Smith College

E. Donald Shapiro graduates Harvard Law School

1992

Pearl Anne Bornstein dies August 7

1996

Joseph Mandell dies August 9