Hyman Davis, December 1945
Chaim Dovid (Hyman) Davis was born in Russia to Isaac and Sylvia Dawidowicz. and came to Saint John in 1913 with his wife, Ida (Rozovsky) and their son, Abraham. They came from what is now Dnipro, Ukraine, but was then known as Ekaterinoslav in the Russian Empire. Their other four children –Rose, Samuel, Eli and Isadore were born in Saint John.
Harry was a general contractor who built and renovated homes, including those on Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets in the north end of the city in the 1930s and 1940s. He moved his family from Spring Street to Fifth Street and three of his four sons settled into homes on Sixth Street. He helped with several renovations on the Shaarei Zedek Synagogue on Carleton Street and for a number of Jewish merchants. He was involved with the Habonim organization and was among the group who met David Ben-Gurion, when he came to Saint John in 1917 recruiting men to join the Jewish Legion.
Ida Rozovsky Davis was dedicated to home and family. She was well known and loved by her family for making bagels and cinnamon rolls and hosting Friday night Sabbath dinners in the family homes on Spring and Fifth Streets. Her grandchildren would be sent to her home to collect their weekly allotment of freshly made bagels, which they described as the best bagels in the world.
Goldie and Abraham Davis, outside the Ideal Store
Abraham Davis (1913-2010)
Abraham Davis (1913-2010) was born in Russia before his parents immigrated to Saint John. He studied civil engineering at the University of New Brunswick, graduating in 1934. He married Goldie Garson in February 1942 and they were married for 67 years. He joined the staff of the Ideal Store, a family department store which had been founded by his father-in-law, Hyman M. Garson. The store flourished for more than eighty years, first on King Street West and then at 199 Union Street. Abe Davis was the manager of the Union Street store alongside his wife.
Goldie Garson Davis (1921-2018)
Goldie Garson Davis (1921–2018) was the daughter of Hyman and Annie Garson and had four sisters: She managed the Ideal Stores on Union Street alongside her husband and was a shrewd businesswoman. She was long remembered for her generosity to her customers. She treated every customer with dignity and came to know most of them and their circumstances. Mrs. Davis was in charge of the buying trips to Montreal to acquire stock for the store and she set exacting standards for quality and quantity. The store would remain open late or re-open if their customers needed something from there. As many as four generations would have shopped at Ideal and it was a fixture in Saint John until it closed in 1994 with the retirement of Abe and Goldie Davis.
They had four children: two sons – Dr. Philip and Dr. Michael – and two daughters, Roslyn and Susan. Abe and Goldie moved to Toronto in the early 2000s to be closer to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Rose Davis (1911-1939) died in in the Montreal Jewish General Hospital of meningitis at the age of 27. The obituary from The Evening Times Globe noted that she was a “graduate of Saint John High School, class of 1929, Miss Davis was beloved for her bright and cheerful disposition, and the entire Jewish community here mourns her passing. She was a valued member of the Saint John Junior Hadassah and a prime mover in all affairs which had a charitable purpose.”
Isadore, Eli, Rose, Samuel and Abraham Davis
Gladys and Samuel Davis, 1940
Samuel Davis (1914-1996)
Samuel Davis (1914-1996) graduated from Vocational School (where he took the automotive courses) and Saint John High School. At the University of New Brunswick, Sam Davis obtained a BSc. in Civil Engineering in 1938 and then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to complete a MSc. in Structural Engineering. During the Second World War, Sam Davis moved to Montreal to work for Noorduyn Aviation as a stress analyst and aerodynamicist. He worked on the Norseman Aircraft and conducted tests to ensure the planes met Canadian, American and British standards and designed and repaired Harvard Trainers. After the end of the War, Sam Davis returned to Saint John with his wife, the former Gladys Wiezel, whom he had married in 1940. They had four sons: Roy, Gary, Jan and Alan.
Samuel Davis, Mayor of Saint John
Once back in Saint John, Sam Davis became manager of Wiezel Shoe Store on King Street and Wallace Brothers of Halifax. These shoe businesses had been established in the early 1900’s by his father-in-law and uncle, Herman and Joseph Wiezel.
Samuel Davis was widely known for his community involvement. He was elected as a member of the District 20 School Board in the 1960s. He was a member of Saint John Common Council from 1969 until 1992, including a term as deputy mayor from 1983 to 1986 and as mayor from 1977 to 1980. He won the mayoral election with more than twice as many votes as the outgoing mayor. Samuel Davis still holds the honour of having been the city’s only Jewish mayor. He was a mentor to many who followed in his footsteps as councillor and mayor. In recognition of his contributions to Saint John, Sam Davis was given an honourary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of New Brunswick, Saint John in October 1987 and had a street named in his honour in 2003.
As a member of the Saint John Jewish community, Sam Davis participated in many Zionist activities, including as chair of the State of Israel Bonds fundraising dinner in 1969. He also served as chair of the building committee from 1981 to 1982 and as president of the congregation from 1986 to 1987.
Dr. Eli Davis (1916-1989)
Dr. Eli Davis (1916-1989) was a graduate of UNB and Dalhousie Medical School, where he later taught as Associate Professor of Anesthesia. He served as Director of Medical Education and Chief of Anesthesia at the Saint John General Hospital, President of the Saint John Medical Society, and Chairman of the Board of the Saint John Free Public Library. He married Connie Gold of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and they had two children – Dr. Eric and Nancy (Berbrayer). He and his wife Connie moved to Toronto in 1983.
Isadore J. Davis (1921-2017)
Isadore J. Davis (1921–2017) graduated from Saint John High School in 1940. He served in the Canadian Army during the Second World War as a clerk stationed in Saint John and was a member of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada. As a businessman, he distributed films for United Artists, was part owner with Louis Michelson of the Dog ‘n’ Suds, the first drive-in restaurant in Saint John, and later owned Family Dry Cleaners. He was married to Ruth Gauvin for 56 years and they had four sons – Richard, Glenn, Fred and Daniel – and one daughter – Sally.
See also: Elman Family and Wiezel Family
References:
Louis I. Michelson Archives and Research and Exhibition Files, Saint John Jewish Historical Museum
Marcia Koven – Weaving the Past Into the Present (Saint John: 1989 and 2008)
The Evening Times Globe / The Telegraph Journal (Saint John newspapers)
This project is made possible with funding from the Archaeology and Heritage Branch, Province of New Brunswick through their Exhibit Renewal Digital Component program and the unwavering support of the Jewish families who made Saint John their home.
