Thanks to Aunt Hettie’s Tapes, we’ve been introduced to a new exotic name in our family tree, Ventura. An Abraham Samuel Ventura married Fanny Ellis Matthews in Liverpool in 1894. Fanny Ellis was sister to the David Matthews who married our grand-father Gaston’s sister Lucy.
We know little about him or his family, other than he was born in Gibraltar about 1865 and became wealthy through the dried food business. The 1901 census shows him as being a British subject, with occupation of commission agent. Victor was also a commission agent in Liverpool, and we know he visited Gibraltar, so we can speculate that possibly he knew Abraham before his marriage to Fanny.
The Venturas had two children: Hannah (born in Liverpool 1896) and Estella (born 1898). Hannah married No. 1 a Max Hauser and No. 2 a Mr Silver. Estella married Emanuel Goodman in Toxteth in 1921, having one daughter Fanny (or Fay) born in Leeds in 1922. Estella died in 1932. Aunt Hettie tells us that Estella’s sister Hannah (then living in Brighton-Hove area) adopted Fay. Hannah and Max had no children of their own. In WW2, Fay married a Jewish American – or maybe South African – soldier and they migrated to South Africa. After her second husband died Hannah joined Fay in Africa and lost touch with Aunt Hetty.
Aunt Hettie refers to Abraham Ventura’s second wife, Annie Bonn, of matzo fame. She was a concert singer with a beautiful voice, we’re told. Abraham died in Liverpool in 1933.
Hannah Ventura was still alive in 1960 and Aunt Hettie speaks as though she lived locally to The Wirral, though reportedly she’d migrated to South Africa.
We’d like to know more about the Ventura family. If you can add to our tiny collection of snippets about them please email: contactus@kahngene.org.uk. I’d be especially interested in obtaining a family photograph or two. Thanks/ Alan
Kahn Family Genealogy 