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Thank you for looking. I'm still on the trail of the original family name via this fascinating written account.

I'm really hoping that all will be revealed ............

:-)

Sorry, I'm not seeing them in Brookline area c1940 - or at any time.

It has just come to light that the writer of this account may be referring to a rather general family name [HAYEK] but that the people he mentions may have had the surname of JOKL/JOKEL/JOCKEL. If yes, the wife's first name was Nelly and the husband's first name either Noah or Alois.

Digits crossed!

Thank you mgnv; that is really interesting.

I know that the writer of this account finally fled Austria in July 1939 and I am hoping that the people he is writing about would have left before war broke out.

I am still pursuing another angle on this and I will return to this thread when I know more.

The 1940 Census was taken on 1 April 1940. For privacy reasons, federal law required a 72-year wait for the census to be released.
Thus, someone arriving from Paris on 8 Apr 1940 should not be on this census.


To use FS to search US federal censuses (with images), I use a link from:
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Census_Online_Genealogy_Records

FS's full US collections are given by:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list/?fcs=region%3AUNITED_STATES&ec=region%3AUNITED_STATES

I'm still having a look at another slim chance of a lead and will return to this when I know more.
:-D

All that detail from the letter is fascinating - but sadly, no help.

The Boston City Directories have no entries for any of your Ormes at any time, and no Hayeks or similar around 1950 apart from Leo and his family members already listed..

The Gardner Museum is in Evans Way, Boston, and is about 4 miles SE of the Harvard Business School.

Brookline is approx 2 miles WSW from Evans Way.

Still hoping that an 'Ada Orme' may lead us to our elusive Hayek's.

It would appear that 'Karl/Karly/Karli' and his wife 'Susie/Susan' and 'Ada' -all ORME's - must live reasonably close to the Hayek's.

From other entries, it seems that the Hayek's can't live very far from Harvard Business School because the writer takes a taxi from there to the Hayek's. And they seem to live near to the Gardner Museum: "work on Times article, lunch at Hayek’s, then to delightful Gardner Museum with Leo in car. Back for tea, then visit to young MIT mathematician & wife w. Hayeks.".

There's that 'Leo' again but we can't link him to the right family.

While you're all digesting this, I'm going to go back to another very slim thought path ..........
:-)

I don't see those Ormes, I'm afraid.

In NY there's the Hayek/Kaminskky family posted by Maddie.

There's this family:

Richard Hayck
in the 1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Richard Hayck [Richard Hayek]
Respondent: Yes
Age: 45
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Austria
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: New York, Kings, New York
Map of Home in 1940:
Street: Coney Island Avenue
House Number: 3168
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: New York, Kings, New York
Residence in 1935: New York
Citizenship: Naturalized
Sheet Number: 16B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 354
Occupation: Agent
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 27
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: None
Duration of Unemployment: 26
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 26
Income: 600
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship
Richard Hayck 45 Head
Hildegard Hayck 38 Wife - Austria
Otto Hayck 15 Son - Austria


Otto Hayck
in the U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
Name: Otto Hayck
Race: White
Marital status: Single, without dependents (Single)
Rank: Private
Birth Year: 1924
Nativity State or Country: Austria
Citizenship: Not Yet a Citizen
Residence: Kings, New York
Education: 4 years of high school
Civil Occupation: Laboratory technicians and assistants
Enlistment Date: 10 Jun 1943
Enlistment Place: New York City, New York
Service Number: 32967793
Branch: No branch assignment
Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source: Civil Life
Height: 98
Weight: 639


Or this one, 160 miles away from NY:

Mike Hayek
in the 1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Mike Hayek [Mike Hojek]
Respondent: Yes
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1908
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Czechoslovakia
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Dickinson, Broome, New York
Map of Home in 1940:
Street: Prospect Street
House Number: 364
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Dickinson, Broome, New York
Residence in 1935: Dickinson
Citizenship: Naturalized
Sheet Number: 6A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 98
Occupation: Shoe Worker
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 22
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 6th grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 25
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income: 1100
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship
Mike Hayek 32 Head
Apomena Hayek 34 Wife - Czechoslovakia
Mildred Hayek 7 Daughter - NY

It's a pity we don't have any first names for your Hayek family.

Maddie, thank you for everything you've done.

Sadly, Brooklyn/Brookline are indeed 225 miles apart! And the curious thing is that we do have a Hermine Hayek in our close family line; but that was her maiden name and she was murdered in Therezienstadt. As they say, close but no cigar.

ArgyllGran, the written account begins on 19th January 1950 and the first mention of the Hayek family is when the writer and his mother visit them for dinner on 21st Feb: "Evening with Hayeks*, at Brookline; very nice & interesting, one takes up where one left off 12 yrs. ago.".

On 22nd Feb: "then drive with H’s round Boston on sightseeing trip, notwithstanding heavy snowfall. Tea at H’s house, where Karl Orme fetches us to have dinner at his house with his wife Susie & mother-in-law. Karly looks slim, happy & hen-pecked. Short call at Ada Orme’s." Karl/Karly/Karli features several more times in the account.

This might lead us to believe that the 'Orme's' live close by to our Hayek's and are known to one another. Does this help?

A couple of days later, the writer invites himself for the weekend with the Hayek's so this does continue to look like a close family connection. And they meet up several more times, too.

It is possible, of course, that the Hayek's weren't there in 1940. But one would guess that if they were all known to one another in 1938 in Vienna, and I know that the writer and his mother fled to England in 1939, the 'other' and elusive Hayek's would have made their way to the US at around the same time to avoid capture or worse.

I wonder whether the 'other and elusive' Hayeks may have settled initially in New York city itself before making their way out to Brookline? Are there any likely looking Hayeks in NYC in 1940? :-)

sorry thought it was a mispelling

Re Maddie's last post -
Brookline isn't Brooklyn. They're about 220 miles apart.

Nicola -
in your opening post you said the letter was written in 1950.
Does it give any indication of when the visit took place? How long before 1950?
Perhaps the family weren't there in 1940.

I don't see any Hayeks (or close alternative spelling) in Brookline in 1940's-50s apart from Leo and his family members.

Max Hajek
•
Sex:
Male
Birth Date:
20 Sep 1888
•
Birthplace:
Wien, Österreich
•
Religion:
Jüdisch
Father's Name:
Jochanan oder Johann Hajek
•
Father's Sex:
Male
Mother's Name:
Johanna Bodascher
•
Mother's Sex:
Female

??????
1940 United States Federal Census
.
Name: Helen Kaminsky [Helen Hayek]
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1918
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: New York
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Home in 1940: New York, Kings, New York
Map of Home in 1940:
Street: Brighton 6 Street
Inferred Residence in 1935: New York
Residence in 1935: New York
Sheet Number: 4B
Mother's Birthplace: Austria
Woman Marriages: No
Number of Children Ever Born: 0
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: High School, 4th year
Native Language: Jewish
Veteran: No
Social Security Number: No
Usual Occupation: None
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship
Max Hayek
51 Head
Hermine Hayek
49 Wife
Helen Kaminsky 22 Daughter
Norman Kaminsky
24 Son-in-law

Name: Max Hayek
Age: 51
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1889
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Austria
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: New York, Kings, New York
Map of Home in 1940:
Street: Brighton 6 Street
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: New York
Residence in 1935: New York
Citizenship: Naturalized
Sheet Number: 4B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 77
Occupation: Operator
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 48
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 4th grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 35
Duration of Unemployment: 12
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 40
Income: 1800

1920
Name: Max Hayek [Max Hajek]
Age: 31
Birth Year: abt 1889
Birthplace: Austria
Home in 1920: Bronx Assembly District 5, Bronx, New York
Street: Seabury Place
Residence Date: 1920
Race: White
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1913
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Heimine Hayek
Father's Birthplace: Austria
Mother's Birthplace: Austria
Native Tongue: Yiddish
Able to Speak English: Yes
Occupation: Pleater
Industry: Dress Mfg
Employment Field: Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented: Rented
Naturalization Status: Papers Submitted
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship
Max Hayek 31 Head
Heimine Hayek
29 Wife
Helene Hayek
2 Daughter
Isadore Bardner
38 Brother-in-law
Adolph Bardner
11 Nephew
Helene Bardner
4 Niece

Name: Max Hayek
Gender: Male
Marriage License Date: 6 Jun 1914
Marriage License Place: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Spouse:
Hermine Pineles


Name: Max Hayek
Social Security Number: 058-07-0737
Birth Date: 20 Sep 1888
Issue Year: Before 1951
Issue State: New York
Last Residence: 11367, Flushing, Queens, New York, USA
Death Date: Jan 1971

1940 United States Federal Census

Name
Helen Kaminsky
Birth
New York
Residence
1940 Brooklyn, New York, Kings, New York, USA

Name
Hermine Hayek
Birth
Austria
Residence
1940 Brooklyn, New York, Kings, New York, USA

Name
Max Hayek
Birth
Austria
Residence
1940 Brooklyn, New York, Kings, New York, USA

Name: Max Hayek
Race: White
Marital status: Married
Birth Date: 20 Sep 1888
Birth Place: Vienna, Austria
Residence Date: 1917-1918
Street Address: 1483 Hoe Ave
Residence Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York, USA
Draft Board: 14
Physical Build: Medium
Height: 5 Ft 6 in
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Blue

passort application
Name: Max Hayek
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 20 Sep 1888
Birth Place: Vienna, Austria
Spouse: Hermine Hayek
Certificate Number: 370852
emiigrated in 1913
photographs attached

Although I also posted for the surname 'GERO' on this thread for the 1940 census and I do have additional helpful information for that one, I would like to concentrate on these elusive HAYEK's first, please.

The writer of this account is so specific with the details [surname, Brookline district, etc.] that this family must surely be recorded in the census. And the writer states 'HAYEK's] plural, so there must have been at least two occupants of that address.

Hoping ................
:-)

Had a very helpful report back from my Czech family historian.

The Leo and Paul [Pavel] above are blood brothers with the same parents.

The not so good news is that they are not in our Hayek bloodline.

So it's back to the drawing-board on this one, please.

My mention that we may be looking for a 'Leo' could be a red herring. This name is mentioned in the written account but it's difficult to know whether it is connected to the Hayek surname.

The DEFINITE is that the Hayek's we are looking for were living in Brookline - that is clearly mentioned. And the phrase "one picks up where one left off 12 years ago" implies that they all knew one another well in Vienna in 1938. Followed by many more get-togethers at the house in Brookline.

Can you see any other Hayek's living in Brookline in the 1940 census? It's possible that it may be spelled with a 'j' as in Hajek.

I would love to solve this.
:-)

I'm on it - just waiting for my Czech contact to do some verifying.

For instance -

Louis Gers
in the 1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Louis Gers [Louis Gero]
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1907
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Austria
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: New York, Kings, New York
Map of Home in 1940:
Street: Empire Boulevard
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: New York, Kings, New York
Residence in 1935: New York
Citizenship: Naturalized
Sheet Number: 5B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 110
Occupation: Salesman
Industry: Wholesale Jewelry
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 37
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: College, 1st year
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 40
Class of Worker: Working on own account
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship
Louis Gers 33 Head
Rosali Gers 25 Wife
Leneard Gers 1 Son

He's actually Hungarian:

Louis Gero
in the New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944
Name: Louis Gero
[Laslo Gero]
Birth Date: 18 Feb 1907
Birth Place: Hungary
Arrival year: 1909
Naturalization Record Type: Declaration of Intent
Event Date: 24 Oct 1934
Event Place: New York, USA
Court: Southern District, New York

Occupation: jewellery salesman
Immigrated as Laslo Gero in 1909/


Laslo Gero
in the New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
Name: Laslo Gero
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/ Nationality: Hebrew
Marital status: Single
Age: 2
Birth Date: abt 1907
Birth Place: Hungary
Other Birth Place: Budapest
Last Known Residence: Budapest, Hungary
Departure Port: Hamburg
Arrival Date: 31 Oct 1909
Arrival Port: New York, New York, USA
Final Destination: New York, New York
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Brown
Complexion: Fair
Money in Possession: $50
Person in Old Country: Gottieb Joseph
Person in Old Country Relationship: Father-In-Law
Person in Old Country Residence: Miksante Budapest
Person in US: Ignatz Grun
Person in US Relationship: Father
Father: Ignatz Grun
Ship Name: Amerika


There are also other Austrian and Hungarian people named Gero.

In 1940, in other parts of NY State, there are lots of people called Gero (in Westchester, Bronx, Clinton, Queens, Oswego, Franklin, Saratoga, Kings, and Ulster, NY - maybe other places too).
Mostly born in the USA, but a few in Hungary, Austria, Russia, Italy.

There are also people named
Jero , Gera , Cero

Thank you!

Looking at those possibilities, the head of the households are all born in New York. It's going to be much more likely that they will be of European birth, e.g., Austria or Czechoslovakia, and will have emigrated to America.

Hoping another possibility will pop up - always optimistic, me!
:-D