Geraldine Kingsbury Genealogy Collection

Geraldine Elizabeth Kingsbury was born on November 21, 1925 to George and Lucille Saunders. She married Kenneth J. Kingsbury on February 28, 1953. Together, they had three children: Scott, Karen and Cathy. Kenneth passed away in 1986. Geraldine found work as an educational secretary. In retirement, she enjoyed golf and carrying out research into her family’s genealogy, which lead to the creation of this collection. Geraldine passed away on August 18, 2020, and is buried in White Haven Memorial Park.

Ms. Kingsbury was a lineal descendant of three prominent families in the history of Rochester’s ready to wear clothing industry: the Wiles, Sterns and Greentrees. All three families were German Jews who came to Rochester before the Civil War. Myer Greentree is sometimes described as the “Father” of Rochester’s Jewish community. After marrying Elizabeth Baker in 1844, he took over management of the children’s clothing shop his wife ran on Front Street. Joseph Wile arrived in Rochester in 1847, opening an immediately successful clothing shop on Main Street. The next year, 1848, saw Greentree and Wile join forces in a ready to wear clothing company, appropriately named Greentree and Wile. Joseph’s brothers Abram and Gabriel soon joined the firm, which later became J. Wile and Sons and, eventually, Wile, Stern and Company in 1874. (Stern was Joseph’s son-in-law, and came from another notable family in the clothing industry). Abram and Gabriel would soon strike out on their own as Wile Bros. and Company in 1875. Abram’s son Isaac and Gabriel’s son Solomon would carry on the family tradition. While both attended the University of Rochester, read law and passed the bar in 1874 to form the legal partnership of Wile and Wile together, they also took part in the family business. Joseph’s son Julius also stayed in the family business, operating as Joseph Wile and Sons until 1893. He then retired for a few years before opening the Security Trust Company in 1898, and leading it to great success amongst Rochester banks. Julius also co-founded the Baden Street Settlement as an institution for Jewish welfare.

Abram Stern was born in Germany in 1822; he immigrated to Buffalo in 1848, and moved to Rochester in 1851. In Rochester, he was a partner in Beir, Stern and Company. His three sons Simon, Morley and Leon all carried on in the clothing business. Both Simon and Morley would eventually be involved with the firm of Michaels, Stern and Company, initially formed in 1871 and joined by Morley in 1876. During his time with the firm, which lasted until his retirement in 1930, Michaels, Stern became a leading business within the Rochester clothing industry. His sons Henry and Arthur also joined Michaels, Stern; while third son Herbert became a notable architect, working at one point in the office of Claude Bragdon.