Here is what I believe the is the Jacob RUBIN family in Chicago. Here is the story from the Chicago City Directories: In 1897 and earlier years there are two other sets of established business people who will be involved with the future Globe Metal Company and Jacob Rubin. They are James and William Kay, and, S. Birkenstein and Son(s). In the 1898 directory appears a “Jacob Rubin, metalworker”, and the most likely candidate, living at 587 S Halsted. In 1900 James and William H KAY are in a business “metals” with a “James Reuben” at 434 W. Lake. “James Reuben” is living at 424 W 14th. How a "James Reuben" ended up as the business partner may be accidental or intentional. In 1901 James and William H Kay are listed in business with Jacob Rubin (“ Kay and Rubin”). The business is at the same Lake Street location but now business partner "Jacob Rubin" is living at 293 W 14th. In 1902 “Kay and Rubin” are still at the Lake Street address but Jacob Rubin is not listed in the city directory. He may have been moving to a new house and did not get his information to Lakeside Directory in time. In 1903 Jacob Rubin is listed as president of Globe Metal Company at the same Lake Street address and Jacob is now living at 430 S Marshfield Ave. James and William H Kay are not listed under a business name of “Kay and Rubin ” nor are they shown associated with Globe Metal Company although they may have still had jobs with the new entity. Although it’s less likely that is the case. Best guess, Jacob Rubin has bought out the Kay's business at 434 W Lake Street and renamed it to Globe Metal Company. In 1904 Globe Metal remains at its Lake Street address and Jacob Rubin, president, is living at 515 S Marshfield Ave. Two new persons are now associated with Globe Metal, Harry Birkenstein, Secretary, and Louis Birkenstein, Treasurer. The Birkenstein brothers were also associated with “S Birkenstein & Sons”, a family enterprise which had been in existence before during and after “Kay and Rubin” and “Globe Metal Company”. S.(Sigmund) Birkenstein and Son(s) appears to have been involved variously with “paper stock, rubber, scrap, metals and rags” in the 1890s and early 1900s. In 1905 no change in principals or addresses. In 1906 there may have been a change in ownership. Harry and Louis Birkenstein hold their same positions in the Globe Metal Company. Jacob Rubin does not have a listing as president of Globe but there is a Jacob Rubin dealing in metal goods at 92 Lasalle St. and living at Ashland Blvd. There are a few other Jacob Rubin listings but the Jacob dealing in metal goods seems the most likely candidate. Starting with the 1906 directory the Jacob Rubin listings get more murky as to whether the Jacob Rubin of Globe Metal Company has taken another occupation or moved out of the city but remaining in Illinois until about 1908 when youngest son Abraham was born. The Birkenstein brothers remain Secretary and Treasurer of Globe Metal Company. In 1907 the city directory does not list anyone associated with Globe Metal Company. The Birkenstein brothers are associated only with the Birkenstein businesses and there is no reference to the Lake Street address. I hope this information gives you the information to establish Jacob Rubin and his Globe Metal Company’s brief existence in Chicago. Also, I would suggest that you check again with this list if you need help determining which synagogues may have been visited by the Rubin family while living at their several addresses in Chicago. You may find the birth records for the three children. If you want the City Directory pages for these years I can email them to you. I will continue to look at the 1900 census to see if the Rubins were included or excluded in the ED for their 14th Street address. I have seen pages where the script is so faint that nothing could be made of the entries so no indexing took place. In a message dated 5/7/2012 2:17:50 A.M. Central Daylight Time, cook-co-il-request@rootsweb.com writes: Message: 3 Date: Sun, 6 May 2012 19:33:36 -0700 From: the cohens <the.cohens.in.california@gmail.com> Subject: [COOK-CO-IL] Jacob and Tillie RUBIN in Chicago 1900 To: COOK-CO-IL@rootsweb.com I need help finding records for Tillie (nee MARCUS) and Jacob RUBIN and their children about 1900. By 1910 they were living in California, and I have those records. What I most need to locate is their marriage about 1897, the census for them in 1900, and the births of their three children who are supposed to have been born in Chicago. I also am looking for their naturalization, and want the 1900 census to help me narrow down when and where they were naturalized. Here is what I know about them from the 1910 census in Oakland, Alameda County, California: RUBEN Jacob age 42 Russia/Germ immig 1886 Wholesale metal dealer RUBEN Tilly age 32 Russia/Germ immig 1886 or 1888 RUBEN Violet age 11 b Illinois RUBEN Harold age 10 b Illinois RUBEN Abraham age 8 b Illinois I have found a 1900 census for a Jacob and Anna Ruben in Chicago, but this Jacob is a Blacksmith, the immigration years and ages are different and it says they have no children. I entertained the thought that this was my family, and that maybe Violet was elsewhere, but Harold was born before the census, and I doubt that Tillie would have reported no children when she already had two! I have looked at the Chicago directories for 1899, 1900 and 1901, and found the blacksmith Jacob Rubin at 159 Dekoven Av, and nobody else who looks like my Jacob. I also tried searching for the births of all three children at familysearch and cookcountygenealogy without finding them. Of course, it is possible they were from the Chicago area and not Chicago per se, but I have not been able to find a 1900 census for them anywhere. The only other important thing I can think of to mention is that the surname is supposed to have originally been Rubel. Their grandson has told me that Jacob had a metal business in Chicago called Globe Metals, and I have not had a chance to try tracking that down. If we can find it, that will at least prove they really were in the Chicago area, but may still not get us their census. I want to figure out when and where they were naturalized so that I can find out the towns Jacob and Tillie came from in Russian Poland. I did check the Cook County naturalization records at the following site and did not find my Jacob, but maybe it simply has not been indexed yet. http://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/ Any help finding any pre-1910 records for this family would be very much appreciated. Thanks!