Darman Family History & Genealogy

Albert Darman of Ballarat, City of Ballarat County, VIC Australia was born in 1867 in Ballarat. He was married to Caroline Louisa Pittard in 1898, and had children Albert Dorman, Kathleen Gertrude Dorman, Eileen Beatrice Dorman, and Ralph Dorman. Albert Darman died at age 51 years old on August 20, 1919 in Ballarat.

Mary Darman of Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California was born on September 13, 1882, and died at age 86 years old in October 1968.

Hattie Darman of Indiana was born on July 13, 1883, and died at age 79 years old in November 1962.

Charlotte Darman of Florida was born on June 25, 1887, and died at age 75 years old in March 1963.

Joseph Darman of Utica, Oneida County, NY was born on August 30, 1888, and died at age 80 years old in June 1969.

The story of Arthur Darman is the story of a 19th Century Horatio Alger. His is the story of America. Arthur I. Darman, was a poor Jewish immigrant from the obscure village of Kurelvitz, referred to as "...an obscure Russian backwater." The Russian Empire was simmering with revolution and with its systemic anti-Semitism culminating with pogroms, the family Darman: Arthur, his nine siblings, father Louis and stepmother immigrated from there in 1901 to America. America, the land of opportunity and promise, a new country in the family of nations, and one where through hard work and enterprise, not ethnicity or birthright, dreams could come true. They went immediately to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a vibrant industrial city built on the banks of the Blackstone River. Louis was a waste fiber merchant and after only two years of public education and his basic religious education in Russia, Darman ran away from home and joined the circus! He rose from peanut vendor to actor and although a brief stint for the teenager, the stage would forever lure young Arthur to glamor and fantasy. He went on to manage a restaurant in St. Louis, having discovered fine dining. He returned to Woonsocket in 1914, return to work for his father, met and courted, then married Frances Cohan of Worcester. In 1917 he launched his own wool and waste fiber business and built the Darman Building that still stands at the corner of Railroad and Arnold Streets. He became a leader of the city's Jewish community. Darman was equally at home in New York City, where many fellow Eastern Europeans first arrived in their adopted homeland. There, Darman made connections that would last a life time, including in the city's hotel and entertainment industries, including gaining an appreciation for vaudeville, and Yiddish theatre. Darman ultimately made his way to Darman contributed to the city's dominant textile industry by establishing a mill that specialized in the manufacture of velvet. Blessed with a natural entrepreneurial spirit, knack for organization and "larger than life" persona, Darman soon formed life-long friendships with the city and state's power elites including fellow Woonsocket resident Aram J. Pothier, Rhode Island's longest serving governor (elected to a record seven terms as Little Rhody's chief executive) and the Republican Party. Regardless of the successes Darman would achieve throughout his lifetime, he would be proud of his Jewish faith perhaps best edified by the construction of B'Nai Israel synagogue in 1962, a shul, described as "grandly conceived and opulently executed, ... a perfect embodiment of the aspirations of its lay leaders" of whom Darman was at the forefront. In 1919, the Jewish community "...embarked on a vigorous era of lay leadership with the election of thirty-year-old Arthur Darman as its president. "Pre-January 1920, Darman procured the entire liquor inventory of a NYC hotel and had the fine wines and liquors shipped to his substantial home on Woonsocket's Prospect Street, ensuring that the successful industrialist/entrepreneur, his family and guests would not be affected by Prohibition. The next focus for Darman was real estate and the arts two sectors that he would dominate, among others, for the rest of his life. Darman went on to purchase the then, Woonsocket Opera House (built in 1888), known from 1913 to 1963 when it closed, as the New Park Theatre, a vaudeville and later movie venue. Darman's real estate crown jewel would remain the Stadium Theatre. In 1926, he invested one million dollars and built the Stadium Building and Theatre complex, the premier office, retail address and entertainment venue for decades, a red brick complex that featured Art Deco touches including elegant lobby with arched and vaulted ceiling, an ornamental fireplace and recessed fountains. Darman purchased real estate off Winter Street originally part of another estate, whose grounds had been designed by the world famous landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. There, in 1952, he built a brick and sandstone mansion at 531 Harris Avenue, accessible by automobile via "Winter Court, a Private Way." Facing the home was a second mansion that he had built for his only daughter, Sorbonne educated, Syvia* Medoff née Darman and her husband, Dr. Edward B. Medoff and their two children, James and Joanne at 507 Harris Avenue. It was here in Darman's expansive French manor styled home that, according to local legend, Darman hosted President Dwight D. Eisenhower for a private, black tie dinner, during the later's Newport vacations in the late 1950s. The Darman mansion boasted radiant heating, marble floors, coatcheck room, powder room, lavish entertaining areas including a built in wet bar with white leather stools, two kitchens and movie theater, capable of being transformed into a dining area for over 100 guests or cocktail reception for 150. In a compromise, between Darman and his wife, the home had only one fireplace, in Darman's wood paneled study. It features a staff suite for three, solarium, breakfast room, the dining room featured originally a custom dining room table with an electric "centerpiece" with avant garde communication to the kitchen and staff quarters. *Not Sylvia.

Paul Darman of Connecticut was born on January 13, 1889, and died at age 76 years old in July 1965.

Delizia Darman of Utica, Oneida County, NY was born on August 16, 1890, and died at age 90 years old in October 1980.

John Darman of Bronx, Bronx County, NY was born on August 9, 1891, and died at age 76 years old in June 1968.

Marie Darman of West Hartford, Hartford County, CT was born on April 23, 1893, and died at age 90 years old in September 1983.

Hyman Darman of Mattapan, Suffolk County, MA was born on April 10, 1894, and died at age 72 years old in March 1967.

Frances F Darman of Woonsocket, Providence County, RI was born on March 27, 1894, and died at age 97 years old in April 1991.