Families
Despite their success, most single men were anxious to locate suitable brides in order to create stable Jewish families in this transient, male-dominated frontier community. The men typically married women from established Jewish families from Montreal, Toronto and New York City. Since these young ladies were used to wearing fine clothing and living in sophisticated urban locales, some of the men decided not to inform their brides in advance about the rough living conditions that existed in Sudbury. Abraham Weisman adopted this type of strategy when he brought his new bride, Ida, from New York City in 1898, at which time he was working as a ragman and living with Louis Jacob and his family as a boarder. He stated "when I brought my wife back to Canada with me it was just a little frontier town, about five, six hundred inhabitants, and two Jewish families besides us." He added that after her arrival she cried a great deal since there were no paved roads, no electrical lighting and because of her disappointment with the crowded and modest accommodations. Most of the wives eventually adjusted to life in Sudbury and became involved in the Jewish community.
