Natalie Kaplan papers

Natalie Kaplan was born Natalie Lubavsky on September 1, 1899 in Saratov, Russia. Her father, Basil Lubavsky, was a Russian Orthodox priest and her mother, Catherine, a teacher. Natalie attended Saratov University and became a Red Cross nurse, with plans to become a doctor. The family fell victim to the Russian Revolution, falling on hard times. Natalie worked as a nurse to help support the family, at one point volunteering for service in Elmen, Russia, where she met and married her husband, Boris Pilkeny. Boris’s relatives had already emigrated to the United States, so in 1922, wanting a better future for themselves and their new son, Daniel, Boris and Natalie applied as well. They were sponsored by Boris’s brother, Samuel Kaplan, a successful New Bedford businessman. Unfortunately, at age 2, Daniel died of measles and scarlet fever contracted on Ellis Island after their arrival in New York City. They moved to New Bedford in 1923, where Boris established a medical practice, Natalie serving as his secretary and attending nurse. Boris died in 1945, and Natalie worked as a nanny and baby nurse to support herself and her two daughters, Esther and Leda. During this time, in 1965 Natalie earned her LPN. At age 74 she was diagnosed with heart disease, and was forced to stop working. She enrolled at SMU, attending classes until the year she died, 1977. Natalie Kaplan’s story, written by Jennifer Dulude, was published in Spinner: the People and Culture of Southeastern Massachusetts, volume V, 1996, as “Unforgettable Days,” pp. 118-133.