Hicksville's Steinerts
Pete was the seventh of nine children. He was born to Agnes and Joseph Steinert in Hicksville late in 1883, not long after the Steinert family moved east from the Bronx. In those years, the family lived north of the central part of Hicksville village, on "the Jericho Road" (now North Broadway). Both his father and his grandfather, Herman Steinert, were lawyers. As late as 1890, Joseph Steinert was listed in the New York City Directory as a resident of Hicksville, but one who still shared law offices in the City with his brothers Henry and Max.
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Known throughout the town as Judge Steinert, even after he retired from the bench, Joseph Steinert was an educated and capable man. He gained prominence, both in the day-to-day life of his community, and in county politics. Over the course of his lifetime, he was elected or appointed to a number of public offices, including:
from a photograph in the Hicksville Archives at the Hicksville Public Library |
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Two Clarifications
These illustrations, respectively from the 1910 U.S. Census and a 1912 newspaper article, are part of the evidence which demonstrates that Joseph was Jerome's father. They are included here because some published material, written before these resources became more easily available, indicates that Judge Steinert was Pete's uncle. Presumably, the only resources available to its authors were oral histories and personal journals, which sometimes can be imperfect.
Another point to clarify is that, as implied by the above list of offices held by Judge Steinert, Hicksville once was part of Queens County. County was not carved out of Queens until 1899.
