HC Surasky & Nathan Persky Home

Address: 825 Florence Street (now 121 Florence St SW)

Timeframe: Before 1920 – After 1965

Current status: private residence

This house is where HC & Frieda Copeland Surasky raised their children Dora, Esther, Ralph & Mina. 1920 & 1930 census records show the family living here. The family moved to this house sometime between 1910 & 1920. The 1910 census shows the family living on Laurens St (possibly above the Surasky Brothers store). The 1900 census shows the family living at 5 Pendleton St (the same address as HC’s brother BM Surasky).   

After HC passed away in 1932, the house became the home of Nathan Persky & Esther Surasky Persky. Nathan, Esther & son Mort were living at this address in the 1940 census. US Naturalization records also show that Lazar Laurel & Dora Surasky Laurel (Esther’s sister) lived at this address at the time of his US naturalization in 1945.

Current property records show this as a 6000+ sq. ft. home built around 1800. Stephen Surasky (grandson of HC’s brother Sol Surasky and past President of Adath Yeshurun Synagogue) remembers going to this house for “Jewish lessons” from Nathan Persky when he was a boy. He also remembers multiple Jewish relatives living in this house.

Nathan continued to live here until his passing in 1965 when the address of 121 Florence St SW was listed on his death certificate. This address is the same location as 825 Florence St but using Aiken’s current compass addressing system. Most likely Nathan’s wife Esther Surasky Persky continued to live here until her passing in 1985.