Talk:Michael P. Drazin

Family background

There is a convincing story about Drazin's background. It implies that Philip Gerald Drazin was his brother.

Some of the evidence is from the 2016 book Mapping the Past by Charles Drazin. I make out that Charles is Michael's nephew. He doesn't mention his father by name in the book, but he was a psychologist who worked at Farnborough and can be identified with David H. Drazin who published papers in psychology.

This also turns out to be the David H. Drazin who is 210753534 in VIAF and wrote on croquet (date of birth 1931 given then seems to be out by one year).

The croquet connection comes in with [1], which says:

My elder brother Michael, an omnivorous collector, who as a confirmed bachelor had built his home as a museum in West Lafayette, Indiana, many years previously, was over here in the UK on sabbatical leave from Purdue University and could not understand how, as a committed croquet enthusiast, I had not got any books about it to speak of.

I take it that Michael Drazin the mathematician at Purdue is by this solidly identified with the brother of the David Drazin who wrote on croquet.

From Mapping the Past also, pages 8 and 9, we get Charles's paternal grandfather Isaac Drazin, who left Russia (about 1913 it seems) and in 1927 founded Drazin's, an electrical shop on Heath Street, Hampstead, which was still there in the 1980s.

I went to Free BDM for corroboration:

Drazin, Isaac married — Wexler (Stepney, Sep 1927)

Wexler, Leah married — Drazin (Stepney, Sep 1927)

Drazin, Michael P mother — Wexler (Stepney, Jun 1929)

Drazin, David H mother — Wexler (Stepney, Mar 1932)

Drazin, David H married — Lynch (Chippenham, Jun 1956) - NB Mapping the Past is mostly about Charles Drazin's Lynch grandfather and great-uncles

Drazin, Philip G mother — Wexler (Stepney, Jun 1934)

Drazin, Philip G married – Holmes (Honiton, Jun 1965)

One potential discrepancy: Michael Drazin is shown as marrying in the 1980s. Charles Matthews (talk) 11:22, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

@Billinghurst: It looks like Drazin is quite a rare name, at least in Free BDM. Not much ambiguity. But it would be good to have the three brothers (Michael, David, Philip) found some other way. The Stepney registrations suggest the family was based in East London, rather than Hampstead. But they may have moved in the later 1930s. Charles Matthews (talk) 11:52, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

Living people are harder to find in genealogical records as people and sites apply privacy features. I will see what I can find. — billinghurst sDrewth 00:02, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

@Charles Matthews: The US marriage (2nd arr.) fairly well ties the Wexler into place, and that they are all brothers. Death notice of Israel is confirmation needed. — billinghurst sDrewth 01:30, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

@Billinghurst: Thanks - I have now been able to pull something together to fill gaps in Drazin's career. More about the Research Institute for Advanced Studies time might not reveal anti-gravity work (United States gravity control propulsion research). Charles Matthews (talk) 07:24, 22 August 2021 (UTC)

1939 Register

Polly Drazin 10 Jan 1899 Stepney, London, England, single, dressmaker, living alone
Leah Drazin 12 Dec 1896 Hendon, Middlesex, England domestic duties
Isaac Drazin 12 Apr 1900 Hendon, Middlesex, England manager of electrical contracting and wireless service business
Esther Drazin 1 Oct 1903 Hendon, Middlesex, England trades union congress research assistant (neighbouring house)
noting that there are no redacted entries, and no children are showing, so presumably already evacuated.

marriage

• Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Series Number: 89-204; Year: 2001; Certificate Range: 041000 - 044999

Name: Michael Peter Drazin
Gender: Male
Age: 72
Birth Place: England
Marriage Date: 26 Oct 2001
Marriage Place: Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana, USA
Father: Isaac Drazin (born Russia)
Mother: Leah Wexler (born England)
Spouse: Catherine Annabel Freeman
one previous marriage, ended by divorce December 22, 1994

David H Drazin

• 1973 British phone book

  Dr David Drazin, 47 Frognal NW3, Hampstead, London, England

• The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 1426

Name: David Drazin, 4 Dullatur, London Rd., Camberley, Surrey, Psychologist
Arrival Age: 27
Birth Date: 26 Dec 1931
Port of Departure: New York, New York, USA
Arrival Date: 28 Apr 1959
Port of Arrival: Southampton, England
Ports of Voyage: New York
Ship Name: Queen Mary
Shipping Line: Cunard Steamship Company Ltd
Official Number: 7602/01

There are other 1950s passenger lists, and one specifically says David H Drazin.

No record expands on the second personal name for the "H."

Looks to be a 1956 marriage to Anne P Lynch

Philip Gerald Drazin

• FreeBMD death

Name: Philip Gerald Drazin
Death Age: 67
Birth Date: 25 May 1934
Registration Date: Jan 2002
Registration District: Bristol
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Register Number: A40C
District and Subdistrict: 3011A
Entry Number: 153

Plenty of electoral records

Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 29: September, 2003-August, 2004. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 2004. (BioIn 29)

Who's Who in Science in Europe. A biographical guide in science, technology, agriculture, and medicine. Seventh edition. Volume 1: United Kingdom. Harlow, England: Longman Group, 1991. Gale Research, Detroit. . (WhoScEu 1) [archive.org only has vol. 4 of 4 available]

Isaac Drazin

• Born 1990 Russia
• Died 1 Jan 1993, and it looks as though his sister died the week prior, 26 December 1992, s there is a probate.

• 1911 England

Name: Isaac Drazin
Age in 1911: 11
Relation to Head: Son
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Russia
Civil Parish: St George in the East
Street Address: 63 Grove St, Commercial Rd E
Occupation: School
Registration District Number: 19
Sub-registration District: St George and St John
ED, institution, or vessel: 12
Piece: 1510
Household Members:
Name Age
Hyman Drazin 46, Hebrew Teacher And Book Seller
Polly Drazin 46
Jacob Drazin 25
Solomon Drazin 22
Judah Drazin 19
Isaac Drazin 11
Esther Drazin 7

Noting Hyman for father's name, which would align with David H. Drazin

Noting that Hyman's probate in 1931 (d. 17 Jan. 1931) and son as executor, Isaac noted as musical instrument maker

Israel seems to have advertised and written letters tot he editor of the Times.

• The Times >Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1993, Issue 64534, p. 16

  DRAZIN - On 1st January peacefully at Edgware Hospital after a sudden illness, Isaac Drazin, aged 92, husband of the late Leah, and father of Michael, David and Philip. Funeral at Golders Green Crematorium (West Chapel) on Friday 8th January …

  DRAIN - Esther, … aged 89 years, … sister of Isaac. (Same funeral details)

The Times

The Times shows P.G. Drazin in 1954 at Cambridge, and D. H Drazin at Oxford in 1954 and the following years

Cleanup

This sentence: "Isaac Drazin married Leah Wexler, and had three sons, of whom Michael was the eldest, and Philip Drazin, also a mathematician, was the youngest, the middle son being David; and died 1 January 1993." needs cleanup.

Issues:

1. Poor grammar: "the middle son being David; and died 1 January 1993".

2. The citation information is currently very lacking in detail (in the website I couldn't find information about David, and the news article I couldn't find at all).

Thatsme314 (talk) 02:31, 7 September 2022 (UTC) Thatsme314 (talk) 02:31, 7 September 2022 (UTC)

References