Discussion centers primarily on Dr. Keyserling's father, William Keyserling. Interview begins with mention of Dr. Keyserling's paternal grandfather, Hirsch Caeserzki, who made his living as a tanner in Lithuania. Caeserski and his wife Bethsheba had one daughter and five sons, including William (b. 1869). As a young man, William feared conscription by the Russian army; instead he wished to become a farmer. However, Jews were not allowed to own land, so William orchestrated his escape from Lithuania. Keyserling recounts the tale of William's adventurous immigration including details of political scandal, hiding in a produce wagon, and distracting Russian border guards during the journey. He landed in New York in 1888 and changed his last name from Caeserki to the anglicized derivative, Keyserling. Dr. Keyserling describes how nineteen year old William settled in Beaufort, SC, (where he was naturalized by an African American Clerk of Court) and realized his dream of owning and farming land. Keyserling's mother and four brothers eventually joined him in Beaufort. William married New Yorker Jennie Hyman (also a Russian immigrant) in 1907 and had four children (Leon, Beth, Rosalyn and Herbert.) The Keyserling's divided much of their time between Beaufort and relatives in New York. Discussion turns to the subject of religion. Although Dr. Keyserling's parents were Jewish (his mother grew up in a kosher household), he did not consider his family particularly religious. The family did not adhere to Jewish dietary laws (although pork was not cooked in the house) and rarely went to synagogue. Dr. Keyserling recalls his father attended synagogue regularly later in life, but only to show support for Beaufort's dwindling congregation. Herbert and his brother Leon were not bar mitzvahed, although his sisters were confirmed by Rabbi Jacob Raisin of Charleston, SC. William Keyserling knew how to speak Yiddish, but believed immigrants should speak English, the language of the country. Misc. topics include William Keyserling's dedication to keeping in touch with and aiding his European relatives and Dr. Keyserling's childhood memories of traveling to New York to visit relatives.
